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Lake Tahoe topographic map

Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest lakes in North America, and the USGS multibeam survey of its floor gives a lake map real depth instead of a flat hole.

Lake Tahoe as a 14-layer laser-cut relief, rendered in the TopoStack studio.
Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, USA, generated in the TopoStack studio. Terrain: Mapzen. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The project

Cut size270.933 × 406.4 mm (10.7 × 16 in)
Material3.175 mm (1/8 in) sheets
Vertical exaggeration
Elevation range in the frame1,656 m
Layers14, 44.45 mm (1.75 in) tall

Why these settings

  • A portrait frame fits the lake’s north–south length and the mountains on both shores.
  • The surveyed lake floor is deep compared with the land relief, so depth exaggeration stays at 1× and the studio adds the depth sheets it needs.

Make it yourself

  1. Download the project file. It holds the map area and every setting above.
  2. Open the studio and choose Import project JSON next to the project name.
  3. Select Generate terrain. Fresh data can change the layer count slightly from the one listed here.
  4. Check the cut layers and 3D preview, then open Export for the SVG cut panels and assembly guide.

To change it, set your own sheet thickness in Terrain layers or a new size in Cut size; the studio recalculates the layers. The layered map guide covers kerf, nesting and assembly, and the engraving guide shows how to make the same place as a flat engraving.

More examples

Create a topographic map