I have been asked how I draw the maps & plans I have recently been posting... and so here's a quick and easy tutorial for those of you who may be interested. Note that I'm currently using Adobe Photoshop 7 to create these images, and that all the images I post here will be half-size to speed loading times for the pictures.

So... first off, the floor...

I will usually start with a basic grid that will act as the floor tiles. In this example the image is 480x480 pixels (split up into 60 pixel grid squares).

Next I create a new blank layer (just a white image to play around with). Simply double clicking on this new layer in the 'layers' window will bring up the 'Layer style' box... and just mess around with the different options there until you get something that looks like a stone floor.

In this example I have picked the 'bevel & emboss' option and added a stone-looking texture. I also used the 'colour overlay' option (a grey/yellow colour overlay at 60% opacity), and used a stone-like pattern for the 'pattern overlay' option (100% opacity). Note if you choose the 'New style' button and give this style the name 'dungeon floor' ...you can apply this style to your future dungeon tiles at the click of a button

I then hide the above layer, and from the original grid image I will choose (from the menu at the top of the screen) Select > Colour Range. This will give you a little 'pipette' to choose the colour you want to copy (in this case click on the red grid) ...also make sure 'fuzziness' is set to zero.

Click OK, and then copy and paste the red grid from your original image and bring the new layer that it creates to the foreground. Double click this new layer (in the layer menu) to bring up the 'Layer Style' window again... and you will need to play with the 'Bevel & Emboss' option until you get the grid looking like the edges of stone slabs (in this case I chose, style: outer bevel; Technique: Chisel soft; Direction: down; and left all the other options as default). I also used the colour overlay option to change the red lines to black, and made the whole layer's opacity 75%.

If you then make the previous layer visible again, it should look something like this...

Next the walls...

Again I start really simple and just block out the areas in bright colours that will be represented by the walls and by solid stone. So if I show this on top of the floor layers the image should look something like this...

I then use the same Select > Colour range, option as I did for the red grid lines... but this time choose the blue walls. Hit OK, and then copy and paste to make a new layer of just the blue lines.

Once again double click the new layer (the blue line layer) to bring up the layer style box, and play around with the different options again (like we did to get the floor texture) until you get something you are happy with to represent the walls.

For this example I have a black (75% opacity) drop shadow, a black (75% opacity) outer glow, and similar bevel/emboss, colour overlay, and pattern overlay options as I had for the floor.

Finally, I will do the same for the yellow area (that will be used to represent the solid stone behind the walls)... by the Select > Colour range route... and copying the selected (yellow) area and pasting it in the foreground.

Yet again, double click this new layer in the layers window to bring up the layer style box, and in a similar fashion to the floor, try to play around with the options to get a stone-like surface (though a different one to the floor).

In this example I've just used a black inner glow, colour overlay, and a pattern overlay.

And there you have it!

Admittedly, this one doesn't look all that good (as I rushed it a little to get the guide posted), but hopefully it shows you the steps I go through to make a simple dungeon tile.

There may be easier ways to do all of this (heh... I'm just teaching myself the software as I go along )... but that's how I've been doing it.

Also, once you get going, it really is very simple...

Anyway, I hope that helps

Now your task is to get the free program gimp and do a guide with that program. I prefer the gimp over photoshop for two reasons 1) its cross platform, 2) its free.

Have ya discovered the 'slice' tool yet?... with photoshop that is?

Done. Look for another post on this thread with the GIMP directions...

1. Open Gimp.

2. Create a new image. I use 64px blocks, so a 10x10 grid is 640x640. Leave the resoultion at 72dpi. Hit 'OK'.

3. Image/Configure Grid. Under 'Spacing' change 'Width' to 64. ('Height' should change automatically.)

4. View/Show Grid. View/Snap To Grid.

Attached Images

step04.png (28.9 KB, 1860 views)

5. Create a new layer. Call it 'Grid'. Make sure 'Layer Fill Type' is set to 'Transparancy'.

6. 'N' (choose Pencil tool). Set the Brush to Circle(03).

7. Draw straight gridlines by clicking once, then holding down Shift and clicking a second time. Getting the edges is sometimes tricky.

(I'm attaching screenshots of the image window and the layers window to these posts.)

Attached Images

	step07.png (28.9 KB, 1470 views)
	layers07.png (16.0 KB, 1303 views)

8. Create a new layer. Call it 'Floor'.

9. shift-'B' (choose Bucket Fill tool). Change 'Fill Type' to 'Pattern fill'. Pick a pattern that you like for flooring; I mostly use 'Slate', but 'Dried mud', 'Pine?', 'Stone', and 'Wood of some sort' also work. Change 'Affected Area' to 'Fill whole selection'. Click in the image window to fill the whole layer with your choice.

10. Create another new layer. Call it 'Floor coloring'. When it's been added to the list, change the Layers/Mode dropdown to 'Overlay'.

11. Go back to the Bucket Fill options. Change 'Fill Type' to 'FG colour fill'. Change the foreground color to something fun - I use sort of a sickly yellow-green color. Click in the image window to fill the whole layer with your color.

12. In the Layers window, set the 'Opacity' of the overlay layer to 60%. You should play with this, depending on the color you picked. You can always come back and change it later in the process.

