3D Terrain Mesh (STL/GLB/OBJ/PLY/glTF)
Open BetaA 3D terrain model — a relief surface built from the global Copernicus GLO-30 DEM (30 m) and saved into a 3D format: STL for 3D printing, GLB/glTF for web and Three.js, OBJ for Blender/3ds Max, PLY for MeshLab. A regular elevation triangulation with a vertical-exaggeration parameter (z-exaggeration 0.1–10) lets you emphasise relief even on flat terrain. Works worldwide, including the high Arctic.
Key Features
About 3D Terrain Format
3D Terrain is not a map but a relief surface: a triangle mesh built from the Copernicus GLO-30 digital elevation model with a step of about 30 meters. There are no roads, buildings or labels here — only the shape of the land over the area you chose.
Such a model is taken when the terrain has to be touched or shown as a volume: printing a scale model of a valley, dropping relief under a scene in Blender, explaining the layout of a watershed to students. The elevation data covers the whole world, polar latitudes included.
The output format is chosen at export time: GLB and glTF for the web and Three.js, STL for slicers, OBJ for Blender and 3ds Max, PLY for MeshLab. Mesh density is picked automatically to match the area — the target is around 250 thousand vertices, with a hard ceiling of a million so the file still opens. Vertical exaggeration is set by a factor from 0.1 to 10: on flat land the relief is barely readable without it.
The result is an open surface, not a closed volume: it has no bottom and no side walls. For printing it is usually completed — you add a base in an editor or a slicer, otherwise the model will stand on the bed on a thin edge.
What Program Opens 3D Terrain Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with 3D Terrain Mesh (STL/GLB/OBJ/PLY/glTF) (.glb) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 3D coordinates supported
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- 3D terrain surface from Copernicus GLO-30 DEM. STL/GLB/OBJ/PLY/glTF subformat; vertical exaggeration 0.1–10, area-adaptive decimation.
Who Uses 3D Terrain Maps
How to Export 3D Terrain
How to Open After Export
- Blender — File → Import and the format you need (glTF, OBJ, PLY, STL); the model arrives in meters, and the scale can be checked against the object dimensions in the properties panel.
- Cura or PrusaSlicer — open the STL, put it on the bed, add a base; thin edges are better cut off, otherwise printing starts in mid-air.
- MeshLab — open the PLY or OBJ for cleanup: removing degenerate triangles, decimation, smoothing before printing or rendering.
- Three.js — the GLB loads through GLTFLoader and goes into the scene as is; the file is already binary and needs no extra packing.
- Closing the model before printing — in Blender (the Solidify modifier) or in Meshmixer: the surface turns into a volume with a bottom, after which the slicer handles it correctly.
Popular maps in 3D Terrain
Get 3D Terrain Mesh (STL/GLB/OBJ/PLY/glTF) map exports
Download professional 3D Terrain maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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