xTool F1 ULTRA - Embossing Tutorial, AI Images to 3D Coins and Working With Depth Maps!

[@armarmo964]

This is what a review should be like, I am not interested in this machine but you got me to watch the whole video, great job on your part 👍

[@EmbraceMaking]

Amazing, thank you!

[@peteraziz5521]

Awesome video! Thank you a ton. One of the best tutorials I ever watched on KZbin. Packed with lots of information. You have saved me so much time.

[@EmbraceMaking]

You're very welcome! Really happy you found it so useful and informative

[@matteoromero]

The best video for embossing on the f1 ultra. It must’ve taken forever since you do so many coins. The details are great. Thank you!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you ! It was definitely a very long process in filming and editing that's for sure!

[@Frightknight28]

@@EmbraceMaking How long per coin?

[@antonpeter899]

@@Frightknight281-2 hours per coin

[@johnmccarthy2545]

This is an awesome vid for someone who's looking to get involved with engraving

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you so much!

[@RoseKindred]

Interesting video, thank you. I like that you included the depth map test, good thing to look out for.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for watching :) Hope you put the depth map test to good use!

[@digitaldoom3593]

Awesome video thanks for this... waiting for my ultra to ship is brutal...

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! I'm sure it will be there soon - I think you'll find its been worth the wait :)

[@DikkBeetur]

It bothers the hell out of me that all of your coins were not centered .

[@annamaldivad]

Those coins look really cool

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks, if you're interested in any of the designs you can find them on my website

[@The-Renaissance-Girl]

So useful, thank you. I'm a complete newbie to the F1 Ultra, so forgive me if I ask obvious questions. I've bought mine to deboss 3D wax seals, so the principles aren't dis-similar to those you show. I've created depth maps for my designs, cleaned up the histograms etc. I'm assuming I go straight for the engrave setting rather than emboss? Also, the very few reels I've seen of wax stamp debossing throw up a ton of spoilage (is that the word? Waste metal?), so the idea of a cleaning pass is very interesting, but I have no idea of how to include it into my process... As a beginner should I just pause my run every so often and just gently brush it away, or have you covered layering process settings in more detail elsewhere please? Any advice would every gratefully received 🙏

[@chrisr1241]

Your video is gold. Thank you also for the setup part. Some say the camera is not good enough to Center something perfectly on a coin. What do you say? Is there a camera calibration?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you! After running the latest calibration setup in the software I think I'm going to run a few of my own tests too. The main issue (in my opinion) with the cameras (same on the P2) is the problem of perspective. The taller the object you put in there, the more distorted? the image seems to be. I'm not sure if distorted is really the right way to describe it but I find it becomes a little harder to judge the placement. Ultimately there is the framing function where the machine projects the outline using the blue laser so I find myself always double checking with that - and if I notice any discrepancy between camera and framing I always go with the framing. As far as I can see right now there is no camera calibration specifically as the initial blue laser / IR laser calibration is supposed to capture the camera since you're inputting the offset from what you see in the camera to what was marked on those paper cards.

[@chrisr1241]

@@EmbraceMaking this helps a lot thank you! I just thought the camera is one of the best benefits compared to other even stronger mopa lasers for the same price. It was one of the reasons I preordered the x1 ultra. Convenience… The framing laser exists on all machines. I have to rethink… with the conveyer I saw even stronger misalignments in other videos.

[@chrisr1241]

Well done thank you! Is it possible to engrave deeper with enough patience?

[@EmbraceMaking]

There should be room for an even deeper engrave. I had my speed set to 1000mm/s so you have quite a bit of room to slow down. On the pre-release version of CreativeSpace I could not adjust the frequency - now you can. So I need to play around with that a little more to see the effect of higher frequency but from my general understanding a higher frequency will potentially result in less material removal. The other variable is the ability to lower the laser head with each layer - and you can adjust the distance... which should allow you to maintain optimal focus on each layer and improve efficiency of material removal, and last you can always do more passes. I was already at 1-2 hours per coin depending on the design so I didn't really want to go beyond that but thats what I would play with to get even deeper results (but increase processing time)

[@stephaniedhooser5688]

Ahh! I was just going to ask how long each coin took! Thank you!!

[@chrisr1241]

@@EmbraceMaking In what range is the new frequency control? It is not a mopa laser but what are the limits?

[@RobinGerritsen1995]

I hope xTool can comment on this idea of the pre-filter. Because xTool specifically said they have done a thorough research about the airflow path to prevent any dust to get on the lens, I think a pre-filter could cause turbulence inside the enclosure. I was also thinking about this idea, but maybe this idea could do much more harm than any good.

[@EmbraceMaking]

This has been part of my hesitation - however *so far* I have not seen any further build up on the lens with the filter on - but I still have some work to do making the filter a better seal around the back frame of the machine.

