Vertical exaggeration is extremely important for 3D models.

Vertical exaggeration simply means that your vertical scale is larger than your horizontal scale. A lot of participatory 3D models are done with a horizontal scale of 1:10,000 (1 cm = 10,000 cm) and a vertical scale of 1:6,666 (1 cm = 6,666 cm)

To determine the amount of vertical exaggeration used to construct a 3D model, simply divide the real-world units on the horizontal axis by the real-world units on the vertical axis.

If the vertical (grid) scale is one 1cm = 5,000 cm and the horizontal scale is 1cm = 10,000 cm, the vertical exaggeration is 2X (1:10,000/1:5,000).

Vertical Exaggeration = Horizontal (Map) Scale divided by the Vertical (Grid) Scale!