Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Ortelius is a case study in making something that appears to require extreme skill – 'vector-based cartography' – accessible to the novice user. My background in vector-based drawing is as limited as my background in cartography (hint: my Bézier curve game is WEAK). So the fact that I was able to go from app installation to genuine, confident mapmaking in under a minute is a testament to so many things the dev has done right. The app is familiar; upon launch, you choose from a series of map templates in an interface that echoes iWork’s template gallery. The toolset is comfortably reduced to the bare essentials, lending the sense that everything you need is within easy reach. The templates are varied and wide-ranging, and they hint at the limitless possibilities the app offers. Choosing to go template-less brings to light the raw power and materials the app is built upon: it’s endlessly customizable, but not impossible for the novice to approach. The only identifiable drawbacks to the application lie in what it is not. Ortelius is not an out-and-out GIS, so users expecting such should be aware of this. However, the team at Mapdiva make no claims that it is; in fact, they are more than willing to identify and explain Ortelius’ abilities and limitations. This is particularly noteworthy considering some comments from years past claiming that the dev is unresponsive to messages and feedback. An active user forum featuring helpful dev responses, as well as an incredibly thorough set of documentation, suggest that Ortelius wouldn’t be a wasted investment. The demo is appreciated: anything you create comes with a heavy watermark, but none of the app’s features are significantly curbed. It installs and launches with MacUpdate Desktop like a charm, and at its price point, it’s difficult to imagine anything topping Ortelius feature-for-feature. But maybe that’s just because I don’t know – we’d love to hear from our more carto-vector-graphically inclined users! How does it stack up with any other utilities you’ve used? How could this app help solve a problem for you?
Read more]]>
Clik here to view.
Ortelius is a case study in making something that appears to require extreme skill – 'vector-based cartography' – accessible to the novice user. My background in vector-based drawing is as limited as my background in cartography (hint: my Bézier curve game is WEAK). So the fact that I was able to go from app installation to genuine, confident mapmaking in under a minute is a testament to so many things the dev has done right. The app is familiar; upon launch, you choose from a series of map templates in an interface that echoes iWork’s template gallery. The toolset is comfortably reduced to the bare essentials, lending the sense that everything you need is within easy reach. The templates are varied and wide-ranging, and they hint at the limitless possibilities the app offers. Choosing to go template-less brings to light the raw power and materials the app is built upon: it’s endlessly customizable, but not impossible for the novice to approach. The only identifiable drawbacks to the application lie in what it is not. Ortelius is not an out-and-out GIS, so users expecting such should be aware of this. However, the team at Mapdiva make no claims that it is; in fact, they are more than willing to identify and explain Ortelius’ abilities and limitations. This is particularly noteworthy considering some comments from years past claiming that the dev is unresponsive to messages and feedback. An active user forum featuring helpful dev responses, as well as an incredibly thorough set of documentation, suggest that Ortelius wouldn’t be a wasted investment. The demo is appreciated: anything you create comes with a heavy watermark, but none of the app’s features are significantly curbed. It installs and launches with MacUpdate Desktop like a charm, and at its price point, it’s difficult to imagine anything topping Ortelius feature-for-feature. But maybe that’s just because I don’t know – we’d love to hear from our more carto-vector-graphically inclined users! How does it stack up with any other utilities you’ve used? How could this app help solve a problem for you?
Read more]]>
