Download Lesotho map in PLY format
A map built from OpenStreetMap data, ready to download
Customize the map
Open this place's area in the constructor and adjust everything to your needs
Open in constructor →Map passport
What this map contains by default
This is how the map is built as-is — every setting can be changed in the constructor.
About PLY
Map of Lesotho in PLY — an export of real OpenStreetMap data for the selected area.
Export 3D buildings to PLY -- a simple format for point clouds and meshes. Supports vertex colors. Widely used in science and 3D scanning.
Which layers are in the file
The set of layers depends on the selected area.
What this file will not contain
In PLY for Lesotho the following will not travel: 18 121 km of roads, 1 144 water features, 8 599 km² of green areas, 9 786 points of interest — the format prints solid volumes extruded from building outlines, and other layers are not part of the model.
File size
The expected size of the PLY file for Lesotho is about 639 KB; the exact size depends on the chosen layers and area.
Coordinate systems
WGS 84 (EPSG:4326), selectable in the wizard
Units
Meters (projected in the chosen coordinate system)
| Category | 3D |
| File extension | .ply |
| Tier | Open Beta |
How to use PLY for Lesotho
- MeshLab (free) — open the model, look at the vertex colour, measure its overall dimensions, simplify the mesh if there are many buildings.
- CloudCompare (free) — compare the model with your point cloud from laser scanning or a drone survey, align the coordinate systems, compute deviations.
- Blender — File -> Import -> Stanford (.ply); to see the colouring, turn on vertex colour display in the material.
Programs that open PLY
FAQ: PLY for Lesotho
What is PLY used for?
PLY is popular in science, 3D scanning, and point cloud analysis.
Can I open it in Blender?
Yes, Blender imports PLY via File > Import > PLY.
Is this a mesh or a point cloud?
A mesh: buildings are exported as triangular faces with vertices. PLY can store point clouds too, which is why the format is often associated with them — if needed, the model can be resampled into a cloud, in CloudCompare for example.
Is the colour of buildings preserved?
Yes, colour by development type is written into the vertices: viewers that understand vertex colour — MeshLab, CloudCompare, Blender, three.js — will show the model coloured without assigning materials.
Binary file or text?
Binary by default — it is more compact and opens faster. The text variant of the format also exists and is useful when you want to read the contents by eye or parse them with a simple script.
