How big is the printed model?

You choose it in the Export panel: fit a 180 mm print bed, or a fixed ratio from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. The vertical dimension follows the Relief percentage you set before exporting.

Is the mesh printable without repair?

Yes. It exports as one closed solid with a flat base and a skirt that keeps it watertight, so slicers slice it straight away.

Can I 3D print a city?

Yes — switch Buildings on in the Overlays panel at a town- or city-scale view (roughly 15 km across, 24 km on Fine detail). Buildings extrude at their real tagged heights and print with the terrain.

Can I print a map of my hiking or cycling route?

Yes — import a GPX or KML route to drape it over the terrain, frame it, and export the STL. The route becomes a raised line on the terrain in the mesh; buildings are included when enabled.

What elevation data is behind it?

The AWS Terrain Tiles dataset, built from SRTM, NED and other national elevation programs — roughly 30 m resolution globally and finer in many places.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no account, no trial and no paid tier — every region and every export format, for everyone.

How do I turn a topographic map into a 3D model?

Pick the area in this browser tool, set the relief percentage and print scale, then export STL (or OBJ/GLB). The elevation grid is decoded and meshed locally — no GIS install, no account.

Where can I download free STL terrain files?

You can generate them here rather than downloading a fixed pack: any place on Earth, free, with real ~30 m elevation data. Fixed-collection sites exist but rarely match the exact area you want.

What is the best size for a 3D printed topographic map?

For a single mountain or park, fit a 180 mm print bed. For a state or a range, print at 1:25,000–1:50,000 or split into tiles; relief 8–15 % usually looks natural.

Can I print in multiple colours?

The STL is a single solid, so colour comes from filament swaps or painting. The surface texture exported with the heightmap is useful for reference. Multi-colour 3MF is not part of this free build yet.

3D print any terrain on Earth

Pick a place — the Matterhorn, Manhattan, a national park, your own valley — shape the relief, and export a printable STL in about a minute. No account, nothing to install.

Last updated: 1 November 2026 · 3D Terrain

Turn a topographic map into a 3D model

That is the workflow this tool is built for: you are not downloading a generic STL pack, you are generating a model of your place. Choose the area, set the vertical relief, pick a print scale, export STL — the whole conversion takes about a minute and needs no GIS software.

If you already have a DEM file (GeoTIFF or ASC), the DEM to STL guide compares this tool with QGIS DEMto3D and TouchTerrain. For game engines, export the surface as a 16-bit heightmap instead.

What you can print

Mountains, coastlines, canyons and islands. The model leaves the app as a single closed solid in millimetres. The Export panel sets the print scale — fit a 180 mm bed, or a fixed 1:5,000 to 1:50,000 ratio — and the vertical proportions follow the Relief slider; around 8 percent reads well on a real print.

Cities, too: tick Buildings on a town- or city-scale view and every footprint Overture Maps carries (built from OpenStreetMap) is extruded at its real, tagged height, and the blocks travel into the STL with the terrain (building data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL).

And your own routes: import a GPX or KML track first and it drapes over the terrain, ridge line and all — see the GPS track guide.

Built to drop into a slicer

The export is one watertight solid with a flat base — a small skirt around the underside keeps the mesh closed for slicers, so Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura or OrcaSlicer open it without repair. The Export panel ships PNG, STL, OBJ and GLB, a 16-bit heightmap, a surface texture and a 30-second orbit video, so the model can go straight into Blender, CAD or a game engine as well as a slicer.

How it works

Choose a region — a country, state or county in Europe or the Americas, a box drawn anywhere on Earth, or an imported GeoJSON polygon for an exact area.
Set Relief to shape the vertical scale, and pick a colour ramp if you want a rendered preview next to the print.
Open the Export menu and choose Export STL model.

Open the app and print a mountain

Questions

How big is the printed model?: You choose it in the Export panel: fit a 180 mm print bed, or a fixed ratio from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. The vertical dimension follows the Relief percentage you set before exporting.
Is the mesh printable without repair?: Yes. It exports as one closed solid with a flat base and a skirt that keeps it watertight, so slicers slice it straight away.
Can I 3D print a city?: Yes — switch Buildings on in the Overlays panel at a town- or city-scale view (roughly 15 km across, 24 km on Fine detail). Buildings extrude at their real tagged heights and print with the terrain.
Can I add a display base and magnets?: Yes. Turn on Display base + 4 magnet cups when exporting STL/OBJ/GLB: the model gets a 6 mm rim and four ring cups sized for 6×2 mm magnets, printed as one additive part (no supports needed for the base).
Can I export a multi-colour 3MF?: Yes. The 3MF export writes the terrain, buildings and route as separate colour-coded bodies in one printable file, so Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura and OrcaSlicer can assign filament colours per part. The mesh is print-optimised (the STL remains full-resolution).
Can I print a map of my hiking or cycling route?: Yes — import a GPX or KML route to drape it over the terrain, frame it, and export the STL. The route becomes a raised line on the terrain in the mesh; buildings are included when enabled.
What elevation data is behind it?: The AWS Terrain Tiles dataset, built from SRTM, NED and other national elevation programs — roughly 30 m resolution globally and finer in many places.
Do I need an account?: No. There is no account, no trial and no paid tier — every region and every export format, for everyone.
How do I turn a topographic map into a 3D model?: Pick the area in this browser tool, set the relief percentage and print scale, then export STL (or OBJ/GLB). The elevation grid is decoded and meshed locally — no GIS install, no account.
Where can I download free STL terrain files?: You can generate them here rather than downloading a fixed pack: any place on Earth, free, with real ~30 m elevation data. Fixed-collection sites exist but rarely match the exact area you want.
What is the best size for a 3D printed topographic map?: For a single mountain or park, fit a 180 mm print bed. For a state or a range, print at 1:25,000–1:50,000 or split into tiles; relief 8–15 % usually looks natural.
Can I print in multiple colours?: The STL is a single solid, so colour comes from filament swaps or painting. The surface texture exported with the heightmap is useful for reference. Multi-colour 3MF is not part of this free build yet.