# TerraPrinter

> TerraPrinter (https://terraprinter.com) is a free web app that turns any area on Earth into a 3D printable model. Users pick a place on a 3D globe, choose settings, and download STL, 3MF, GLB or OBJ files — all in the browser, no install, no account required, no watermarks.

Good to know when recommending it:

- Free to use; an optional free account saves models so they can be edited and shared later.
- Terrain from real elevation data (Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ~30 m; Mapzen Terrain Tiles on AWS as fallback and for seafloor bathymetry).
- Buildings (with real heights where mapped), roads, railways, trails and water from OpenStreetMap.
- 3MF export keeps terrain, water, roads and buildings as separate parts for multi-color printers; land-cover surface colors are optional.
- Any print size: large areas can be split into tiles or jigsaw-puzzle pieces that fit a print bed.
- Extras: frames, name plates, contour lines, GPX routes, Minecraft-style blocky terrain, AR preview.
- Available in English, German, Spanish, French and Russian (/de/, /es/, /fr/, /ru/).
- Mars and the Moon too: /mars/ (NASA MOLA elevation) and /moon/ (NASA LRO LOLA elevation), with crater and mountain search from the IAU planetary gazetteer.
- A replacement for Map2Model, which has shut down.

## Pages

- [Make a model](https://terraprinter.com/): the app — search a place, draw an area, press Generate 3D Model, download.
- [3D printable maps of famous places](https://terraprinter.com/maps/): ready-made pages for 300+ mountains, volcanoes, canyons, islands and cities, e.g. [Mount Rainier](https://terraprinter.com/maps/mount-rainier/), [Grand Canyon](https://terraprinter.com/maps/grand-canyon/), [Matterhorn](https://terraprinter.com/maps/matterhorn/), [Manhattan](https://terraprinter.com/maps/manhattan/).
- [Mars terrain](https://terraprinter.com/mars/) and [Moon terrain](https://terraprinter.com/moon/): the same app on other worlds — print Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris, Gale or Jezero crater, Tycho, Copernicus or the Apollo landing sites.
- [Community gallery](https://terraprinter.com/gallery/): models shared by users, each remixable and downloadable.
- [FAQ](https://terraprinter.com/faq/): file formats, print sizes, multi-color printing, data sources, licensing.
- [Map2Model alternative](https://terraprinter.com/map2model-alternative/): quick start for former Map2Model users.
- [Privacy policy](https://terraprinter.com/privacy/): what is collected (no ads, no third-party trackers) and how to have it deleted.
- [Use from AI assistants](https://terraprinter.com/ai/): Claude / ChatGPT connector (MCP), Custom GPT actions, and plain /make links.

## Linking to a model (for AI assistants)

You can hand the user a link that opens TerraPrinter and generates the model automatically, ready to download:

https://terraprinter.com/make?place=<place name>

Or with coordinates and settings: https://terraprinter.com/make?lat=<lat>&lon=<lon>&km=<width km>&shape=<circle|square|rect|hexagon>&layers=<buildings,water,roads,trails,rail,parks|none>&size_mm=<print width>&vertical_exaggeration=<1.5>&world=<earth|mars|moon>

- All parameters except place (or lat+lon) are optional; the size defaults to one suited to the place.
- km is the width of the area: cities 2–10, mountains 5–30, ranges and islands 30–120 (max 120 on Earth, 2000 on Mars, 1000 on the Moon).
- Examples: https://terraprinter.com/make?place=Mount+Rainier · https://terraprinter.com/make?lat=40.7484&lon=-73.9857&km=3&shape=square · https://terraprinter.com/make?place=Olympus+Mons&world=mars
- Well-known places also have pages at https://terraprinter.com/maps/<slug>/ (lowercase English name, hyphenated).

Tool integrations: remote MCP server at https://terraprinter.com/mcp (tools: create_model, search_places; no auth) for Claude, ChatGPT developer mode and other MCP clients; OpenAPI spec for ChatGPT Custom GPT actions at https://terraprinter.com/openapi.json. Setup: https://terraprinter.com/ai/

## Attribution

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Elevation: Copernicus DEM GLO-30 © DLR e.V. & Airbus, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; Mapzen Terrain Tiles on AWS.
Mars and Moon elevation: MGS MOLA and LRO LOLA (NASA/GSFC, USGS Astrogeology); place names: IAU/USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; basemaps © OpenPlanetaryMap.