Guides for people who make things.
Depth maps, lithophanes, filament painting, file formats and laser setup. Tested, sourced and kept up to date.
3D printing
How to Turn a Photo Into a Bas Relief STL for 3D Printing
Turn a photo into a bas relief STL you can 3D print: make a depth map, build the relief with a base and rim in mm, and print it. Three free routes compared.
November 5, 2026 3 min read
3D printing
How to Make an STL File: 6 Ways, From Scratch or From What You Have
How to make an STL file for 3D printing for free: model it, build it from settings, turn a photo, logo or text into one, convert a CAD file, or use AI.
November 4, 2026 4 min read
3D printing
Meshy vs Tripo for 3D Printing: Price, Credits, Exports and Rights
Meshy vs Tripo compared for 3D printing from their own pages: free credits, paid plans, STL and 3MF export, print tools and who owns free-plan models.
November 4, 2026 2 min read
3D printing
The Best 3D Modeling Software for 3D Printing in 2026
The best 3D modeling software for 3D printing, free and paid: Tinkercad, Fusion, Onshape, Blender, FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, Shapr3D, Womp and Depthue Studio.
November 2, 2026 5 min read
Depth maps
3D Laser Engraving: The 3 Types, the Machines and How to Do It
What 3D laser engraving means (relief, crystal or curved surfaces), how to engrave a depth map step by step, starting settings, software and machine prices.
October 8, 2026 10 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
How to Make a Color Lithophane: 3 Methods Compared
How color lithophanes work and 3 ways to print one: CMYK filament, a color sheet behind white, or a filament painting. Tools, filament, settings, light.
October 8, 2026 10 min read
3D printing
How Much Does 3D Printing Cost? Real Numbers, and How to Price Prints to Sell
What a 3D print costs at home or from a service: filament, power, wear and failures, resin vs FDM, and a pricing formula with Etsy fees for prints you sell.
October 8, 2026 7 min read
3D printing
How to Edit an STL File: The Right Free Tool for Each Change
How to edit an STL file for free: scale, cut, add text, combine parts or cut holes in your slicer, Tinkercad, Blender, Fusion or FreeCAD, matched to the job.
November 2, 2026 11 min read
3D printing
How to Fix STL Files: Holes, Non-Manifold Edges and Other Errors
How to fix STL errors: what open edges, non-manifold edges, flipped normals and self-intersections mean, what your slicer is saying, and the fix for each.
October 8, 2026 8 min read
Laser and CNC
Laser Engraving Glass: Which Lasers Work and What Settings to Use
Laser engraving glass explained: why CO2 frosts it, why diodes need a coating, starting settings from xTool, OMTech and Epilog, photos, and safety.
October 8, 2026 9 min read
Laser and CNC
Laser Engraving Software: The Best Free and Paid Programs for Every Machine
Laser engraving software compared by machine: LightBurn, LaserGRBL, xTool Studio, Glowforge, EZCAD and RDWorks, with prices, file formats and free picks.
October 8, 2026 9 min read
Laser and CNC
Laser Engraving Tumblers: Rotary Setup, Wrap Sizing and Settings
How to laser engrave tumblers: which laser marks powder coat or bare steel, LightBurn rotary setup, tapered cups, wrap sizing, settings and pricing.
October 8, 2026 10 min read
Laser and CNC
How Much Does LightBurn Cost? Core vs Pro, Renewals, Trial and Free Alternatives
LightBurn costs $99 for Core or $199 for Pro, once, with a year of updates. Renewals, seats, the 30-day trial and free alternatives, checked October 2026.
October 8, 2026 8 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
How to Make a Lithophane Lamp: Types, Lights, Sizing and Safety
Make a lithophane lamp, night light or light box: pick the shape and the LED, size the print with π × diameter, print it upright and power it safely.
October 8, 2026 8 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
Multicolor 3D Printing: Every Method Compared, With Real Waste Numbers
How multicolor 3D printing works: manual swaps, AMS and MMU units, tool changers, painting and resin, with purge waste numbers and October 2026 prices.
October 8, 2026 13 min read
Depth maps
The Best Bas Relief Software in 2026: Photo to Relief, Compared
Software that turns a photo into a bas relief for CNC, laser and 3D printing, compared on price, files and workflow: Carveco, Aspire, DepthCarve and more.
November 5, 2026 5 min read
Laser and CNC
How to Make a Custom Relief Coin From a Photo
Turn a customer photo into a relief coin: diameter, relief depth, rim and lettering, then the STL or grayscale PNG your laser, CNC router or printer needs.
November 2, 2026 6 min read
Laser and CNC
Customer Proof Approval for Custom Engraving Orders
What a proof for a custom engraving, coin or plaque order must show, how to ask for a clear yes, and how to handle revisions without remakes or disputes.
