Multilayered laser-cut map of London

#1

Pasted image1194×707 414 KB

Fresh from the Openstreetmap Mines, comes this hideously detailed vector map of London. I’m sorting and tidying all the layers and intend to eventually assemble a 2.5D map of the city with the underground and railways picked out in separate layers, diving through holes in the “ground” where appropriate. Some experimentation will be needed before I decide on a scale. I want to go as wide as possible on one cutting-bed-sized sheet, so I predict lots of spindly cuts of tube lines that snap as I try and push them through holes that are .1mm too small.

Wish me luck :smiley:

7 Likes
London Lasercut Map assembly
Laser cutter prototyping
#2

sweeeeet.

#3

The image above is cutting bed sized part of the map at 1:25,000, which is the same as the Ordnance Survey “Explorer” maps.

If I can get this scale to work, I’ll have to to exaggerate the widths of railways and major roads (just as the OS does). Even a big multi-lane road like Brixton high street would be less than a mm wide at this scale!

But with luck (and thanks to OSM’s fantastic level of detail) you’ll be able to see the individual tracks of tube lines, including points and sidings, etched on the surface of the actual “line”

#4

being a bit of a luddite, I don’t really know what these laser routers can do (which is why I’ve signed up for the intro on Thursday evening). But does anyone happen to know if the one we have, or are aiming to buy, can cut a groove in slate?

#5

sorry, answered my own question: yes, the trotec will do a shallow engraving but not V-grooves. It works not by cutting but by melting the surface - more like an etching. A CNC router will cut grooves like a human stone mason does with a chisel.

#6

Have you considered edge lighting?

You can etch rather than cut each layer, and the otherwise solid acrylic will pipe the light further

If you want to be tricky you might be able to have several different plates per layer, each lit separately so long as the areas don’t overlap

#7

Most of the layers will be etched. It’s just the railways that will be cut out and weaved through the base plate. Edge lighting would look great, but I wonder how well it would propagate around any holes? Definitely worth experimenting with though; the effect is very nice :slight_smile:

#8

First test. This is 1/64th of the total area of the map.

IMG_20151001_170857973 by crujiente75, on Flickr

IMG_20151001_172117094 by crujiente75, on Flickr

I need to investigate draw order, because the head was zipping all over the place, etching the lines in no particular order. Must have spent half its time moving rather than cutting. I need to use a lower power (or a higher speed) because when multiple etched lines converge, they end up going all the way through (you can see the hotspots in the 1st image)

I’m having trouble getting the cutter to engrave any colour other than black. This is annoying, because I want to do the engrave pass after the etch pass, so that overlapping roads don’t get drawn on top of engraved areas. I might have to send separate jobs and make sure I don’t move the material between passes.

As for scale, I’m torn. I love that the machine can actually pick out such fine detail, but cutting out railways and tube lines at this scale is just going to result in spindly spiderwebs that snap as soon as you sneeze at them.

#9

That’s better. 1:12,500 it is then. The map will just about contain the Circle Line. A shame, cos the 1:25,000 version included the more interesting railway stuff, docklands and SLMS just squeezed in at the bottom. Never mind.

IMG_20151001_200915119 by crujiente75, on Flickr

Oh and right click the job and there’s an option along the lines of “vector optimisation” which scans through the job and puts the cutting commands in more efficient order. Saved up to 50% of the time.

Even with that option, it’s going to take AGES to do the full bed.

3 Likes
#10

that looks proper lovely, like. :smile:

1 Like
#11

It haunts my dreams…

Pasted image1113×737 54.3 KB

1 Like
#12

You can download Ordinance Survey data and open it in QGIS to export as DXF - bit of a faff but it comes in layers (roads / rail) that you can include / exclude and is I think ‘cleaner’ than the picture above? Though perhaps less aesthetically pleasing. Can show you tomorrow if you’re at open evening see if it is any use?

#13

Yeah, I have the OS data too. The OpenStreetMap data is actually much more
detailed, especially when it comes to railways and slip roads and things
like that.

I’m currently offsetting the trunk roads either side of their centerline.
I’ve decided to draw them in outline rather than engrave them; it would
just take far far too long otherwise. My CAD time is much more flexible
than my laser time!

#14

I REGRET NOTHING

centerlines

offset

tidied up

outlines

minor roads

trimmed & simplified

Half way there.

Then it’s on to the railways.

2 Likes
#15

This, Sir; Remains a thing of beauty.

1 Like
#16

if you shine a light through this, what does the shadow show? The lines?

#17

Hmm. I’ll have to check, but I imagine you’d have to have the “screen” very close to the plate to get a sharp shadow.

You get the best effect when it’s lit from the side, on a dark background. Then the lines light up. I plan on wall mounting the finished thing, so have an idea to put recessed LED lighting all the way up the back, hidden behind tilted vanes like a steep Venetian blind so you don’t get any glare. The tube lines might throw too many shadows though.

I hope to cut the main plate asap. The CAD is ready anyway.

1 Like
#18

Acrylic BOUGHT.

Only colours that couldn’t be matched well were Bakerloo brown and Hammersmith & City pink. If anyone knows of a supplier for these colours, please let me know!

PS: 3D printing landmarks is totally going to be possible. The Shard is an inch tall at this scale. Parliament is 2cm long.

#19

They don’t have to be to scale?

#20

EDIT: I’m a fool who missed a zero :smiley:

The shard is a tenth of an inch tall. :smiley: