How Does it Work?
Standard Mode (Heightmap)
The process is simple: After converting your image to greyscale, in Standard mode, our tool examines your 2D PNG or JPG (heightmap) image and based on the brightness of each pixel, will create a corresponding "3D" pixel where the height of the pixel is determined by the pixel luminosity. A black pixel will have a height of 0mm and not be included in the final 3D generated model, however a white pixel will have a height that you specify once your image is uploaded.
When using the Extrude Color mode the tool works in the same way as the Standard mode however the way the tool interprets the pixel color information changes and also the final generated model will contain the color data overlayed onto the model. Please see our Generate Full Color 3D Heightmap Models From Images article which explains this process in more detail.
Extrude Mode
In Extrude mode our tool traces around the edges found in your image and creates simple but clean 3D models from the image, great for simple images. The Extrude Color mode also creates clean 3D models however instead of varying the model height based on the pixel brightness, the pixel color is used directly in the final model to provide color.
Finally...
The 3D STL file created by our tool can be printed with a 3D printer or if you would like to process the model further, it can be loaded into most 3D mesh editing packages such as Blender etc. For 3D videogame/application developers this is a useful tool for creating 3D mesh files from heightmap images for use in your games and other 3D applications.
