Switzerland. Block by block. At 1:1 scale
- ID
- 39564
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 26 Oct 2026, 4:46 PM
- Fetched
- 26 Oct 2026, 10:39 PM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://blocks.manifold3d.ch/
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 4.0
- Created
- 26 Oct 2026, 10:40 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coders
What happened
This is a 1:1-scale Minecraft Java 1.12.2 build of Switzerland using Cubic Chunks and swisstopo open geodata, with one block per meter and 4,634 blocks up to the Dufourspitze. The full 41,285 km² world is a 24 GB ZIP for Prism; a free 1.1 GB UNESCO Jungfrau-Aletsch area is available, while the full Switzerland download is listed from 15 CHF, with a 5 CHF 'Silber' price also shown. The HN thread has 329 points and 146 comments.
Why it matters
It is a concrete case study in turning national open geodata into a consumer-scale 3D world, useful for developers working on geospatial or procedural-generation tooling who want to inspect the Cubic Chunks approach and 24 GB distribution. For most AI/ML, database, agent, or SaaS founders there is no decision to change, and the text has no Malaysia/SEA angle.
Discussion angle
What does a 24 GB 1:1 world reveal about packaging public geodata for consumer tools, and where would the same pipeline be useful outside Minecraft?