Sure, your home town has the best food, the best bars, and the best discount shopping centers, but does it have the most 3D printable topography? And, if you really love your home town so much, why don’t you go and print its topography? GitHub user ThatcherC has developed a new tool called Terrain2STL to help you answer the first question and potentially the second.
ThatcherC’s app uses Google Maps plus a few javascript programs to create .stl files of any location accessible with the Maps app. It’s still in beta, but you can mess around with it with the following IP address: http://146.148.78.19/ . In the video below, Smartprinting created a quick run-down of how the app works:
The process is simple, find a location, drag the red box around and click “Create STL”. There you have it! Your very own topographic map in printable form. The geolocation doesn’t quite seem to be working, but it’s a good start. I made a map of Chicago, but it does no good to upload it here, as it is a flat rectangle with no discernible physical landmarks. Sweet home, Chicago!
Feature image: Heart-Shaped Lake, Columbia Station, Ohio, USA – 41.303921, -81.901693
