How to Draw Isometric Maps for Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder

Tutorial on how to draw Dungeons & Dragons maps on isometric graph paper.
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[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Well that was amazing. Watched straight through. And you had the guts to do it with a sharpie. Always wondered how to do it. Thanks!

[@rolandnavarro5946]

Im here from your one of your videos professor. This was amazing!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

@@rolandnavarro5946 I return to this video again and again.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Holy crap, this is so friggin awesome. I've tried so many times to draw maps like this on blank paper, and it always breaks my brain and makes me feel dumb. I didn't realize there was a special grid to work from. Thanks so much.

[@Hepabytes]

I feel that. I allways see maps done in an isometric style without grids and it looks beautiful, but it is a nightmare to replicate.

[@claylewis8233]

Super straightforward to get set up to do this in programs like Photoshop/Gimp or Illustrator/Inkscape. turn on the grid, rotate it and start drawing. You could even build out a library of common components; doors, chests, tables, 2x2 squares etc. I'd probably use Illustrator or its free alternative Inkscape to keep the files vector and thus scalable, and tiny in file size. If you want to go analog use a light table with the grid paper underneath your workpiece, then no grid, it'll look super clean when done. Victory! PS: Dyson's maps are amazing. Wyloch great video!!

[@solverh]

As one who has formally learned the draftcraft in both physical and digital form, [then might I suggest for those that want to have a step up from the isometric drawing paper that] it is a good start to just have a basic A3 drafting board, (along with a drawinghead ruler accessory), especially if one just wants to try it out without spending too much on it. Take note though that all templates and rulers (excluding drafting scales and flex rulers) used on drafting boards and templates should be transparent and have little ‘halfbeads’ (“nibbur” in Icel.) that lift rulers and templates off the paper as to not spread ink or carbite crumbdust over drawings while sliding and still allow one to see through and onto the paper (unlike rulers with cork backing). A minimum set would include: • A3 drafting board • a drafthead ruler (Zeichenkopf für Zeichenplatte in German) • a range of HB-scale pencils (at least 3H-3B) • S/M/(L) universal geometric rulers «with handles!» • a parallel ruler • 30/60 & 45/90 triangles • templates w. isometric ellipses and circles • (a flex ruler or two) • sharpener, (a stellar good one). • a draft shield • [a drafting compass] • a set of ink pens (at least 0,1/0,3/0,5/0,7 mm) NB. A good drafting/dust brush (w. hoarsehair bristles) is a must! [Happy drafting!] :)

[@lanmind1024]

I totally didn't need this tutorial, but I stayed just because you were engaging and laid the how-to steps out really well. Nice work.

[@Kyser666]

you have a very clear calm voice, awesome for tutorials.

[@yototrash]

And also awesome for a DM xD

[@RomboutVersluijs]

First thing i noticed as well, the tutorial is very well paced and calmly explained. Vry easy to follow.

[@Titan360]

Dungeoncraft brought me here! Thank you, Wyloch. These are the kinds of maps I've needed ever since I started reading modules and trying to make runnable dungeons.

[@Carnageace]

Being a fellow lefty, Seeing someone do this as one really helps my brain work properly, the only way I have been able to learn things sometimes is by watching a left handed person do it. Insta fallow.

[@blinddog4288]

I’m left handed as well.

[@marktownsend2198]

Thank you so much for this. I've been drawing isometric dungeons all day because of you. Double thanks for the isometric printouts.

[@WylochsArmory]

Thx for watching!

[@jamessmyth]

you have done a genuine service for newbies to the art... when I was a kid with my C64, we all were forced to learn this art to find our way in multiple games such as bards tale.

[@WylochsArmory]

Glad to hear it!

[@tooncraft3d]

This is one of the best tutorials I have seen on anything in a longtime! TY!

[@jacobhope6164]

Wow! How did I miss this little nugget of pure gold?

[@gawby]

Awesome! I've avoided this video thinking I couldn't turn this corner on my limited dungeon drawing skills. Now I can. Thanks so much!

[@WASD20]

Great tutorial. Thanks!

[@ItsAlwaysOct]

I just came from your videos on map making! Great work

[@sitegong]

The best video about isometric draw. Thanks a lot.

