Open your gpx file and look at your track. Keep the program open when you come to the next step and you can easily locate your area of interest. It is available from the straightforwardly named It very conveniently projects the gpx track on to the exact same Open Street Map you will later use to choose the bounds for your map. I use a great free open source one called (rather descriptively) "GPX Track Editor". It is so much easier use a gpx track editor. Gpx is a simple XML format so you could edit it using any text editor but that would be about as fun as a root canal. Most GPS units will allow you to export a track to a format called gpx. It isn't necessary for this project, but it is a great way to support the guy who created the tools we will be using. It makes the process of selecting and acquiring the terrain a little easier. It is a more complete tool kit produced by Vladimir Elistratov, the author of the free tools. I use the very handy Blender Open Street Map tool kit which is available for a paultry $5.90, or a meager $15.80 for the premium version, from. As with all downloaded Blender add-ons you choose "Install Add-on from File" and point Blender at the zip file to install the tool. You will also need to download the free Blender gpx importer tool from and the Blender terrain importer from. This set of tools is very useful for checking and fixing models you plan to print. The tool box is included with Blender but you need to turn it on. We will also use Autodesk's amazingly useful, and amazingly free Meshmixer to help fix some problems with our model.Īfter you have installed Blender go to the Add-ons menu in the User Preferences section and turn on the 3D Print Toolbox. For this project you will need a recent version of Blender available from and a couple of free or low cost add-ons. I use the amazing, versatile and free Blender for most of my 3d editing. Its fun, kinda like paint by numbers, only 3d. Then you just print it and color however you like. If you do it just right you can make a groove which perfectly fits the tip of a marker like an ultra fine point sharpie or another. You use that tool to cut a groove in your terrain map. You make a 3d cutting tool based on your GPS track. You make a 3d printable map of the terrain. The process is simple if you break it down into steps. For this example I will be using a track which I recorded while climbing Yosemite's Mt Conness with my 10 year old daughter. This can be done with a hand held GPS but it can be done easier, cheaper and just as accurately with a smart phone. You just need to record a GPS track of the route. It doesn't need to be a hike, if you have a favorite ride on your Ducati or your camel that will work too. Now imagine a miniature 3d map which you can hold in your hand which shows every detail of your route perfectly to scale. Imagine your favorite hike, the ultimate backpacking bucket list adventure of your dreams or your weekly walk with your cat.
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