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Thanks, Egg!
I'm working with Louis Porter Jr of LPJ Designs, a creator of third party content for Pathfinder, in creating stock ship deck plans as a product intended for publishers of the many games utilizing ships of sail. Though there are many stock art products for game publishers, most are for cover designs and interior art as in character/monster illustrations and fantasy graphics. There currently aren't any stock art as maps - our project will be the first of its kind. I'm working on a frigate deck plan for the first product in the line.
Each product will include all decks of a given ship, and will come available in standard dress (typical furnishings of such a ship), and 3 variations depending on the type of ship. For example for the frigate deck plans I'm creating as the first product, as a ship of the line, will come in typical naval ship setup, with a royal flag ship version with more luxury items aboard, one with poop deck removed and guns added for a lighter, more heavily armed pirate version of the frigate, and a battle damaged one with broken masts, cannon ball holes, and a leaking cargo hold. Price is tentatively $29.97 - explained as one design free with 3 more designs at $9.99 each.
These ships will be designed in my photo-realistic style.
Here's the logo I designed for the product line.
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After some critiques and suggestions on an Art & Design board, I decided to approach the logo design from a different direction. One suggestion was despite the product being top down deck plans, depicting the logo as a top down view of a deck was not suggestive enough to mean that, but a side view might be stronger in relaying the point of the product involving sea going vessel products. What do you think?
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Maybe I'm trying too hard, but now I think there is too much white space with the oval...
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Micheal,
I like the look of the second logo. The first I picture more as a stamp on wine barrel.
However I am seeing a weird optical illusion with the bow of the boat as compared to the stern. I see the stern fine but the bow looks to be from the side. I played around with the logo and I think if you were to put a water line in and removed the keel and what was below the water it would correct the perspective.
Ray
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Regarding the graphic of the ship, believe it or not, you can see the inside front and opposite side on the fore end of the ship - so its not just a side view. The perspective is correct.
Someone on Facebook asked me to create a 100 ton starship (with Traveller stats) with more cargo space than a Type S, Scout and with most of its features. Because I used my Mantis hull design, included is a 1 ton, submersible turbo-caterpillar drive allowing for underwater travel (fast and silent), as well as flying through middle layers of gas giants and heavy atmosphere worlds, where standard maneuver drives fail - for evasion and escape purposes. The air/raft is a miniature of the ship which sits above the Skate starship (ladder accesses air/raft hatch).
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How about a retro hover taxi - has kind of a Fifth Element crossed with Brazil quality to it.
Makes me say "Corbin Dallas, Multi-pass!"
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Here's my entry map into this year's One Page Dungeon Contest, with a space station "dungeon" map. The contest is an attempt at creating a detailed map and a full adventure in readable text that all fits on one side of a letter size sheet of paper (as a PDF). Its a tough challenge to accomplish for anybody.
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Best of luck with the competition :)
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Thanks, Egg!
Working on the next deck plan for both the Stock Armada product line, as well as for my Gamer Printshop map sets sold on DrivethruRPG.com.
This I call the Buccaneer class 600 ton Heavy Corsair star ship, a pocket warship with nomimal armor and 3 triple gun turrets. I am creating 4 versions of these deck plans: standard (shown below), red/black for a flamboyant pirate captain, wear n' tear showing some signs of age, rust, stains, and a battle damaged one.
First image shows the exterior hull top view, and lower deck on ground with clam shell cargo bay doors open and shadow of upper deck, interior deck plans of each level - upper and lower, and an interior deck plan of the 50 ton boarding cutter parked in the cargo bay of the lower deck...
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Well I had an instance where I tried to save this deck plan .Xar file and it both failed and corrupted the previous version I was saving as the same file name - and I didn't have auto-save turned on, so that file got lost. Instead of redoing it - something I hate to do, I opted to start working on a different version, which I've done (kept auto-save turned on) and completed...
This one I call the Thunderbird class 700 ton Heavy Corsair Star Ship deck plan. I did four versions of this deck plan: standard (shown), blue scheme, rust bucket and battle damaged.
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I'm still creating sci-fi stuff, but I needed a weekend break from all the ship deck plans I've been creating, so I made me a map of some seedy bar, I call Joe's Place, in the bad part of town in some city... I wanted to include my recently created flying/hover car map objects to populate the street outside. Inside I include a holographic exotic dancer machine, called Holo-Gogo, just for fun. This was entirely created in Xara Designer Pro x11 using photo image fills. I've been using the 3D extrude tool more and more in my Xara created maps.
