Turn an image into a carvable relief
1SetupLoad the depth & normals models. Downloaded once, then cached.
2GenerateAdd an image and run the passes: depth + normals.
3SculptPick a preset for the subject, then fine-tune.
4Export16-bit height map, STL or a .relief project.
Have a .relief project? Open it in Setup to jump straight to Sculpt.
Input preferred
High resolution, with the background separated: transparency or a solid colour. AI editing may help achieve better input.
High resolution, with the background separated: transparency or a solid colour. AI editing may help achieve better input.
Process sim
See what your machine can actually make of this relief, before you make it.
What is this?
Real tools can’t follow every detail. A round bit can’t get into a gap narrower than itself, a printer builds in steps, a laser beam has a width. This shows where that happens on your relief.
It is a quick, fairly accurate guide to what gets lost or left behind.
It isn’t a toolpath, slicer or exact result. Machine accuracy, tool wear, material, grain and feed speeds aren’t included.
Your downloads are never changed by this. Your CAM, slicer or laser software decides the real result.
Result
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Reading the picture
Red: material left over. The tool can’t reach in there, or a gap fills in.
Blue: detail lost. Too thin or sharp to make.
Amber: needs supports (3D printing at an angle or standing up).
Grey: comes out as designed.
Stronger colour = bigger difference. Switch Show (bottom bar) to see the finished surface or the design.
Size of the piece
How wide the finished piece is.
From the lowest to the highest point of the relief.
How it’s made
Save the bits, printer or laser you own, so next time it’s one click.
Width of the bit’s cutting end.
How rounded the bit’s corners are.
Width of the very end of the bit.
The full angle of the V, as printed on the bit (30°, 60°, 90°…). Smaller = sharper, reaches deeper into narrow gaps.
Widest part of the V (often the shank: 1/4″ = 6.35 mm). Sets how deep the V can cut before the shank rubs.
How fast the bit widens from the tip, per side, as printed on the bit.
Gap between finishing passes. Shows the small ridges a round bit leaves between passes. 0 = ignore ridges.
How thick each printed layer is. Smaller = smoother steps on slopes, but slower. 0.2 mm is normal; 0.08–0.12 mm is fine.
How wide the nozzle draws, usually the nozzle size (0.4 mm). Ridges thinner than this vanish; gaps narrower than this fill in.
Flat: gentle slopes come out as visible steps, like contour lines. Standing up (on its bottom edge): slopes come out smooth, but it needs a brim to stay upright and steep downward faces need supports (amber). Tilted is in between.
How thick each cured layer is. 0.05 mm is normal; 0.025 mm is very fine.
The printer screen’s pixel size (the “XY resolution” in its specs). Nothing thinner than this can print.
Resin prints are normally tilted 30–45°: lying flat on the plate risks suction and warping. Steep downward faces need supports (amber).
Picking a type fills in typical values below. Change them to match your machine.
Width of the burn the beam makes. Grooves narrower than this can’t open up.
How much the burned walls lean (the beam is cone-shaped). Bigger = more sloped walls, softer steps.
How deep one pass burns. Depth comes in whole passes, so heights are stepped by this much.