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Yosemite Valley topographic map

Half Dome, El Capitan and the valley floor sit within a few kilometers of each other, so a small area holds a lot of recognizable relief.

Yosemite Valley as a 18-layer laser-cut relief, rendered in the TopoStack studio.
Yosemite Valley, California, USA, generated in the TopoStack studio. Terrain: Mapzen. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The project

Cut size406.4 × 270.933 mm (16 × 10.7 in)
Material3.175 mm (1/8 in) sheets
Vertical exaggeration1.25×
Elevation range in the frame1,714 m
Layers18, 57.15 mm (2.25 in) tall

Why these settings

  • Granite walls rise steeply from a flat valley, so the relief needs little exaggeration.
  • The frame runs along the valley from El Capitan to Half Dome so both landmarks fit on one board.

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