November 2, 2026 3 min read
Laser and CNC
Photo to CNC Relief Plaque: Size, Depth, Border and Files
How to turn a portrait or pet photo into a CNC relief plaque: size, relief depth, base, border, lettering, customer approval and the files your CAM needs.
November 2, 2026 4 min read
Depth maps
The Best Depth Map Generators in 2026, Free and Paid
Seven depth map generators for laser engraving, CNC and 3D printing, compared on price, privacy, offline use, export formats and coins and portraits.
November 5, 2026 4 min read
Depth maps
Free Depth Maps for Laser Engraving, CNC and 3D Printing
Three free ways to turn a photo into a depth map for laser engraving, CNC and 3D printing: an AI generator in your browser, a free Windows app, and more.
September 24, 2026 3 min read
Laser and CNC
Best AI Tools for Laser Engraving in 2026, by Job
The best AI tools for laser engraving and cutting, grouped by job: artwork, text, vectors, photo prep, depth maps and all-in-one apps, with their limits.
October 2, 2026 4 min read
3D printing
The Best STL Viewers for Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone (2026)
Free ways to open STL, OBJ and 3MF files in 2026 now that Microsoft 3D Viewer is gone: browser viewers, slicers, MeshLab, Blender and apps for phones.
September 24, 2026 3 min read
Depth maps
How to Make a Depth Map From a Photo (AI and Manual Methods)
How to make a depth map from a photo for laser engraving, CNC and 3D printing: AI estimation, phone depth, hand painting, and checking it before you cut.
October 2, 2026 3 min read
Laser and CNC
Depth Maps for CNC Relief Carving: From Photo to Toolpath
How to prepare a depth map for CNC relief carving: resolution, depth, background, PNG or STL, roughing and finishing tools, stepover and common mistakes.
October 2, 2026 3 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
Is HueForge Free? Filapaint and Other Free Options in 2026
HueForge has no free version. The free ways to make HueForge-style filament paintings: Filapaint in the browser, the Depthue planner, and when to pay.
September 24, 2026 3 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
How to Make a Lithophane From a Photo (Settings That Work)
How to make a lithophane from a photo: image choice, thickness, size, flat or curved panels, slicer settings for white PLA, and fixing flat or dark prints.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
3D printing
How to Convert 3MF to STL: 4 Free Ways (No Upload Needed)
Convert 3MF to STL with a free in-browser converter, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, Cura or Blender, and what STL keeps from multi-object plates.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Depth maps
16-Bit vs 8-Bit Depth Maps for LightBurn 3D Sliced Engraving
When a 16-bit depth map improves a LightBurn 3D Sliced engraving, when 8-bit is enough, how passes relate to gray levels, and how to check a file's bit depth.
September 21, 2026 3 min read
3D printing
How to Make a 3D Model From a Single Image With AI (2026)
Turn one image into a printable 3D model with AI: preparing the image, Hunyuan3D vs Meshy vs Tripo, licensing, and making the mesh watertight for printing.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
HueForge and lithophanes
How to Plan Color Swap Heights for Filament Painting
Where to change filament in a HueForge-style painting: layer math, transmission distance, swap order, and adding color changes in Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
3D printing
The Best SLS 3D Printers in 2026 for Small Businesses and Labs
SLS 3D printers explained for makers moving up from FDM or resin: Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W, Sinterit Lisa X, Sintratec S3, EOS Formiga P 110, and print services.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Laser and CNC
Laser Kerf Explained: Measure It and Set the Offset in LightBurn
What laser kerf is, why press-fit joints come out loose, how to measure kerf with one test cut, and how to set the kerf offset in LightBurn.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Laser and CNC
AI Prompts for Laser Engraving, Cutting and CNC That Actually Work
AI prompt formulas for laser engraving and CNC: cut silhouettes, line art, photo engravings, depth map reliefs and lithophanes, for Midjourney and ChatGPT.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Laser and CNC
Laser Power and Speed Settings by Material: A Starting-Point Guide
Starting power and speed settings for diode, CO2 and fiber lasers on wood, MDF, acrylic, leather, slate and metal, and the test grid that dials them in.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Laser and CNC
Free Halloween Lantern Laser Cut Files (SVG, EPS, PDF) for 3 mm Wood
Free laser-cut Halloween lantern for 3 mm plywood or MDF: bats, a witch, a black cat and a haunted house in SVG, EPS and PDF, with settings and assembly.
September 21, 2026 2 min read
Laser and CNC
xTool AImake: What It Does for Laser and Craft Files (2026)
xTool AImake review: how it works inside xTool Studio, what it does well, where it falls short, how credits work, and how it compares with other AI tools.
September 21, 2026 2 min read