[@TheWilliamlk]

Not specifically D&D related, but Draw With Jazza has a grat video on how to draw amazing looking iso art

[@MansourReviews]

first, excellent tutorial second, the issue I have with iso's in general is depiction of elevation, clearly rooms 1 and 4 are on the same level, but so is the pit. follow the lines going left from the pit and the higher room 4, both are at te same level as room 1

[@WylochsArmory]

This is where art / color / shading might help. The walls of the pit are correctly there, but if they were shaded it would be much clearer.

[@jeremydriggers308]

This guy deserves way more views and subs than he has. Someone needs to promote and advertise him to the world! Great Job as always Wyloch!

[@WylochsArmory]

Thank you kindly

[@Dismythed]

Thank you for doing a map that included that northwest staircase. If I had tried doing that map, I would have given myself fits trying to figure out why the staircase was throwing me off. Mind blown.

[@user-vi2hq5rv2j]

this is great, think i'm going to start sketching my builds like this. thank you.

[@theunreal_TOEBEANS]

This is EXACTLY what I needed to know. Instant sub. GREAT CONTENT.

[@tomyoung9834]

Takes me back to Ravenloft! Very cool!

[@kairon156]

This is a very cool idea. Looks way better than maps my friends and I were using back in high school.

[@allengalong42]

Thanks man. I love to draw isometric models and this is awsome.

[@Impossible_Emporium]

The trickiest part of making maps of this style is to get the layering right. I'd start with the uppermost level (like how room 3 is above room 6), then work downwards. And a quick draw in pencil to check the layout, before using a pen. Incomputech.com had a wide variety of graphed paper for printing, expect isometric lined paper, the closest being the iso-dot, incompetech.com/graphpaper/

[@crazcraz8908]

I completely forgot that grid paper exists. I used that about 17 years ago when I was in middle school. We were show multiple 2D views of an object & we had to use all the views to draw on the grid paper what the object would look like in 3D. I love geometry & art, so it was really fun.

[@willisthehy]

Just learning to draw in isometric this will be great for my dm

[@bartekkucharski3880]

Hi. Im using Procreate on Ipad as everyday tool for my job but technology is a helpful thing. Procreate has a perspective tools and you can turn isometric assistant where all the lines snap to grid. Once you have sketch done you turn off the assistance and draw with some inking brush. Amazing results. I think Sketchbook pro have it as well. All map makers that are available are great but here you can create your own style that look original, not what other DMs use.

[@Plokman040]

Oddly I love Iso based games, my first RPG was Mario RPG after all and well it hooked me like no other at the time. Glad I backed the TOME Kickstarter and have my character in that as it barrows that perspective (Used in the Video Game sense not the well you know.)

[@StrongholdCrafterKev]

Interesting video. I have seen maps like this before and the technique really gives perspective to a rather flat map with level indicating steps. Thanks for sharing.

[@user__214]

Very helpful and inspiring video! Thank you!

[@fhuber7507]

Your freehand is better than a lot of people using a ruler.

[@Oddmanoutre]

Wish I'd found this video before I shelled out $30 for thirty pages of isometric graph paper at Office Depot. Liked and subscribed, thanks again for that link!

[@WylochsArmory]

Rockin!

[@RomboutVersluijs]

Wow cool tutorial, very informative and really well explained. Thanks for taking the time!

[@MasterOfMisc]

Now that was cool. Off to find some paper!!!

[@classicjohnson1]

Great job mate, love your work.

[@WylochsArmory]

Thx!

[@Diabolik771]

This is so pleasing. I could watch these done all day.

[@rosicroix777]

Nice ! though Ive used graph paper for maps I never thought to turn it diagonally . TYVM for this tip. Who says old DM's ( 30+yrs ) cant learn new tricks ? ;)

[@magusred]

Very helpful video. Also thank you very much for the pdf. Super helpful!

[@anex6201]

Thank you, it’s really interesting & expensive video! I thought there would be only deep black grid, but you made 3 different versions so... thanks!

[@foxiiiiik]

Isometric just rocks. Even better than 3D when it comes to games like Baldur's Gate in my opinion.

