Terrain Tiles

Terrain tiles provide elevation data and hillshading overlays for 3D map rendering. Add them on top of a vector tile map in MapLibre GL or Mapbox GL.

Authentication

Add your API key as ?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY to every request. See Authentication for details.

Hillshading

A raster hillshading overlay you can add on top of any vector map. Maximum zoom level: 14.

https://vtc-cdn.maptoolkit.net/hillshading/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

Add hillshading as a layer in MapLibre GL:

map.on('load', () => {
  map.addSource('shading', {
    type: 'raster',
    tiles: ['https://vtc-cdn.maptoolkit.net/hillshading/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY'],
    tileSize: 256,
    maxzoom: 14
  });

  map.addLayer({
    id: 'hillshading-layer',
    type: 'raster',
    source: 'shading',
    paint: { 'raster-opacity': 0.5 }
  });
});

3D Terrain

Elevation data encoded as a raster image (Terrarium encoding). Used for 3D terrain rendering in MapLibre GL and Mapbox GL. Maximum zoom level: 14.

https://tiles.maptoolkit.net/terrain/{z}/{x}/{y}.webp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY

Add 3D terrain in MapLibre GL:

map.on('load', () => {
  map.addSource('terrain-rgb', {
    type: 'raster-dem',
    tiles: ['https://tiles.maptoolkit.net/terrain/{z}/{x}/{y}.webp?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY'],
    encoding: "terrarium",
    tileSize: 256,
    maxzoom: 14
  });

  map.setTerrain({ source: 'terrain-rgb', exaggeration: 1.5 });
});

Examples

Working examples for this API, each with copyable source:

Maptoolkit Maps JS

Add 3D terrain to a Maptoolkit Maps JS map using the built-in TerrainControl.

MapLibre GL JS

Display a Maptoolkit terrain tile map with 3D terrain using MapLibre GL JS.

Mapbox GL JS

Display a Maptoolkit terrain tile map with 3D terrain using Mapbox GL JS.

3D Terrain

Render real 3D terrain elevation on a Maptoolkit map using a raster-dem source and terrain exaggeration.

Add a Hillshade Layer

Add a hillshade layer to a Maptoolkit map to show terrain relief using shaded elevation data.

Add a Multidirectional Hillshade Layer

Render a multidirectional hillshade layer on a Maptoolkit map to reveal terrain detail from all directions.

Add Contour Lines

Draw labelled elevation contour lines on a Maptoolkit map from the contours vector tile source, with heavier index contours.

Adding 3D Models Using three.js on Terrain

Place three.js GLTF models on a Maptoolkit map that has 3D terrain enabled, keeping models anchored to the elevated surface.

Display a Hybrid Satellite Map with Terrain Elevation

Combine Maptoolkit raster satellite tiles with 3D terrain elevation for a photorealistic mountain map view.

Errors

Errors return the HTTP status code with a plain-text message in the body.

Rate limits

Limits are monthly request quotas tied to your plan rather than a per-second rate: the service returns no RateLimit-* or Retry-After headers. Current allowances are on the pricing page.

The free Basic plan has a hard limit, so requests are refused once it is reached. On Pro and Ultra, requests past the allowance are billed rather than refused. Enterprise plans use a flexible limit.

Tile requests are metered separately from API requests and at a lower rate, so a map-heavy application is budgeted differently from one making API calls.

Pricing

Self-service plans (Basic, Pro, and Ultra) are billed through RapidAPI; see RapidAPI for how to subscribe and authenticate. Plan limits and prices are listed on the Maptoolkit pricing page. Enterprise customers call the native hosts directly with a Maptoolkit API key.