What do you use to create your deckplans?

[stofsk]

I've been using graph paper, a pencil and eraser. As a result, my deckplans always look homegrown as opposed to professional.

What about you? What do you use?

 

[veltyen]

Macromedia Fireworks for the plan.

Povray for external views/shape modeling.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I sometimes start with a pencil sketch, but the finished product is done with MsPaint.

Black lines over a light blue grid print out as black over light grey.

Scale is 1 pixel per 6 inches. Grid is every 10 pixels; or 5-foot by 5-foot squares.

I'm not an artist. My training is in mechanical and architectural drafting. 6 years in the Navy also gives me a little perspective on shipboard layouts.

 

[Zob10701]

Adobe Illustrator.

 

[ravells]

Used to use Illustrator, I now use Serif Drawplus (cheaper and much easier to use with all the features I need).

 

[Mickazoid]

Illustrator and now Sketchup

 

[Berg]

Originally posted by mickazoid:
Illustrator and now Sketchup

Sketchup? Really... what do they look like and how much work is it?

 

[daltoncalford]

Dungeonforge with Mapx.

best regards

Dalton

 

[flykiller]

mspaint. looks a little 1980's, but hey, the real action is in the mind.

http://members.aol.com/flykiller/traveller/agzlu2.html

 

[stofsk]

How do you use MSPaint for deckplan work?

 

[Mickazoid]

I used to use MacPaint back in the 80's - pushing pixels was great for deckplans! Rock on!

 

[stofsk]

I'm starting to feel like pencil and paper is a bit anachronistic, but dammit it's the only thing I'm good at doing.

 

[Mickazoid]

pen and paper is what it's all about. For ship designs, etc., I sketch almost everything before it touches the computer. My designs are more 'innate' when they're done at the pace of a hand, and with the lost-in-thought feeling you get staring at the paper. Anyway, that's how I feel.

 

[marvo]

Yup, pencil and plain or graph paper to start with. Then Photoshop with layers for; grid, hull and walls, furniture, annotations etc. I do most of my game maps a similar way.

I am just waiting for the day when I can mount a 40" LCD/Plasma in my table top and use that directly as the playing surface. Imagine how usefull that would be!

 

[Mickazoid]

Here's a shot of my Conquest design (done in illustrator), in the beginning of the extrusion process into Sketchup.

You can see more pictures at the thread.

 

[RandyT0001]

Architects and Software contains a listing.

 

[Mickazoid]

Here's another series of shots of a Sketchup implementation of an Illustrator design, the Conquest, in varying stages of completion:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=000990&p=4#000048

 

[flykiller]

How do you use MSPaint for deckplan work?

one pixel at a time. ain't hard. start with a square, call it 1/2 dton, and you're off and running. as you accumulate standard stuff you can save it in a template. cut and paste, make changes as necessary.

good stuff mick.

http://members.aol.com/flykiller/traveller/temp/temp.gif

 

[Icosahedron]

I use MS Paint, using a blue 40 pixel square grid. 40 pixels prints out at almost exactly 5mm, giving me 1:200 scale drawings (since I use non-canon 1metre squares) which I can 2x enlarge for 15mm minis if needed. It's slow, but you can draw anything.

I've done several small craft using Dungeonforge, its much quicker, more colourful and atmospheric, and with a zoom feature in the pipeline I'll soon be using this for larger ships too.

 

[vutpakdi]

I use Canvas from ACD Systems. Very well suited for doing deckplans (and other general graphics work), but too pricey for hobbyist use unless you get the occasionally available free older versions that occasionally appear in computer or design magazines.

Ron (not that I do much deckplan work these days except for a couple of commissions)