Attached Images

	step12.png (93.6 KB, 1160 views)
	layers12.png (18.4 KB, 1025 views)

13. In the Layers window, move the 'Grid' layer to the top so that you can see it. Make sure that the 'Grid' layer is selected.

14. shift-'O', or Select/By Colour. In the image window, click anywhere except over one of the gridlines. Gimp should select the transparant part of this layer, which covers everything except the grid.

15. In the Layers window, select the 'Floor' layer. The selection should not change.

16. Script-Fu/Decor/Add Bevel... Set 'Thickness' to 4 - you can play with this, but don't go overboard. Uncheck "Work on Copy". Hit OK.

17. I usually turn off the 'Grid' layer (click the eye) here, but you can leave it on if you like the way it looks better.

Attached Images

	step17.png (95.1 KB, 1008 views)
	layers17.png (18.0 KB, 828 views)

18. Create a new layer. Call it 'Walls'. Raise it so that it's above the 'Floor Coloring' layer.

19. 'N' (choose Pencil tool). Set the Brush to Circle(11).

20. Draw the walls the same way you drew gridlines in step 7. Note that if you continue to hold the Shift key down, you can draw multiple lines.

21. shift-'O' (Select/By Colour). In the image window, click anywhere except over a wall. ctrl-'I' (Select/Invert).

22. shift-'B' (choose Bucket Fill tool). Change 'Fill Type' to 'Pattern fill'. Pick a pattern that you like for the walls. 'Paper' looks okay. Make sure 'Affected Area' is 'Fill whole selection', then click on a wall. Your walls should be filled with the pattern you selected.

23. Script-Fu/Decor/Add Bevel... Set 'Thickness' to 3. Hit OK.

24. Script-Fu/Shadow/Drop-Shadow. Change 'Opacity' to 80.0. Disable 'Allow resizing'. Hit OK. Note that this will create a new layer called 'Drop-Shadow', and you can play with the Opacity setting on that layer.

Attached Images

	step24.png (97.4 KB, 950 views)
	layers24.png (20.5 KB, 705 views)

25. Create a new layer. Call it 'Solid'. Move it so that it's above the 'Floor Coloring' layer but below the 'Walls' and 'Drop-Shadow' layers.

26. 'R' (Rectangle Select tool). Click the second button under 'Mode', which is labeled 'Add to the current selection'.

27. Use the select tool to select all the areas that are "outside" the room or hallway you're drawing. Note that the select tool will snap to grid if you get close enough to the grid points. (It might be easier to select all the "inside" areas and then do Select/Invert.)

28. shift-'B' (choose Bucket Fill tool). Pick a new pattern. I've used 'Granite #1' but it's sort of busy. 'Slate' works if you used a sufficiently interesting color overlay back in step 11. Click inside the selected area to fill it.

Attached Images

	step28.png (89.2 KB, 1131 views)
	layers28.png (21.0 KB, 837 views)

That's it! Don't forget to save your map as a .png or something else so OpenRPG can read it. GIMP will warn you that it has to flatten layers, but don't worry about that. You might want to save off an .xcf file first so that you can come back and play with it more later though.

Hope these are helpful to all the free-software lovers in the audience

Nice gimp tutorial Frrisus.

I've never tried Gimp (to be honest my computer is slowly dying right now ...so I'm not installing anything new until I get a new computer later this year)... but I will definitely give it a look in the future.

So... seeing as how gimp is free... there really is no excuse for people not to give this a try ...and start flooding these forums with cool dungeon maps for us all to share and use (read: shamelessly steal for our own games ).

Well... we can hope anyway

sounds good to me! here's my latest effort: ( GIMP .xcf file )

great tutorial thanks for your help here is a few rooms i have designed any comments? as a first time mapper?

Hello Canterian...

Looking good... are those done in 'gimp'?

My only real comment would be to try and do a similar thing with the doors as you have done on the walls (i.e. maybe give them a slight texture and a beveled edge or something).

Here's an example of the door's I've been working on - though the rest of the image is not finished yet (edit: it is now finished ).


* * * * *

Also, actually drawing items to fill the room however can be a real pain sometimes, and I sometimes find it difficult to get something to look right in 'plan view' ...so using clip-art (or images found on the internet) like you have done can be a real time saver I guess

But my own personal preference is to have a go a drawing them... though this obviously may not be desirable for everyone... at it can take some time (well it takes me quite some time... but maybe I'm just a slow worker ). It may seem a bit daunting at first... but most of the stuff I have drawn has started off as really simple (often geometric) shapes... and then I've just played around with different options in photoshop

Nice tutorial, but I'm curious.

Is there any reason why you draw the grid manually, rather than letting Gimp do it for you?

Filters > render > pattern > grid.

er, because i'm an idiot and didn't find that menu option? *sheepish grin*

Here's a few i threw together. The first is a plan view of a lower castle level (inhabited by ruthless minotaur), and the second is the same map with the hidden area covered up. I covered the hidden area by just creating a layer on the top and redrawing//rebeveling a few of the wall lines.

Fullsize PNG (1.2MB): Minotaur Citadel Basement

edit: Used GIMP; a few things i found helpful were the galaxy and sand dune brushtypes. also, the coffee stain script-fu works well on stuff like tables. I used clothify on the big brown shelf units and the small bookshelves to give them the rough texture.

Attached Images

	mino003-s.png (79.7 KB, 1464 views)
	mino003b-s.png (73.0 KB, 1015 views)