SCHIST · Drop 01 · Central Otago
The ground you know, in layers.
Twelve real places in Central Otago and the Southern Lakes, from Tititea / Mt Aspiring to the Cromwell Gorge, 3D-printed here from New Zealand's national elevation data. Each 0.16 mm layer is a contour, and the colour changes at real heights.
- 160 × 160 mm
- 20–49 mm tall
- Hangs or stands
- Printed in Cromwell
Step 1 · Pick a place
Twelve places, 45°S
Tap a tile to turn it in 3D at the top, or design it straight away. Each one is 160 × 160 mm with north at the top edge, shown here beside a satellite photo of the same square of ground.
Step 2 · Make it yours
Design it, then see it on the wall
Try it in 3D
Choose the place, the colours and where they change, then try it with or without a frame, plaque and backlight, with the price as you go. It's all in one place.
These are computer renders, not photos. Have the tile on its own, hung on one screw or stood on a shelf, or add a frame, a coordinate plate and a backlight. Choose them in the designer and pre-order the lot.
Made to order. Frames, plates and backlights are made for your tile after you pre-order. Finishes on the real thing can vary a little from these renders.
Pick a place and design yours.
At home
What would it look like on my wall?
The whole set: all twelve places at true size, 160 mm square and 50 mm apart, about 0.8 × 0.6 m on a plain white wall.
A render from each tile's real height data, at true scale. Your tiles will look a little different.
How it's made
From survey data to your wall
Measured, not drawn
Each tile starts as a square of New Zealand's national elevation model: 8 km to 20 km of real ground, every ridge where it actually is. Heights are true to scale, the same scale up as across, so every slope is as steep as the real one.
One contour at a time
Printed in 0.16 mm layers of plant-based PLA. The filament changes at set heights, so valleys, slopes and tops come out in four colours.
Numbered and located
Each tile comes with a card numbered by hand: the place, its GPS centre, the scale, and the high and low points. A keyhole in the back hangs it on one screw, or stand it on a shelf.
- Size
- 160 × 160 mm. Height 20 to 49 mm depending on the place.
- Scale
- 1:50,000 to 1:125,000, the same up as across: heights are true to scale. Each tile's card gives its scale.
- Material
- Bambu Lab PLA in four colours per tile: mostly Matte, with Basic (slightly glossy) Blue and Red in Alpenglow and Ember.
- Hanging
- Keyhole slot in the back takes a screw head up to 9 mm. Use a screw into a stud or a proper wall plug, and leave the head standing out about 3 mm. Or stand it on a desk or shelf.
- Use
- A decorative piece for adults. Not a toy, and not for food.
- Price
- $79 NZD per tile, $99 for Tititea / Mt Aspiring. Custom colours +$10. Prices include GST. Shipping is extra and set when Drop 01 opens. Pre-order any tile in the designer with a 10% deposit.
Who it's for
Your place, or theirs
If you live here
The range you see from the kitchen window, or the one you ski every winter, at a size you can hold. Real ridges, real gullies, your skyline.
If you're visiting
Roys Peak, the Remarkables, Ben Lomond: the views on your camera roll, as something to keep. A 160 mm tile fits in a suitcase.
As a gift
For someone who has walked it, worked it or grown up under it. The card gives the exact place, so they can find it again on a map.
Questions
Good to know
Is it to scale?
Yes, both ways: each tile is a true square of ground scaled down to 160 mm, from 1:50,000 to 1:125,000, and the heights use the same scale. Nothing is stretched, so the gorges are low reliefs (about 20 mm) and the high peaks stand up (Rob Roy is 49 mm). High points come from the elevation grid, so they can sit a few metres under a summit's surveyed height.
What colours can I get?
Each tile is printed in four Bambu Lab PLA colours, from valleys to tops, changing at the heights shown under the viewer. Try the colourways in the viewer above, or mix your own from ten colours, including greens and browns, and choose where each colour starts.
Is the satellite view printed on the tile?
No. The satellite photo is for viewing only, so you can compare the tile with the real ground. Tiles are printed in solid colours that change with height.
Can I return it?
If a tile arrives faulty, damaged or not what you ordered, we'll reprint it, repair it or refund you, and pay the postage. Custom tiles (your own colours or heights) are printed just for you, so they can't be returned for a change of mind. Standard tiles can be returned within 14 days if unused. Returns and faults has the details.
How do I look after it?
Dust it with a soft, dry brush. Keep it out of heat: PLA can soften from about 55 °C, so not on a sunny windowsill, by a heater or in a parked car. It's a decorative piece for adults, not a toy, and not for food.
About SCHIST
Named for the rock
Central Otago stands on schist: grey rock that splits in thin layers, lifted into the ranges around Cromwell and weathered into the tors that stand on their tops. SCHIST is a small business in Cromwell that makes the same ground again, in layers.
Step 3 · Waitlist
Get first pick
Drop 01 tiles are numbered by hand. Leave your first name and email, and we'll tell you before it opens. There's no opening date yet: you'll hear it first.