Laser Export Files and SVG Structure

Download options

Open Export in the studio and choose a download. Everything except project settings needs freshly generated real terrain with no export-blocking messages.

Complete project ZIP: Every file listed below for your output type. Recommended when you are unsure.
Master SVG / Engraving SVG SVG: The single main artwork file on its own: every layered panel on one sheet, or the flat engraving.
Cut panels ZIP · layered: One SVG per fabrication panel with its cut, score and engrave paths, plus README.txt and ATTRIBUTION.txt.
Engraving panels ZIP · layered: The engraving-only companion for each panel, plus README.txt and ATTRIBUTION.txt.
Paint templates ZIP · layered: With Water paint templates on: a paper stencil for each panel that has visible water, plus README.txt and ATTRIBUTION.txt.
Assembly guide SVG · layered: The stacking reference on its own.
Project settings JSON: Your settings, for backup or to continue on another device. Always available, even when artwork export is blocked.

ZIP and file names start with your project name, lower-cased with spaces replaced by hyphens. The examples below use my-map. The combined download is limited to 100 MB; if a project exceeds it, reduce the map details or the size of the map area.

Layered relief files

File	Contents
`my-map-master.svg`	Every fabrication panel laid out in a grid of up to four columns, 12 mm apart, with shared CUT, SCORE and ENGRAVE groups.
`my-map-layer-03.svg`	A panel holding one layer, with its cut, score and engrave paths.
`my-map-panel-02-layers-02-05.svg`	A panel holding more than one layer because of material-saving nests: here, layer 05 is cut from inside layer 02's sheet.
`my-map-layer-03-b2.svg`	With a work area set, one panel per tile of a split layer: column B, row 2. A piece that needs its own sheet adds a number, as in `-b2-2`.
`…-engrave.svg`	The engraving-only companion of the panel with the same name, in the same position. It has no cut or score paths.
`…-paint-water.svg`	A paper stencil registered to the panel with the same name. It is the cut piece at nominal size (cut it with kerf compensation off) with the water that stays visible once the stack is glued cut away, reaching 1.5 mm under the layer above so a slightly misplaced stencil leaves no bare edge. Where water meets the piece edge the stencil stops short of it, so register on the edges and tabs it keeps. Lay it flush to the piece, spray, and remove it before gluing. Only written when Water paint templates is on and the panel has visible water.
`my-map-assembly-guide.svg`	An A4 reference showing the stack outline, layer count, material thickness and elevation range. Stack from layer 01 upward.
`README.txt`	Layer count, finished stack height, applied vertical exaggeration and horizontal scale, any lake depth fitting, line widths, panel count, colors, kerf and nesting notes.
`my-map-project.json`	Your settings plus generation details (see below).
`ATTRIBUTION.txt`	Credits for the data used (see below).

Use one engraving copy per panel. Either process the complete panel SVG, or cut from the panel SVG and engrave from its -engrave.svg companion with the panel's engraving disabled. Processing both engraves the same paths twice.

Flat engraving files

File	Contents
`my-map-engraving.svg`	The artwork at physical size, containing engraving paths only.
`README.txt`	Artwork size, contour count, index interval, water fill, line widths, map details and border.
`my-map-project.json`	Your settings plus generation details.
`ATTRIBUTION.txt`	Credits for the data used.

Colors and operation groups

Every SVG sets its width and height in millimeters, so it should import at the finished size. Paths are grouped by the operation TopoStack intends:

Group	Stroke	Used for
`CUT`	Red `#FE0002`	Layer outlines and holes (layered only).
`SCORE`	Blue `#2366FF`	Water shorelines and rivers (layered only).
`ENGRAVE`	Blue `#2366FF`	Roads, trails, labels, boundaries, the coordinate grid, north arrow, markers, alignment marks, and in flat output the contours and border.

Choose Score for blue linework in both SCORE and ENGRAVE groups, Cut for red outlines, and Engrave only for intentionally filled blue artwork. Group names organize the SVG; verify the processing type in Studio. Inside ENGRAVE, detail groups are named by feature so you can give them separate line weights or turn them off:

Layered: each panel has a fabrication-panel-N-ENGRAVE group listing its layers in a data-layers attribute. Inside it, each layer has groups such as layer-03-ENGRAVE-trails, -major-roads, -local-roads, -transport-labels, -water, -boundaries, -coordinate-grid, -annotations and -general.
Flat: ENGRAVE-contours-minor, ENGRAVE-contours-index, ENGRAVE-water-fill, ENGRAVE-map-details (with the same feature subgroups) and ENGRAVE-border.

Marker clearances are gaps in the exported line geometry, not white fabrication objects. Solid marker symbols retain their blue fill with no duplicate outline stroke; use Engrave for those filled shapes.

Kerf, panel size and alignment marks

In layered output, Laser kerf in Fabrication settings is the full width your beam removes. Outer cuts move outward and holes move inward by half that width, so the finished pieces match the artwork. Each panel's canvas is enlarged by the kerf to make room. Set Laser kerf to 0 if your laser software applies its own compensation.

When Assembly guides is on, each lower layer has an engraved outline of the layer above it, inset by the kerf, labeled with that layer’s number (for example L04 on layer 03). They are hidden once the next layer is glued in place.

When Work area width or Work area height splits a layer, each piece also engraves its id, such as L03-B2 (layer 03, column B, row 2), in a separate green (#00A651) ASSEMBLY group where the next layer will cover it. Assign that color to Score or turn off Assembly labels if you don't want it. Seam edges get the same kerf compensation as every other cut, so pieces butt together at their intended size.

Project file

my-map-project.json holds your full settings, so you can import it in the studio to continue. It also records the generation date, elevation range, map bounds, terrain resolution and sources, data versions, warnings, and for layered output each layer's elevation and file, panel and nesting details, and each lake's depth source and applied depth scaling. Imported projects need fresh terrain generation before export.

The Project settings download contains the settings only, and imports the same way.

Credits

ATTRIBUTION.txt lists the credits and licenses of the terrain, map, lake outline and survey sources used, and the terrain imagery sources reported by the provider. Keep it with the artwork when you share or sell a piece. Sources and attribution describes every source TopoStack can use.

Next steps

Follow the layered map guide or the engraving guide, or see troubleshooting if export is blocked.