A process for creating Topographical Designs in wood using Fusion 360 and your CNC

A while back I wrote about a project I had done to create a map using my CNC machine. The Technology Special Interest group in our woodshop asked me if I could put together a high level presentation about the technique used. For the map I used information about the area around Hilton Head, SC. The rest of this post is a copy of those slides:

A high level summary of the process

There are numerous mapping resources out on the Internet. I found Snazzymaps as of the most versatile tools for creating designs that can be used with minimal manual effort.

Finding a map for your design

There are also many options for raster to vector conversions. Inkscape is the best open source alternative I could find. It may take you a bit of practice to understand the user interface… but there are many examples available.

Converting the raster data into something the CAD system can understand

Loading the correctly formatted SVG file into Fusion 360 is one of the easiest steps in the whole process.

Loading the map data into Fusion 360

In this example I used a 2mm flat bit for the contour cutting and a 60° V-bit to engrave the edges.

Creating the machining data for the CNC

Cut the design

Putting a finish on the design

In this post only the basics were covered. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Other options and designs