Hi,

I've just (like this lunchtime just) treated myself to a Microsoft Surface Pro 4... Just wondering if anyone knows of a good art app that I could use for designing maps on it?

Cheers in advance

I use Adobe Illustrator to make any maps or floorplans. It's the premier Vector-based illustration software used by professional illustrators and graphic designers. Combined with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, and you have all of the tools you need for any graphics job.

Campaign Cartographer by ProFantasy (especially with Cosmographer add-in) works very well for maps.

I use Adobe Illustrator to make any maps or floorplans. It's the premier Vector-based illustration software used by professional illustrators and graphic designers. Combined with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, and you have all of the tools you need for any graphics job.

This is the correct, commercial, Adobe-sponsored answer. And yes, you get to pay a nice little monthly fee if you want to do that. Or maybe not-so-little monthly fee.

Speaking only for myself, I hate, loathe, and despise Adobe products. The only thing I hate, loathe, and despise more than Adobe and Adobe products are Microsoft and Microsoft products.

So, there you go.

I use Adobe Illustrator to make any maps or floorplans. It's the premier Vector-based illustration software used by professional illustrators and graphic designers. Combined with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, and you have all of the tools you need for any graphics job.

This is the correct, commercial, Adobe-sponsored answer. And yes, you get to pay a nice little monthly fee if you want to do that. Or maybe not-so-little monthly fee.

Speaking only for myself, I hate, loathe, and despise Adobe products. The only thing I hate, loathe, and despise more than Adobe and Adobe products are Microsoft and Microsoft products.

So, there you go.

Well, I have hardcopy CS4 on CD ROM, not the Creative Cloud, and ye, I paid a pretty penny for it, but I love Adobe products. I find them to be very intuitive.

You said "art". What exactly are you going to make with it and are you looking for free, cheap, or is expensive also doable?

This is the correct, commercial, Adobe-sponsored answer. And yes, you get to pay a nice little monthly fee if you want to do that. Or maybe not-so-little monthly fee.Speaking only for myself, I hate, loathe, and despise Adobe products. The only thing I hate, loathe, and despise more than Adobe and Adobe products are Microsoft and Microsoft products.So, there you go.

Haha... That's the kind of answer I like... Honest & to the point

As for the kind of art I want to do... It's mainly going to be map work & I'd also like something that I can sketch maps onto in session when my players are wanting to see the lay of the land. Also would like to try my hand at some deckplans (having being inspired by Ruakars work).

Art may have been too strong a word for what I'll be producing I'm certainly no artist, my bro got the artistic genes in our family, I got the creative writing genes... along with the hard drinking genes, let's not forget those

Cheers for the answers tho guys... Gives me some stuff to look into, really didn't know where to start before

If you don't want to pay the Adobe Price™, but you want vector-style graphics, Inkscape is a pretty powerful freeware, open-source option. Otherwise, one of the best pieces of freehand drawing software out there is Autodesk Sktechbook .

If you don't want to pay the Adobe Price™, but you want vector-style graphics, Inkscape is a pretty powerful freeware, open-source option. Otherwise, one of the best pieces of freehand drawing software out there is Autodesk Sktechbook .

Cheers Simon... Just checked out Inkscape & it looks pretty good!

You said "art". What exactly are you going to make with it and are you looking for free, cheap, or is expensive also doable?

I'd prefer free to be honest... But I am willing to pay for an application, didn't want to just go out & buy something that's going to be way over my artistic level, which is pretty **** low

I don't know if they're still giving it away but Photoshop CS2 was free for a while.

If you want a CAD program for deckplans, Campaign Cartographer is powerful, but has a learning curve. AutoRealm is free and simpler, but less powerful and no longer updated.

Many thanks Sturn, I'll have a look... Never adverse to (trying) to teach myself something new.

Many thanks Sturn, I'll have a look... Never adverse to (trying) to teach myself something new.

There's an add-on for deckplans you will want to get with Campaign Cartographer. If you go the cheap route with AutoRealm I have some notes and helper files.

Note: You can't make true "art", like what some member here have made, with the above programs. They can make quick and dirty maps and deckplans for those who don't have the high dollar programs, skills, and time.