How To — TrailPrint3D

▶ VIDEO Installation

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Download Blender from blender.org (Version 5.1 or higher)
Download the Latest version of the Addon
Open Blender and go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons
Popup opens. Go to Add-ons, click on the arrow on the top right, "Install from disk" and select the Addon you downloaded
TrailPrint3D can update itself — open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → TrailPrint3D and click Check for Updates whenever a new version comes out, no need to redownload manually

Getting your GPX File

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Open the activity tracking app where your route is saved (e.g. Strava, Komoot, Garmin Connect, AllTrails)
Navigate to the activity or route you want to turn into a 3D map
Look for an Export or Download option. usually in the activity's settings or three-dot menu
Select Export GPX and save the .gpx file to your computer

▶ VIDEO Basic Map Generation

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Inside blender, the TrailPrint3D panel is located in the 3D Viewport sidebar
Press N to toggle the sidebar open, then click the TrailPrint3D tab
Click the folder icon next to File Path and select your .gpx file
Set an Export Path. this is the folder where your files will be saved after generation
Adjust the settings to your liking (see the sections below for details on each setting)
Click Generate and wait for the process to complete. generation time depends on resolution and map complexity
Once done, your files will appear in the export folder, ready to open in your slicer

GIF Map Shape & Size

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Use the Shape dropdown to choose the outline of your map. options include hexagon, square, circle, and more
Set the Object Size in millimeters. this is the physical size of the final printed map (e.g. 100 = 100 mm)
The map is automatically scaled and centered around your route regardless of the shape chosen

GIF Resolution & Quality

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The Resolution setting controls the detail level of the terrain mesh. higher values produce more precise elevation detail
INFO!: Resolution only affects the Terrain mesh. it has no effect on the detail of Elements like Forests or Water
Recommended range: 6–8 for a good balance between quality and generation time
Lower values (4–5) are useful for quick previews before committing to a final render
A resolution of 7 can take longer to generate so be patient and do not close Blender while it runs
For most prints, a value of 7 is sufficient and generates in a reasonable time

Exporting files

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After Generating a Map, Files are exported automatically to your Export folder
INFO: in the Addon preferences you can set a Default export path so you don't have to specify it each time
If you do any mannual changes or post-processing features you have to export it manually in the Advanced -> Export tab
There are 3 Diffrent File export options available
STL: Exports each object as a STL file. You have to color them manually in your slicer as STL files dont contain Color information
.OBJ: Exports each object as a .OBJ file. This format contains color information and is needed if you painted the elements onto the map
It also comes with a .MTL file. dont separate these two files. the .MTL file holds the color data
.3mf Exports all objects as a single .3mf file. It contains color data, relative position and it automatically grouped
It requires the 3mf Addon by Clonephaze. you can install it directly from the Export tab and once installed its the Default export option

Import to Slicer

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Import the exported file(s) from your export folder
STL: Select all STL files together. The slicer will ask you if you want to view those files as a single object. Hit yes. otherwise they wont have the correct position to each other
.OBJ: Same as STL. additionally, a window will popup allowing you to assing filaments to the colors
.3mf: Import the single .3mf file — colors and grouping are all preserved automatically. The groups are overlapping so rearrange them
Info: Set the Wall-generator in your slicer to Arachne for better results when printing in multiple colors (less gaps between them)

Text-Based Shapes & Customization

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Some shapes double as backplates for engraved text: Hexagon (inner, outer, or front text) and Octagon (outer text)
Add a title plus up to 5 icon + text rows. handy for a route name, distance, elevation gain, or date
Choose a Font and set the title and body Text Size independently
Fine-tune the plate with Thickness, Outer Border Size, Insert Value, Bevel, and a Text Angle preset
Found in the Additional Shape Settings panel, only shown when a text-based shape is selected

GIF Elevation Scale & Path Settings

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Elevation Scale is a multiplier applied to the real-world elevation data:
Increase it for flat routes (e.g. coastal or city rides) to make the terrain more visually interesting
Decrease it for very steep or alpine routes to prevent extreme height differences that are hard to print
A value of 1.0 represents true-to-life proportions
Path Thickness controls the thickness of the route line on the map surface
Path Scale sets the scale of the path relative to the object size.)/li>
e.g. 1 = Trail is as big as the map. 0.5 = Trail is about half the size of the map and shows more of the terrain around it

Elevation Data Sources & API Key

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TrailPrint3D can pull elevation data from several sources, switchable in Advanced → API: Terrain-Tiles (default, fastest, no setup), Mapterhorn, OpenTopoData, Open-Elevation, and OpenTopography
OpenTopography requires a free API key from portal.opentopography.org — without it, most datasets will fail to fetch. Set the key once in Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → TrailPrint3D → OpenTopography API Key
If using OpenTopoData, pick the Dataset that best matches your region for more accurate elevation
Elevation and map data both require an internet connection — if generation fails, check your connection or try a different data source
If you see random holes in your terrain mesh, try enabling disableCache or clearing the cache with Clear Cache

Map Elements (Water, Forests, Cities)

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TrailPrint3D automatically fetches map data from OpenStreetMap to generate environmental elements around your route
Water: lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water are generated as raised or recessed areas on the map
Forests: wooded areas are included as a distinct surface layer
Cities & Settlements: urban areas are represented on the map
Scree, Glaciers, Farmland & Greenspaces: also generated automatically, each toggleable individually with its own area/size setting
Buildings (3D, Experimental): extrudes building footprints to a configurable height
Roads: choose which tiers to include (major, medium, small streets) and control their width and height
Element generation works best in well-mapped regions.remote or rural areas may have less OSM data available
You can select from 3 ways to handle the Elements:
PaintOnMap: Paints the elements directly onto the map surface. Quality is depending on the Map resolution
SeparateObjects: Exports each element as a separate file
SingleColorMode: Generates each element as a separate file with cutouts in the map so you can print each object separately and assemble them afterwards
INFO!: If the map gets too big some elements may no longer work. for a map that covers 100km its too much for the API and for blender to fetch every single forest structure

GIF Single Color Mode

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There are 2 diffrent options for the SingleColorMode. one for the Trail and one for the Elements
You can enable the SingleColorMode for the Trail and still choose to paint the elements onto the map
You can set the Tolerance for the SingleColorMode in the advanced options -> Map. (Default for Trail: 0.2, Default for Elements: 0.4)

INFO!: Buildings and Roads are not compatible with SingleColorMode currenlty

Contour Lines

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Contour lines trace elevation bands across the terrain, similar to a traditional topographic map
Enable them in the Advanced Options -> Post-processing
Thickness:controls how thick each contour line ridge is on the surface
Distance:sets the elevation interval between lines (e.g. every 2 mm)
Offset:starting height of the Contour Lines
Select your map and then click on "Add Contour Lines". After that manually export the Contour line object