This makes it easier to determine the correct value when using the pad. In my case I set a scale of 1mm to 1 meter. If you include the map scale on the map then you can set the scale using the scale tool. The map is first imported to FreeCAD using the Images Workbench. They also provide a premium account which provides additional maps, if you wanted more detail. OS Maps provide a free 'standard' level map which is available through a free account. You can use alternative maps (including Google Maps). Ordnance Survey are the national mapping country for Great Britain and the standard for walking maps. The example map used in the video is an Ordnance Survey Map, known as OS Maps. This could also be a useful technique if you would like to visualize a hill before your walk or to create 3D models of places you have visited. This helped them to visualise the contours so that they could understand how steep a hill is by looking at a map.

I used this to help teach map and navigation skills to Cub Scouts. The model can then be printed using a 3D printer, or viewed online as a static image or through a 3D viewer.

This is a manual process in mapping the contour lines from an OS map into FreeCAD. In the video below I show how you can take a 2D map and create a 3D model using FreeCAD.

3d printing with freecad