Technical sheet
This page describes precisely what Relievo makes, how prices are calculated and where the data comes from, for anyone who wants the exact detail.
The prices on this page are those in force at the moment you display it. Last generated: 29 October 2026.
1. The product
A topographic relief map, 3D-printed, showing a real place of your choice. The relief is that of the terrain, to the accuracy of the official elevation data; roads, buildings, waterways and zones come from OpenStreetMap.
Two distinct things are sold:
- the printed map, a finished object shipped to you;
- the 3D file (multi-colour .3mf), generated from the same real data.
The file is not only for printing. It is an ordinary 3D model: it opens in a rendering engine, an animation or editing program, and can be freely resized: the delivered dimensions are only those of the printed object.
| Use | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| 3D printing | A Bambu Studio preset (established on a Bambu Lab X2D) is provided for guidance. The map is a multi-colour 3MF, intended for Bambu Studio and also readable by PrusaSlicer, Cura…; the frame and connectors are STL |
| Rendering, illustration, animation | Keep the model in one piece: splitting into tiles is only for printing |
| Other projects (game, virtual model, presentation material) | No technical restriction; see the Terms of Sale for conditions of use |
1.1 Colours
A map is either single-colour (included) or in colour (“Colored map” option). In colour, you choose in the configurator the shade of **each element separately**: water, roads, nature, buildings, built-up areas, land / ground, underside and sides.
- Each element can take any of the shades below, including the same as other elements:
an all-black map with only the water in red is possible.
- An element can also be hidden: it then takes the map's base colour.
- At most 8 different colours on one map (the printer's number of
filaments); beyond that, the order is refused before payment, with what to do.
- Ready-to-order places have a fixed palette; to choose your colours, start from
the free configurator.
- All colours are the same price.
Shades offered:
| Shade | Code | Suggested by default for |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | #7A5230 | land / ground |
| Green | #00B800 | nature |
| Blue | #0080FF | water |
| Light beige | #DCD7C8 | built-up areas |
| Black | #000000 | roads |
| Bluish grey | #9696A0 | buildings |
| White | #FFFFFF | underside and sides |
| Red | #D22828 | GPX track and highlights |
A shade not in this list is not offered in the configurator, but can be requested **on quotation** (quote request): the filament is then ordered specially for your map. The hexadecimal code is the one shown on screen; the printed filament may differ slightly from one screen to another.
1.2 Sizes and proportions
- Each side measures from 20 to 300 cm, in any proportion: a 36 × 234 cm strip is an
ordinary size.
- Up to 3 m² of area, the price is calculated and the map ordered online;
beyond that, on quotation (§ 2.3).
- Beyond the size of the print bed, the map is delivered in tiles (§ 4.2): at most 20 cm
per side in colour, 22 cm in a single colour. The number of tiles is worked out side by side: 36 × 234 cm in colour gives 2 × 12 = 24 tiles.
- Thickness: a base of at least 13 mm under the lowest point, plus the height of the
relief; 250 mm at most in total (§ 4.4).
- Weight: about 9 kg per m² of map, an order of magnitude calculated by the slicer on
real maps; from half to double depending on the relief (flat country weighs less than mountains). E.g. 30 × 40 cm ≈ 1 kg, 70 × 100 cm ≈ 6 kg, 36 × 234 cm ≈ 7.5 kg.
1.3 Assembly and mounting
- Maps in several tiles are delivered disassembled; the tiles fit together with connectors,
with assembly instructions in photos.
- Wall mounting: pre-drilled holes on the back, and an A4 sheet giving the distances (in cm)
between the holes to drill in the wall. Wall plugs, suited to your wall, are not supplied.
2. How the price is calculated
2.1 Catalogue sizes
| Size | Area | Base price |
|---|---|---|
| 15 × 15 cm | 0.02 m² | 40€ |
| 30 × 40 cm | 0.12 m² | 100€ |
| 50 × 70 cm | 0.35 m² | 180€ |
| 70 × 100 cm | 0.7 m² | 250€ |
2.2 Sizes outside the catalogue
A size missing from the catalogue does not require a quote. It is priced automatically by the formula:
price = 2.5 × (width_cm × height_cm) ^ 0.52
rounded to the euro. The formula depends only on the area: a very elongated strip costs the same as a rectangle of the same area. A few real examples:
| Size | Area | Calculated price | Quote required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 30 cm | 0.3 m² | 161€ | no |
| 40 × 40 cm | 0.16 m² | 116€ | no |
| 60 × 90 cm | 0.54 m² | 218€ | no |
| 120 × 80 cm | 0.96 m² | 294€ | no |
2.3 When a quote becomes mandatory
Above 3 m² of area, or for a shade not in the list of § 1.1. The threshold is about area, never about being in the catalogue of sizes: a 100 × 30 cm map is not in the catalogue and still gets a firm price, because it measures 0.30 m².
