Map Making Software Summary

This thread details the details of numerous map making software applications use to make maps for RPGs and Fantasy Grounds.

If you know of any applications that should be added, or entries that should be updated, please reply.

Dedicated Map Making Programs

These are programs that are usually designed from the ground up to make RPG maps. They usually come with symbols/graphics/assets/brushes to immediately start making RPG maps. They can be very powerful, but are usually limited to features used to make maps. (See next post for generic image editing programs).

Name	Platform /OS	Base Cost (USD)	Cost w/ Recommended Add-ons	Description	Pros	Cons
Fantasy Grounds VTT	Win/Mac/Linux	Free	$5/month Art Subscription	Built in to FG VTT	Free, includes some assets and animated & lighting effects, Line of sight.	limited export capabilities, no commercial use of assets.
Arkenforge		$35	$95	Animated map maker	Export to FG
Campaign Cartographer 3+	Windows	$45	$74 Top Three bundle	Raster and Bitmap program built on a CAD engine.	Powerful, versatile, numerous add-ons. Incl. Commercial use.	Learning Curve
Deepnight RPG Map Editor	Online / Windows	Free	PWYW		Easy to use, commercial use free, asset importing
Dungeon Alchemist	Windows	$45		3D procedural generation	Free demo	Early Access. Export to FG VTT.
DungeonDraft	Win/Linux	$20			Export to FG
DungeonScrawl	Online	Free		online brush & tile style mapper		limited styles and assets
Dungeon Painter Studio		$15		Tile based mapper		Early access in 2017, not updated since
Fantasy Map Builder	Online	Free	N/A	Grid based online map builder	Free and online	Last updated in 2016
Fantasy Word Generator (donjon)	Online	Free	N/A	Fractal random world generator	quick and easy	Limited styles and control
Fractal Mapper	Windows	$35		Fractal image generation with symbols	Supports export to UVTT format	Limited add-ons
Fractal World Generator	Online	Free		Fractal random world generator	quick and easy	very limited options
Hextml	Online	Free	N/A	Online hex overland mapper in OSR style	Easy to use	Limited assets

Name	Platform /OS	Base Cost (USD)	Cost w/ Recommended Add-ons	Description	Pros	Cons
Illwinter's		$8		Brush and Fill style fractal mapper
Inkarnate	Online	Free, limited	$40/yr	Online fantasy map maker	$80/yr for studio version that incl commercial use	Limited assets. Free is really just a trial (3 maps etc)
MapForge	Win/Mac	Free = limited export resolution	$40 for export license	Tile and grid based mapping program	Good selection of features, focuses on tactical battle maps, easy to use,	Limited add-ons, poor large map performance
Never Winter Nights				It's a CRPG, with a map maker built in.	cheap if you can find it on Gog or Steam	old, very old
Other World Mapper	Win/Mac/Linux	$32	$55+	Vector-Raster Mapper		Last updated in 2023
Tiled	Win/Mac/Linux	Free	N/A	Java 2D/Isometric tile map making	Very easy to use and supports custom tiles	Basic, tiles only
Wonderdraft	Win/Linux	$30		Overland map maker		Limited assets
Worldographer 2025		$70	+$40 in symbol add-ons	Tile based mapper?	21 add-ons	Expensive base program, expensive add-ons

Graphic Programs that are Used to Make Maps

These programs are graphic design programs that can be used for many things, including making maps for RPGs. Often you will have to find custom "brushes" "symbols" or graphics to use to to get the look and feel you desire, or at least to make map making quicker.

Name	Platform/OS	Base Cost (USD)	Cost with recommended add ons	Description	Pros	Cons
GIMP	Windows, Linux, OSX	Free (GIMP)	N/A	Full blown graphics application.	Ultimate flexibility, free, online tutorials	Steep learning curve, need to find/organise own mapping objects
Photoshop CS5.x/CC	Windows, Mac OSX	$10/month	$10/month	Professional 2D/3D Raster Image software. Includes full suite of support tools, automation, effects and styles. Premium choice for professional artists.	Professional quality output.	Can be overwhelming at first but has the best performing pipeline. Considered by many to be the number one image raster tool and as such enjoys a plethora of support tools and add-ons. Need to find own library of textures/symbols.
Artrage		$80
Inkscape	Win/Mac/Linux	Free	N/A	Open Source vector image program
Flowscape		$10		3D Terrain/Scenic painter
Paint.Net	Online	Free	N/A	Basic graphic editor	Can open .PSD files

Resources, Examples and More

Arkenforge Resources

• Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz...0W3S6_bwWGsAug

Campaign Cartographer Resources

• Video Tutorials: www.profantasy.com/community/cc3_tutorials.asp
• Pick up the Tome of Ultimate Mapping: https://secure.profantasy.com/products/tome.asp which is an awesome CC resource (600+ pages of tutorials) and comes with a lot of good support files.

