Mapdiva, LLC

10.09.03 Mapdiva presents Ortelius 1.0.7, the latest update of their cartographic design software for Mac OS X. Ortelius is a vector-based cartography application that helps you create high-quality custom map graphics, plans, and scaled drawings. Ortelius offers a creative solution with superior quality graphics – perfect for reports, presentations, and publications. Ortelius helps you do more than just make maps – it help you communicate visually.

A picture is worth a thousand words and maps are powerfully effective means for communicating. However, until now, creating professional quality map graphics has just been too hard, too time consuming, or both. Ortelius solves this problem by automating many of the graphics tasks that are most common for mapping and most tedious for graphic design, such as automatic road junctions, smart sequence markers, and smooth style transitions. With Ortelius, draw directly with features such as roads, rivers, coastlines, buildings, symbols, and contours. Ortelius supports the rich attribute information behind map features typically associated with geographic information systems (GIS) data, enabling fast, intelligent labeling – one of the most difficult aspects to map-making.

The update includes significant enhancements and new features:

* Ortelius User’s Guide now online

* Dozens of fully editable map templates

* Automatic junctions and style transitions

* Hundreds of styles and symbols

* Learning Ortelius just got easier – new “Getting Started With Ortelius” guide with bundled hands-on Exercises & Demo files

* Unlimited trial period – continue to receive updates during evaluation

* Advanced style components, including random fill pattern generation, tapered strokes, and tagged line effects

Pricing and Availability

Ortelius software is designed as a dedicated map graphics program for Mac OS X. Ortelius Standard Edition is available for $99 (USD). A free trial download is available from their website.

Mapdiva is pleased to announce the completely revised Getting Started With Ortelius workbook (6.77MB), including hands-on tutorials and demo files, is now available. Read more »

09.17.09 Ortelius map illustration software for Mac OS X makes map design easier with special cartography tools, high-quality graphics, and hundreds of vector-based styles and symbols. One of the most powerful features of Ortelius is its innovative what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) labeling system.Ortelius gives designers the ability to add labels using map attribute information from existing map data – information behind your map – such as from Ortelius’ royalty-free vector map templates, an imported GIS Shapefile, and from information added on-the-fly.  For the designer, smart labels can take countless hours off the time it takes to make a map, meaning higher productivity with top-notch results.The Ortelius labeling system includes the following features:

1. Labels use map attribute information, such as road names, when that information exists behind the scenes,
2. Labels are placed automatically based on cartographic conventions and can be adjusted for perfect positioning, and
3. Label styles, including font, size, alignment, and color, go hand-in-hand with many map styles and support ad-hoc label styling.

Unlike labeling in drawing programs using hundreds of pieces of free text, Ortelius labels are tightly associated with a map’s features. When a map feature is moved, its label moves with it. When a label is moved, it adjusts itself to follow well-recognized cartographic conventions for label placement. This means road and river names automatically flow along the path of their line or curve. Point labels are placed in one of nine standard click positions, and can be free-positioned with leader-lines. Area labels are placed in the visual or geometric center of their polygon and can be adjusted to spread across an area. Unlike labeling within a GIS, all labels are immediately available for repositioning and ad-hoc styling, providing superior cartographic control.

Labeling using attribute information is ideal for quickly making simple or complex map graphics. To see intelligent labels in action, view Mapdiva’s video tutorials on their web site (www.mapdiva.com/learn).

More About Ortelius Map Illustration Software:
Ortelius software is designed as a dedicated map graphics program for Mac OS X. Ortelius Standard Edition is available for $99 (USD). Introductory pricing of $79 is available until Sept 30, 2009. A free trial download is available from their website.

Mapdiva, LLC announces the first release of Ortelius map illustration software for Mac OS X.  Ortelius is a powerful vector-based program allowing you to easily create floor plans, landscape plans, scaled drawings, and a wide variety of high quality custom maps.  Designed for ease-of-use, it allows you to draw directly with features such as roads, rivers, coastlines, buildings, symbols, and contours.

Features of Ortelius Standard Edition

• hundreds of styles and symbols
• WYSIWYG drawing and editing
• dozens of fully editable map templates
• smooth vector graphics
• automatic junctions
• direct intelligent labeling
• scalable maps and plans
• 20+ special drawing tools

More About Ortelius Map Illustration Software

Ortelius software is designed as a dedicated map graphics program for Mac OS X. Ortelius 1.0 Standard Edition is available for $99 USD.  Introductory pricing of $79 is available until Sept 30, 2009.  A free trial download is available from their website www.mapdiva.com.

More About Mapdiva, LLC

Mapdiva makes mapping easier.  Founded in 2008, Mapdiva, LLC develops software for mappers large and small.  Mapdiva, LLC has offices in Indianapolis, IN USA and Armidale, NSW Australia.

08.19.09 A big thank-you to all of our testers and reviewers – we’ve made it!  Check out our new web site for all the details on Ortelius, including a downloadable trial version.  We’ll continue to add tips & tricks and screencasts to our web site to maintain it not only as our product site, but also as a rich educational resource for map making.  To celebrate, we are offering an introductory special of $79 until September 30th.  Development continues and we’d love to hear from you.