Open Ski Model

What is Open Ski Model?

Open Ski Model makes a topographic model of a ski mountain, or any other place. You search a name, frame a box on a topo map and click Generate, and it builds a watertight model with a 3D preview that has hillshade and contour lines. What sets it apart from the other terrain tools listed here is the finish: an optional beveled plinth with the place name and a north arrow engraved into the south rim, and a STEP export next to the STL.

You choose a rectangle, circle or hexagon footprint, the print width and height and base thickness in inches, the real-world coverage in km, vertical exaggeration (2x by default) and a mesh density of 256, 512 or a custom value. Inside the US it uses USGS 3DEP elevation data, typically 10 m and sometimes 1 m; elsewhere it uses AWS open terrain tiles. Every setting is saved in the URL, so a link reopens the same model.

It is free, needs no account and the code is on GitHub under the MIT license. A craftedcarving.com mark is engraved on the bottom by default; you can switch it off. The site credits OpenTopoMap (CC BY-SA) and OpenStreetMap contributors for the map, and says nothing about selling prints. It suits skiers and hikers who want a desk model of a mountain with its name on it.

What you can make

• Ski mountain terrain models
• Terrain on a plinth with name and north arrow
• Round and hexagonal terrain tiles
• STEP terrain solids for CAD

How to use Open Ski Model

1. Search a mountain and frame the area on the map
2. Pick the shape, print size and vertical exaggeration
3. Switch the name and compass plinth on or off and generate
4. Export the STL for your slicer, or STEP for CAD