
Topographic Map: Lasercutter style - luu
http://jhorna.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/topographic-map-lasercutter-style/
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Animats
Autodesk offers this as a service:

[http://www.123dapp.com/aboutlasercutting](http://www.123dapp.com/aboutlasercutting)

It's a low-rez way to do 3D printing, but it's fast and cheap.

You can take a cardboard model made that way and vacuum-form a sheet of
plastic over it to get a smooth model. That's how commercial relief maps were
made - print topo on plastic, vacuum-form onto 3D master to make a 3D object.
Like these:

[http://www.mapshop.com/raised_relief/raised_relief_maps.htm](http://www.mapshop.com/raised_relief/raised_relief_maps.htm)

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theoh
It would have been easier to extract the contour data from a DEM. I get the
impression those are widely available for the US. Since it's a laser cutter
doing most of the work, you could have a lot better resolution in the vertical
dimension for little additional effort. Architects (and architecture students)
make this kind of thing a lot, and having layers this thick in a presentation
model just wouldn't make the grade, based on my experience...

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theoh
e.g. [http://potatopress.com.au/blog/laser-cut-land-
model/](http://potatopress.com.au/blog/laser-cut-land-model/)

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jhorna
GORGEOUS. I saw one of these when I was at the architecture school... _after_
I had already finished designing mine. I'd love to do another one like this -
and I'd really love to do one with some underwater aspects.

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RyJones
Excellent. Metric Create Space in Seattle has a nice one of Seattle on the
wall when you come in; looking for a picture of it I see they were making
another recently.

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/metrixcreate/15050413303/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/metrixcreate/15050413303/)

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jhorna
Thanks :) :) (I'm the creator)

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jlarocco
Really neat, and I love the town of Frisco.

I'm curious what this is being used for. We have a condo nearby, and we're
around there all the time. If this is on display or something, I'd probably go
see it.

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jhorna
This was a present for my Grandparents! Our family shares a house up there and
they go there every summer. It's not really on display... but thanks for the
thought! :)

(Also if you have access to a laser-cutter I'd be more than happy to give you
the files to make your own)

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spearo77
See also: [http://www.belowtheboat.com](http://www.belowtheboat.com)

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jhorna
YES! This was my original inspiration. I saw that and thought: What the heck -
I can make that! And then I did :) I love the way they've painted it, though.
And of course the below-water scenes. Just incredible.

