Three Gorges Dam, China

The world's largest power station, holding back a reservoir about 600 km long.

Terra Explorer Mines, dams and mountain roads

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The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.

Region
China
Position
30.8230, 111.0030
Area
10 × 10 km
Real elevation
14 to 886 m (872 m of relief)
Printed size
150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:66,700
Heights
2× exaggeration
Elevation data
Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
Suggested color
Natural
Group
Mines, dams and mountain roads

About Three Gorges Dam, China

The Three Gorges Dam, officially known as Yangtze River Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. It is also the world's largest power station by installed capacity (22,500 MW); it generates 95±20 TWh of electricity per year on average, depending on the amount of precipitation in the river basin. After the monsoons of 2020, the dam produced nearly 112 TWh in a year, breaking the record of 103 TWh set by the Itaipu Dam in 2016. The dam's body, 185 meters high and 2,309 meters wide, was completed in 2006. The power plant became fully operational in 2012, when the last of the 32 main water turbines in the underground plant began production. The last major component of the project, the ship lift, was completed in 2015.

From Wikipedia: Three Gorges Dam, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.

Questions about Three Gorges Dam, China

Where is Three Gorges Dam?

Three Gorges Dam is in China at 30.8230, 111.0030. The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square around that point.

How high is the terrain in the Three Gorges Dam model?

The land in this model runs from 14 to 886 m (872 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 2 times taller so the shape is easy to see.

Can I 3D print Three Gorges Dam?

Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 31.2 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:66,700. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.

How accurate is the Three Gorges Dam model?

It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.

Is the Three Gorges Dam model free?

The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.

What is a Three Gorges Dam terrain model good for?

People use it as a desk piece, an engineering classroom model or a gift for someone who works there.

About this terrain model

Embossify Terra builds Three Gorges Dam, China from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.

The model covers a 10 by 10 kilometer square centered on 30.8230, 111.0030. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:66,700. The heights are exaggerated 2× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.

New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.