# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > General and Miscellaneous Mapping >  My Animated Battle Maps of land, villages and towns. (A Patreon Project)

## rpglandmaps

For my campaign i am building 3d topdown animated battle maps of whole areas so the players can wander freely (ish <-- the GM in me  :Smile:  ), and thought i would share them with others.

They come in still 1920x1080 png tiles, 1920x1080 mp4's or in the form of a APP i am devloping with pan and zoom, grid and day night controls (next orbit view to help playes see the land, and try interiors of selected buildings)



*The Village of Ryegat (River Gate)*
So far i have built a small village with a tavern, mill and some houses that i am othering all levels to all sponsers so you can see the app. The vilage in my game has 5 ways in/out and is where my players can stop for the night on thier long quest grab some food and a brew at the village tavern and a bed for the night with the horses feed and watered while they can ponder which way next. or murder all the locals and burn down the mill.. i will let you know  :Smile:  .



*The Walled Town*
Also i have drawn a medium walled town, that took 86 png tiles of 56 mp4 versions to split up. So visit the market or the Gatehouse Tavern, or maybe you want to storm the castle and take it for your own, or pick pockets in the back alleyways, its your choice as the whole town is there.



I want to add more sounds and animated objects but so far my players are enjoying them and i have another city in the pipeline plus other ideas





Many thanks

see my patreon page. and sorry for spelling as midly dyslexic
https://www.patreon.com/RPGLandMaps

and last but not least a video  :Smile:  

https://youtu.be/siKYjPw28fg

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## Wired

That is incredible! What programs do you use to make these?

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## rpglandmaps

> That is incredible! What programs do you use to make these?



Thanks.. they are drawn in components using autocad, 3dsmax and photoshop to texture and unity for the 3d game engine...

I got orbit control working so i can pan around the city as players go anywhere and switch back to top down when i need a encounter (aka murder in the alleyway  :Smile:  )

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## Redrobes

Yes, incredible ! The most impressive first post I can ever recall.

What I like about these is that not only is it superb in its technical sense - the rendering and the textures, but also the layout of the town, the style of the houses and the architecture are all pretty accurate and sensible too. The bastions and towers on the castle match up to those I see, spiked merlons on the outside walls but no spikes on the inside is correct, and the houses in the towns are terraced and not like most of the maps here where they are all individual which is highly unlikely but much easier to draw. You must have put in some research into medieval town layout and architecture.

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## Falconius

Redrobes covered what I want to say.  Both of them are really incredible pieces of work.

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## rpglandmaps

> Redrobes covered what I want to say.  Both of them are really incredible pieces of work.


Thanks... must upload a video of in game (table top) play showing pan and zoom around and day and night control ..  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

> Redrobes covered what I want to say.  Both of them are really incredible pieces of work.


thanks...  not sure if last post worked (or i am still one all posts need to be moderated, as new)  :Smile:  Doh it did  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

Added Orbit View to my App.. 

But i thought you might apreciate the water wheel (under shot as old crap one) and also Notice Chimney Smoke, its animated as is water wheel.. 


ooooh and night view  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

Another Update. Been Working alot in back end on app to get orbit view working to 90% and also some finishing work on the next city i need for my roleplay campain..

*Norye (North River End)* 


Sits on the coast high on the cliffs, It is a rich and prosperous town born on trade and so well placed it hasn't woried about war for a long time

I wanted to put a bit of fantasy into to this one (hence wizards tower, and more fairy tail looking towers). I also used a differnet paving from the first city and changed the roof type on the building, to give it a distinct look

And also create a few spaces to help tell stories, like the main bridge, and dock side with its lifting cranes 






The Hoist platfrom also swings back and forth in the wind to add to animations and aslo tease players to jump on to it (its 30M+ ...... )  :Smile:  

bit more work to do but so far so good  :Smile:

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## Adfor

Impressive to say the least, I quite envy your ability to fabricate in the manner that you do.

You've really piqued the interests of many with your style, myself included, I'm going to keep a close eye on these!

I really admire how you use so many mediums, cheers!

