Etosha, from a CAD file

Most of our maps start in our own software. It turns elevation data and street maps into line work the laser can read cleanly, and that's how we like to work. But in June 2023 a customer asked us a question we don't hear often: could we make the design from an AutoCAD file instead?

A far-off place

The board was for Etosha National Park in Namibia, a gift for friends. We'd already pointed the customer to our ordering tool, and we'd found the park ourselves by searching for Grootfontein and zooming out to the pan. The map worked, but it only had what OpenStreetMap knows about that part of the world, which isn't a lot.

The customer had something better. They sent us a PDF and a DXF of the park, drawn in AutoCAD, and asked if we could engrave from that.

We usually only engrave maps from our own software, so we know how they'll come out. But we offered to look, and this one was different. It had far more detail than we could get from OpenStreetMap: the edge of the pan, the roads, dozens of small symbols for points of interest, the contours to the south. The format and resolution were fine. We told them we thought it would engrave well.

Making it laser-ready

A file that looks good on a screen isn't always ready for wood. Two things needed work.

Line weight. The lines in the original were very fine. Engraved at that weight, they could get lost in the grain. We asked for a version with slightly thicker lines, and the customer sent two new PDFs with heavier strokes. On the proofs we thickened the lines again, a little more.

Fit and a title. The customer wanted the words "Etosha National Park, Namibia" on the board. We recropped the drawing to fit the board's proportions and set the title in two different spots, so they could choose. They picked the version with the title set in the open space of the pan.

Cherry, not walnut

The original order was for a walnut board. After the customer previewed it in our ordering tool, they decided walnut was too dark for this map. We agreed. On walnut, the engraving is subtle and can be hard to see, and a drawing this delicate needs contrast.

We offered a slightly larger cherry board with rounded corners, 11.75 by 16 inches. It gave the map more room and a warmer background, and the customer was happy to take it.

As they put it when they said yes: "Our friends will be delighted!"

What we took from it

Our own map tool covers most places people ask for. But sometimes a customer has better source material than any open data set, especially somewhere remote. If you send it to us, we'll look at it honestly. If the file is clean, we can usually adapt it. If it isn't, we'll tell you, and we'll make the best map we can another way.

If there's a place you'd like on a board, near or far, start a design or get in touch and tell us what you've got.