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I've never created canon Spelljammer ship deck plans before, that's what has been asked of me, so I started working on an Elven Warbird. Spelljammer, for those who don't know is an old Dungeons & Dragons exotic setting of space fantasy, but outer space is different than our own. There is a gravity plane there, atmospheres surround any object in space, and things living in those spaces can breath for about a week without dying of oxygen deprevation, though you need to enter planetary atmospheres to refresh your air bubble. These odd rules allow airships to sail the solar winds of space in open deck ships. Wizards wearing spelljammer helms use magic to power these ships.
I will definitely complete the deck plans, though I've just learned, starting tomorrow, I'll be creating 20 maps for a youth oriented adventure path for Legendary Games.
Here's the two top decks, I've created so far. An elven warbird is a live plant based ship grown in batches - kind of like a rose, and colors can differentiate models based on which batch they were grown. I need to create 4 versions of each deck, if not actual differences, then I need to offer alternate interior furnishings placed, as these ships are often stolen by pirates for their use instead of purely for elven communities. One is a typical elven warbird, the other created so far is a cursed one, I'm calling the Autumn Warbird - the undead version with banshee (elf ghosts) crewing it for some creepy fun.
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Here's the second map of the 20 map commission I am currently working on. The adventure path is called Trail of the Apprentice, by Paris Crenshaw for Legendary Games, and is a series of modules targeted to a young player audience. Interestingly, based on the author's reference text and rough draft of the map, he mentioned 14 specific, named locations - Lord Mayor's residence, City Council Hall, County Seat, Barracks, Wizard's College, Port Authority and six taverns and inns, the author and publisher hadn't anticipated being able to label specific buildings. Since I created specific structures for those named locations, before populating the city with the rest of the buildings, they are now opting to label those structures.
Okay, 18 maps to go...
Michael
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Have nice stroll through a sewer - map 5 done, working on number 6... enjoy!
If you ask, "Are those fish in the water?", I can honestly say, there are four fish in the water, but more than likely what you're seeing is probably not fish...!?
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Map 10 of 20 complete for this commission. This is the ruins of a castle greathall. You'll notice that some of these maps have a grid and some don't, in actuality I am just posting one of each of three versions for each map: one with labels and a 1 inch square grid for the publication, one with without labels but with a grid as a player map, and one without a grid for use in virtual tabletop applications which as a grid built into the system that are laid over maps. In virtual tabletop the icons for characters and monsters, etc are snapped to the grid for game use (so do not me to add an additional grid.)
Oh, and as aside to this post, my previous post of my contest entry of the space station dungeon, while still not judged for the contest yet, my free version posted online has earned a 5 star rating and review, as well as having gotten hundreds of downloads of it already. I hope the contest judges hold the same opinion.
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With a momentary break from my commission job while I wait on the adventure author to complete the last 6 rough drafts so I finish, I opted to create an entire village of say 12 to 15 buildings with interior floor plans (at encounter scale: 1 inch = 5 feet). So far a chapel that can serve as a school house or village hall when needed, a smithy, a miller/bakery with water wheel, and a well, and the Blue Buck Tavern and Inn with stables. Working on a armory with a single jail cell and a general store, next.
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Village update: small manor ground floor and grounds completed. Note the stairs at the end of the central hallway bottom, going up to the second level is on the right side, however it fades out before reaching the top of the stairs. I did this to show the kitchen (room to right of stairs) has a back door that goes under the stairs then out the back door). I needed to show this part. Next upper floor, attic, and cellar - almost done. Then done with the series and release this as a product.
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Second floor and attic level of the small manor previously posted. Master bedroom top left, central hall with observation room over the foyer, teenage daughter's chamber on top right. Bottom left is the guarderobe (lavatory), nursury to the right of that, stairs down/up, child son's room, linen closet - I've since added some shelves and cabinets (not shown). Attic with large peaked roof overhead, doors on either side access flat open roofs beyond. A rookery sits on the top of the right open roof.
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I found a couple of maps of a lair for a bog witch deep in a swamp that I did a couple years ago, but I only have the exported JPG files and not the original Xara file, though I've been compelled to release it as a map set with square and without. So I decided to redo those maps, especially as I've learned new techniques and newly created map symbols that would be ideal for this map. I will release this as a downloadable PDF map set tomorrow. Here are those updated encounter scale maps.
