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     When it Comes to mapmaking, I'm leaning away from the traditional pen and paper maps, and moving further and further into the digital age. The following are examples of renders using Vue D'Esprit. Sure, I'll still make hex maps with using my trusty Pentel pens and hexpaper, and I'll also sketch out quick ideas with a pencil and paper, but the time spent creating a few good renders, especially overhead views, allows for maps of stunning realism and quality. Instantly viewers comprehend the geography and spacial layout of the areas the images represent.

The first example is a quick view of a highland castle, Caer Catfagen.

The second example is an ocan approach to a tropical island. 

The third example would be one,I use for a traditional RPG to describe an encounter on the road. Caer Catfagen is in the background here

The fourth example is a typical village, as seen from the eyes of the characters approaching it. I didn't add in all the grass and you can still see the grid on the ground in places. I could do an overhead view and produce a map of the entire village, it would take about two minutes.

The fifth image  is just a desert scene. These are quick test shots, so alot of detail is left out.

The sixth image is the wreckage of the Battlestar Cassieopea. It's a shot I'm putting together for my Battlestar Galactica  RPG game adventure. In the final shot There will be a little base camp down by the trees, and the players will be busy salvaging what they can from the behemoth while keeping an eye out for cyclon raiders.

The seventh shot is an early render of Caer Catfagen, when I was originally  doing up the terrain piece. There will be a village with it, and it will be high in the mountains in a dense pine forest.