How to Make a 3D Terrain Map Animation of Mountains
Make a mountain flyover with 3D terrain: tilt the camera, set the exaggeration, and pick a slow move like a drone pass or an orbit. Steps, tips and prompts.
Animaps Team
Content Creator
A 3D terrain map animation raises the ground so mountains, valleys and canyons have their real shape, then flies the camera over them. In Animaps you turn on 3D terrain, tilt the camera, and add a slow move like a drone pass or an orbit. You type the places, so you need no elevation files and no 3D software.
TL;DR
Short version: Fly to the mountains you want, between a region view and a valley view. Open the Effects panel and turn on 3D terrain. Tilt the camera to 55 to 65 degrees, because raised ground only shows at an angle. Add a slow camera move: Drone for a low pass, Orbit for a single peak, or Fly along for a route through a valley. Set Exaggeration between 1.3 and 1.6 if the relief looks too flat. 3D terrain is part of the Pro plan, in the preview and in the export.
Quick links:
- 3D in general: How to make a 3D map animation
- The main camera step: Fly to guide
- Routes through the mountains: Travel route animation guide
- Plans: Pricing
This guide covers:
- When 3D terrain helps a story, and when it does not
- How to make a mountain flyover, step by step
- Exaggeration: how much is too much
- Which camera moves work over terrain
- Routes and labels on raised ground
- Prompts you can paste
When 3D Terrain Helps
3D terrain helps when the shape of the land is part of the story.
- A mountain pass on a road trip, like the Stelvio in Italy or the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado.
- A hike or a climb, like the trek to Everest Base Camp or the Tour du Mont Blanc.
- A war fought in the mountains, where the high ground decided the battle.
- A river valley, a fjord, a canyon or a volcano.
How to Make a Mountain Flyover, Step by Step
- Open the studio and pick the flat map. Pick a map style: satellite shows real rock, snow and forest, and suits most mountain videos.
- Add a Fly to step on your mountains. Set the zoom between a region view and a valley view. Terrain sharpens up to a close valley view and stops gaining detail after that.
- Set the Tilt on that Fly to to about 55 to 65 degrees. Raised ground only shows at an angle. From straight above, a mountain looks flat.
- Open the Effects panel and turn on 3D terrain.
- If the mountains look low, raise the Exaggeration slider a little.
- Add a slow camera move after the Fly to: a Drone step for a low pass, or an Orbit step around one peak.
- Add a Label on the peak or the valley, and a short Pause at the end.
- Preview, adjust, and export an MP4.
Exaggeration: How Much Is Too Much
Exaggeration multiplies the height of the ground. At 1, the mountains have their true height. Real mountains seen from far away often look lower than you expect, so a small boost helps.
- 1.3 to 1.6 is the usual range for a filmed look.
- High mountains like the Alps, the Andes or the Himalayas need the low end. They are already steep.
- Hills, coastal cliffs and low ranges can take the high end.
- Above about 2 on real mountains, peaks turn into spikes that no viewer reads as real land.
Camera Moves That Work Over Terrain
Terrain needs a slow camera. Fast moves over raised ground blur the shape you want to show.
- Drone: a low push across the land, as if flown. The best move for valleys, ridges and coasts. 4 to 6 seconds.
- Orbit: circles one point. Perfect for a single peak, a volcano or a crater. Turn 120 to 180 degrees in 4 to 6 seconds.
- Fly along: rides a route or a river. Use it for a mountain road or a hike drawn as a route.
- Tilt: a slow change of angle that reveals the relief. Start at 30 degrees and rise to 60.
- Fly to with tilt: an arrival from above that ends at an angle. A simple opening.
Use one of these per scene. A drone and an orbit at once make viewers lose their place. For more on each move and its easing, see map animation camera moves.
Routes and Labels on Raised Ground
A route over mountains reads well when the ground stands up under it. Set the route mode to Car for a mountain road, and the line follows the real road between the places you type.
A few rules keep it clear:
- Keep labels few. Labels sit on moving ground, and three of them at once is plenty.
- Name the peaks and passes, not every village.
- Follow the route with the camera, at a tilt around 55 degrees, so the line and the relief are both visible.
- For a hike, type the start and end points by name.
3D Buildings: Terrain for Cities
The same Effects panel has 3D buildings. They give a city its skyline at close zoom. Pair them with an Orbit around a district or a Fly to arrival on a landmark. Like terrain, 3D buildings are part of the Pro plan.
Prompts You Can Paste
A peak:
A valley:
Fly to Yosemite Valley with 3D terrain on and a 60 degree tilt, then make a slow drone pass along the valley.
A mountain road:
Turn on 3D terrain. Draw a driving route over the Stelvio Pass from Bormio to Prato allo Stelvio, with a 3D car and the camera following it.
A volcano:
Fly to Mount Fuji on a satellite map, turn on 3D terrain, tilt to 55 degrees and orbit the crater.
Tips
- Tilt first, then turn on terrain. Without tilt you will think it is not working.
- Use satellite or a terrain style. Raised ground on a flat-colour style can look like plastic.
- Slow the camera down. Over terrain, slower is almost always better.
- Set the light. The Effects panel has a light direction and intensity. Mountains read best when one side is in shade.
- Do not stack effects. Terrain, many labels and a fast camera in one scene is too much.
Pick a peak you know and try it:
FAQ
How do I make a 3D terrain map animation? Fly to the mountains, tilt the camera to 55 to 65 degrees, open the Effects panel and turn on 3D terrain. Then add a slow move like Drone or Orbit.
Why does my 3D terrain look flat? The camera is looking straight down, or the zoom is too far out. Tilt the camera and zoom in closer.
Is 3D terrain available on every plan? No. 3D terrain is part of the Pro plan, in the preview and in the export. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.
Can I import a GPX hiking track and show it on 3D terrain? No. Animaps does not import GPX or KML. You type the start and end and the route is drawn between them.
Can I make a mountain flyover for a vertical video? Yes. Pick Vertical (Shorts) in the aspect ratio menu. A tilted view fills a tall frame well, because the ground runs toward the top of the screen.
Related Articles:
Keywords: 3d terrain map animation, mountain flyover video, 3d mountain map animation, terrain flyover animation, 3d relief map video, mountain map animation
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