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So I've been creating more starship deck plans and releasing them as products. This one started as a private commission for an individual for their personal game. What was needed was essentially the fastest ship available using Traveller RPG ship design rules. In this case with a crew of 8 (3 shifts of pilots/8 hours each), a navigator, and 4 engineers (one/50 tons of drives), and a diplomat and 2 aids (body guard and steward/administrative assistant). Most everything else is bridge, power plant, drive engines, and massive amounts of fuel (768 tons of hydrogen). Also the lines of yellow boxes seen on the lateral portions of the upper deck are fuel processors. After a hyperspace jump with the expenditure of 720 tons of fuel to accomplish, the ship searches for a hydrogen rich star or gas giant to skim the surface of, drawing unrefined hydrogen into fuel scoops, then 36 tons of fuel processors converts that to 720 tons of refined fuel in 24 hours (processed while flying at maneuver/6 (top sublight speed), then makes another jump/6 - this process repeats until the starship arrives at its destination. I opted to emulate its namesake in design - this is the Peregrine class 1200 ton Fast Diplomatic Sloop. Next I'll be working on a orbiting space station map.
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Sounds like a Foxtrot Drive to me GP ..... slow. slow, quick, quick, slow ;)
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In Traveller RPG, as both a form of meta-gaming and narrative tool space travel requires overwhelming amounts of fuel and requiring ships to scoop from suns, wait while refining it before jumping again setting up possibilities with encounters to create exciting adventurers, instead of just spending long periods in space flight between destinations. Slower starships have to do the same thing, just not going as fast, nor making as distant of hyperspace jumps. Consider it requires 720 tons of fuel to make a single hyperspace jump/6 (week long period in flight), and 48 tons of fuel to operate the power plant and maneuver drive for 2 weeks - that's 768 tons of fuel for a 1200 ton ship. Still within those parameters, the Peregrine is the "fastest" ship available.
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Just started working on a mining outpost on an alien world in its infancy as a volcanic planet. The station sits atop a pinnacle of rock rising above a lava plain. I have yet to create the floors below located within the rock spire itself. A rare heavy metal is found here in abundance. This is a possible location for a party of interstellar adventurers to make a trade encounter.
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Sorry, for the long absence, just got busy on other things, changed computers, lost favorite links, and new directions. I'm back.
I still do personal maps, commission maps for publishers and individuals, but my publisher side has expanded which has eaten up most of my time. Paizo Publishing came out with a science fantasy tabletop roleplaying game called Starfinder Roleplaying Game, and I've been supporting their system with third party products. I've written and published a free one-shot (one session of play) adventure module called Rude Awakening, and what I call a two shot module (two sessions of play) called Rogue's Run. I have two freelance author/game designers that have their own Starfinder projects, that I do maps, deck plans, illustrations, page layout and cover design (all using Xara Designer Pro x11), though I do some page layout work in Adobe InDesign to meet the specific needs of some printers/sales platforms. T. H. Gulliver wrote a 150 page collection of one-shot space horror modules called Dead in Space, and he is working on a followup collection of one-shots based on a garbage/prison planet called Chains of Purgatory. While the first has been out since November 2018, "chains" won't be published until sometime this summer. Edward Moyer has been writing both one-shot modules and optional rules supplements including Starships, Stations, and Salvage Guide (my best seller so far), Ultimate Vehicles and The Complete Mecha Factory - bringing mecha rules for Starfinder.
I'm also considering starting a Patreon where I'll be offering podcasts mostly covering Map Tutorials, Map Symbol Tutorials, both hand-drawn/digital hybrid style using Xara, or purely digital maps combining Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365, Wings 3D for 3D modeling for some map symbol needs. I'll also offer free map downloads, as well as creating custom maps for higher paying tier patrons. I'm just now looking at doing this - I need software to best capture live Xara sessions creating maps, a better camera, lighting, a set up to film me for podcasts. So that will be a few months away before I actually begin doing that.
I've got a 20 map commission for Legendary Games coming soon, and those will be purely digital all created in Xara Designer Pro. And though I've got lots of content created for it already, I've had to shelve a project while I finished some older ones, I'll be getting back to work updating my Kaidan setting of Japanese Horror (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game) to the science fantasy flavor of Stafinder Roleplaying Game - that's a big project.
I've setup an Artstation gallery of my work if you'd like to check that out.
Anyway a few recent maps of mine. The first image is the planet of Kaidan created in Xara with heavy use of bevels as in most of my maps - it's 2:1 width to height for easy conversion to globe wrapping tools for planetary globe views. The second image is the Aradia star system map, all in vector with overlapping NASA photos in the background. The last one is the Cyberian a huge pirate heavy destroyer starship, while all the interior deck plans were created using Xara, the hull was created in 3D using Wings 3D, rendered as a white model in Poser 11, then imported to Xara and given textures with the merge layer transparency applied.
Michael
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Good to see you back. This thread has been viewed over 200,000 times. I pretty sure no other thread has been viewed that many times.
