How to download a city map or site plan as DXF or DWG from OpenStreetMap: steps, the real layer names, metric coordinates, a sample file and an honest comparison with city portals.
How to get a 3D model of any city as STL from OpenStreetMap: buildings by OSM heights, terrain, a solid base, ready for the slicer. Example, print tips, FAQ.
How to get a site location plan base in DWG from OpenStreetMap: which layers you need, what scale to pick, why the drawing must be in metres and how to open it in AutoCAD.
How to move an export onto your own CAD layer standard in one pass: list the layers, write a mapping table, run the layer translator and prove nothing was lost.
How to download a city's tiles as one file and open it: MBTiles is an SQLite container for offline use and Android (OsmAnd, Locus Map), PMTiles is one file for the web without a server.
How to turn a map picture into vector: what tracing in Illustrator, Inkscape and Vector Magic actually gives you, why it falls apart on maps, and how to get a layered vector city map right away — as SVG, PDF or DXF.
How to download a GeoTIFF map by coordinates: what a georeferenced raster is, how to set the area bounds, choose a coordinate system and resolution, and how to open the file in QGIS.
How to print a city map in large format: which file to bring to a print shop for A1 and A0, how to compute the scale, margins and bleed, and how to tile a PDF map onto A4 sheets.
Vector maps explained in plain words: how vector differs from a picture using a map as the example, which vector formats exist (SVG, PDF, DXF, GeoJSON, SHP) and what each of them is for.
How WGS 84, EPSG:4326 and EPSG:3857 differ in plain words: datum, degrees and web mercator. Why the map drifts and when meters matter more than degrees. Plus — a choice of 165 coordinate systems on export.
All working ways to download a map from OpenStreetMap: export from osm.org, the Overpass API, Geofabrik and planet.osm, the QuickOSM plugin — honestly about each one's limits. Plus — ready export in 124 formats and a REST API.
Will USGS give you a GeoTIFF for QGIS? Yes — but only after signing up, and SRTM stops at 60°N. How to get elevation for the area you need, by coordinates and without USGS — HGT tiles from the global Copernicus GLO-30 DEM — and turn them into a GeoTIFF right in QGIS.