[@wYatt121509]

Great info brother. I just subbed because of this. Thank you very much for sharing. I see my mistakes in trying this before and know now what I need to adjust. Be well and God bless.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the sub! Glad you found it really useful!

[@sorinaldea1562]

Good job and good presentation Do you have by chance the coin stand STL? Thank you in advance

[@markcall9695]

Great video as always. Will you be selling those cool coin stands?

[@markcall9695]

disregard - I am a bonehead LOL - I see the link

[@EmbraceMaking]

Ha! No problem appreciate the order!

[@markcall9695]

@@EmbraceMaking always bruddah' - appreciate your training and inspiration

[@gear_ant]

Well done. Link to the coin jig?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you! Right now I have this 2 piece kit: embracemaking.com/products/xtool-f1-multi-jig-and-circular-fixture-kit however, the 40mm coins sit along the edge of the chamfer of the 1.5" pocket - so I'm going to have a new fixture by end of the day today with 5 pockets specifically for 40mm challenge coins and other smaller round tags. if you can wait until end of day I'll respond to you again and link it here - thanks!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Here is the new listing for the 40mm coin / round tag fixture: embracemaking.com/products/xtool-f1-s1-round-fixture-20-40mm-coins-and-tags Just keep in mind that embossing can produce a lot of heat in some materials - I put this warning at the top of the product page. I'm going to run a few more tests with the brass (doesn't seem as bad as the plated coins which I assume are just steel), but if you pump a lot of heat into these coins during embossing there is a chance it can melt the plastic fixtures. When simply engraving I have not found this to be a concern - especially not with the lower power original F1. The F1 ultra 20W fiber laser can be more risky when embossing.

[@MichelSatoer]

Thank you for the indepth information about embossing metal! I was really curious about this feature. Sadly the long 1-2 hour embossing time does take a lot of joy away. Probably going to look for a more powerfull fiber laser. Also, do you have any info how much wear a fiber laser has? How many hours can you use it for it looses to much power? Final question, I see a lot of misalignment. The embossed image is not exactly aligned in the middle. Was there a location shift between the preview image in xTool Creative space and the actual location?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes the embossing can definitely take a while. More power would reduce the time - for this machine I think it is a compromise between fiber power and the fact that they are packing a 20W blue diode in the same machine + no requirement for changing the fiber field lens. So it's a flexibility + convenience / ease of use trade off. I can send an inquiry to xTool and get back to you about the estimated life on the fiber laser. As for the alignment I've noticed a bit of discrepancy on my unit - I've recently rerun the latest calibration test on Creative Space (the very first time I did it before making most of these projects it was their old calibration procedure in the pre-release software). In this video right before publishing it they released a new calibration procedure - I've rerun that and need to do more tests to see if it's more accurate than the old method. I can also run my own tests and adjust the offset accordingly as well if I can determine the offset is consistent. I might need to bump it a little more in one direction or the other. I think the problem with my unit is that although it arrived unscratched and in good condition aesthetically - I'm starting to think it got dropped or something during shipping because one side of the laser "head" is a bit higher than the other on the frame. When looking very closely on the creative space preview the whole image is slightly skewed with respect to the frame and I think it is the laser "head" being a bit lifted on the one side that is throwing off the camera perspective. It's something I just started looking into and I've been in touch with xTool to get their thoughts... waiting to hear back. I can post that update here as well

[@MichelSatoer]

@@EmbraceMaking Thanks for getting back to me! I've got the Xtool P2 CO2 laser and I'm super happy with it. But I'm really tempted to get a fiber laser because the possibilities are just too exciting to pass up. Embossing metal is something I'd love to try, but the price tag makes it hard to justify as a "just for fun" purchase. I'm really curious about how long these machines last, especially since the hours can add up quickly if you're running it for 2 hours just to make one coin.

[@EmbraceMaking]

No problem, I've been enjoying my P2 as well - the fiber laser is a nice to have and the embossing is great but I guess you would have to factor in the longevity of the laser as you suggested. The xTool rep got back to me and I was told '8000 hours' on the fiber laser ... I assume that would be at 100% power and I'd have to dig deeper to see how it degrades over time with power, not sure if longevity goes up linearly with a decrease in power or how that works. If you ever decide to pull the trigger on one I would appreciate if you used my link in the video description, it helps the channel :) Let me know if you have any other questions and I can try and get you answers direct from my contact there.

[@bfoster1950]

I have noticed that mine is skewed also. Metal business cards really show this after the engraving is done. ​@@EmbraceMaking

[@ss220astro]

Cool vid! The air quality monitor link doesn’t work.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for letting me know - looks like maybe it is suddenly not available anymore. This is the closest I can find: amzn.to/3xgoaA2 but I will do some more searching for a lower price alternative.

[@robertorcutt5029]

great info!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jf6720]

Why didn't you use Creative Space depth map? Is it any good?

[@EmbraceMaking]

At the time it didn't exist. I have a new video coming out soon where I'll be using it ;)

[@rramirez903]

Hi, is it possible to make a relief coin from a vector image? I embroider the police shields of my country and I have been asked for relief coins. I don't know how to convert the images to relief. Can you help me? Thanks.

[@CrudelyMade]

why is the coin distorted in the view? it's taller than it is wide. that doesn't make for good alignment through the camera at all. :-(

[@cindywhite9754]

uggh, I'm not sure why - but my F1 Ultra Creative Space is NOT giving me a choice of embossing. ONLY engraving -

[@EmbraceMaking]

Lots of people getting confused with this - it trips me up sometimes too. You have to select embossing in the laser mode (where you would normally select laser flat / rotary / etc). For some reason they didn't put embossing in the normal drop down with engrave / score / cut - hope that helps!

[@michelleteeter7076]

Would like to know where you got the better coins.

[@EmbraceMaking]

This is the link I used for the real brass coins: amzn.to/3Xd5BY0 Thanks!

[@xile6]

Wow that is pretty deep. and you did 1000mm/s i will have to try that out. ive been doing 700mms and was gong to go down and do 500mm/s since mine did not seem deep enough

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes! You can surprisingly remove quite a bit of material

[@levelupcarvingtutorialtecn7406]

it can use in silver and gold sir?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Absolutely the IR laser is compatible and will mark silver and gold as well as many other metals

[@marksorn]

So I'm all up to date on firmware an using the newest beta. I load up a depth map PNG file and my drop down window only says "engrave". There is no emboss available. What am I doing wrong? Love your stuff! Time to snag some Ultra jigs and holders thanks for cranking that out!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Mark, I think your issue is that you're looking in the wrong box. Sometimes I get tripped up by that too... deselect your graphic and go to the top drop down box: "mode" where it normally says "process on flat surface" and you'll find emboss in there. They made it a whole separate "mode" - thanks!

[@marksorn]

@@EmbraceMaking omg thank you! I was getting so bent!!! lol you just made my entire night!

[@PapasPixels]

That female head you put on the coin was NOT actually a depth map. It was a grayscale RENDER of the 3D model with upper left lighting. Please compare the appearance of that file to the previous lion. Notice that with the lion there are no cast shadows whereas with the female portrait, there are shallow cast shadows falling to the lower right of the figure. Otherwise you’ve made a great video, thank you.

[@jimhunt5259]

Man that was a lot of information. This old dog got lost. very interesting though.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Yes a lot of info to pack into one video - the depth map topic can be a rabbit hole to go down. I spent a lot of hours on it and tried to summarize the best I could. Can always watch it in parts :)

[@kova_zg]

If you are looking for the depth map material test graphic, you can find that here: .... (Page 404 not found) :(

[@EmbraceMaking]

I'll check the link! This one should work: embracemaking.com/blogs/resources/emboss-with-depth-maps The link to the test file is towards the bottom of the page in bolt letters. Thanks!

[@chriskay3058]

VistSculpt sure is pricy. Almost $450 (USD) for a 1 year pro license subscription.

[@JrodBooya]

the exhaust fan in mine is terrible, smoke from wood or dust from engraving rocks comes out ABOVE the exhaust through the small holes all over the back plate of the machine. I can see it best when holding a flashlight behind just above the exhaust fan. And it's BAAAD. this thing can't be used in the livingroom like they show. And after just 1 single day of engraving rocks- the air purifier that came with in the bundle is beeping, indicating that the filters are plugged already. I did blow off the first dust filter, but what a joke. even when exhausting out the window, 30% of the smoke or dust comes out the back into the house. All fans are working, nothing is blocked.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Interesting - I haven't found leakage from the back with mine - but I still wouldn't recommend using it in a living room or the like. I know the xTool advertising media shows people using it in all sorts of common rooms but I would always put mine in a segregated room with decent ventilation or some kind of good filtration with the exhaust going out a window especially if you're doing embossing. I took the extra measure of using that tent after engraving a few coins I figured that there has to be some small amount escaping the housing around the lid and I don't want to chance breathing any more of that stuff in. The filters will clog up quick - I haven't played around with rocks much but the brass is insane how much material is thrown around - I'm still trying to figure out the pre-filter system to handle that much material without getting plugged.

[@JrodBooya]

@@EmbraceMaking Use a metal shop vac instead for some fire resistance lol right in the exhaust hole

[@joesouthwell4080]

The girl coin didn't look as good as the lion because she wasn't a depth map. She was a render of a model.

[@JasonHartsoe]

Not a fan of that coin material with that big ugly edge.