3d grid maps?

[ghostwolf]

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to do a 3d visual star sector map. I've got all the sector coordinates I need, but I'm having trouble representing the Z-axis. If anyone has any recommendations, especially software based, please share.

[L. Marcus]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

I've pondered using Google's SketchUp 3D software to make star maps. I think it would be pretty non-hairy, and the tape measure tool can give distances with one mouse maneuver.

[Nolgroth]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

Programs

 

• It's Full of Stars http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/7472/ifosweb/index.htm
  
• CHView http://members.nova.org/~sol/chview/chvc.htm
  
• Astrosynthesis (commercial) http://www.nbos.com/products/astro/astro.htm
  

I tend to use Gimp. If I were doing 3d Coordinates, I'd add a notation to the name of the star with the Z-Axis in it. Sort of like Bluestar (+6.5). I am thinking of redoing my recent Gemini Ascendant map with Z-Coordinates.

 

Good luck.

[FireTiger]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

There might be something useful in here, too:

 

3D Starmaps in Science Fiction

[Nyrath]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

There might be something useful in here, too:

 

3D Starmaps in Science Fiction

Heh. Why don't you just give the direct link to my site?

http://www.projectrho.com/smap02.html

[Nyrath]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to do a 3d visual star sector map. I've got all the sector coordinates I need' date=' but I'm having trouble representing the Z-axis. If anyone has any recommendations, especially software based, please share.[/quote']

I've seen quite a few attempts with a printed map, but none of them really work.

 

 

Something like the (free) Google Sketchup or the (for money) Astrosynthesis would work, if a computer is handy.

 

In many cases, what your players are really interested in is which stars are next door neighbors to a given star. I've gotten usable results by plotting a map with X and Y coords, labeling each star with the X coord, and drawing lines between each star and its two or three closest neighbors.

http://www.projectrho.com/smap12.html#map03

 

You can take that to an extreme with what I call "2 and 1/2 dimensional star maps." If the main thing of interest is the star's neighbors, the x, y, z coordinates are not really necessary. Instead, you can make a "node" map, with boxes representing the stars and lines representing the neighbor relationships.

For instance, go to

http://www.projectrho.com/smap12.html#winch

and compare (for instance) HabHYG20ly with HabHYG20lyNode

 

Node maps are easy to make using the free software yEd

http://www.yworks.com/en/products_yed_about.htm

yEd has a wondeful "auto-format" option that will untangle a map for you.

It is fairly easy to write a simple program which will ingest your star data and output a file that yEd can import.

http://www.projectrho.com/smap13.html

[DrTemp]

Re: 3d grid maps?

 

I've always done this using two maps: One depicting the x/y plane and one depicting the x/z-plane right next to it. That way, you have each startwice (once on each of the two maps), and as a spectator you can, with a little excercise, imagine the 3D structure of space. I even did nebulae, warp routes, and such larger objects, and they worked quite well.