W/S throttleA/D steermouse orbitSpace upCtrl downGear 1/5Q gear up E gear downwheel zoomEsc exit
Choose an area
Drag on the map to draw a box. Pan with the right or middle button, or Alt (Option) + left; scroll to zoom. On a touchscreen, one finger draws and two fingers pan. You can also type the four coordinates below. Areas are capped at 600,000 km² — past that the rectangle turns red and detail drops automatically.
Drag to draw · right-click, middle-click or Alt+drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Or enter coordinates (W/S/E/N):
Drag to choose an area
My maps
Autosaved in this browser after every edit; the 20 most recent drafts are kept and the oldest drop off.
Custom colour ramp
2–5 stops, mapped from low to high elevation in order; live preview below.
About this tool
What this is
A terrain map maker that runs entirely in your browser. Pick a country, a state or a county anywhere on Earth and it produces both a flat hillshade map and an extruded 3D relief of the real elevation data. Nothing to install, no account, and no subscription — the elevation grid is decoded, meshed and rendered on your own machine, and your finished map is never uploaded anywhere.
Where it works
Every country on Earth, from the global geoBoundaries open dataset: 232 countries, and below them the first- and second-level divisions each country publishes — states, provinces, cantons, districts, counties. Where those levels are not published the tool says so instead of showing an empty panel. The box tool still works anywhere on Earth. The legend always reflects the true elevation range of the area you selected, and hovering anywhere on the map reads out that exact point.
What you can do with it
Sixteen colour ramps and eight style presets, banded either to the selected area or to absolute elevation. Layer on contours, place names, administrative boundaries, summits and water. Annotate with seven tools — point, label, line, area, text box, numbered marker and a self-measuring arrow — and add notes and tables around the edge of the map. Measure a profile between any two points for distance, total ascent, and the high and low points along the way. Export a PNG at 2× or 4×, a poster at A3/A2 300 dpi, STL/OBJ/GLB models, a 16-bit heightmap and surface texture for game engines, or a 30-second orbit as MP4. A share link keeps your region, palette, camera and every annotation, permanently.
Is it really free?
Yes — every region, every overlay, every export format and share link is included, with no account and no paid tier.
Quick facts
Free, no account, no install — rendering and exports run in your browser.
232 countries with state and county drill-down, plus a box tool anywhere on Earth.
~30 m elevation from AWS Terrain Tiles (SRTM, NED and national programmes).
Where the data comes from, how the tool behaves, and what you can do with it.
Getting started
What is this tool?
A terrain map maker that runs entirely in your browser. Pick a country, a state or a county anywhere on Earth and it builds both a flat hillshade map and an extruded 3D relief of the real elevation data. Nothing to install and no account to create — decoding the elevation grid, building the mesh and rendering it all happen on your own machine, and your map is never uploaded anywhere.
How do I make a terrain map?
Three steps. Choose a place from the Region panel, pick one of the 16 colour ramps or 8 style presets, then press Export. That takes about ten seconds. Everything after that is refinement — the How-to section covers the rest.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account, no trial and no paid tier — every feature, every region, every export format and share links, for everyone.
Yes. The Export panel has a Heightmap export that writes a 16-bit grayscale PNG of the exact elevation grid in real metres (black = lowest, white = highest), plus a matching surface texture PNG for Unity terrain, Unreal landscapes, Godot plugins and Blender displacement.
Can I export 3D models?
Yes — STL for printing, plus OBJ and GLB (glTF 2.0) for Blender, CAD, Unity, Unreal and three.js. Choose a print scale in the Export panel; the model comes out in millimetres with Y-up geometry.
Is there a slope or contour layer?
Yes. Contours have selectable 25/50/100/250/500 m intervals and slope-angle shading colours the surface by gradient (20/25/30/35 degrees) for hiking, ski touring and teaching.
Can I make a printed map poster?
Yes — Poster A3 and A2 exports render at 300 dpi with title, legend, scale bar and optional title block, ready for framing.
Data and accuracy
Where does the elevation data come from, and how accurate is it?
Terrain tiles come from the AWS Terrain Tiles dataset, built from SRTM, NED and other national elevation programs — roughly 30 m (about 100 ft) resolution globally, and considerably finer in many places. Boundaries come from geoBoundaries (ODbL) and place names from the GeoNames gazetteer (CC BY 4.0). The legend shows the true elevation range of the area you selected, and hovering anywhere on the map reads out that exact point.
Which places can I map?
Europe and the Americas, from the global geoBoundaries open dataset — 97 countries, and below them the first- and second-level divisions each country publishes. Coverage is not identical at every level, so the tool tells you plainly when a country has no second-level boundaries rather than showing an empty panel. Beyond those two continents, drag a box anywhere on the map and work with that rectangle instead of a named region.
Why do rivers look more detailed on smaller maps?
Larger views use the natural vector rivers and lakes, which load quickly and cover everything. Below a certain size the tool switches to a river network extracted from the elevation model itself — drainage lines traced directly out of the height data, so they sit exactly on the terrain and follow every fold in it.
Features and export
Can I adjust how the 3D looks?
Everything is live. Relief runs from 0 to 20 percent, you can set a base thickness, and light bearing and height respond as you drag them. There are three camera presets — Plan, Standard and Low angle — plus Reset, and five lighting moods: none, dawn, noon, dusk and night. Nothing needs a re-render, so you are tuning the model itself rather than waiting on a new image.
Can I add my own annotations?
There are seven tools — point, label, line, area, text box, numbered marker and arrow, and the arrow measures its own distance between the two points you set. You can also add blocks of explanatory text and simple tables around the edges of the map. Everything picks up the current colour ramp automatically, and it all travels inside the share link.
What can I export?
PNG at 2x or 4x, poster PNG at 300 dpi (A3 or A2), STL, OBJ and GLB models, a 16-bit grayscale heightmap, the surface texture, and a 30-second orbit video as MP4. The 2D image has the title, legend, scale bar, north arrow and data credits composited in; the 3D model can be set to a 180 mm fit-bed or a fixed 1:5,000–1:50,000 print scale.
Can I export a video?
Yes. The 3D view can render a 30-second orbit as an MP4. Find it in the Export panel, and turn on Auto Turntable to capture a continuous rotation — useful for social clips and lecture material without opening an editor.
What are share links, and do they expire?
Share Link creates a short URL that restores your region, colour ramp, camera and every annotation exactly as you left them. It is a permanent snapshot with no expiry. If you made the link yourself you can keep editing and press Share again to update the contents without changing the URL.
What does the elevation profile do?
Switch on Measure profile and click two points on the map. You get an elevation chart for the line between them, with total distance, total ascent, highest point and lowest point called out — a quick way to read a route before you walk it, and a clear way to show relief in a classroom.
Other
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The layout is responsive and the panel collapses into a drawer. You can drag to rotate the model and pinch to zoom. Viewing a shared map works best in landscape; on a small screen, open the panel from the Panel button while you edit.
How is this different from QGIS or ArcGIS?
This tool is for getting to a finished picture fast. There is no installation, no project file and no learning curve — you have a presentation-ready map in about ten seconds. If you need real spatial analysis, reprojection, or batch processing of large datasets, you still want QGIS or ArcGIS. The two are complementary rather than competitors.
Can I use the exported images commercially?
Yes, for course materials, editorial illustration, social posts, slide decks and similar work. Two things to keep in mind: the boundary data is ODbL and the place names are CC BY 4.0, so keep the credit line on anything you publish; and in some jurisdictions, including China, officially published maps are required to carry a map approval number. If your use is regulated, check the local rule before you publish.
How to make a terrain map in six steps
Everything a finished map needs, in the order you would actually do it.
Choose a place. The Region panel drills down in three levels: country, then first-level division, then second-level. Below the first level the map automatically picks up a DEM-derived river network and settlement labels. New visitors land on Manhattan, New York, rendered from the global boundary data — then pick any country, state or county in the Region panel.
Pick a look. Eight one-click style presets — Classic, Ink, Celadon, Adventure, Ecology, Minimal, Satellite and Ice — set the tone, and the colour-ramp swatches offer 16 ramps, including satellite, land-cover and slope styles. The band can be scaled to the selected area or held to absolute elevation. Fine-tune anything after applying a preset.
Shape the relief. In 3D, Relief controls how mountainous the terrain looks (around 8 percent is a good start) and Base thickness defaults to zero for a floating-slab look. Light bearing and height apply live. Camera & motion holds the Plan, Standard and Low angle presets, Reset, the Auto Turntable and Flight — a chase-camera aircraft over the terrain (W/S throttle, A/D steer, Space up, Ctrl down, Q/E gears, wheel zoom).
Layer in detail. Overlays toggles place names, boundaries, summits, water and 3D buildings (Overture Maps footprints, built on OpenStreetMap, at their tagged height). Annotations provides the seven tools, with arrows that measure their own length, and Notes and tables add text blocks and tables around the map. All of it inherits the current palette.
Export and share. The Export panel gives you PNG at 2×/4× or poster A3/A2 at 300 dpi, STL/OBJ/GLB models at a chosen print scale, a 16-bit heightmap plus surface texture, and a 30-second orbit video. Share link produces a short URL that opens in an immersive view — share it again later to update the contents in place. Copy image puts the finished map straight on your clipboard.
Go further. Measure profile: click two points for an elevation chart. Hover anywhere to read its elevation. Shortcuts: R resets the camera, T is the turntable, Space flies in, Esc cancels a drawing or exits flight. The size control switches between standard 2× and print-grade 4×.
Good to know
Annotations, notes and tables pick up the current colour ramp automatically. A share link never expires, and if you made it yourself you can update its contents in place without changing the URL.
Keyboard shortcuts
R
Reset the camera to the fitted 3D view.
E
Export the current view as a PNG.
T
Turn the auto turntable on or off.
Space
Fly in to the model.
Enter
Finish the line or area you are drawing.
Del / Backspace
Delete the selected annotation.
Ctrl + Z
Undo the last annotation or note change.
Esc
Cancel the current tool, close a dialog, or leave full screen.