Deckplan made with Fractile Mapper

[Uncle Bob]

I am not a trained artist, and this is my first digital design, so don't blame NBOS if you don't like it. But it proves that it can be done.

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/blyle/Deckplans.htm

 

[trader jim]

Hey - Looks good to me - Playable and fumctional -
you should be happy you have a new "toy"...i am still trying to find something i can use....i dont have a clue as what to buy...or even what works!!....or how much to spend!!!!...what made you decide on this "mapper"????

 

[Uncle Bob]

Originally posted by trader jim:

you should be happy you have a new "toy"...i am still trying to find something i can use....i dont have a clue as what to buy...or even what works!!....or how much to spend!!!!...what made you decide on this "mapper"????

I have been using Fractile Mapper for a few years for terrain maps. The DOS version of Campaign Cartogapher did not work well in Windows 95, and by the time a Windows version was available I saw no reason the spend the extra money.

 

[dean]

That looks sweet.

Nice job, much better than I can do by hand.
I may have to invest...

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks. I had to create some custom symbols (sliding doors, command consols, bathtubs, etc) because the program either didn't come with enough or I didn't like them.
I will post them. Same deckplans page.
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/blyle/Deckplans.htm

(BTW, the plan above is for B deck. The Clipper has decks A-F, designed by book 2 posted on the web site).

 

[GBoyett]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
Thanks. I had to create some custom symbols (sliding doors, command consols, bathtubs, etc) because the program either didn't come with enough or I didn't like them.
I will post them. Same deckplans page.
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/blyle/Deckplans.htm

(BTW, the plan above is for B deck. The Clipper has decks A-F, designed by book 2 posted on the web site).

Neat ship design. I like the deckplans, details without clutter.

 

[GBoyett]

Originally posted by trader jim:
Hey - Looks good to me - Playable and fumctional -
you should be happy you have a new "toy"...i am still trying to find something i can use....i dont have a clue as what to buy...or even what works!!....or how much to spend!!!!...what made you decide on this "mapper"????

My personal preference is TurboCAD. This is an inexpensive app that's crammed with features and symbol libraries.

Don't get scared by all it's tools and features. Once you understand how lines, splines, hatches, and layers work you will be designing deckplans in no time.

If you are really adventurous you can try out it's 3D rendering features. I personnally don't use them, but the capability is there.

Exporting is pretty good. You have the options of several 2D and 3D formats. I find creating PDFs with the Acrobat Distiller the best result. Hardcopies you print from the PDF are so crisp that even the smallest detail is handled correctly.

The price of TurboCAD is not that bad, between $80 to $100, depending which version and where you buy it. The makers do have some lower end products, usually geared toward home&garden projects. These work quite nicely,but they don't have all the features and tools like TurboCAD.

Hope that helps.

 

[savage]

Looks great to me. Did you do the HG specs?
I've been working on some conversions. FM has
some good features.

Don't need to spend big bucks to be effective.

Cheers.
Savage

 

[Uncle Bob]

Not yet. Tommorrow, God willing.

 

[Uncle Bob]

UPP
AF 5233331 030000 20000 0
----------------1------1
----------------1------1
This is a stubby, truncated cone that lands on the round end. (The resemblance to the McDonnell-Douglas Delta Clipper is a deliberate homage.) It is fast and long-legged, intended to carry high value cargos over long distances. It can easily be fitted with scoops, fuel purification, and more turrets and has the range and armament for the frontier. Common variants include a Q ship, a corsair, and a light merchant cruiser.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I have posted my custom symbols. I will eventually shift these to NBOS online.

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/blyle/Deckplans.htm

 

[savage]

UB,

Great stuff. Your ahead of the curve.

I went through the demos for the two packages (FM and CC2). CC2 has a lot of functions but I'm not
certain its necessary.
Cheers.
Savage

 

[Liam Devlin]

I'm with Savage on this Uncle Bob,
Tis better than the pencil-ink scratches I make do with!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Aw, shucks. *blush*

If I thought $80 would make me draw like Tanuki I'd go for CC2. If I were flush with cash I might even go $160 for the sake of City Designer and the icosohedral maps in Fractal Terrains.

 

[valen]

Wow... that does look really good. I picked up fractal mapper at Gencon last year. I was gonna buy CC, but the fractal mapper guys got me with their low price.

Any tricks you want to share?

 

[Maspy]

Originally posted by valen:
Wow... that does look really good. I picked up fractal mapper at Gencon last year. I was gonna buy CC, but the fractal mapper guys got me with their low price.

Be serious. It wasn't just our low price. It was our witty banter, excellent demos, strong support and my Hawaiian shirts, right?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Originally posted by valen:
Wow... that does look really good. I picked up fractal mapper at Gencon last year. I was gonna buy CC, but the fractal mapper guys got me with their low price.

Any tricks you want to share?

It was important to me to learn how to use the scale and line style commands on the object menu. snap to grid is valuable for positioning objects, but I had to keep juggling the grid size.

The trick I am proudest of is for centering circles. When the circle is selected a diagonal line appears. Position the circle so the line goes through the center and cntrl-m to mirror the circle and now the diagonal goes the other way and move the circle so this diagonal goes through the center. cntrl-m to mirror back, adjust, zoom in (cntrl-w), and continue until it is just right.

Make your map symbols first. I have posted some of mine on nbos online as well as my deckplans page.

RTFM. I wish I had read the PDF manual more carefully, myself.

 

[Tanuki]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
If I thought $80 would make me draw like Tanuki I'd go for CC2.

To quote somebody else: Aw, shucks. *blush*

Thanks for the kind words, Uncle Bob. Nice job here -- I like the design.

 

[Tanuki]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
The trick I am proudest of is for centering circles. When the circle is selected a diagonal line appears. Position the circle so the line goes through the center and cntrl-m to mirror the circle and now the diagonal goes the other way and move the circle so this diagonal goes through the center. cntrl-m to mirror back, adjust, zoom in (cntrl-w), and continue until it is just right.

You have to go through all that to center a circle? Wow. Makes me feel even better about what I spent. Had a bunch of overtime pay...

 

[Uncle Bob]

I hope there is an easier way and I was to dumb to see it. I almost missed the command line in my old DOS TurboCad. Not the 200x320 display, though.

Of course if you have a good eye you can just drag and drop.