Guide · 3D context
A 3D model of the site's surroundings, from an address, in your browser.
Before a massing study you need the neighbours: how tall they are, how close they stand and what shadow they cast. Gridded builds a 3D context model from the same data as its 2D maps, so the site plan, the massing and the sun study always show the same buildings. It works for any address in 50 European countries.
- building massing with heights from OpenStreetMap, or the national surface model in Poland
- trees, water, greenery and roads in the same model
- sun and shadow for any date and time, on the site's time zone
What you get
A context model, not a modelling tool
Gridded gives you the existing city around your plot, ready to look at from any angle: streets, squares, courtyards, the river edge, the tower two blocks away. Use it to understand scale and to explain the site to a client before anyone opens a 3D modelling program.
- the surroundings in 3D within a minute of picking the site
- a white-card look with outlined buildings, or the colours of any 2D preset
- the same buildings in every plan, view and shadow study
Heights
Where the building heights come from
Outside Poland, heights come from OpenStreetMap: the height tag where it is mapped, otherwise the number of storeys plus roof storeys, then the building type, with lower values for sheds and garages and three storeys for buildings with no tags at all. City centres are usually well tagged; check landmark buildings before you rely on a shadow result. Polish sites use the national digital surface model, measured from the air.
Sun
A shadow study on the same model
Pick a date and a time and the shadows update live on the map and in 3D. The clock runs on the site's own time zone, so a project in Lisbon is studied on Lisbon time wherever you work from.
Limits today
What the 3D model does not do yet
The model is for looking and for sun studies inside Gridded. There is no 3D file export yet (no OBJ, SKP or IFC); exports are 2D: a vector PDF, plus DXF, SVG and GeoJSON on paid plans. Terrain is modelled for Polish sites; elsewhere the ground is flat for now.
Workflow
From an address to a 3D context model in five steps
No modelling, no imports. The 3D view and the sun study never cost extra tokens.
Search the address
Any address or landmark in the 50 covered European countries.
Set the study area
A circle or a square. Up to 1 km² costs two tokens.
Generate, then switch to 3D
Use the 3D Model preset for a white-card look with outlined buildings, or keep the colours of any 2D preset.
Run the sun study
Set the date, the time and the season; shadows follow on the map and in 3D.
Use the views
Take the views you need for a board or a client meeting, and export the plan of the same area as a PDF sheet.
What you get
What one project gives you
The 3D model and the 2D maps come from one generation, so they never disagree.
- 3D massing of the surroundings with trees, water and roads
- live sun and shadow for any date and time
- 2D plans of the same area: site plan, figure-ground, building use
- a vector PDF sheet, plus DXF, SVG and GeoJSON on paid plans
Comparison
Gridded vs modelling the context yourself
A hand-built context model is yours to edit in any program. Gridded is faster when you need to see and explain the site first.
| Criterion | Gridded | Modelling it yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | An address | Footprints from a plan or an import plug-in |
| Heights | From OpenStreetMap tags (official model in Poland) | Estimated or measured by hand |
| Trees and water | Included | Usually left out |
| Sun study | Built in, on the site's time zone | A separate set-up |
| 3D file for your modeller | Not yet | Yes, it is your model |
Frequently asked questions
Can I download the 3D model?
Not yet. Today you can view the model, run the sun study and export 2D plans of the same area. If a 3D export would help you, write to the support address on the home page and say which format you need.
How accurate are the building heights?
As accurate as the OpenStreetMap tags: good where heights or storeys are mapped, approximate where they are not. Polish sites use measured heights from the national surface model.
Which countries are covered?
Poland and the rest of Europe: 50 countries and territories, from Portugal and Ireland to Finland and Greece. Everywhere you get buildings, building use, roads, rail, public transport, water and greenery from OpenStreetMap, the 3D view and the sun study. Polish sites also use official national data: cadastral parcels, terrain, zoning plans, flood and noise maps, and building heights from the national surface model. The app tells you straight away whether a picked area is covered.
Is it free?
The Free plan gives 5 tokens every month. A study area up to 0.25 km² costs one token, up to 1 km² two tokens, and the largest area (about a 2 km radius) eight. Styling, presets, the 3D view and the sun study never cost extra. Free exports are vector PDF sheets with a small watermark. DXF, SVG and GeoJSON come with the Student and Solo plans, which open when the current free test period ends.
Related pages
Site analysis for architects: what to map, and how to get the maps in minutes.
A site analysis answers a short list of questions before design starts: what surrounds the plot, how people reach it, where the sun and the greenery are, what the neighbouring buildings are used for and what the rules allow. This checklist goes through each map, says where the data comes from in Europe and shows which maps Gridded makes from one generated study area.
A figure-ground map of any European site, from an address, in a few minutes.
A figure-ground plan (a Schwarzplan in German studios, a Nolli map after the 1748 plan of Rome) is usually the first drawing of a site study: buildings as solid, everything else as void. Most architects still make one by loading OpenStreetMap data into QGIS, buying a ready-made city plan or tracing an aerial photo. Gridded builds it from an address in 50 European countries, keeps it editable and lets you read the same block structure in 2D, in 3D and on a vector PDF sheet.
A TopoExport alternative for architects who need more than a one-time export.
If the goal is to get an export and immediately continue in another tool, almost any export utility can look similar from a distance. The real difference appears when the same site has to be reviewed several times, compared across presets and reused for boards, DXF and 3D context.