Blank world maps?

[Rixx]

I have a unique dillemma! I need a world map - one like this one:

http://english.freemap.jp/world_e/img/4/2.gif

But with no countries on it. My DM has the GameMastery handbook, and it has something similar, but it's on a very small page. He has his world layout figured out, but needs more space to work with, so I was going to print him out a bigger map - but of course, I can't find a template.

Does one such template exist? Could a budding young cartographer or a graphic artist with a Burlewvian mastery of clean lines trace over this one for me, otherwise?

[Sinfire Titan]

Take the page to a professional printer and ask them to blow up the image before they print it. Tell them the size you need it to be.

[Rixx]

That's all well and good, but it's still a map of Earth, and not Deendee Campaignia, as it were - which is the primary issue at hand. It needs to have no countries on it.

[Sinfire Titan]

That's all well and good, but it's still a map of Earth, and not Deendee Campaignia, as it were - which is the primary issue at hand. It needs to have no countries on it.

Photoshop it. You just need a grid and a Warp tool to make a map like that.

Step 1: Draw an oval in Photoshop.

Step 2: Apply grid.

Step 3: Save as Bitmap.

Step 4: ???

Step 5: Go crazy.

[Random832]

I think he wants earth continents but no national boundaries. Hold on...

http://www.outline-world-map.com/map-images-original/outline-blank-transparent-world-map-b1b.png

[Rixx]

Haha, that's, uh.. actually the opposite of what I want. I want the globe with the latitude and longitude lines, but no continents - the idea being that we can print it out and draw continents on it.

[TelemontTanthul]

Depending on how big you want such a picture, I wish you luck.

I tried printing out a picture of Faerun, full sized and everything, and it took FOREVER to put together.

And that is considering that I knew exactly where to find what I was printing.

All I can say is, good luck, and maybe go with the suggestion of making it yourself, it may take a while, but you are allowed to make errors and fix them.

Unlike my map.

[charl]

So what you want is an empty oval shaped grid system that matches with earth's longitude and latitude?

[Rixx]

So what you want is an empty oval shaped grid system that matches with earth's longitude and latitude?

Yes, it is.

[charl]

Well in that case it shouldn't be too hard. All you need to do is grab the grid of a Robinson projection (should suit your needs best) with photoshop or something similar and you are set.

[Rixx]

Finding a Robinson projection of at least semi-passable resolution with a grid that can be easily lifted by Photoshop is proving to be quite an ordeal. I'd just trace a new one in Illustrator, but Illustrator remains an unworkable mystery program to me (Curse you, pen tool!)

[Random832]

Finding a Robinson projection of at least semi-passable resolution with a grid that can be easily lifted by Photoshop is proving to be quite an ordeal. I'd just trace a new one in Illustrator, but Illustrator remains an unworkable mystery program to me (Curse you, pen tool!)

What do you consider "passable resolution"?

Anyway, I can probably write a program to generate one.

EDIT: Does it have to be robinson? Robinson requires a table lookup and interpolation. I wrote a program that can generate an Eckert IV projection (http://www.members.shaw.ca/quadibloc/maps/mps0405.htm) at any size.

How far apart do you want the longitudes and latitudes?

[Rixx]

The Eckert projection is fine, yes!

Not too terribly close together. Use your best judgment, I suppose

[Random832]

30 degree grid:
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/5967/grida.th.png (http://img19.imageshack.us/i/grida.png/)
15 degree grid:
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/9258/gridp.th.png (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/gridp.png/)
15 degree N/S, 30 degree E/W:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5580/gridw.th.png (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/gridw.png/)

Probably bigger than you'll need, but I can make it any size.

lol, when you go to it it shows "related images" that are other images that are on the playground forums

The eckert projection was easiest since it's made up of half-ellipses. I could probably do better projections given time.

Code:

Const W As Integer = 3096
Const H As Integer = W / 2
Dim img As New Bitmap(W + 8, H + 8)
Dim gr = Graphics.FromImage(img)
gr.FillRectangle(Brushes.White, 0, 0, H * 2, H)
gr.SmoothingMode = Drawing2D.SmoothingMode.HighQuality
Dim p As New Pen(Color.Black, 4)
Const s As Integer = 6
For i = -s To s
Dim lastpoint As Point = New Point(H, 4)
For y = 0 To H Step 4
Dim adj_y As Double = (y / H) * 2 - 1
Dim adj_x As Double = i / (s * 2)
adj_x += adj_x * Math.Sqrt(1 - adj_y ^ 2)
Dim x = W * (1 + adj_x) / 2
Try
Dim point = New Point(x + 4, y + 4)
gr.DrawLine(p, lastpoint, point)
lastpoint = point
Catch
End Try
Next
lastpoint = Nothing
For y = 2 To H Step 4
Dim adj_y As Double = (y / H) * 2 - 1
Dim adj_x As Double = i / (s * 2)
adj_x += adj_x * Math.Sqrt(1 - adj_y ^ 2)
Dim x = W * (1 + adj_x) / 2
Try
Dim point = New Point(x + 4, y + 4)
If lastpoint <> Nothing Then
gr.DrawLine(p, lastpoint, point)
End If
lastpoint = point
Catch
End Try
Next
Next
For i = -(s * 2) To (s * 2)
Dim angle = i / (s * 2) * Math.PI
Dim adj_y As Double = Math.Sin(angle)
Dim adj_x As Double = Math.Cos(angle)
Dim y As Integer = CInt(H * (adj_y / 2 + 1 / 2))
Dim x1 As Integer = (0.5 - adj_x / 2) * W / 2
Dim x0 As Integer = (1.5 + adj_x / 2) * W / 2
Try
gr.DrawLine(p, x0 + 4, y + 4, x1 + 4, y + 4)
Catch
End Try

Next
gr.Dispose()
PictureBox1.Image = img
img.Save("d:\grid.png", Imaging.ImageFormat.Png)


The double tracing over the longitudes is to deal with a bug with multiple abutting line segments (I could have just drawn the half-ellipses, but I wanted to keep the code general enough to maybe do other projections. I'll probably rewrite it to use a Polyline)

The grid lines are 30 degrees apart (2000 miles along the equator or the meridians)

[Teutonic Knight]

That was surprisingly helpful. Thank you Rixx for asking this question and thank you Random832 for posting that map.

Now to get drawing.

Apologies for stealing the map.

[Random832]

ACK! the longitude lines are 30 degrees apart, but the latitude lines are still only 15 degrees apart (stupid me for relying on them to look square)

[Rixx]

Haha, perfect! This is exactly what I needed, thanks!