Fantasy maps created using Xara Xtreme

[Gamerprinter]

Armored fighting vehicle, as part of an attempt to do a Space Marine Platoon Dropship deck plan for a near future sci-fi setting. I created both an interior and exterior views. Enjoy!

[csehz]

a world eating itself...

That is very expressive like that

[Gamerprinter]

Colonial Marine Platoon Dropship deckplan: includes pilot, copilot, navigator, loader, a full compliment of 36 marines, a 3 man armored fighting vehicle, and 6 combat motorcycles. This ship has orbital engines and 4 VTOL turbine fans, can drop from orbit and land anywhere on planet in 10 minutes or less. Either from an orbiting fleet or L-5 colonies up to 200 dropships comprising the entire Space Marine Colonial Division make things interesting very quickly. "Rise and shine, ladies, it's another beautiful day in the Corps!"

[Gamerprinter]

An unnatural gateway consisting of two trees with intertwined limbs - works as an entrance to fairy land, a sanctuary of druids or the realms of the Elves. 3D models were used for many of the plants, the base of the gate trees, the lithic stele, and the boat - everything else created in Xara Designer Pro 9.

[kes]

nice work, no complains

cheers

[kes]

I'm currently working on it i will post the results...

[Gamerprinter]

Not so much a map, as a map object... here's a cool looking evil, dead tree (working on another creepy map, but this is all I had time to do tonight - more over the weekend.)

All done in XDP9, a single dead tree texture I googled is all that is used - over and over. I bevel a light gray shape of each branch (or other tree part), copy the shape, remove the bevel, apply the photo texture of the dead tree, then apply stain-glass transparency so the texture shows the beveled duplicate shape beneath. Once an entire limb and sub-branches completed gave a linear transparency on the attaching end of the limb, drop shadow and blur. The limbs are stacked simulating elevation changes between limbs, as a tree should.

Enjoy!

[angelize]

nicely done

[Gamerprinter]

Thank you, Angelize!

Next a Dwarven Mining Complex Map called Dhur Naal. Since I consider dwarves to be engineers and I wanted to do this to include a realistic ore cart track layout, that was the main purpose in designing this. Plus in most 'Dwarven Mine' maps I've seen the goal has always seemed to have been "look cool", but not necessarily make any sense.

Completely created in Xara Designer Pro 9, with some 3D modeled and rendered elements included: the bridges (to get realistic looking shadows), the wooden towers, the ore carts, the gold nuggets and the gemstone crystals - everything else is vector.

As always visit my G+ community to see a 23" x 36", 200 ppi, JPG version of this posted.

Edit: I was experimenting with the custom Brush Tool in creating the railroad ties of the laid ore cart track - it worked out well!

Enjoy!

Michael

[Gamerprinter]

OK, not a Xara created illustration, rather a quickee, hand-drawn, 5 minute map. Over on the Maps for Sharing G+ community, there's a weekly (no prize winning) challenge for cartographers called the Five Minute Map. Usually there's some theme involved, though I seldom pay attention to the theme. All I'm shooting for is attempting to get as much detailed included in some concept whim of mine, with the allotted time space on Fridays. So this week, I was inspired by some photos of Maltese neolithic ruins - and how similar they look to Scara Brae. It's interesting how the Pan-European Megalithic culture has so many similarities despite the distance between such megalithic sites. Since these 5 minute maps are little more than ideas on concepts, I plan to look back at the half-dozen that I've participated in and perhaps use anyone as an inspiration to put some hours in and do a better job - instead trying to fit huge concepts in 5 minutes...