OSM2CDR and BlenderGIS: a comparison by the numbers
BlenderGIS is a free open-source add-on that loads maps, OpenStreetMap and terrain into a Blender scene; OSM2CDR hands over a ready file from the browser, with nothing to install. Below are the figures from both sides and our own gaps. The BlenderGIS data was taken from its repository on 2026-10-14.
Checked on 2026-10-14. https://github.com/domlysz/BlenderGIS
| Criterion | OSM2CDR | BlenderGIS |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | in the browser: a frame on the map or a place from the catalogue, the file is built on the server from our copy of OpenStreetMap; no program to install and no data to download beforehand | an add-on inside Blender, which must be 2.83 or newer (the README) |
| Data | our copy of OpenStreetMap, terrain and the Russian cadastre | import of Shapefile, rasters, GeoTIFF DEM, OSM XML; requests for OpenStreetMap data (buildings, roads) and SRTM elevation from within Blender; OpenTopography has required an API key since 2022 (the README) |
| Export formats | 140 in the catalogue, 136 served now | the result is a Blender scene; the add-on itself exports Shapefile (io_export_shp), the rest goes through Blender's own exporters |
| Drafting formats (DWG, DXF, CDR) | yes: DWG, DXF and CDR are among the catalogue formats | not stated in the README |
| Area ceiling per order | 5 km2 at maximum detail, 5000 km2 at city level, the whole planet at overview level | not named in the README |
What we do not have
- We are not open source: BlenderGIS is distributed under GNU GPL 3.0, while the source of our service is closed.
- We do not produce a ready Blender scene: we hand over files (OBJ, glTF, FBX, STL and others) that Blender opens via import, but without the scene georeferencing that BlenderGIS keeps.
- There is no offline mode: the map is built on our server, not on your computer.
What their site shows
- The repository author is domlysz; the licence is GNU GPL 3.0.
- The add-on displays web maps inside Blender's 3D view and georeferences the scene.
- Terrain is built from DEM and SRTM; there are Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi diagrams (the mesh_delaunay_voronoi operator).
- The latest push to the repository according to the GitHub API was on 2025-12-20.
Data licence: ODbL
Our files are built from OpenStreetMap data. The OpenStreetMap database is released under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0, and its cartography under CC BY-SA 2.0.
ODbL permits commercial use: the file may go into a project, into print and into sale. Two conditions apply. First, credit the source: «© OpenStreetMap contributors». Second, if you publish a modified or extended DATABASE, it must be released under the same terms; this does not extend to a drawing in which the map became a background.
We hand the attribution over with the file: the line «© OpenStreetMap contributors» goes into the sheet caption and into the export metadata, and for terrain the elevation source is printed next to it. Nothing has to be added by hand — it is enough to keep that line visible.
Licence texts: https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright