HueForge getting started guide: Filament painting with your 3D printer

Check out my 2nd channel, TT Racing: / @ttracingyt
Amazing, photo-like 3D prints without a multi material 3D printer? That’s exactly what Hueforge can deliver. Taking advantage of the fact that filaments aren’t opaque and instead let light transmit through them, it combines an image to 3D STL function with predictive colour blending to achieve the required result. In this video, I take you through an introductory tour of HueForge, so you can decide if it is something you may wish to try yourself. You should!
I purchased this software with my own money. All opinions are my own. Thanks to Cory for requesting the video.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 What is HueForge?
Hueforge website: shop.thehueforge.com/
3:28 Prerequisites
Marlin firmware editing: • Updated Marlin firmwar...
Klipper sample macros: github.com/Klipper3d/klipper/...
5:04 Resources
Hueforging KZbin channel: / @hueforging
5:27 Slicing and printing a premade STL
Steve from HueForge models on Printables: www.printables.com/@StephenLa...
Man in a Spacesuit Graphic Art: www.printables.com/model/4926...
9:21 Purchasing and installing HueForge
10:07 Interface and workflow overview
12:14 Calibrating a new filament
14:51 Preparing a job from scratch
Ayrton Senna by Instituto Ayrton Senna: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic: creativecommons.org/licenses/...
15:30 Slicing for a multi material 3D printer
Purchase the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon (affiliate): shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=235382...
16:38 More examples
Grogu image by Hiva Sobhani: www.pexels.com/photo/baby-gro...
Pele con brasil: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
18:45 Conclusion
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Get Quality Resins from 3D Printers Online. 5% off storewide for Teaching Tech subscribers [Code: tech5]
3dprintersonline.com.au/
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: / teachingtech

[@hueforging]

This is the best HueForge explainer video I've seen to date (Absolutely blows most of mine out of the water)! Thank you for making this and exploring HueForge. I've been watching your videos for years since I first bought an Ender 3 Pro in 2019 and was hoping to talk to you about HueForge after ERRF but you beat me to it. I will say that the Geometry dock is next to the Slider dock because it's my second most commonly used dock, but you made fantastic prints without ever touching it!

[@TeachingTech]

Thanks for the feedback and well done on creating the software. It's fantastic and i'm looking forward to using it much more in the future.

[@1stWorldProblemsSolved]

100% ^. Lawsy is the best.

[@ManBearPigCreative]

Just want to say thank you for opening up this awsome application of 3d printing. Im waiting on my new printer after a break of a several years, with one of my main goals being to start hue forging!

[@princeofdew8980]

Consider open source.

[@MatthewsFabrication]

It's definitely a great video & looks like a great software, nice work. But how can you call something Lifetime when it's only 2 years??? No updates or bug fixes after two years, thats not Lifetime. Sounds like it's $45 a year, even after you pay for a lifetime license. Quote: "Lifetime users do not need to renew annually, but will cease receiving bug fixes and new features two years post purchase. They will however retain all usage rights and commercial rights regardless. Further updates will be made available at the Limited Commercial annual rate." Which is $45 a year???

[@GamesJames]

As someone who’s been hueforging since day one this is an amazing video. Steve also said this will be where he sends people if they need a detailed tutorial! Well done as always.

[@lescarneiro]

Brazilian here. Have been following your videos for quite a while now, I love when you low key use Senna's apparel, and this double feature with Pelé was top notch! The video definitely interested me in trying this technique. Thank you for helping the 3D Printing community so much over those years! Muito obrigado!

[@jerbear7952]

It isn't low key. He is literally wearing his shirts in most videos. People need to quit slipping low key in to every sentence. I don't understand why everyone wants to sound like a dumb teenage girl when they speak. Its like so based like a gigachad GOAT.

[@rezavarghayi8181]

I love that you chose a picture of senna. 3d printing master and senna enjoyer, massive chad

[@MumrikDK]

Isn't he also often sporting a Senna shirt?

[@TeachingTech]

I've got a few :)

[@TheMidnightSmith]

Who?

[@TheRealPlato]

@@TheMidnightSmith Ayrton Senna, Formula 1 legend

[@mikekiske]

@@TeachingTech Hi, there. Any relations to Brazil? Cheers.

[@Splarkszter]

The fact that they chose to use a lifetime license makes it really easy to buy it :D This is awesome!!! Can't wait to experiment with this.

