Questions and answers
How maps23d works, what it can print, and what to do when something looks wrong.
Getting started
What does this site do?
You pick a piece of the Earth on the map, and it builds a 3D model of that ground: hills and valleys from real elevation data, plus buildings, roads, water, trees and your own files if you want them. You can then download the model for 3D printing, for Blender or Unity, or for CAD.
Do I need an account? Is it free?
No account, no sign-in, no payment. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you make is stored on a server.
How do I choose an area?
Search a place or paste coordinates like 34.16, 77.58, then move and zoom the map under the frame. Pick a shape in the left rail: square, wide, round, hexagon, or Free. With Free you drag the corner and edge handles, or press Draw and drag a new rectangle.
Can I turn the map so it is not north-up?
Yes, four ways: hold Shift (or Ctrl) and drag anywhere on the map, drag the round knob above the frame, use the turn pad in the left rail, or press [ and ]. Holding Ctrl while dragging snaps to 5°. You can also turn the model later in the editor under Look, and nothing needs downloading again.
Your own data
What can I import?
GeoJSON, GPX and KML. Lines become raised routes on the ground. Polygons become raised shapes, useful for plots, zones, boundaries or building outlines you drew yourself. Points become pins. Press Import on the map, use Add file in the Layers tab, or drop files anywhere on the page.
How do I control their size?
Layers, then Imported files: line width and how far routes stand above ground, the height of shapes, and the height of pins. Each is a separate colored part in the exported 3MF.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Files are read inside your browser and never leave your device. Share links do not include them either.
The model
Where does the height data come from, and how accurate is it?
Elevation comes from AWS Terrain Tiles, with Mapterhorn as a backup. Resolution depends on the place and zoom: roughly 10 to 30 metres per sample in most of the world, coarser over oceans and some remote regions. It is good for terrain shape, not for survey work.
Why is the terrain so exaggerated?
"Choose a good height for me" is on by default and lifts flat areas so they read well at print size. Turn it off under Look, Height, and set your own factor. 1× is true to life.
Why are there no buildings or roads?
Either the area is larger than 100 km², which is the limit for buildings, roads, railways, trees and streams; or nobody has mapped them in OpenStreetMap yet; or the Overpass server was busy, in which case the Layers tab shows "Unavailable" and it usually works a minute later. Very dense cities draw at most 40,000 buildings.
How do trees work?
Trees fill forests, woods and parks mapped in OpenStreetMap, plus individually mapped trees. Choose the shape (canopy blobs, pines, or trunk and top), how many per cm², and their height. Canopy blobs print without supports.
What is the water level slider?
It fills the model with water up to a height you choose, so you can see what would flood. It exports as its own part.
Printing
Which file should I download?
| File | Use it for |
|---|---|
| 3MF | Multicolor printing. Each layer is a separate part, so you assign a filament per part. |
| STL | One solid, one color. |
| STLs (zip) | One STL per color, for slicers that do not read 3MF parts. |
| GLB / OBJ | Textured model for Blender, Unity, Unreal or web viewers. |
| DXF | 3D faces on named layers for CAD. |
The model is bigger than my print bed.
Open Print, pick your printer, and the page tells you whether it fits. Either reduce the size, or split the model into tiles. Columns and rows are set separately, up to 8 each, so a wide map can be 4 × 2. Tiles line up edge to edge.
Do the parts print without supports?
Terrain, base, frame, raised text, roads, water, imported shapes and canopy trees print flat on the bed without supports. Steep cliffs, pins and "trunk and top" trees may need them. Keep "Thicken tiny roads and buildings so they print" on.
Are the files watertight?
Yes. Every part is a closed solid with outward-facing triangles, checked automatically. If your slicer reports errors, tell me which part.
How do I add my own text to the frame?
Open Base, turn on the frame, then type in "Writing on the frame". The place name and coordinates fill in automatically. Letters are raised on the front edge and curve around round maps. Latin letters, numbers and ° only.
When something is wrong
The map is blank, or nothing loads.
A connection check runs when the page opens, names what is blocked and switches to backup servers where it can. Office, college and defence networks, VPNs, ad blockers and antivirus web filters are the usual causes. Test on a phone hotspot to confirm.
Which browsers work?
Current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop, Android and iOS. WebGL must be available. Flyover video recording needs Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
Can I sell what I print?
Read the terms first. OpenStreetMap data is ODbL and needs credit, and Esri imagery is not licensed for commercial use without an ArcGIS account.