# Making a summit keepsake with the Alpine Peak preset > a single mountain rendered as tight summit contours This preset stacks nine summit contours from 2600 m to 4200 m into a hexagon, with glacier outlines traced over the ice fields. It loads on the Matterhorn and is built for big-name peaks - the mountain someone climbed, skied, or proposed on. ## What you need ### 3D printing - FDM printer; PLA in stone gray or white, or multicolor via 3MF - 3MF-capable slicer ### Laser cutting - 9 thin sheets (1.5–3 mm [laser-grade plywood](https://yxecreations.com/collections/laser-grade-plywood) or chipboard) for the contours + 1 backplate sheet (dark, `#1f2937`) - Laser cutter, glue, weights ### UV print / sublimation - High-res PNG, hexagon or square blank ## Step 1 - Start from the preset Open [the Alpine Peak preset](/map-designer?preset=alpine-peak). It loads centered on the Matterhorn at zoom 12.3 - close enough that one massif fills the hexagon. Search your peak and keep zoom 12–13; center the actual summit, because the hexagon crop is unforgiving at the corners. Critical: the contour layers run 2600–4200 m in 200 m steps, tuned for 4000 m-class alpine peaks. For Rainier, Mont Blanc, or a 14er, shift the band up; for lower summits, shift it down (Step 2) - otherwise most layers render empty. ## Step 2 - Tune the layers Top to bottom: - **Glaciers** - Solid mode, the `landcoverIce` polygons rendered as a thin outline (line width 1, ice blue `#7FB6C9`). On screen it traces the glacier edges elegantly. For fabrication it needs a decision: at width 1 it's too thin to cut or print as a physical ribbon, so either treat it as an engrave/score layer on the laser, bump the width to 3+ if you want a printable ribbon, or hide it for single-color builds. For UV printing leave it exactly as is. - **Topography 4200m → 2600m** - nine contour plates at 200 m intervals. Delete the ones above your summit, and confirm the lowest one still shows terrain at the hexagon edges. - **Backplate** - `#1f2937` dark slate hexagon, the valley floor. The nine contour layers default to stacked plates, but each (or the whole group, via Edit) now has a **Score** export type alongside Fill and Solid line - switch to Score to engrave the contour lines onto one sheet instead of cutting plates. The [Topo Score Lines preset](/map-designer?preset=topo-score-lines) ships in that style. ## Step 3 - Export - **3D printing:** STL (single color, then dry-brush the summit white) or 3MF. Hide the Glaciers layer first unless you raised its width. - **Laser:** per-layer SVG ZIP; small-polygon cleanup on - high contours produce gnat-sized islands. Export the Glaciers layer and run it as a *score/engrave* pass on the top contour plates, not a cut. - **UV print:** high-res PNG with everything visible - the glacier linework is the best part of the flat version. ## 3D Printing ### 3D printing 1. Hide (or widen) the Glaciers layer, export, and open in your slicer. The nine contours merge into a stepped summit pyramid on the hexagon plate. 2. Print flat, no supports; 0.12–0.16 mm layers make the 200 m steps crisp. 3. Scale 140 mm+ across flats so upper contours don't shrink to dots; export-time cleanup removes the hopeless slivers. 4. Two-tone trick with a single extruder: filament swap to white at the contour that matches the snowline (~3400 m on the Matterhorn). ## Laser Cutting & Engraving ### Laser cutting 1. Cut the **Backplate** hexagon from dark stock. 2. Cut contours bottom-up, 2600 m to 4200 m, labelling each on the back. 3. Run the **Glaciers** SVG as an engrave/score pass on the corresponding upper contour plates - it reads as crevasse linework on the ice fields. 4. Dry-fit the nine-plate pyramid; nested summit contours only register one way. 5. Glue bottom-up - or stack with [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape), 300LSE for ply or 467/468 for acrylic - weight, sand the hexagon edges flush, finish matte. Paint the top two or three plates white before assembly for permanent snow. ## UV & Sublimation Printing ### UV print / sublimation 1. Export the high-res PNG with the Glaciers layer visible - the ice-blue outlines over the contour tints carry the design. 2. Print on a hexagon acrylic blank or press onto white metal. ## Make it yours - Built for icons: Matterhorn, Mont Blanc (shift band to 3000–4800 m), Rainier (2600–4400 m), Denali, your honeymoon volcano. - Climber's gift: add a route layer tracing the ascent line over the contours. - Snowline palette via 3MF: rock `#6B6B6B` below, white above, glaciers `#A8D8E8`. - Engrave the summit name, elevation, and the date of the climb on the backplate's visible margin. - Hanger hole ring + 100 mm hexagon = summit ornament for the tree. - Make the seven-summits set - same preset, seven peaks, one wall. - Swap the backplate to forest green `#1E3B2E` for treeline-and-rock contrast. --- Open the tool: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/alpine-peak Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/alpine-peak