2.4 Options
Each option adds a percentage calculated on the base price, not compounded: two options at +10 % and +15 % on a €100 base give €125, not €126.50. The options surcharge, then the total, are rounded up to the next euro: no price ends in cents.
| Option | Surcharge | Availability | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colored map | +25 % | available | Adds colors to the topography |
| Fine layers | +15 % | available | Thinner layers: fewer visible steps on gentle slopes and flat areas |
| Highlighted address | +5 % | available | Your address highlighted in colour |
| Landmark | +5 % | available | Adds a coloured landmark |
| Text on the map | +5 % | available | Village names taken from the map (move, correct, add to them) or free text, painted on the piece |
| No relief (flat ground) | included | available | Flattens the terrain: ideal for cities, buildings stand out on a flat base. Disables relief accentuation and target height. |
| Accentuate relief | included | available | Vertically exaggerates the terrain for a more pronounced relief (adjustable once ticked). |
| Round the edge | included | available | Softens the model edge into a rounded profile all the way round (no-frame only; radius adjustable once ticked). |
| Flat coloured edge | included | available | Colours the model edge with a clean horizontal line (no-frame only; height adjustable once ticked). |
| GPX track | included | available | Renders an imported GPX route (hike, run…) in relief on the map. |
| LiDAR HD relief | included | available | High-definition relief and buildings from a LiDAR scan (covered areas of France; standard render elsewhere) |
| Snow on peaks | included | available | Adds snow above an adjustable altitude (once ticked). |
| Merge mountain ranges | included | available | Merges small nearby peaks into more legible ranges (intensity adjustable once ticked). |
| Roofs on buildings | included | available | Adds sloped roofs to buildings (instead of flat tops) |
2.5 Frames
| Frame | Surcharge | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth white frame | included | available |
| Light wood-effect frame | included | available |
| Dark wood-effect frame | included | coming soon |
| Brushed-effect frame | included | available |
| Matte black frame | included | coming soon |
2.6 Downloadable 3D files
The price depends on the geographic area covered by the model, not on its physical dimensions: a file covering a whole mountain range costs more than a street, at equal print size.
| Geographic area covered | Price |
|---|---|
| < 1 km² (neighbourhood, street) | 5€ |
| 1 – 10 km² (town centre) | 9€ |
| 10 – 50 km² (metro area) | 14€ |
| 50 – 175 km² (max area) | 19€ |
| 175 – 1000 km² (county) | 24€ |
| > 1000 km² (region, country) | 29€ |
3. Where the data comes from
3.1 Elevation
| Source | Where | Resolution | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGE ALTI (IGN) | France, maps up to 40 km per side | 5 m | Sharp valleys and banks, crisp relief |
| LiDAR HD (IGN) | France, covered areas | ~10 points/m², sampled at 0.5 m | Buildings and trees actually measured, not modelled |
| GEDTM30 (Global Ensemble DTM, CC BY 4.0) | rest of the world | 30 m | Faithful overall relief, small details absent |
The difference is visible: at 30 m resolution, a 20 m-wide ravine simply does not exist in the data.
Beyond 40 km per side, the relief comes everywhere from the worldwide model, averaged to the map's fineness: at that scale, 5 m data adds nothing printable, and averaging avoids a noisy relief.
LiDAR is capped at 30 km² per map: it is a very large survey, downloaded on demand from IGN. It also depends on the date of the flight: a recent construction may be missing.
3.2 Buildings, roads, water, zones
OpenStreetMap. Coverage therefore depends on what contributors have mapped: excellent in cities, sometimes patchy in rural areas. Buildings are simplified volumes extruded to their height, not architectural reproductions.
3.3 Geographic coverage
- Generation: anywhere between 85° N and 65° S, from a street up to **the whole world in one
piece**. Large maps are projected flat to keep shapes true; a world map uses the Miller projection, from the Arctic to 58° S (without Antarctica, missing from the elevation data).
- Relief of large maps: beyond 1,000 km per side, the real relief would be invisible (on a
world 40 cm wide, Everest would be 0.06 mm). It is therefore exaggerated by default, from several tens to several hundred times, to reach about 3.5 to 4.5 cm. The exact value is shown on the “Accentuate relief” slider and remains adjustable.
- Delivery of printed maps: mainland France.
- 3D files: anywhere, since there is nothing to ship.
4. How a map is made
4.1 Generating the model
- The chosen area is converted into a real geographic footprint.
- Elevations are downloaded then resampled onto a grid whose fineness adapts (see § 4.3).
- OpenStreetMap data is fetched and projected onto this grid.
- A 3D mesh is built: terrain surface, perimeter walls, solid base.
