# Your first map in the Map Designer > Pick a style, find your place, choose the layers and download a layered map file for your laser or 3D printer. The Map Designer draws any place as a stack of layers: roads, water, parks, buildings, terrain. Each layer becomes one sheet on a laser, or one colour on a 3D printer. This guide makes a city map with the **Classic City Map** style, and the same steps work for every other style. ## What you need - A free MyLaserTools account (a new one comes with 100 sparks) - For a laser: one sheet of 3 mm plywood or acrylic per layer, a little larger than the map ## 1. Pick a style Open the [Map Designer](/map-designer) and sign in. It asks where to start. Click **Select preset**, use **Laser Cut**, **3D Print** or **Print** to see the styles made for your machine, and pick **Classic City Map**. A preset is only a starting point; you can change every layer afterwards. ![The Create a new project dialog with a blank project option and preset cards filtered by Laser Cut, 3D Print and Print](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/start/map-presets.webp) ## 2. Find your place Type a town, an address or coordinates into the search box above the map. The frame stays put in the middle; drag the map under it until the part you want is inside. **Zoom Level** decides how much fits. Zoom out and you get more of the town, but the streets get closer together and thinner on the finished piece. ![A hexagon frame over Annecy in the Map Designer, with the search box above the map](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/steps/city-map-3d/screen-map.webp) ## 3. Choose the layers The **Layers** list on the left is what gets made. Each entry is one sheet or one print colour, and the backplate at the bottom holds the rest together. Click a layer to change which roads or features it takes and how thick they are. **Add** brings in another layer, such as parks, buildings, rail, terrain, lake depths or a route from a GPX file. ![The Layers list with Major roads, its road types and the Backplate, next to the map](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/steps/city-map-3d/screen-layers.webp) ## 4. Choose the frame shape Switch to the **Style** tab. **Overlay Shape** sets the outline of the piece: rectangle, circle, hexagon, and more under **Show all shapes**. **Global Border** adds a solid rim that keeps loose street ends attached, which matters on a laser. ![The Style tab with the Overlay Shape choices, Aspect Ratio, Overlay Scale and Global Border](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/start/map-style.webp) ## 5. Review the map and get the final files Click **Export Preview**. A review window shows the whole map and each layer as a picture. Reviewing is free, so if something is missing, click **Back to edit**, fix it and look again. When it looks right, click **Use 1 map export for final SVG**. That spends 10 sparks, or nothing with Pro, and builds the real files. The **Export Preview** opens with an **SVG preview**, a **3D preview** of the stack and a list of **Layers**. Set **Map width** to the finished width and **Layer thickness** to your sheet. On the left, **Polygon cleanup** removes specks too small to cut and **Mounting holes** adds holes for hanging. ![The Export Preview dialog with the SVG preview of a hexagon map and the Download button](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/steps/city-map-3d/screen-export.webp) ## 6. Download and save Click **Download** and choose a file. **Download as single SVG** gives every layer in one file, one colour per layer. The export is kept in **My Designs**, so downloading it again later is free. Click **Save** in the left panel too, so the project itself is there to change next time. Each layer is a separate colour in the SVG. Cut them one sheet at a time, then glue them in order, backplate first. [Assembling layered maps](/learn/guides/assembling-layered-map-stacks) covers the glue-up, and [Materials for laser maps](/learn/guides/choosing-materials-laser-maps) helps you pick sheets. ![Rendered model of the Garden City Map preset: a backplate, a water layer and a top plate of streets and green gardens](https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/maps/garden-city-map-render.webp) This is what a three-layer download becomes. The Garden City Map preset built from its real export: the backplate, the water, and the streets and gardens on top. Press Rotate in 3D to turn it. ## Troubleshooting - **Tiny islands burned away or fell out:** turn on **Polygon cleanup** in the Export Preview, or zoom in so the streets are wider. - **Street ends are loose:** turn on **Global Border** in the Style tab so every street meets the rim. - **The layers do not line up after cutting:** cut every sheet from the same SVG without moving or resizing single layers. See [layers misalign](/learn/troubleshooting#layers). ## Make it yours - Browse every [map style](/learn/guides?category=maps), from lake depth charts to 3D printed terrain. - Draw a hike or a race: [GPX routes and tracks](/learn/guides/gpx-track-map-art). - Send the layers to the Design Editor with **Open in Design Editor** to add a name and coordinates. --- Open the Map Designer: https://www.mylasertools.com/map-designer Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/map-designer-first-map