[@whygamingwhy2404]

Yeaaaah, but lifetime doesnt always mean lifetime sadly. I've bought a few "lifetime" licenses that later had a no.2 and a no.3 etc.

[@princeofdew8980]

I don't trust "lifetime" anything.

[@Splarkszter]

ik but at least is better than refusing to use it because i have to pay for it each mont. Lifetime license is just the ussual way of buying a progrom. Only difference is that that's the formal/legal way of naming it.

[@ToddCopeland]

Or is it... From their own website: "This is an ANNUAL License. Any renewal will be appended to the end of the current term."

[@Govinator]

Not really lifetime. You get perpetual access to the software but only 2 years of updates.

[@NochSoEinKaddiFan]

There is always something new to discover or develop in the wonderful world of 3d printing, be it hardware or software. Thank you for sharing this great idea with us!

[@RetroCCTech]

Your videos are clear and concise. It is great to watch as it promotes creativity and experimentation for everyone. My first custom scratch built 3d printer I built was about 11 years ago based on the Makerbot. Now, I have finally built my last printer, Voron 2.4 R2 350. I have built the Enraged Rabbit 9 colour option for it. Your experience is a really great reference to expand our knowledge. I'm a tekkie, and I love to try and build new tech (building an MPCNC and Lowrider 3 too which you have already covered). All this info helps to build on this. MANY THANKS for the the time you invest and the experience and knowledge you provide. Cheers!

[@MrSantravis]

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I really appreciate the clear and detailed way you explained everything. It made learning about Hue Forge simple and fun! Opinion: Excellent guide! Easy to follow and very helpful.

[@mscir]

Thank you for such a broad range of offerings.

[@HardwareMaster]

Your videos are so detailed and very insightful. Thank you!

[@azlum000]

Ohhhh this is a solid video. I've had some good early success with HueForge but I hadn't learned how to calibrate my own filaments yet. This is huge thank you!

[@iteerrex8166]

Looks like a very nicely done software, and reasonably priced. 👍

[@Cody-Blues]

Well a huge shout out for this tutorial. I've been wanting to experiment with Hueforge and you made it possible.

[@collincutler2278]

Wow! That is very cool. Thank you for sharing.

[@muriloaraujo195]

Shoutout to Senna! Loved it, legend!

[@hsnorh8180]

another exceptional video. thanks for the info.🙏

[@magnoid]

This is pretty awesome. I'll give it a shot!

[@fisheye3d1727]

You forgot to mention one of the best features I've found, Right click on picture to find closest filament color.

[@TeachingTech]

I didn't use it but it sounds very handy.

[@fly4fun24]

It is refreshing to see young people like you and your son idolizing great heroes from the past. You are doing a great job as a Father, I can tell...

[@gothmaniow]

Omg ..this is gonna make things so much easier ...I've been printing flat multicoloured prints on my AC i3 for a while working out the layers on Photoshop the making each layer into its own STL then overlaying each layer to create the final image then working out where to use a pause command ... Took me bloody ages ...this program takes all that tedious legwork away ....thank you for uploading this and introducing me to this awesome program 👌

[@dennis9322]

Great tutorial ! For the P1P Users without an AMS Unit out there which are expieriencing a slight Offset after the M600 with Filament Swapping in between have a look at this GCODE: M104 220 ; Preheats the Nozzle to 220 G1 X60 Y265 ; Moves the Printhead above the poop chute M400 U1 ; Makes a pause, M400 is the Bambulab Command alternative to M600 G28 X Y ; Homes X and Y at the end to prevent the Offset/ Drift As always with GCODE from unreliable sources, use at your own risk and inspect the printer at the first execution, to make sure there aren't any problems

[@karolmalczewski8954]

Hey, if I may, 17:35 - I would use concentric infill, so the print path follows the contour of the printed object. I think, that could give a stunning outcome.

[@TeachingTech]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mitchcamp8239]

do you use this for just the top layer or all the layers

[@Mad_Catter_]

Infill and surface?

[@karolmalczewski8954]

@@mitchcamp8239Well, I 3d print for a specific purposes. Because of that, I use concentric all the way. It gives the same outcome like printing with 99999 perimeters + 0 top/bottom solid layers.

[@woodwaker1]

Thanks for doing this! I purchased a license when it first came out, but so far have only printed others projects from Prinables. As you mentioned it is overwhelming when you first look at it, this will help a lot

[@sergiorr90]

This is a nice review/tutorial!