[@Milchers]

Awesome! It was really fun to watch. I'll use this technique to plan a dungeon for some art I do. Your video was quite entertaining and informative! - Great work!

[@thetacticalnerdist7865]

Great video and this takes me back to my drafting/plotting class days

[@sncxo]

Thanks so much, especially the downloadable graph paper!

[@mrs.featherbottom5901]

Beautiful!! Such a nice little method

[@GeneralKetchup57]

Better than art class and Engineering Graphics. Super cool...thanks

[@BlueRonin44]

Thank you! I can't wait to do this next time I draw a map!

[@GamingPaper]

Awesome tutorial and a great looking map! If you ever want to expand to a larger surface, Gaming Paper makes rolls of Isometric paper with 1" grids. Would love to see what you would create with a bigger canvass. :)

[@beansmalone2982]

you make it seem so simple but very few if any maps give rise over run details.

[@TheDMGinfo]

you should draw the northern and western walls and leave the southern and eastern walls open.

[@JosephKeenanisme]

more of a general mapping page but the cartographer's guild (google them). lots if tutorials and a good resouce.

[@solarbrother8886]

Brilliant! Finally the secret has been discovered!

[@robertwarren4734]

Nicely done. Another wayfarer from Dungeon Craft (Professor Dungeon Master) channel.

[@pmh6719]

Incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@jasonlivesey6033]

that's mint love new ways to do dungeons

[@thefunbot]

watching this again before i try doing my own maps....only critique i would offer is that room 4 should not have the lines at the southern corner to indicate that is not a wall there but a drop-off instead...maybe a dashed line?

[@blinddog4288]

Great explanation

[@KevinWebb2015]

Very very cool!! Thanks for making this video!

[@2lobo777]

Now this is edutainment!

[@bodywhey8]

Thanks for the iso-graph!!!

[@Halloweenville]

I've Been looking for something like this thank you!

[@Rejoice1631]

Actually, I prefer the "rough" look to it, and don't use the ruler, unless it's being used for the "incline", as in for the incline for the stairs, as you used in your video.

[@LyonHart1313]

Cool and unique! Well done!

[@Brickerbrack]

Nice work. Another good way of doing it would be by actually drafting it in a 3D program like Sketch Up.

[@Blueteam-to2mz]

I’m totally going to do this for my final dungeon.

[@johnxalice]

thanks a bunch! This was helpful.

[@jonahbloomfield6444]

stll referring to this, mad props

[@FlourEater]

this is just so great ! thank you very much !

[@segevstormlord3713]

I find it interesting that you need to rotate the squares forty-five degrees before you can do isometric art.

[@RikaundRyo]

Thank you so much for this. This really helps a lot.

[@jamesjenningsix]

Awesome. Thanks for the class.

[@DrRiptide]

Thank you for this

[@KesorodaBlk]

Mega Man Battle Network has always has really good maps to run through.

[@larrydotson2625]

Gonna make a map like this now that I know how!

[@rohansask9638]

Good tutorial. Appreciate it.

[@InfiniteRolePlay]

Ido maps are fun . . . until you get to overworld and town maps.. well they're still fun but OMG so much work! :-p Great vid yet again brother!

[@believesailing]

Great video and download.

[@BtotheCtotheH]

Great tutorial!

[@garryeckert5929]

Keep up the good work.👍

[@alexts1299]

Awesome! Great tip!

[@ericjohnson710]

That's some true wizardry, Mordenkainen got nothing on you my friend.

[@cristianbelleville3394]

This is fantastic

[@Cipher_8]

Wonder if you show how to do it in photoshop? I would love to see a tutorial on that. If you haven't maybe you could make a video on that? But good job on this tutorial, i enjoyed watching it and exactly what I was looking for a quick simple video explaining how to do it, not hard to figure it out from here.

[@Cipher_8]

Wyloch's Armory

[@guilhermerafaelzimermann4196]

when you finished putting the corner lines my brain messed up and it looked like the walls were sides of platforms and the whole thing was on a ceiling

[@DeusExMachinae01]

Cool tip, thanks!

[@KyleG23]

thanks!

