Getting Started
Create your first tactical battlemap in under 5 minutes.
Step 1 — Create an Account
Go to app.cartographer.live/register and create a free account. The free tier gives you unlimited projects and maps. Users can also bring their own Gemini API Key—or purchase map credits to start generating maps immediately.
No credit card required for the free tier.
Step 2 — Create a Project
A project is a container for related maps (e.g. a campaign setting or adventure module). From the dashboard, click New Project, give it a name, and open it.
Step 3 — Create a Battlemap
Inside your project, click New Map. Give your battlemap a title (e.g. The Bleeding Chalice Tavern or Dragon-Scarred Keep).
Step 4 — Paint Zones & Label Features
Use the grid painter brush or box fill tool to paint color shapes onto the grid. Add descriptive text labels to each zone (e.g. "Stone Flagstones", "Wooden Bar", "Hearth Fireplace", or "Water Pool") so the AI engine knows what texture to render in each shape.
Step 5 — Auto-Stylize & Render
Switch to the Generate tab. Type a prompt describing the mood, lighting, and atmosphere — for example: "cozy fantasy tavern with warm hearth fire, detailed wooden tables, oil lamps".
Click Generate. Your top-down battlemap renders cleanly over your painted layout in 15–30 seconds.
Step 6 — Export for VTT
Click Export to download your grid-aligned battlemap pre-formatted for Foundry VTT, Roll20, or Owlbear Rodeo.