IR

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## rpglandmaps

> Impressive to say the least, I quite envy your ability to fabricate in the manner that you do.
> 
> You've really piqued the interests of many with your style, myself included, I'm going to keep a close eye on these!
> 
> I really admire how you use so many mediums, cheers!
> 
> IR


thanks  :Smile:  I find it relaxing to draw, either with pen and paper or software. working on tying to interiors looking consistant (colour etc) atm  :Smile:   so doing a test map of a old Tollgate and bridge

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## rpglandmaps

My players might head north so i need a old Tollgate Bridge (this one has interiors, and is WIP)  :Smile:   i could jjust wit here watching the waves in the river (animated)



Support me on  https://www.patreon.com/RPGLandMaps

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## Ilanthar

Great work! Very immersive.
Being one who has difficulties with 3D work, count me impressed.

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## rpglandmaps

> Great work! Very immersive.
> Being one who has difficulties with 3D work, count me impressed.


thanks..  :Smile:   one key to 3d is not to model the object but model the shadow's the rest can be faked with textures and use as least (faces) triangles as you can  :Smile:  

I have been geting my next release ready and thinking of a youtube video showing the full map idea  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

*The Old Tollgate Bridge (16 maps tiles)*



On the river of the old border between "The Kingdom of Ryand (River Land)" and "The Norie Empire" sits the "Old Tollgate Bridge" part of the defense empire wall that is now abandond and in ruin. 

The warden in his once fine gold trimed uniform, now scruffy and worn. He will make sure you pay the right fare, for the goods you carry, or your have to deal with his pet troll.

Just dont be caught in the dark forest on the other side at night, so stay in the rooms for rent. They are warm and dry but if somewhat expensive espicaly if you arive after sun set.

My Players robbed and murdered the warden and burierd him under the dead tree, then set his pet troll free.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/29613932

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## - JO -

Very impressive! Your players are really lucky, their game must be really immersive! Your work is wonderful!
If I may ask a few questions:
How much time do you spend on a map (the city for example?)
What are the components of your computer (doesn't it have too much trouble running)?
Do you use models that you assemble, or do you draw each house?

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## rpglandmaps

> Very impressive! Your players are really lucky, their game must be really immersive! Your work is wonderful!
> If I may ask a few questions:
> How much time do you spend on a map (the city for example?)
> What are the components of your computer (doesn't it have too much trouble running)?
> Do you use models that you assemble, or do you draw each house?


thanks and yep they say it helps them understand the area they are in, and esp as they can pan around or orbit the model.  :Smile: 

RE your Q's: 

my laptop is a i7 with 32gig of ram nvida 4gig gpu, but i am looking at making detail/effects adjustable for lower spec machines and constantly test on a i7 8gig intel video, but then again all maps are availible in mp4 format for those with less spec etc.  as it is a concern of mine performace etc. also as i want to build up to complete city (1 square mile @ 100,000 avg popluation, as aposed to the walled town that is only about 20,000 to 40,000 avg population)

I draw all buildings in modules so i can resue as much as posible, this aslo meens i limit textures to only 4 (ish) per set, this makes it easyer to swap out the look for example the grey timber (tudor style) are the same models as the red roof timber (tudor sytle) was only 1 texture change for a completly different look. the only down side is it took 8hrs+ to place all houses in one town.

And so far i have tracked 1 map 100% and that was the town Norye (with red roofs) this took 4 days so far and is 99% ready, just need to sort the last private garden 100%. and to achive it only took a few extra models and like wise for the Tollgate.. but i do want to track all time to be sure etc.

Hope this helps, are you planing on running a game with them or simular? and i dont mind anwsering questions or taking suggestions / request for maps  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

here is an example of play. the PC's had just made it to the tollgate bridge 



yep they are legeo figures as we started with them (didn't have any dnd ones  :Frown:  but had loads of LEGO  :Smile:  )

my god thats a blury photo  :Frown:

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## - JO -

> Hope this helps, are you planing on running a game with them or simular? and i dont mind anwsering questions or taking suggestions / request for maps


Thanks for your answers !

I would so much love to find the time to roleplay again... Nowadays I just find time to draw maps... 
I like a lot to use Sketchup, but I often get overwhelmed by my own project : I start with a tower, then a wall... then a castle, then a palace, then a city... and rapidly, my computer is as overwhelmed as I. 
That's why I'm fascinated by your projects : They are so "complete" and yet you managed to achieve them. 
I would be tempted, but I don't know how to use the softwares you are using (except Photoshop). 
I might try to start a new Sketchup project, but I really have to limit myself... And I'm not sure Sketchup is as good for the textures as your softwares !
But to build an entire village/city/castle and with such a good look, that would be one of my dream !