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I can remember when it crossed 100,000 views - yes, I agree there is no other such thread in talkgraphics. ;)
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For some reason those images didn't show up, let me do this again...
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Good to see you're back, Michael. Sounds like all your hard work has been paying off. Congrats!
Great new work. Thanks for sharing.
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Michael,
Are you using Artstation in your work now or just using the site to host your portfolio of your work? I know you use to use google Plus heavily are you still active on Google Plus and has that platform still given you much exposure anymore or have you had to move on to other areas for exposure?
Ray
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I've used Google + less and less, relying more on Facebook. I use Artstation to host my work, I only use Xara to create my art.
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Okay, I'm seriously thinking of starting a Patreon, where I'd offer a selection of maps and map objects each month, map and map object tutorials as videos, allowing voting each month for kinds of maps to create for future videos, discounts on various software and texture/object collections, maybe review software and digital tools. Although I have been using Xara Designer Pro, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365, offers all the same drawing tools in Xara, but is only $49, something most of my potential patrons could afford - and get affiliate commissions selling it. Xara just sent me the download code/password for XP&GD for free so I can use it in my tutorials.
I need to get a decent camera setup, and lights, to basically set up a room in my house as my blog space. It won't be for a month or two before I start, but numerous people have asked me to start one, so I know I have a ready audience once I do.
Just a heads on possible new offers I will be having... ;)
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So working on a product idea for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, an adventure site. Essentially a map product of a desert moon, an outpost community of little over a thousand people, mining crystals inside a mountain. A local culture of lizarding riders roam the desert, and one rider is in the foreground of the cover art/design (also done in Xara). Although the other images are 3D renderings done using Vue as a terrain generator, the structure models done in Wings 3D, and the person in Poser 11, lots of post-production work was done using Xara.
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Michael,
Wanted to know a little bit more about your process you are now using. When you use these other modelers and make an object, how are you bringing it into Xara? Are you turning them into BMP files or something else?
Ray
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I'm often working with transparent PNG files, which I import to Xara, to do post production, or cut maps from.
The image on the left is a top down render of a 3D object of the residential pod platform (except for the square grid I placed on top in Xara, for miniatures scaling purposes). The image on the right, I cut out the rooms and corridors right from the single rendered 3D image. I then use the same room cut-outs onto a separate rectangle, in order to apply the Xara 1 way 3D extrusion, and place under the cut out top image. Then I create a drop shadow, and place objects, furniture, etc, also created in Xara into each room.
In the map on the previous post, see the "road/parking lot" inside the walls and going out the gate. I started with a 36 point line, used the color picker to choose the color of the mountain behind it, then drew the placement for the roads (18 point line for those narrower roads between the residential pods). Then convert lines to shape, apply a slight edge feather, apply a merge layers transparency, then move the transparency slider to about 23 percent, so it's isn't too strong. I applied the colors on the other objects by drawing shapes, give it a color fill (like green on the drop pod model), give it a merge layers transparency, then fractal transparency with sharp transitions to give that worn paint look...
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Hi Michael.
Quote:
... apply a merge layers transparency
What's a merge layers transparency?
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Sorry, multiply (stain glass), it's what I call it I guess... ;)
I'm currently working on the mine/industrial operation through those doors coming out of the base of the mountain, which also access those structures on top of the mountain mesa. I'll post that when I'm done.
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Ah! Thanks for the clarification Michael. You had me searching around xara for an unknown type of transparency ;))
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The mine level, under the mountain, at Kos Veruk mining outpost, on the moon, Anwarra, of Caspara III. Crystals sought be solarians and technomancer are mined and processed here.
I used the same techniques as I did for the interiors of the residential pod platforms, on the previous posts.
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Okay, not a map, but a 3D illustation, that needed more color in some places, color at all in others, due using some 3D software with an inefficient texture tool. So I finish the illustration, using Xara shapes drawn, color or fractal color mix, then multiply (stain-glass) transparency applied. The steam off the pot on the stove is a white drawn steam cloud, given a 3 point feather, and fractal transparency from 100% transparent to 30% transparent. Now this is good enough for the next product cover design. Before on the left, After on the right.
Michael
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Michael,
It sure seems like a lot of work. If I am following your work flow correctly, you are basically having to redraw various objects twice in order to get the shading and color for various textures in two different programs.
Wouldn't a different 3D system give you the ability to do the shading your want? I know nothing about 3D software so I can not really say with certainty what to even use. Maybe one of our other users could over a suggestion. I would think if you could get everything in one program, you would also speed up the turn around time.
Thanks for posting this because l am always interested in how others approach doing projects. You have come a long way from when you use to just make maps for the Cartographers Guild.
Ray