[@lambrettaladUK]

love Hueforge, bought it a few weeks back

[@electronicscaos]

Pelé and Ayrton Senna... Two great brazilians, in such a great tutorial. Thank you.

[@MrBizteck]

This is AMAZING

[@841577]

Very cool. Thanks for the info

[@user-jt5vm3mi1w]

Looks so good

[@SoloGamingZA]

Thanks for the video and one of t he best explanations, I have always done something similar with just black and white. The black I used up till the last flat layer on a lithopane but printing them flat and then do color/filament swap and do the rest of the print that way giving me black to grey to white gradient to make out the image

[@Mawyman2316]

18:46, now I want to see some crazy collages made form these.

[@anon3573]

Cheers for this video.. I calibrated all my filaments in the past but always struggled to select the actual colour on hueforge to get a true representation on my screen. Loved your idea with the taking a photo and using editing software to get the rgb value, but when I went to do it today I noticed you can actually do it in hueforge itself! In the "change colour" screen there is a button below the colour panels saying "pick screen colour" this then let's you move your cursor around a photo you have open in a different window and see the colour in real time before selecting it to make sure your eyes see it the same way as it is on screen. This should hopefully make calibrating that bit more accurate. 👍

[@hueforging]

Wow - I didn't even realize that! (The color picker dialog is a build-in that I didn't write)

[@leandrooliveira9002]

Ainda não tinha visto esse tipo de impressão, meus parabéns pela explicação e os detalhes como que foi colocado nesse vídeo 👏👏👍

[@ItsAweeb]

Oh this is perfect! Im making shell for my p1p and i was looking into options to add some 3d printed visuals into it, i was thinking lithos until i found this!

[@lianorpb]

mind blown

[@PedroLamas]

Nice tutorial!! For Cura, using "Insert at Layer" script is probably easier to add the M600!

[@markmorgan8378]

Thank you for simplifying the process. As always clear and precise instructions.

[@itaco8066]

Wow😮

[@Zeldur]

Omg. This is a fantastic idea for Christmas gifts. My dad has a pic of my brother and I that he loooves, but is slowly degrading over time. I could easily edit this then print it in 2 or 3 sets so he can hang it in the garage 🤔

[@tride.design]

Great tutorial, I'm curious if TPU can be printed well also with HueForge. I'm so happy that it works well with Polymaker fillaments because I never had any big issue with them.

[@muzkur]

After a lot of videos with Senna, now we have Pelé. Nice

[@Tinker_Box]

Finally, a recipe to print 2D image with a 3D printer!

[@gatling216]

I've been working with Bambu's CMYK filament pack and their lithophane maker, and the results have been...unsatisfactory, to say the least. The mixing isn't very good, and it turns out extremely pixelated no matter what I do with it. I like the concept, but I decided to hold off on playing with it until the technology advanced more. Now I'm regretting burning through all of the fancy filament, because this looks exactly like what I was waiting for.

[@mp3llll]

I can understand why this good.. This is not 3d just pictures as my inc printer make.

[@declinox]

This looks awesome and seems to be a no-brainer for the cost. I've had issues with pausing prints on Klipper but I'll be grabbing that M600 script to try out on the Seckit SK-Tank v2 I'm building :-)

[@pokeysplace]

I'm still trying. My Voron will home and go right back to printing.

[@jmceara]

Are you Brazilian, right?! Pelé, Senna ..LOL....the best of us! 😊

[@munzlp]

Looks awesome! Would love to open source this and improve upon it. A lot of the tech is already there, we just have to blend it in a similar way. I'll get to work! :)

[@stevespringer8385]

Great tutorial. Thanks so much. Do you think this will work with the new Creality K1?

[@BloodSteyn]

I love your tutorial videos. Would it be possible to cover the M600 filament change in the Sonic Pad? Apparently they added the feature, but I haven't had any luck with it and attempting to do a custom macro just results in an error that M600 already exists. Thanks.

[@waynefarley1713]

Great Tutorial as ever and my apologies for asking what may be a simple question but how do you get the STL from Hue Forge so I can load it into Bambu slicer? Everything I have tried doesn't seem to work.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Probably not something I'll use, but neat to know it exists, I guess

[@nathanwilliams415]

I've been waiting for this video! I had a question about Photoshop. Were you able to cut out the background on the free version of Photoshop (Adobe express I think) or do you have the paid version?

