Inkarnate: Fantasy Map Creation Tool (Currently in Beta)

If the learning curve is that shallow, I'm sold... Probably.

This sounds like a great tool for providing entertaining procrastination.

caw

I've used this. It's pretty easy and does provide a good foundation for making maps. There are a few things I hope they add at some point. There was no color to indicate jungle or swampland, which was a bit of a problem for me. I do love how easy it is to create a realistic coastline.

I've used it to map out parts of the world for my more quest-oriented fantasy novel.

blacbird said:

This sounds like a great tool for providing entertaining procrastination.

caw

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Not necessarily. I agree it's a possibility, but the sort of writer who's derailed by map-making is probably also going to get derailed by outlines, worldbuilding documents, etc. It's a balance.

I've found maps helpful when I'm dealing with tricky blocking issues, plot timelines, and such. Getting a visual sense of the world can help to figure out the best way to describe it. I use it more as a problem-solving tool than a preparation tool.

For novels, I tend to mock up maps on Paint. All I really need is a very rough layout to get a sense of relative distance, maybe bookmark a geographic feature so I remember to come back to it later, or something. The place I find the heavier, asset-driven programs useful is for game design or interactive fiction. Sometimes I need a map, and Paint isn't going to cut it in the polish department.

Mapmaking can be procrastination, but for some it can be motivating or help them visualize things they want to write about. It can be a way of dealing with writer's block too, as it keeps you "in" your story world at least. If the program's simpler to use than profantasy's campaign cartographer, then it might actually be less reason to procrastinate.

A couple questions. Is there a way to map cities (as in city maps)? And is there a way to scale the maps or create various kinds of projection effects for maps that are of more than a single continent? Also, is there a way to grab a smaller part of a larger map and copy it so you can create a more detailed map of an area? This is supposed to be do-able with profantasy's mapping program, but even following the directions meticulously, I can't get it to work right.

Roxxsmom said:

Mapmaking can be procrastination, but for some it can be motivating or help them visualize things they want to write about. It can be a way of dealing with writer's block too, as it keeps you "in" your story world at least. If the program's simpler to use than profantasy's campaign cartographer, then it might actually be less reason to procrastinate.

A couple questions. Is there a way to map cities (as in city maps)? And is there a way to scale the maps or create various kinds of projection effects for maps that are of more than a single continent? Also, is there a way to grab a smaller part of a larger map and copy it so you can create a more detailed map of an area? This is supposed to be do-able with profantasy's mapping program, but even following the directions meticulously, I can't get it to work right.

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Those last questions are super good. I'd love to see if they had some equally good answers.


Also, anything can be procrastination, but I think being able to make decent maps can serve some useful purposes:

1. If your world and/or story are complicated politically, it might be useful to have a visual of various borders and shared land features such as rivers.

2. If you have a quest narrative, seeing relative distances might help with pacing or timelines/blocking.

3. Etc.

I worked on maps for my third book but I really doubt this software would help. You see the maps are for a world with an unusual geometry or topology -- called a projective plane. It is what you get when you identify opposite points of a sphere as a single point. The result is a world which has a north pole and an equator but no south pole.

Even when working with a normal geometry, making a map is good in order visualize the world where your story is taking place. I didn't do it for my first book. I saw enough in my head for that one to be sufficient for the story.

Any updates on this or other software, alternatively links on AW to a list of cartographers for hire?

I've played with some of the online options and not satisfied with the results but will look at inkarnate. I also reached out to a gal on the www who does gorgeous work but she is not taking new clients.

I create map to help visualize the world and outline the background. I don't try to go into to much details, it is just to pose the base from where I will start. The tool I have been using is autorealm since it is free, but it is really old.

At the moment I am leaning toward the approach described here:

http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/for_writers/how-to-make-a-map-for-your-novel.htm

Although a few freelance guys online look good, too. They keep the rights, though, which I hadn't considered.

Patty said:

Although a few freelance guys online look good, too. They keep the rights, though, which I hadn't considered.

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe book art is generally done on a work-for-hire basis (with rights assigned to the person paying), and someone asking otherwise is not well clued in.