# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > 3D modeling (map elements and height maps) >  Looking forward to seeing...

## mearrin69

...what ends up in here. I've actually just started doing a little 3D stuff for my project...mainly to help me visualize, not for actually creating maps.
M

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## Ronson2k10

If you are using Blender you can do quite a bit of stuff when it comes to mapping. I've used it before not for 'mapping' per-say although I did take a relief (normal) map and made a 3D rendering. This can be used as a bases for your map. 

I didn't know there was a place here for that though.

With a bit of work you can create quite a bit of stuff with 3D software. From a mapping standpoint though you will be working back and forth 2D and 3D to get the map to look as you would like it too.

If you aren't picky about how your location will look. You can use a cloud filter to start with in your 2D software and then using Blender you can have your 'normal' map deform a mesh then you can add your water table till you get the land form you like. After lighting the land form you can then export that rendering back to a 2D program to complete the process. That's what I did anyway. You can of course do the same thing in a 2D program but with the 3D you can make changes faster and can adjust if you want to later. You can as you have the same structure in both 2D and 3D add other elements to your 3D map (buildings and trees). There are even plugins to help you build cities (streets and buildings) if you like. You can work in perspective or orthographic. Orthographic would make a better map as that doesn't work with vanishing points.

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## mearrin69

I mostly use Silo for modeling and have used trueSpace for rendering (I have version 6.x but 7 is now free). Somewhere around here is an old copy of Bryce, which has some nifty features...built-in terrain meshes and nice lighting and atmosphere.  

Anybody remember Vistapro? I bought it back on the Amiga...first intro to DEMs. It was a pretty good piece of software. Think I found a version for the PC a long while back but I can't remember if it was freeware or something less-reputable. I never installed it so I can't say how it was.

Anyway, I can't imagine doing too much with regional maps in 3D. I expect they'd turn out very mechanical looking and I like a more painterly. For building, town, encounter maps, however, I can see 3D being a pretty cool medium. Here's hoping somebody proves me wrong on the regional map thing  :Smile:  Maybe I'll give it a go if I ever get some spare time.  :Smile:  Lots of projects in the hopper to get to first.
M

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## Tom_Cardin

I have been using 3DS Max for a lot of objects and terrains in my maps. A lot of my Voradin map was done using 3D tools, the mountains and the trees especially. I am looking for a better way to do mountains in 3D than what I did already, something that gets me closer to the final look of rugged natural mountains and mountain ranges.

What I did for the map of Voradin is made one large plane and starting pulling up my mountain ranges from it. Grabbing vertexes a using a magnetic selection that pulled vertexes nearby with decreasing strength.

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## su_liam

My 3d weapons of choice("if you walk without rhythm, you'll never learn"), are Bryce and Blender for scene setup and rendering. For modeling, I used to use Wings3d pretty exclusively, but I'm starting to get more comfortable with Blender's modeling tools. I sometimes use Bryce for boolean modeling effects, 'cause Blender booleans have issues and Wings says, "What is this, 'booleans,' of which you speak?"

It's really nice to see a section devoted to this.

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## jaspertjie

I prefer to use Google Sketchup.

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## su_liam

I've dabbled in that.

The university has some books, including a Dummy's Guide, for Sketchup. That certainly makes it more attractive, for modeling at least. I've always found Sketchup renders a little skimpy or something. For a technical diagram, they're more than adequate, but they don't pretend to be photorealistic.

Of course, I, personnally couldn't attain photorealistic if I was using Lightwave and a bank of supercomputers, so I'm not sure how important that is...

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## jaspertjie

Hey are you actually Liam887 on Scifi meshes?

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## su_liam

No. Actually, I think I'm su_liam there, too. Or sadwillow. Those are pretty much the only aliases I've used in the last decade. Other than Luigi Castrato and Enrico Vaselini, my mafia names.

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## jaerdaph

It would be really cool to see a Google SketchUp community dedicated to RPG mapping develop here at the Guild.  :Smile:

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## Ascension

Primarily SU is used to make buildings and starships so those would go in the structures section or sci-fi section.  I've seen swords and catapults and cars and what not so those would go in the modern or general section or whatever.  We've talked about sections for different software (like a Gimp forum and a CC3 forum) but in the end we felt that the more generalized sections were better and made the site more streamlined.  As far as posting SU stuff, we're all for it so post 'em if ya got 'em.  I have a few towers and walls posted and there was a guy who made SU town maps here last summer.

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