Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Mini-Hex Stencils
I thought, "Hey, what if I turned my hexagonal geomorphs into stencils?" So I did. Most of the work was already done. I just shrank them, edited a bit, and cut them out to test. They worked okay. I figured something cut by hand would be a little off and they were. But still a fun idea to play around with. Here is what I ended up with:
I cut the inner parts first, then the hexes:
I used whiteout to label the hexes and rolled to place them back in the template:
I don't know if it was just my shoddy job or if there is something different about shifting hexes, but the 3D definitely seems off in my test map.
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This is a very interesting idea. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
ReplyDeleteYup, I see it too. It's the angle of the hexes. You probably shifted and compensated with the other stencils, but if you keep to the angles and intersections of the hexes, things will seem off or artificial.
ReplyDelete@Andrew:Thanks
ReplyDelete@ChicagoWiz: Oh well, can't win them all, or . . . maybe I discovered how to map Non-Euclidean spaces!! cthulu pthagn lkjhn ; )
Now see, I'd completely use this for city streets. I mean, I like Zak's whole letter-number thing idea in theory, but I can't help but end up thinking 'hmmm..' when it's done. But this, no reservations, it clicks right off.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the utility of these for (as mentioned) dungeons and cities, but also roads across settled hexes, and rivers, too. Swiped with intentions to expand. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you both.
ReplyDelete@Michael: Great to hear, I think Zak's method has its strength in being something you can do at a moments notice at the table. This one takes a little more time.
@Ωmega: I really like that idea, to make more realistic looking rivers you might want some tiles with fewer connections and more curves. These were first designed to be catacombs.
As an avid papercrafter, all this hands-on work is getting me itching to try it. Too bad I don't have a group to make maps for. T_T
ReplyDeleteDo it! :) Maybe you can turn it into a kind of solo game-- Wandering through the catacombs. That was my original impetus in making the hex geomorphs anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fascinating concept for map making. After looking at your 3D map I think it's just your shading that's making it look off. Your shading is inconsistent in relation to the viewing angle. Still, nice work and excellent blog. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks. If you try it out let me know how it works.
ReplyDelete