- Colours are part of the model, face by face, not a texture: this is what allows
multi-colour printing without paint.
- Everything is exported as a multi-colour 3MF.
4.2 Splitting into tiles
Beyond the size of the print bed, the map is split into tiles: at most 20 cm per side for a colour map, 22 cm for a single-colour one (the usable area of our print beds). For a 3D file you print yourself, you choose the tile size to suit your own print bed. The tiles fit together with butterfly connectors (two dovetail flares joined by a narrow waist) recessed into the material, on inner edges only.
4.3 Grid fineness
It is not fixed. Sampling finer than what printing can render, or finer than the source data, only produces a heavier file, not a better object. The grid is therefore bounded by the most restrictive of three limits:
| Limit | Value | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| What printing renders | 5 points per printed mm | Beyond that, the 0.4 mm nozzle no longer makes a difference |
| What the source contains | 1 point per 5 m of terrain (0.5 m with LiDAR) | Inventing points between two measurements adds no information |
| Ceiling | 1,500,000 points | A very large area, up to the whole world, can still be made, at reduced fineness |
In practice: a small, very detailed area is limited by the source, a large wall map by printing, and a whole region by the ceiling.
The "Fine layers" option prints in thinner layers: fewer visible steps on gentle slopes and plateaus. It changes neither the relief grid (5 points per mm), nor the minimum line width, nor the LiDAR cap.
4.4 Printing constraints the model respects
| Constraint | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum total height | 250 mm | Physical limit of the printer; the relief is reduced automatically rather than cutting the model |
| Minimum base under the lowest point | 13 mm | Rigidity, and material for the connector cavities |
| Thickness of the coloured layer | 2 mm | Coloured skin over a single-colour core: colour is only used at the surface, where it shows |
| Minimum width of a line | 2 printed mm | Below that, the slicer cannot render it: a road that is too thin is removed rather than rendered as dotted |
This last point explains a behaviour that can surprise: on a small-scale map, minor roads and streams disappear. It is not missing data, it is a choice: a line the printer cannot produce cleanly spoils the model.
4.5 Printing
Multi-colour FDM printing. PLA for indoors (the default choice), PETG when the spot can get warm (above a radiator, a very exposed room): it withstands heat better than PLA. Finish of your choice, matte (default) or glossy: a matter of looks, with no effect on readability, colours or durability. Manufacturing file: multi-colour 3MF with a Bambu Studio preset (for guidance), also readable by PrusaSlicer, Cura…; frame and connectors in STL.
4.6 Lead time
Currently 1–2 weeks between order and shipping. Workshop load: light. This lead time is calculated from the real queue, not announced in advance: it moves with the number of orders in progress.
5. What we don't do
To avoid misunderstandings:
- No outdoor use. These are indoor objects, to be kept out of prolonged direct sunlight;
none of our plastics is guaranteed outdoors over time.
- No architectural reproduction. Buildings are volumes, not scale models.
- No guarantee of fineness outside France. At 30 m resolution, some details do not exist in
the source data.
- No returns on a custom map. Each map is made for a specific order; the exact conditions
are in the Terms of Sale.
6. Frequently asked questions, exact answers
My size is not in the catalogue, do I need a quote? No, as long as the area stays under 3 m². The price is calculated automatically by the formula in § 2.2.
Is the displayed price final? It is the base price. Options are added as a percentage, each calculated on that base price (§ 2.4).
Do you deliver abroad? Not printed maps, for now: mainland France only. 3D files, on the other hand, have no borders.
Can I get a map of a place outside France? Yes: the relief covers the whole world, poles excluded (between 85° N and 65° S). Only the delivery of printed maps remains limited to mainland France.
Can I make an “artistic” map, with my own colours? Yes, with the shades of § 1.1 (any other shade can be requested on quotation): each element takes the colour of your choice, several elements can share the same one, and the map does not have to look like a classic map. Example: everything in black, the water in red.
Is a very elongated map possible? Yes. Each side goes from 20 to 300 cm, with no constraint on proportions; only the area threshold (3 m²) matters. It is delivered in tiles to assemble (§ 1.2).
How fine is a very large map? It depends on the scale, not the size: at a scale of 1:N, 1 printed mm represents N/1000 metres of terrain. A line under 2 printed mm is removed (§ 4.4), and the relief grid stays at 5 points per mm (§ 4.3), within its cap.
What is the difference between French rendering and the rest of the world? The resolution of the elevation data: 5 m in France (0.5 m with LiDAR HD), 30 m elsewhere — and everywhere beyond 40 km per side, where the difference no longer shows. The overall relief is faithful everywhere; fine detail only in France.
7. Contact
- Questions and orders: contact@relievo.fr
- Professional quotes and large formats: quote request
- Terms of Sale