[@TeachingTech]

I have the paid version, CS6, which was the last before it went subscription. Free alternatives are photopea, gimp and paint.net

[@GUILLERMO.NESPOlO]

great video , the only question i have its that setup print setings on the slicer ....the names on the prusa slicer are not the same on the cura slicer ...any help with that please ? thanks

[@Stefan__Kr]

You sold a license! 💸🤑

[@3Phasen]

Is there guide for 2in1 hotends? Like an old geeetech A10M/T printer's . Look really good thanks for that Video

[@GavinV3]

cool t shirt

[@tiddybagel]

I bought the lifetime commercial license. I have ams so will have to figure out how that works. Should be more simple than this i would think

[@gregtan9791]

Can you share your X3D filament calibrations? I'll give Hueforge now that I know there's a Mac version and I use X3D as my primary filament.

[@brettfafata3017]

Is the normal ender 3 compatible with the filament change feature out of the box?

[@fly4fun24]

As a brasilian that followed Airton Senna, since his go cart Carrier until he passed away, I can say, He was the greatest F1 driver OF His Time...

[@stianthu1392]

awesome video! But I use filament that is only sold in scandinavia. Is there a way to check if Clas Ohlson filament is preset before buying? 🤔🤔

[@hueforging]

It is not in the built in library no. I haven't ever heard of it, let along gotten any to calibrate. If you do get it and calibrate your filaments, I'm very happy to add them.

[@MrKlawUK]

This seems great for B&W but if you have something with a few bold colours it can be hit and miss. It would be good if there was a way to tell the app 'how many colour changes do I want' and for it to auto select filaments from the 'owned' list to get the best balance. I don't think it can do that? Also - I know this isn't a hueforge use case necessarily - but if you have your colours already, it'd be good if the app could generate the layers/STL for you without mixing. Eg if you already have cartoon art in 4 colours, pick those filaments and generate the layers. The kind of thing that is doable manually but a pain.

[@davidbrennan7422]

Is there anything in this workflow which calculates the approximate print time elapsed to each of the filament changes? I don't have an AMS and I'm not likely to hover over my printer. It would be nice to set a timer and come back when the change is ready.

[@hueforging]

BambuStudio should do this, I know PrusaSlicer does.

[@mitchcamp8239]

hi ive been having some issues with printing square pictures where the corners or edges keep peeling up while printing especially anything over 200 on hight or width was wondering if you had ran into this issue at all and how you fixed it i was thinking maybe its the bed temp but not to sure. whats the best temp for the bed while printing these i have a bambu a1 with a .4 nozzle

[@johnlytle6633]

This is a great video but you lost me on the "Calibrating a new filament". How did you save the test square as a n STL? I don't have any of the filaments in the library so that is where I started. This time I'll just use library filaments that are close just for practice, but it would be nice to add my own filaments at some point.

[@Govinator]

Is it possible for only two color prints or is the minimum three? Just got my Prusa XL dual head and was looking into this.

[@MrTegidTathal]

Two works well, but you almost certainly want the second color to be high TD to get good blending. It probably also needs to be thinner than you expect.

[@wildboy1983]

I have the Bambu p1s with AMS. Do I still need this in my life or not?

[@vince2lille]

Great video ! Thanks for the explanations ! I have a little issue. In Bambu Slicer I don't have the same amount of layers as in HueForge. Why ?

[@hueforging]

There can be a variety of reasons for this. 1) You scaled the print in BambuStudio - don't do this, scale it in HueForge 2) Your layer height settings aren't exactly the same 3) The mesh had some really small details at the higher levels (little spikes) and once sliced, they went away those are a few possibilities in the order from most to least likely in my experience.

[@vince2lille]

@@hueforging You are right ! I scaled it in Bambu slicer ! Thanks 🙌

[@hueforging]

@@vince2lille you can scale larger as long as you only scale XY and not Z (uncheck the uniform scaling) but shrinking it isn't recommended because it reduces the Min Details and leads to poorer prints/clogs.

[@Relevant2MyInterest]

It would be so much better if this could be done in reverse, so that the image comes out on the bed. Combining that with a holographic bed plate would be perfect.

[@PY4SR]

Uai Pele e Senna! Br na area! Vc tem alguma conexão com o Brasil? Abs de seu seguidor de muito tempo

[@TaderSamich]

I have a Ender 3 S1 pro. When I add m600, it pops up a low filament message, goes to park, poops out a string of filament, waits a few seconds, then resumes printing. It does this on each layer. Not just where I put the custom code. Any idea what's happening? Do I need to add some kind of park and wait code?

