STL (3D Printing)
Open BetaExport city buildings to STL format for 3D printing. Buildings are extruded to 3D using height data from OSM tags. The model arrives sized for the print bed: 200 mm along the longest side, with real millimetres inside the file. Binary STL for compact files, ready for slicer import.
Key Features
About STL Format
STL is the veteran format of 3D printing: the model is described by triangles alone, with no color, materials or layers. That is exactly why every slicer and every printer understands it, from a home machine to an industrial one.
A map is exported to STL when the city has to be held in your hands: a model of a block, a gift with your home district, a teaching aid, a stand, a blank for an architectural presentation.
What is in the file: buildings only. Each one is extruded to its own height (the height tag, otherwise the number of floors, otherwise 9 meters — about three storeys), and pitched roofs are reconstructed from OSM tags: gabled, hipped, pyramidal, mono-pitched. Where there are no tags, the shape is chosen by the type and the size of the house. Under the model lies a solid base plate so the model stands level and prints without supports under every house.
The scale is natural, in meters: before printing, shrink the model in the slicer down to the size of your bed. The terrain relief is not taken into account — the houses stand on a plane. The file is binary, which is several times more compact than the text variant.
What Program Opens STL Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with STL (3D Printing) (.stl) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 3D coordinates supported
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- Binary STL. Buildings extruded to 2.5D height. Units: meters (scale 1:1). Opens in Blender, Meshmixer, Cura, PrusaSlicer for 3D printing.
Who Uses STL Maps
How to Export STL
How to Open After Export
- PrusaSlicer or Cura (free) — open the file, fit it to the bed by scaling and slice; supports are usually not needed, the model already stands on a plate.
- Blender or MeshLab — look at the model, cut off what you don't need, merge it with other objects before printing.
- Mesh checking — run the model through the check in your slicer or in Meshmixer: OSM data contains buildings overlapping each other, which produces self-intersections.
- Printing through a service — upload the file to a printing platform, where you will also see the price and get help choosing the material.
- Printing a whole city is not worth it: the file grows and the houses become indistinguishable — take a block, the center or a recognizable fragment.
Popular maps in STL
Get STL (3D Printing) map exports
Download professional STL maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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