24 gigabytes: Download all of Switzerland as a Minecraft world
22-year-old ETH student Beda Good has recreated the entire country of Switzerland at a 1:1 scale as a 'Minecraft' world using open geodata, and you can download it.
Have you ever wanted to climb a scale-model of the Matterhorn in «Minecraft»? Or perhaps even build your own log cabin on its summit? Now you can. 22-year-old ETH student Beda Good has recreated the entire country of Switzerland in «Minecraft», largely true to the original. He is making it available as a paid download with a size of 24 gigabytes.
True to the original means: the side length of a «Minecraft» block corresponds to one meter in the real world. You can traverse the entire 41,285 square kilometers of Switzerland in Minecraft meter by meter or climb 4,634 blocks upward to reach the Dufourspitze.
The «Minecraft» Switzerland not only recreates mountains to scale, but also lakes, forests, towns, and dams. The geodata used comes from the Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo) and is openly available. Your house and workplace might also be included. Videos of this can be seen on Good's Instagram channel.
Source: Beda Good
From 3D printing to a walkable 3D world
In an SRF video report (starting at minute 22), Good explains how he came up with the idea for «Minecraft» Switzerland. The culprit is the 3D printer he received from a colleague. Originally, his goal was to print Swiss buildings and landscapes true to the original. But it quickly grew into more: a fully walkable Switzerland made of «Minecraft» blocks.
Such a task can hardly be accomplished by hand. The Swisstopo data must be analyzed and translated into «Minecraft» blocks. After all, rocks should not be represented as grassland, and lakes should not be represented as glacial ice.
The project originally started as a hobby but met with a lot of interest. Good, who calls himself «Manifold» on the internet, seized the opportunity and is selling licenses for 15 francs.
Source: Beda Good
With the proceeds, he wants to cover ongoing costs and continue to improve his Switzerland model in the future. It includes the entire country of Switzerland as well as future updates. Currently, Good describes the model as Early Access: he wants to visually improve bodies of water and rock formations, for example, and readjust inaccurately depicted areas.
You can download the Jungfrau-Aletsch area for free as a 1.1-gigabyte ZIP file. Good also recommends this as a test before purchasing. This way, you can find out if your computer can handle the massive «Minecraft» Switzerland at all. According to the website, at least 16 gigabytes of RAM are required, with 32 gigabytes or more being better.
Requirements and limitations
Switzerland is not available for every platform. You need the «Minecraft» Java Edition (version 1.12.2) for Windows, MacOS, or Linux. Only here does the required Cubic Chunks mod run, which removes standard block limits. Furthermore, the world can currently only be experienced alone. Good does not rule out a multiplayer mode for the future.
The free demo can be downloaded worldwide, but to purchase the license, you must provide a place of residence in Switzerland.
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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