World building is a critical part of any speculative fiction work. As we create new worlds, one of the best ways to make them real to us and eventually to our readers is with maps. Maps help us in every stage of writing, from where our characters need to go, to the obstacles they face. Is there a giant mountain range between them and your Mordor? Is there a lake or ocean they must cross before they can scale the Cliffs of Insanity?
Let’s look at four popular options for map-making software. These run the gamut of functionality, price, and ease of use.
Campaign Cartographer 3
Campaign Cartographer 3 website
Like many things in the world of software, there’s a proportional relationship between how powerful a software is and its learning curve. Campaign Cartographer 3 (CC3) has a wide variety of options, but a steep learning curve to go along with it. Budget several hours to go through YouTube video and do some practice on minor projects. Once you master it, you can make some beautiful maps.
The site isn’t easy to navigate and tries to steer you into far more expensive bundles, rather than the $30 price tag for just the software. If you need to create several maps, and can dedicate the time to learn it, CC3 is a superb choice.
Wonderdraft
On the other end of the spectrum, you have something like Wonderdraft. Wonderdraft is a fantastic software. Its intuitive interface makes it simple to pick up and start producing right away. You don’t have to sit there and draw every single little building in your world. There are a ton of exceptional assets to use. It even has a distance ruler. For those of you who love to start with a hand-drawn map, with Wonderdraft’s overlay feature, you could sketch out your map on paper, upload a picture, and trace everything in the software.
Wonderdraft has an active subreddit called r/wonderdraft where users share their creations. You can get inspiration for your own worlds or get help from the community.
Inkarnate
Inkarnate is another user-friendly option. The developer has been making steady improvements, adding new assets which only increase its value and functionality. The sticky wicket with Inkarnate is the monetization model.
Inkarnate uses a subscription model. If you don’t purchase the subscription, you do not have the copyright to the maps you create. But if you produce a map while you have their subscription, you don’t lose the rights if you subsequently drop the subscription. You’ll have to weigh the subscription cost versus a purchase of one of the other options, but I do like how Inkarnate gives you the ability to try before you buy.
Ortelius
Ortelius is a powerful map making tool with some significant drawbacks. It is only available on the Mac platform. In addition, it is expensive, but will produce a high-resolution map.
Fantasy Maps Facebook Private Group
If you’d like more discussion of the various map-making tools, this is a fantastic private Facebook group. Besides great discussions, you’ll be able to look at maps other creators have made, and even find people who will make a map for you.
I have no affiliation with any of these programs, and there are no affiliate links used in this article.
What mapping software are you using for your current work in progress novel? Do you use one of these or something else entirely?
Ted Atchley is a freelance writer and professional computer programmer. Whether it’s words or code, he’s always writing. Ted’s love for speculative fiction started early on with Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, and the Star Wars movies. This led to reading Marvel comics and eventually losing himself in Asimov’s Apprentice Adept and the world of Krynn (Dragonlance Chronicles).
After blogging on his own for several years, Blizzard Watch (blizzardwatch.com) hired Ted to be a regular columnist in 2016. When the site dropped many of its columns two years later, they retained Ted as a staff writer.
He lives in beautiful Charleston, SC with his wife and children. When not writing, you’ll find him spending time with his family, and cheering on his beloved Carolina Panthers. He’s currently revising his work-in-progress portal fantasy novel before preparing to query.
Ted as a bi-montly newsletter which you can join here. It’s a roundup of links about writing, Star Wars, Marvel, and/or the Panthers with brief commentary from him. Think of it as a kind of ICYMI (In Case You Missed It). Eventually, you’ll see info about my his books, and even receive free short stories.
- Twitter: @tedatchley3
- Twitter: @honorshammer (gaming / Blizzard Watch)
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