What you need
A project with a place and size chosen. Map details and linework update the preview without regenerating terrain, so you can experiment freely. Judge every change at your finished size: a detail that reads well on screen can be too fine to engrave.
1. Choose map features
In Map details, Terrain features turns on data from OpenStreetMap:
- Roads and Trails (on by default).
- Transportation labels: road and trail names, where they fit.
- Water outlines (on by default): lake, river and coast lines. In flat output, Water fill adds Lines, Ripples or Dots inside water; None keeps outlines only.
- State / province boundaries, drawn dashed.
- Latitude / longitude grid, drawn dotted.
- Engraved border (flat only, on by default): an outline around the artwork.
Layered output adds Water depth (see how lake depths work) and, under Assembly, Assembly guides: engraved outlines and layer numbers that show where each sheet sits.
Dense areas can reach the map detail limit, which leaves some features out or blocks export. Frame a smaller area or turn off details you do not need.
2. Add annotations
Under Annotations:
- Elevation labels (on by default) engrave elevations on the terrain. Label X and Label Y set a preferred position as a percentage from the center (−90 to 90); TopoStack moves labels where needed to avoid other lines, and leaves out any that cannot fit.
- North arrow (on by default) offers three designs, Minimal, Classic and Mariner, and a Diameter from 12 mm up to a limit set by your artwork size. Choose one of nine Placement positions, then nudge it with Offset X and Offset Y (−100 to 100%). Reset offset recenters it.
- Scale bar (on by default).
3. Set the text style
Under Text engraving, choose a single-line font, Technical, Rounded or Stencil, and a Text size from 2 to 10 mm. Text size is the height of capital letters. Larger text is easier to engrave but has fewer places to fit.
4. Tune the linework
In Linework, start from a preset:
- Fine: thinner lines and dotted trails, for dense detail or large pieces.
- Balanced (default): a clear hierarchy with dashed trails.
- Bold: thicker lines for strong contrast or small pieces.
Open Customize preset to adjust individual widths, each from 0.05 to 1.5 mm:
- Topography (flat only): Minor contours and Index contours.
- Map features: Major roads, Local roads, Trails, Water, Boundaries and Lat / long grid.
- Road appearance: Centerline, or Outlined major roads drawn as two parallel lines with an Outline spacing of 0.2–4 mm; Round or Square road ends.
- Trail pattern: Solid, Dashed or Dotted.
- Finishing: Labels & guides, and Border in flat output.
Widths are physical stroke widths in the SVG. The width your laser actually burns also depends on focus, power, speed, material, and whether your software engraves strokes as lines or as filled shapes.
Check before you engrave
Zoom into the Cut layers or Engraving preview at your finished size. Look for labels crowding contours, fills competing with the terrain, and lines too close to separate on your material. Test your narrowest line width on scrap.
Next steps
Add your own points and routes with custom markers and paths, or look up any control in the settings reference.