Vector tiles generating (advanced)

The basic flow for simple vector tiles generating in a few steps is described in a separate article. However, MapTiler Desktop allows you to do more advanced operations with vector tiles. In this example, we'll show you how to combine more data sources into one output.

Important notice

Even though using more than one input source is allowed only in MapTiler Desktop Pro, changing output layers and organizing attributes is available within all editions.

Example: combining data from two sources

Testing data

Testing data used in our example are NYC subway station and NYC subway lines. You can export them in any Geospatial data format.

Drag and drop these two or more vector data into MapTiler Desktop or load them. In case of example datasets, there is no need to set the coordinate system or change geographical location. 

In the next step, we'll select the MBTiles output format, so we can style the output with help of MapTiler Cloud and proceed to the "Output vector tiles" page.

Creating a new layer

In the next step, you can mix more layers together or create a new one which is a combination of selected inputs. Creating a new output layer is possible by clicking on the "Add" button in the bottom left corner. We'll name it NYC subway

and remove the pre-generated layers by selecting them and clicking "Remove" next to Add. 

Adding data to the layer

If you create a new output layer, you need to specify which inputs will it include. Select the output layer on the left and click on the "Add source" button in the Source layers section, to add new input. Here you can add more than just one input layer to your output layer and also set the zoom levels for each layer separately.

Zoom 0 means your data will be rendered and visible on the map even if your users zoom out to the whole planet level. Rendering more zoom levels gives you an opportunity to easily manipulate your final file and decide later when your data will be visible, on the other hand, it increases rendering time and final file size.

Adding attributes

For now, the output layer is still empty and contains no attributes. Each input file consists of a set of attributes. We add them by selecting the input layer and clicking "Add attribute" in the Attributes section. They are listed in a table where you can add or remove them by checking the checkboxes. 

In the attributes section, we can also change names to be used in the output. Once we added all of the required attributes, we are all set and we can proceed to the Output settings page.

Output settings

Here you are able to adjust metadata information and output tile format. When you are finished, render your data.

Using your output

Now you can start using your data directly. However, for better readability, we recommend styling them. This is an easy task if you upload them to MapTiler Cloud in the MBTiles format. For more information, read the separate how-to.

Hosting is possible on our MapTiler Cloud or any other public or private cloud or your own server - see the Useful links section.

Useful links

Vector tiles generating (basic)
Folder vs. MBTiles vs. GeoPackage
Vector feature
How to upload map tiles to MapTiler Cloud
PHP map hosting
Web and custom map hosting