Conmap

If you've thought about the geography of your planet, you'll eventually need a ConMap to organize the information. This section deals with how to make good, realistic, and eye-pleasing maps.

Table of Contents

• Getting Ready
• Projections
• The Basic Outline
• Nations
• Mountains
• Thematic Maps
• Finishing Touches
• Examples of Conworld Maps

Computerized mapping

Mapping software tools provide a wide array of options for creating maps at many different levels as well as rendered scenes of landscapes based on those maps.

Free software

• TerraJ by Martin Smith, an open source Java cross-platform solar system generator combining Fractal Planet, StarGen, and Planet Generator
• GeoMorph relief editor
• G.Projector by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a free cross-platform Java application that can reproject a map from a cylindrical projection to a Mercator projection, for example
• AutoRealm is an open source mapping utility for creating maps of castles, dungeons, and cities

Commercial software

• L3DT by Bundysoft, a comprehensive commercial terrain modeling solution.
• Fractal Mapper by Nbos Software, targeted at maps more similar to human-drawn maps
• AstroSynthesis by Nbos Software, a star-mapping tool that maps the positions of groups of nearby stars in 3D
• Daylon Leveller by Daylon Graphics, a terrain sculpting application for Windows
• Terragen by Planetside Software, a terrain generator and rendering application

Unknown status

• Wilbur by Joe Slayton, a free digital terrain sculpting application for Windows
• The Galaxy galaxy generator by Dmytry Lavrov

External links

• map tools wiki
• Terrain building tutorial Part 1 and Part 2 from ME-DEM, the Middle Earth Digital Elevation Model project