[@scottmills4164]

Wyloch, I find you are way to hard on yourself. I have only watched a few of your vids, but you always criticize yourself. I think the map looks awesome. There may be better out there but it's still good. I like the authentic look of hand drawn maps. Also if the map were too advanced people may be afraid to try it themselves, or criticize themselves too much.

[@ForrTheXP]

Love this video Wyloch but i do have one question. The stairwell leading to room 6. Shouldnt it say decent rathet than rise? Its a bit of a nit pick i know but it threw me off enough that Id ask.

[@toprak3479]

Yeah I was thinking about that too. I thought shadows on the stairs were meant to indicate something but that turned out contradictory.

[@drewdavis8249]

lol if you walk up the other way its still a rise....

[@lukeschug952]

Woooooooooooo!

[@martyndragar7910]

thanks mate nice one 🖒🖒🖒 better get drawing

[@MicheleUrukHai]

Neat!

[@MrSojek]

How did you know the first staircase was 40 foot long? Where does it say on the map?

[@WylochsArmory]

Each square on the original map is 10 feet. That staircase occupies four squares, therefore, it is 40 feet.

[@oscarvillarreal3646]

Awesome vid. Just a little question, how do you measure the size of the stairways?

[@WylochsArmory]

See time 3:56. Just count the number of vertices, same as your normal over-head graph paper. Then from where you land, count vertices straight up (or down) by the amount you want. So if the stairway has a total rise of 20 feet, count 2 vertices to find the top of your stairs.

[@kenyonelliott2628]

How come when there is a change in attitude of one vertesy its a 10 foot difference but along the same vertex each square is 5ft?

[@WylochsArmory]

Each square is not 5 feet, each square is 10 feet. (In this demonstration)

[@kenyonelliott2628]

Was confused, could of swore you said a room was 15 feet, 3 by 3, and then the steps and drops were 10 feet per square. Makes sense now. Thank you

[@CHRoNoLoGiC010]

[QUESTION!!] First of all, another great vid and again something useful... However, a question pops up in my head... The stairways leading from room 2 up to the corridor to room 5 is 2x1. The stairways leading from that corridor down to room 6 is 1x1... However, room 2 and 6 are on the same level. On purpose or flaw?? LOVE UR VIDS!!!

[@WylochsArmory]

Thanks! Look again at the staircase going down to room 6. It is definitely 2 squares (20' long). What makes you think it is only 1 square?

[@CHRoNoLoGiC010]

first stairs u go 2 to the left and 1 up but the second one u only go 1 right and 1 down...

[@WylochsArmory]

Hmm, nope. Watch again closely. I go two vertices north, and then one vertex down...

[@CHRoNoLoGiC010]

Dang, ur right... now I see it :) thx!!

[@gaymer6689]

thank you :)

[@glanni]

Niiiiice

[@davemarx7856]

If Tolkien were a game maker, he'd hire you as level designer. Maybe. I like it anyway

[@UnregulatedChaos]

thats awsome XD

[@esullivan03]

Hey wyloch could you use a miniature on on of those squares, or would I have to increase the size?

[@WylochsArmory]

You would have to increase their size about 400℅. However, I would not recommend using miniatures on an isometric battle mat. It will look very strange since the miniature isn't parallel to the z-axis.

[@voidtalongaming4637]

This is also why I am having issue. I want to add virtical dimension to my mapwork but as I use maps for in-person battlemaps and Roll20 online sadly the Isometric view doesn't work without the aid of CGI to scale tokens properly as they move about the area.

[@RomboutVersluijs]

PS one thing though about the first staircase. You said its 40foot, but you calculated flat 40 foot. Doesnt that make it actually longer in 3d space? A diagonal line will be longer than 40 foot. So doesnt that make the staircase longer as well? Standard math :) pfff way to long ago The hypothesis, the way you showed it, the stairs would be 50 foot long in distance of that diagonal :) Unless its a 40 foot deep staircase, but i guess im nitpicking... sorry for that

[@WylochsArmory]

The intention was 40 feet of horizontal travel, if you were looking straight down at it.

[@adarcer]

Google drive is giving ServiceLogin.html file instead of .pdf