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## rpglandmaps

sketchup is good... but its performace to object (triangles) is appalling, especially if you dont use components (used since ver 1). but its a good sketch tool, for simple 3d objects to take else where, but can perform better with a few tips.

if you want a few more tips.
1. dont get bogged under in detail, think how big will this bit be when i render it, how many pixels is the computer going to have to show this. 
2. dont draw object draw shadows, and sometimes, in fact alot the shadow is a texture, not geometry.
3. keep textures low res mine a are 1024 x 1024 (this is for easy PC ram access, all textures are 256 x, to help gpu blit) and also how big will it be on screen  :Smile:  

i have soo much more i could tell  :Smile:  and dont mind as i knowledge is crap when kept to self  :Smile:  

so lets look at what i meen in real terms.

take a look at few real world examples, 

A railing in the back ground drawn with cylinders would be 32 facets around, but in the final picture only 3 or 4 pixals wide, thus it can be octagnal (sooryy speeling not strong point) to get a highlight, flat and shadow, rest is not needed unless the railing is foreground, and the subject.

A building in most maps is only a point roof box  :Smile:  and with enough pointy roof boxes we get a town for a distance (like impresionist art) so use textures for detail and draw a pointy box  :Smile: 

Modular is your freind the walled castle i buit is only 1 wall, 1 tower, 1 gatehouse and a keep, then pointy boxes. and those are modules that i put toghere (a dormer, a bay window, a pointy box  :Smile:  ) and the tudor style only used 4 (1024x1024) textures for all of them  :Smile:  same with the stone buildings (square windows) and stone2 (pointy windows), the differacne in gemoatry is only that tudor neaded overhang (shadow) and stone did not (but various gables etc) 

hope that also helps kept it unsoftware sperfic.. but can do detail (frist 3d drawing was on a 486DX.... ohh my, not sure on ages here but if you dont know ask your dad  :Smile:  )

Many thanks

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## rpglandmaps

> Thanks for your answers !
> 
> I would so much love to find the time to roleplay again... Nowadays I just find time to draw maps... 
> I like a lot to use Sketchup, but I often get overwhelmed by my own project : I start with a tower, then a wall... then a castle, then a palace, then a city... and rapidly, my computer is as overwhelmed as I. 
> That's why I'm fascinated by your projects : They are so "complete" and yet you managed to achieve them. 
> I would be tempted, but I don't know how to use the softwares you are using (except Photoshop). 
> I might try to start a new Sketchup project, but I really have to limit myself... And I'm not sure Sketchup is as good for the textures as your softwares !
> But to build an entire village/city/castle and with such a good look, that would be one of my dream !


oops sorry forgot to quote you so you get a ping  :Smile:

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## - JO -

> sketchup is good... but its performace to object (triangles) is appalling, especially if you dont use components (used since ver 1). but its a good sketch tool, for simple 3d objects to take else where, but can perform better with a few tips.
> 
> if you want a few more tips.
> 1. dont get bogged under in detail, think how big will this bit be when i render it, how many pixels is the computer going to have to show this. 
> 2. dont draw object draw shadows, and sometimes, in fact alot the shadow is a texture, not geometry.
> 3. keep textures low res mine a are 1024 x 1024 (this is for easy PC ram access, all textures are 256 x, to help gpu blit) and also how big will it be on screen  
> 
> i have soo much more i could tell  and dont mind as i knowledge is crap when kept to self  
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the good advices !

I use component a lot, on Sketchup : for the palace I'm trying to draw on Sketchup, I first drew 3 meters of crenellated wall, which I transformed into a composition. Then I took back these three meters of wall and transformed them twice. So in the end, to make the walls, I have three components of three meters each that I can combine at will. The same for the houses: I made facades of 3 meters by 3 meters (about 5-6) that I combine on several floors and on several 3 meter slices.

But even with these components, my computer is still running quite poorly.... I think that in making the components, I let myself be carried away and that there is too much detail (for example for windows).

J. Edward, from the guild, gave me the same advice as you: keep it simple...

But at the same time, it looks so good, a palace facade full of details, that it's difficult to restrict yourself.

What I'm doing right now is that I keep building buildings in separate files, and I implant them in the palace when they're finished. So it's when I want to visualize the entire palace that the computation time is really long. But at the same time, it allows me to read between two mouse clicks.

For the textures, I think I'll have to forget about this project.... As for the shadows. Or I let the computer try to calculate the slightest point of view all night long....  :Very Happy: 

Here's what I'm trying to finish :




I like to finish what I started, so I'll persevere again... but I'll certainly pick up something simpler afterwards.