DungeonDraft and WonderDraft Assets

• https://cartographyassets.com/

Photoshop Resources

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...C9177C6302AB60

General Mapping Assets

• https://www.mapforge-software.com/cs...rt-collection/
• https://www.textures.com/
• https://neotextureedit.sourceforge.net/
• https://www.vintyri.org/vintyri/index.htm
• https://www.cartographersguild.com/
• https://battlegroundsgames.com/links/
• Forgotten Adventures: www.forgotten-adventures.net/
• World Map Hex Tiles: www.2minutetabletop.com/product/world-map-hex-tiles/

Everything from the old thread: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...ftware-summary should have now been moved over here.

I've had to break it into multiple posts and remove the example links from the tables (I think the links were making the post exceed character limites)

https://www.dungeonalchemist.com/ Still in Early Access.
Dungeon Alchemist is available as a standalone application on Windows, MacOS and Linux.

Dungeon Alchemist [steam link] and its Road Map indicating 2026 release and High Seas update.
It has free Workshop support with 14k+ Maps and even more single assets to place on maps.

Edit: Features wiki article.

EDIT 2: Dungeon Alchemist comes with seamless exports to most popular VTT's. Depending on the VTT's capabilities, more or less features will be included. The following VTT's are supported out of the box:

• Fantasy Grounds Unity
• Among others

EDIT 3: On AI Usage

- Do you use Generative AI/LLM's in Dungeon Alchemist?

+ No, we do not! All procedural algorithms are developed in-house and only use content generated by our own, paid artists.

Note: But there is some sort of AI powering in their engine [not the assets but how the assets are laid/randomized]. I'll pass the ball to someone with better knowledge though. xD

Free and web-based hexploration map maker: https://hextml.playest.net/
Quite basic but fast.

https://deepnight.net/tools/rpg-map/ Can be run from browser

Features

• Full HTML5 support, Windows version on Itch.io
• Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds exports
• Import your own images or icons
• Fully customizable colors
• Import maps generated by One Page Dungeon (from Watabou)
• Support for special walls, such as caverns, diagonals, etc.
• Ground textures
• Ray-casted lighting & fog
• Multiple skins and many customizable colors
• Texts, numbered elements with automatic legend block generation, text bubbles…
• Icons
• Enemies
• User friendly UI
• Pay what you want, including free!

For Resources, Examples and More

Free Assets:

- Forgotten Adventures Mapmaking Pack: 140.000+ assets HERE in patreon
- World Map Hex Tiles Free or PWYW

EDIT:

Campaign Cartographer [CC3+] Tutorials: https://www.profantasy.com/community/cc3_tutorials.asp

Thanks for all the additional info:) I'll look to incorporate it into the tables in the next couple of days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LordEntrails

Thanks for all the additional info:) I'll look to incorporate it into the tables in the next couple of days.

---

Np :)
I had more free resources but the links are all gone with the last format.

Thanks for making the table, it'll be useful for non-designer users like me.

Also, heads up, below link is dead.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LordEntrails

Resources, Examples and More

Campaign Cartographer Resources

• Zeus imparts a lot of info in this thread: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...-Tactical-Maps Particularly post #12.

---

Arkenforge Tutorials
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz...0W3S6_bwWGsAug

Arkenforge is available on Windows and Mac BTW

Gigabytes of free mapmaking assets
https://www.forgotten-adventures.net/

I'd forgotten Fractal Mapper - have had it for years. It includes Fractal World Explorer that will generate a 3d globe world map.
They also do Astrosynthesis that does stellar maps

Do you have recommendations on how to use the - World Map Hex Tiles Free or PWYW hex tokens inside of FG?
The "isometric" layout makes it hard to place the tokens and keep the raised edges from showing when making overland hex maps on the fly. Basically, you have to lay everything out from the top of the map then down, and that only works for one line hexes.

I really like these tokens, but they are not easy to use.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by claedawg

Do you have recommendations on how to use the - World Map Hex Tiles Free or PWYW hex tokens inside of FG?
The "isometric" layout makes it hard to place the tokens and keep the raised edges from showing when making overland hex maps on the fly. Basically, you have to lay everything out from the top of the map then down, and that only works for one line hexes.

I really like these tokens, but they are not easy to use.

---

So hopefully someone with experience with those tiles and doing isometric in FG can give you some better advice, but from my work doing Isometric in CC3+, it sounds like you are already doing the best there is, and that's placing them from back/top to front. Or re-ordering the layers when required. I don't think there is much else that can be done when using isometric tiles that extend beyond the grid lines. CC3+ has a function to automatically reorder things back to front, but FG does not and I would not expect such a function to be implemented.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by claedawg

Do you have recommendations on how to use the - World Map Hex Tiles Free or PWYW hex tokens inside of FG?
The "isometric" layout makes it hard to place the tokens and keep the raised edges from showing when making overland hex maps on the fly. Basically, you have to lay everything out from the top of the map then down, and that only works for one line hexes.

