halfmaps exports styled 3D city meshes in the browser; Mantle Place delivers a georeferenced site with aerial imagery and the finest native elevation behind the mesh.
halfmaps and Mantle Place both turn open map data into 3D models you can download. halfmaps is an in-browser exporter: frame an area and it builds buildings, roads, water, and terrain from OpenStreetMap tiles and Mapzen terrain, styled to taste, as GLB, glTF, OBJ, STL, 3MF, or DXF, for $15 per area with unlimited re-exports or $49 a month. It lists 3D printing among the uses it is built for. Mantle Place delivers the site as data: aerial imagery (one meter or finer across the US), the finest native elevation for the area as a GeoTIFF DEM with its resolution stated, a vector basemap, building massing where mapped, and textured terrain meshes as glTF or OBJ, all georeferenced and free at 2 km² and under. Choose halfmaps for stylized city models and prints; choose Mantle Place for an accurate, imaged site.
Competitor details checked against halfmaps.io pricing and its documentation.
Neither halfmaps nor CADMapper lists aerial imagery among its outputs. Mantle Place does: its terrain meshes come as glTF or OBJ with aerial imagery draped, built from the finest native elevation for the area, and every layer is georeferenced to one extent.
Draw the area on Mantle Place and the bundle carries the terrain mesh as glTF or OBJ, textured with its aerial imagery. It is free at 2 km² and under, then $5 plus $2 per km².
Mantle Place meshes come textured with aerial imagery: NAIP at 1 m or finer across the US and 10 m Sentinel-2 elsewhere. halfmaps does not list imagery among its outputs; its models are styled geometry.
Each bundle reports the elevation resolution it delivered for your exact area, 1 m wherever USGS lidar covers the site. halfmaps draws on Mapzen terrain tiles and does not publish a resolution.
Beside the meshes, the bundle carries the GeoTIFF DEM, imagery, and vectors on one real-world extent, so the site also opens in GIS, Civil 3D, and Revit in the right place.
| Dimension | Mantle Place | halfmaps | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you download | A georeferenced site bundle with textured meshes | A styled 3D map model | For a model that looks good on a print bed or in a stylized render, halfmaps is quick and flexible; for a site that has to be measured, the bundle carries the data underneath. |
| Formats | glTF, OBJ, USDZ, GeoTIFF, DXF, IFC, LandXML, and more | GLB, glTF, OBJ, STL, 3MF, and DXF | halfmaps writes STL and 3MF straight to a slicer; Mantle Place adds GIS, Civil 3D, and Revit formats and plugins for Unreal and Revit. |
| Aerial imagery | Included and draped on meshes | Not listed among its outputs | Imagery is what makes a site read as the real place rather than a diagram of it. |
| Elevation | Finest native for the area, resolution stated | Mapzen terrain tiles, resolution unpublished | For grading or sightlines, knowing the delivered resolution matters; for a stylized print it rarely does. |
| Styling | Real imagery, plus a stylized map in a dark or light look | Style controls for buildings, roads, water, and terrain | halfmaps lets you design the look of the map itself, which is the point for posters, prints, and art pieces. |
| Pricing | Free at 2 km² and under, then $5 plus $2 per km² | $15 per area, or $49 a month | Both charge once per area; halfmaps has no free tier beyond its example maps, while Mantle Place is free for small sites with the same data as paid. |
Yes, when you need an accurate, imaged site rather than a styled model. Mantle Place delivers aerial imagery, the finest native elevation, vectors, and textured terrain meshes as glTF or OBJ, all georeferenced to one extent.
The bundle’s terrain mesh comes as OBJ or glTF, which most slicers and modelling tools can convert for printing. halfmaps exports STL and 3MF directly, which saves that conversion step.
halfmaps charges $15 for one area with unlimited re-exports, or $49 a month on its Creator plan. Mantle Place is free at 2 km² and under, then $5 plus $2 per km², paid once and kept in a permanent vault.
When you want a stylized city model for a print, a poster, or a render, need STL or 3MF for a 3D printer, or want to design the look of buildings and roads yourself in the browser, with a live 3D preview of the model before you export. Mantle Place’s Site Brief shows the real site in 3D before you order, not the model you will download.
Draw an area and see it in a free Site Brief before you pay. Download a bundle for Unreal, Revit, Civil 3D, QGIS, and more. Every format is built with your order, at no extra cost. $5 plus $2 per km², and 2 km² and under is free. Paid bundles are yours for good. Free bundles keep 30 days, or keep one permanently at its normal price.
Native plugins: Mantle Place for Unreal and Mantle Place for Revit.
