FROM PLACE TO MODEL

Find it. Create it. Hold it in your hand.

1. Choose a real place

Start typing the name of a town, mountain or village and pick it from the suggestions. Click the map to move the centre of the area. The area width (0.2 to 200 km) decides how much landscape fits into the model. Then press Create a free 3D model – the model is built right in your browser and you can watch what is happening while it is prepared.

2. Give it a look

mapSTL.com loads real elevation data and map features from OpenStreetMap: buildings from their footprints, roads and paths, water areas and streams, forests, railways and, for smaller areas, individual trees. Any feature can be switched off. Pick the colours (1 to 8, HEX input included) or a ready-made colour style; signed-in users can save their own colours as a theme. Only the top layer of the chosen thickness (1 mm by default) is printed in colour; the body of the model has a single colour, which makes printing simpler and faster. You can add text to the model, such as the name of the place, with a choice of font, placement, height and colour.

3. Set the size and printing

Print footprint 10 to 25 cm, relief exaggeration 1× to 3× and base thickness. The preview shows the total height and scale. In the Print tab choose your nozzle diameter – small buildings and towers are thickened or left out accordingly. Open bridge spans may need removable slicer supports.

4. Download the model for free

STL is meant for single-colour printing; the recommended ZIP adds the configuration and data attribution. 3MF keeps the colour parts and dimensions in one file – in your slicer you just assign filaments to the colours. Generating and downloading is free and needs no account.

Good to know about the model

A larger area means smaller details. Accuracy depends on the resolution of the source data: heights of buildings without a value in the map are estimated, trees are added only for areas up to 3 km and areas over 8.5 km produce terrain only. Check the layers in your slicer before printing. The model is not meant for navigation, land surveying or construction planning.

Create your own model