Boston CityPrint D-6

thingiverse

Finally, you can download and 3D print the terrain and buildings for any part of Boston - or all of it! These 1km x 1km tiles cover the entire city, with every single building meticulously included. First, navigate to the map on the BPDA 3D Smart Model site (link below) to find your tile. Next, visit our Collection of tiles (link below), where you'll discover a vast array of codes - just type in "J-9" for example. Finally, simply download and print! We highly recommend using white PLA, 0.2mm layer heights, 4 top layers, and 2 bottom layers, along with a moderate amount of retraction to prevent stringing between buildings. Alternatively, if you'd like a set of printed and finished tiles, please contact us for pricing. The geometry is based on millimeters, so printing it as-is will yield a 100x100mm (4"x4") tile at a precise 1:10000 scale. At this scale, all of Boston would be an astonishing 6 feet high and 7.5 feet wide. If you print it at 200% size, the model will be in 1:5000 scale, with each tile measuring 200x200mm (8"x8"). Printing every single tile would result in a massive map that stands 12.5 feet high and 15 feet wide! This remarkable feat is being achieved through the CityPrint project, which you can witness at the Boston Society for Architecture Space located at 290 Congress St. Every model comes with four cylindrical holes at the bottom, perfectly suited to accept 6mm diameter, 1mm thick disc magnets when printed in their original size. We highly recommend gluing two or four Neodymium magnets into those spaces - they can be purchased online for approximately 20 cents each from a variety of retailers. Two will provide an excellent grip on a refrigerator, while four offers an incredibly strong hold. To enhance adhesion, lightly scuff the top (glued side) of the magnet with 100 grit sandpaper. Needless to say, if you print the piece at 1:5000 scale, you'll need to use larger 12mm diameter by 2mm thick disc magnets. While the BPDA site offers 3D models of all terrain and building geometry in various formats, these models are not yet ready for 3D printing due to gaps, holes, and overlaps that require cleaning up. That's exactly what we've done - so you don't have to! Simply download and print any tile you desire at home, or contact us for pricing. MiniCty proudly offers impressively-detailed, professionally 3D printed cityscapes for dozens of US and world cities, utilizing data far more detailed than what's available in these tiles. Be sure to visit our website (link below) to explore our extensive collection. This groundbreaking project wouldn't have been possible without the generous provision of freely-available data from the Boston Planning & Development Agency (used without warranty) and invaluable support from Artists For Humanity. The tireless work to prepare and post these tiles was accomplished by Suleiman Hussein and MiniCty founder Mark Stock. [BPDA 3D Smart Model site](http://www.bostonplans.org/3d-data-maps/3d-smart-model/3d-data-download) [Thingiverse Collection of all Boston Tiles](https://www.thingiverse.com/minicty/collections/boston-city-tiles) [CityPrint project](https://www.architects.org/exhibitions/cityprint) [Boston Planning & Development Agency](http://www.bostonplans.org/) [Artists For Humanity](http://afhboston.org/) [MiniCty](http://minicty.com/) [MiniCty on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/MiniCty)