[@matbroomfield]

All monochrome. I'm having massive problems working out how to assign specific colours in a posterised or full colour image. Can anyone point to a good explainer?

[@rinca8]

Bonjour quelle est la hauteur de couche dans le trancheur ? pour le TD merci

[@Racio00]

Can you do it on a1 mini with ams lite?

[@airingcupboard]

Here's a question - is it possible to use 3d printing to make relief printing plates, like linocut ones?

[@TeachingTech]

In a flexible filament, I don't see why not.

[@airingcupboard]

@@TeachingTech The ideal thing would be to have a software solution extract an image and arrange the high positive and low negative areas as this does with filament colour layers.

[@ManBearPigCreative]

You could try using a black and white image (no grays) in a lithophane generator. It should make the black all one height, and the white all one, lower height. With a flexible filament im not sure why you couldnt produce a linocut like effect for plate printing.

[@ecruzpinto]

I have a problem with exported STL file from Hueforge. In Hueforge the file has 22 layers but when I open the stl file in Bambu it only has 12 layers. What is a possible solution for this dilemma?

[@CaptainXJ]

Is there a "Black and White" version that doesn't require you to change filament?

[@hueforging]

You can do black and white with one swap, but you'd want a high TD white for that.

[@dnjmachine]

What would be better is if you could put in an a picture and list the colors you have and HUEforge do its best to replicate the original image. I bought Hueforge but I have no use for the software as it doesn't produce anything like the original just crazy off color gradients.

[@secondleasegamer8312]

I dont understand why this m600 code doesnt work on OrcaSlicer. It just prints everything in one solid color, never pausing for color swap.

[@7dedlysins193]

Can you increase the thickness of the prints?

[@hueforging]

Absolutely and I made a video on how a few weeks ago - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3K7l5iBlrl8h5Y

[@notcranium]

Am I missing something? This seems to be just a shader for an overall image. I don't really see a way you can produce a full color image with any accuracy.

[@NUeB_net]

07:00 in PrusaSlicer, adding a color change ist just a single mouse click on the vertical layers slider. 09:30 O, still not for linux? What a crap.

[@cemmy410]

I know right? Just what the hobby needs: more commercial/non-cross-platform crap 🙄

[@toojust_]

Hello, anyone having issue to import STL on hueforge ? i am about to calibrate filament (TD) with step test files, but i can't import STL in hue forge, i got the error message telling me it can't import other files than HFP, STL, SVG, JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP. i have a personnal licence and tried it both on v0.7.0 and v0.7.1

[@DeepFriedLotus]

It looks so close to commodore 64 art.

[@MrKebaabpizza]

What printer is this?

[@TeachingTech]

First ones were on the Seckit SK-Tank and the others on the Bambu Lab X1C. I have videos on each.

[@robcaseyire]

Lots of clueless peeps watch your videos it seems "i can do this in blender derp derp" "should be free because im too cheap to pay $12". & No you cant do this in blender

[@Alex-kr7zr]

Well, there is the age old saying: "If you can, you can".

[@Inknov83d]

But if they made this program themselves they’d want to charge $100.. everybody wants $1 million when they sell something and they want it for free when they buy it.. it’s the way of society these days.

[@fog1257]

Paying 18$ once is nothing. What sucks is when companies don't let you buy the product and want you to rent it even if you're not interested in any upgrades.

[@citratune7830]

@@Inknov83dcompletely not true most people in this space embrace open source

[@brentongojkovich9896]

The fine print says license is good for 2 years of updates not lifetime

[@sgtkabukiman9411]

Can anyone recommend free software to edit the images to use instead of photoshop? $30 a month is a bit much.

[@hueforging]

GIMP or Paint.Net

[@swagswap]

"GNU Image Manipulation Program" "Seashore" "InkScape" are all free and quite powerful in various ways.

[@hd-be7di]

Full circle back to 2d printing... :o

[@jerbear7952]

No

[@Mad_Catter_]

A better circle then you will ever draw in your entire lifetime.

[@oldplayer8025]

Newbie here, can't you just add pause rather than adding gcode

[@TeachingTech]

If it parks away from the print, absolutely. Only disadvantage is it won't automatically retract and offer an interface to reload and purge for most printers. If you can do that manually then all good.

[@oldplayer8025]

@@TeachingTech i'm using bambu P1s not sure about g codes yet. orca slicer/bambu studio as slicer

[@TeachingTech]

My P1P has filament runout so I imagine the P1S is the same. Also, Bambu Studio let's you add pause so the printer should support it.