What seduced me in your project was the quality of the textures and the overall rendering of the images and light. I doubt that Sketchup is sufficiently equipped and powerful to achieve such quality!

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## rpglandmaps

thats a very intresting castle i like it alot esp differnet shape towers etc. compontent mostly help with ram useage (soft pointers in code  :Smile:   ) i aslo agree about not modelering the windows, or arrow slits (use textures for them, and if able bump map them in) also i dont model the Machicolations, on mine its is simply a 45% slope and texture to make shadows..

I tried to PM you other day i asumme you blocked them, as just looked at your profile and noticed i am talking to  a founder/god of this forum  :Smile:  hi from the cheep seats  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

pinged back but have empty sent items... mmmmm, so not 100% sure it got throught etc..  :Smile:

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## - JO -

> pinged back but have empty sent items... mmmmm, so not 100% sure it got throught etc..


I did receive your private message, but I couldn't answer at that time...

I'm only an amateur. Most of the time, I'm at work and I can't really draw or chat...

I am NOT a founder of this beautiful guild.... And far from a god... 

There are a lot of older member and far better cartographists than me... and far better with computer too.

Redrobes is the webmaster here, and he's very good with 3D. I think if you go in this section of the forum, you'll find true specialists and far more good advisers.

Me, I'm just an enthousiast ... I really love what you achieved, and I'd be quite proud to make 3D drawings that would be half as good as yours.

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## rpglandmaps

put a promo video on  youtube   recomed volume (esp if you like gritty music)

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## rpglandmaps

A few in game pics  :Smile: 


Across the bridge and into the town, just dont look over the edge.


and even though the party split up, i could zoom out and keep track of who was where  :Smile: 


and every now and then it just lines up with the perspective  :Smile:  

but i now need to draw up the Blue Forest  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

Update to Map Application control to support dual display, marker locations and GM/DM notes.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/update-to-and-30314056

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## rpglandmaps

The Town of Norye

Past the Old Tollgate Bridge near the mouth of the great north river lies the town of Norye. Its high walls rise from the rocky peninsula at the furthest edge of the kingdom and the only safe harbour for many miles. But all goods need to be hoisted up high by the cranes from the harbour below,  

Its ruled over by four harsh elven lords that control all trade and tax heaverly, so do not forget to get your permits from the Town Guild Hall, or they might throw you from the walls into the sea.



See for more info https://www.patreon.com/posts/30642876

If you support this now you will access to ALL past map tiles, and the windows App.

And remember the first map "The Village of Ryegat" was FULLY available to all levels so you can see the animated tiles and try out the app (not the app is full games engine and thus requires a reasonably Windows PC spec, I hope one day to support mac and linux)

Many Thanks

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## delgondahntelius

WOW. You do so much work for your players. They should pay you money to play at that game, LOL  :Very Happy: 

Great job. It is all just so much great work. I would love to have a projector for my D&D table, but alas, we just play on a simple hexagonal play map that I draw the dungeon/city they are battling in/on. 

Keep up the good work brother!!

Del

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## rpglandmaps

> WOW. You do so much work for your players. They should pay you money to play at that game, LOL 
> 
> Great job. It is all just so much great work. I would love to have a projector for my D&D table, but alas, we just play on a simple hexagonal play map that I draw the dungeon/city they are battling in/on. 
> 
> Keep up the good work brother!!
> 
> Del


thanks  :Smile:  can be a bit of work, but i find drawing relaxing...  and as long as they stay in town enough i get milage out of a map..  :Smile:

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## rpglandmaps

The City of Esrye (WIP)

On the edge of The kingdom Ryland surrounded by marsh land, to the south and the broad river to the north,. Sits the trading city of Esrye, Its changes has many a time and each ruler has left their mark on the castle defences and keep.

Want To See More?

This is a full 3d of about 2.5km2 City, so when i split it down into tiles is going to be ALOT of images and as i am planning various zoom levels right down to street level its going to be a real lot  :Smile:  just for top down images let alone know who many perspectives i export.

support me on https://www.patreon.com/RPGLandMaps/ and get the entire city map when released

Many thanks

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## rpglandmaps

Manged to get enough done to output a overview map. A bit more before final publish. This had at its base a MFCG map svg export, a few tweeks to work with what i needed for my campaign, like removing some buildings from inner wards and adding marshlands and the double city wall

Many thanks MFCG for the base

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