Pyramids in the desert shadow box SVG
The pyramids in the desert at sunset with a camel train passing in front of the sun: two small clouds and the low sun, three pyramids of different sizes on the sand, three camels on a dune with the sun behind them, and palm trees at each side of the front. 6 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
6 sheets at 10 × 8 in, landscape, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 6 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 6 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Autumn” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 6, “Palms and grass”, the slowest: at 1.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Palms and grass”, fills the most of the view, 26% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun and clouds | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc, Long flat cloud and Classic puffy cloud | over 2 mm | 36% |
| 2. Far pyramid | A gentle slope, with: Equilateral triangle | over 2 mm | 4% |
| 3. Great pyramid | A gentle slope, with: Equilateral triangle | over 2 mm | 9% |
| 4. Third pyramid | A gentle slope, with: Equilateral triangle | over 2 mm | 6% |
| 5. Camel train | A gentle slope, with: Desert caravan of three camels | over 2 mm | 16% |
| 6. Palms and grass | A gentle slope, with: Leaning palm tree, Bunch of grass and Palm tree with coconuts | 1.7 mm | 26% |
Measured from the files at 10 × 8 in, landscape. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 10 × 8 in, landscape. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 in, landscape | 254 × 203.2 mm | 1.7 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
Each pyramid is a plain triangle with three equal sides. That is steeper than the real ones: the Great Pyramid rises at about 52 degrees and these at 60. They stand for pyramids by their shape alone, with no courses of stone drawn on them, which makes this one of the easiest scenes to cut: five of the six sheets have nothing under 2 mm at 10 by 8 inches, and the palms at the front are a little under 2 mm. The sun is a hole in the back sheet, a little larger than the ring behind the camels, so the ring reads as the rim of the sun. If you move the camels in the maker, move the sun with them. Nothing hangs on a thread.
- Cut all 6 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 6.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 6 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Is it a true view of Giza?
No. It is an invented view: three pyramids, a camel train and palms, arranged as a picture. The real pyramids stand on a rocky plateau at the edge of Cairo and are less steep than these.
Can I add more pyramids?
Yes. Select a pyramid in the maker and choose Copy, then change the size of the copy and move it. The triangle is under Hills and water.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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