How to use grid cartography.

I started using grid cartoraphy about 6 years ago. With time I learned to use it to the best.  My intentions have always been do obtain TSR-like maps, similar to those of the gazetteers of old time.

Here are the advice i can provide so far:

How to get Grid Cartography and the lattest set of hexes

How to make a map step by step (see below)

How to draw realistic borders over a map

How to draw realistic Coastlines and Rivers

Converting maps of different scales (zooming out and zooming in)

How to make a map, step by step.

1) Use my set of hexagons because they are free and ready to use.

-  I drew a new set of hexes three years ago, because the previous hexagons were not correctly oriented ( angle facing north instead of a flat side).  Now the new set of hexes is ready for you to use. No need to lose any time drawing a new set by yourself. The only trick is that ou have to always keep in mind that the map you are drawing has the north on the left side of your screen. Once finished and printed as BMP file, you still need to rotate the map 90 degrees right (but we'll come to this later).

2) How to install the set of hexes.

- Once downloaded, the set of hexes must be unzipped and placed in a new special directory. Be carefull to give this directory a ".set" extension and to place it in the same directory as grid. It sould contain at least three files: TABLES.TBL , Hexes.tbl and a GRID.cfg

All the other files in the directory are the map files.

3) What's in the Grid directory.

- The directory named "_shapes_" contains all the hegagons exported from the different settings and which can be imported in other setting using the "import" function while editing hexes.

- The directory named "Util" contains smal programs used by drid to transform the maps (yet i don't know exactly how, when or why).

- As said before all the directories with a ".set" extenson are setting directory. All the maps made using a selected set of hexes are stored in the same directory with a ".pk" extension.

4) How to get a BMP file out of a Grid made map?

The program is very easy and self explanatory to use. Once you have drawn the map you wanted to make, you have to print it as a BMP file. Press F8 or click "print map" then select BMP, and on the right side of the screen select "all" to print the whole map and not just the section currently seen on the screen (function "printout"). Then select "huge" to get a single BMP file, and finally give a name and a location to the BMp file you are about to produce (short names are better).

5) How to draw realistic coastlines to a map.

I personnaly use Paintshop pro for this, but any decent paint program should do it.