I really like these tokens, but they are not easy to use.

---

Quite a lot of options and discussions in this thread: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...ex-crawl-in-FG See post #19 for an example of the World Map Hex Tiles.

FG draws layers (images) from the bottom of the layers list up, and you can re-order FG layers, so you can control the overlapping of the 3D effect. If you create one folder per hex line it will make it much easier to avoid the 3D edge effect, as you can just add a new hex image (layer) to the correct line folder and order within that folder based on the horizontal position of the hex tile within the hex line.

EDIT: To clarify, it's lines not columns that need to be in folders. Here's an example, and more details: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...l=1#post760949

Probably best to take any discussion about this to the thread I linked above.

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

Edit: I just remembered, using the Tile Stamp will cause performance issues after about 6 hexes out.
Using the stamp feature under the paint brush menu fixes that issue if you put all of the stamps on a single image layer. That will probably mess with the alignment since you would not be able to adjust the layer level for each individual hex when going from west-east or east-west on the line.

I think the donjon Fantasy World maker deserves a mention. Fantasy World Generator is a web based generator that will make an old school hex style map with points of interest. You can download a map file or a htlm file (the better option). The htlm file allows you to click on the points of interest on and the map will center on the location and highlight it. I love this tool just for the inspiration.

The also have just a Fractal World Generator too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by claedawg

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

Edit: I just remembered, using the Tile Stamp will cause performance issues after about 6 hexes out.
Using the stamp feature under the paint brush menu fixes that issue if you put all of the stamps on a single image layer. That will probably mess with the alignment since you would not be able to adjust the layer level for each individual hex when going from west-east or east-west on the line.

---

I'm not sure when the last time you tried out using the Tile Stamp, but there have been many rendering improvements over the years. I stamped down about 150 tiles and maintained 60fps.

It has been a while, maybe a year, since I tried using the Tile Stamp extensively. I will give it a shot since I know other things have improved over that time too. Thanks for the update!

Afterthought: The issues I was having with slog for medium to large maps using these tokens was most likely to me using the 300 DPI version.
AI is suggesting to use the 150 DPI since I want zoomed in detail.

What are y'alls thoughts?

I found that too many in a single layer would slow down a bit. But if you split it into folders its was fine and could handle a ton of them. so basically split 100 stamps into 2 50 stamp folders and close the folders your not working on. That worked for me many months ago and probably still does.

Very helpful, thanks.

On the Dungeon Alchemist entry, I think "Export to FG VTT" should be on the Pro side?

Big fan of paint.net , its free and you can open psd files on it https://www.getpaint.net/

I'm a big fan of Pain.net as well, though it would belong under the "Graphic Programs that are Used to Make Maps" category.

FYI, I'm going to remove the hyperlinks from the tables. The links end up causing the posts to reach/exceed character limits and make them near impossible to edit. You'll have to Google the apps for the links.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LordEntrails

FYI, I'm going to remove the hyperlinks from the tables. The links end up causing the posts to reach/exceed character limits and make them near impossible to edit. You'll have to Google the apps for the links.

---

Heh tell me about it, every time a new community ruleset releases, I play word tetris in the list page. :D
But an easy way to handle linkless links is selecting them, then right click > Go to "link name"

Would using Bit.ly links help?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nylanfs

Would using Bit.ly links help?

---

It does, but not for long. I'm thinking it might actually be the table formatting now. Because I've removed the links and 2 of 3 of the first posts still have to be redone every time I edit.

What U have to do, have one tab with the page open, a second tab with the page that I do an Edit. The content is not there to edit and if you enter there you get an error, so I do an Advanced Edit and cut and paste in the advanced edit window. Then I make the edits and reformat headers (they don't always paste).

When I have some time, I'm going to try removing the table from one and see if that helps without it being visually unusable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nylanfs

Would using Bit.ly links help?

---

Just saw that it is also banned in my country...

There's 10k character limit and the forum counts BBCODE as characters: bold = 7 characters for [ b ] and [ / b ]. Tables and bullet points are the same too.
There's a long line that separates things in Advanced Mode which takes way less characters.

Eww, ick

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nylanfs

Eww, ick

---

To not using tables?

No, to Bitly being blocked, and the character limit.

I used the "Remove Format" on a bunch of the text (not in the tables) and that helped too. Must have hidden formatting in there somewhere. They all remain visible now when editing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nylanfs

No, to Bitly being blocked, and the character limit.

---

Exactly! :(