[@pixelrabbit261]

I don't see the point. It's a gimmick. What's next, 3D printing with Epsom / HP? Fairplay for the video tho 👌👌👌👌

[@jonbondy]

None of the prints you showed looked as good as a print on any ink jet printer. And it takes a lot of work. Strange.

[@kasiya2660]

.... you're printing with literal plastic, what did you expect?

[@jonbondy]

If all you are thinking about is a hammer, everything around you looks like a nail. This is using the wrong tool for the job. Interesting, yes. But crappy results. @@kasiya2660

[@Mad_Catter_]

@@jonbondy But you are the one looking at things as if they are all nails not the other way around.

[@ThantiK]

The developer of HueForge really needs to focus more on making this process simpler. Nobody wants to purchase the program just to have to cobble together the "rest of the owl".

[@temporallabsol9531]

Use gpt4

[@IronMan-yg4qw]

a bit of a pain..

[@alothaiqi]

Ayrton Senna 💔

[@Sandemik]

This doesnt explain a multi material system nor does it explain why the stl isnt coloured when you i,port it into the slicer. hueforge is stupid

[@Mad_Catter_]

Man I thought I was the only one with this issue, do you know why it only imports with one colour?

[@daffyduck3701]

I'd like to say I think the software is awesome. But why isn't anyone talking about the absolutely horrible "commercial" license agreement? Basically, you have declared you made your product using their software. I could see if you were using a free version, but to pay for software AND need to brand their software?? That's a total no go for me. If every software maker followed this "license agreement" we would be posting a lot of branded content. Isn't it kind of like Microsoft saying, anything you make with software using this operating system you need to add a Microsoft logo? Horrible approach if you ask me. Just my 2 cents.

[@TeachingTech]

I didn't read that part because it didn't apply to me. I guess if I were running a business I might consult a lawyer to go through it with me.

[@daffyduck3701]

@@TeachingTech yeah thanks for the reply. Who knows if it's even enforceable. By the time a lawyer is involved I'm sure I could buy a new printer.

[@hueforging]

I don't know what you mean by "Brand their software". You simply need to display at point of sale your license. That means as an image in the gallery or as a direct link to the image of the certificate with your order number somewhere on the website where you are selling. It could be "Commercial License #1111" with a link to the certificate image. It's like being an "Authorized Reseller". Your print doesn't need any kind of HueForge branding on it.

[@kasiya2660]

This is basic commercial agreement stuff for small devs/creators, if you've never seen it then you're not the target audience. Especially considering most model creators already have that in their agreements even when you pay for their $30+/mo commercial agreements

[@Wol333]

Not paying 20 dollars when I can just print a lithophane and put an adjusted color photo behind it for colour.

[@TeachingTech]

Whatever works for you buddy.

[@KraziEyevin]

I can tell you haven't printed any of these 😂

[@peterkallend5012]

HueForge does much more than what you think it does. IMO, $20 is worth the increase in what you and your printer can accomplish.

[@WwAiRtRhIiOnR]

Okay, but why using a payed software when you can do the same with some skill in free 3d modeling softwares like blender?

[@TeachingTech]

Go for it and make a video please.

[@WwAiRtRhIiOnR]

@@TeachingTech would be my first youtube tutorial, but I'll do it once it's ready. Already got the file for blender ready, little different approach to specify the layers (set the amount of layers for each color and the image/hightmap gets spread over all layers). Convert image to mesh including optional cut off alpha, different color to greyscale methods, set and preview colors, aspect ratio detection (just set the resolution of the longer side) Already implemented. Just missing some way to store the material settings (color/hight). Will have to rework the model generation once blender 4.0 is out to get a model that's even more layer oriented than now (As far as I've seen even HueForge doesn't do this and generates diagonal faces)

[@TeachingTech]

It sounds like you have most of it worked out, but it also sounds like a lot more work to use. Please remember many people have never used Blender and it has a strong reputation for being hard to learn. Yes, you have to learn HueForge for this, but for your method you have to learn Blender, plus these methods on top. Food for thought.

[@WwAiRtRhIiOnR]

@@TeachingTech you don't even need to learn blender. It's basically a template project you just open up, fill in your image, desired resolution and size, and a few values for the colors. I'll probably show it in a few days/weeks, at least how to use it. I still need to decide if i want to provide it for free, sell it and/or start a KZbin channel.

[@TeachingTech]

You need to learn Blender to the extent that you need to know where basic functions are located on the GUI.