# Turning a photo of an object into a carve-able 3D model: what's your workflow? **URL:** \ **Category:** đź“„ General\ **Created:** [October 11, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260 "2026-10-11T13:43:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZayleeHenley](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@ZayleeHenley](https://forum.sienci.com/u/ZayleeHenley)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/1 "2026-10-11T13:43:20Z")
Hi everyone, new member here. I’d like to carve a 3D version of a small object I only have photos of, a carved wooden bird that belonged to my family. How do you go from a photo of a physical object to something you can generate 3D toolpaths from? Do you build a heightmap from the photo, model it from scratch, or is there a better route? I’m mainly stuck on the step between the photo and a usable model. Any advice on depth and bit choice for that kind of relief would also help. ---
**Author:** ![gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/gwilki/32/366_2.png) [@gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/u/gwilki)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/2 "2026-10-11T13:44:02Z")
@ZayleeHenley Welcome to the group. What CAD/CAM software are you using? ---
**Author:** ![DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/u/DavidB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/3 "2026-10-11T13:54:48Z")
I used EasyCreate for a photo to 3d relief and that worked well. You can adjust the relief depth as well within the web based app. It does cost some money to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Chucky\_ott](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/chucky_ott/32/8692_2.png) [@Chucky\_ott](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Chucky_ott)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/4 "2026-10-11T14:22:32Z")
@ZayleeHenley Vectric Easy Create. About $20 for 200 credits, which is good for about 50 models. Look at this post for a few other options [ChatGPT for relief images? - Community Support / Other Software - Sienci Community Forum](https://forum.sienci.com/t/chatgpt-for-relief-images/26682/5) ---
**Author:** ![gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/gwilki/32/366_2.png) [@gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/u/gwilki)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/5 "2026-10-11T15:04:03Z")
The reason that I asked what CAD/CAM application the OP was using is that Easycreate will only export a 3D model in Vectric’s proprietary format V3M. If the OP is not using a Vectric application, Easy Create will also export in a TIFF format, but that is not 3D. It is a bitmap. ---
**Author:** ![DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/u/DavidB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/6 "2026-10-11T15:52:55Z")
I don’t use any Vectric software except for that Easy Create and used it with my Altmill. I’ve only used Fusion with my Altmill currently. I must have exported it as STL. ![Screenshot 2026-10-11 at 10.48.55 AM](https://forum.sienci.com/uploads/default/original/2X/3/33850fc7c5d246e688d6db816765ac229d8247d7.png) ---
**Author:** ![Chucky\_ott](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/chucky_ott/32/8692_2.png) [@Chucky\_ott](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Chucky_ott)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/7 "2026-10-11T16:07:04Z")
@gwilki Yeah, as @DavidB points out, STL is an option. But it might be new because I don’t recall STL being available last time I used it. It’s there today. ---
**Author:** ![gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/gwilki/32/366_2.png) [@gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/u/gwilki)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/8 "2026-10-11T16:13:51Z")
@DavidB @Chucky_ott Good to know. Their website as of this morning only shows V3M as the 3D model format. Here is what I read on their site “Adjust depth, scale or detail settings of the relief to get the exact result you want and export your model as a standard TIFF file or V3M format to seamlessly import into your VCarve or Aspire.” I’m glad that they have changed that as I can now use the results on my 3D printer. ---
**Author:** ![DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@DavidB](https://forum.sienci.com/u/DavidB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 4:29pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/9 "2026-10-11T16:29:02Z")
Guess they just don’t update their website since I first exported it as STL back in July. ---
**Author:** ![gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/user_avatar/forum.sienci.com/gwilki/32/366_2.png) [@gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/u/gwilki)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/10 "2026-10-11T17:00:25Z")
@DavidB Thanks for confirming that. ---
**Author:** ![cadprops](https://forum.sienci.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@cadprops](https://forum.sienci.com/u/cadprops)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/turning-a-photo-of-an-object-into-a-carve-able-3d-model-whats-your-workflow/27260/11 "2026-10-15T15:03:45Z")
One thing I would add is to treat the photo as a shape reference, not as a reliable source of scale or depth. If possible, include a known dimension or a ruler in the reference set, and use multiple views so the hidden side is not guessed from lighting alone. For a relief, set the maximum depth deliberately and keep a flat base; brightness in a photo can be surface shading rather than actual height. After exporting the STL, I would do a pre-CAM check: compare the bounding box with the physical reference, confirm the intended units/scale (STL does not carry unit metadata), check that the base is closed and normals are consistent, and make sure the smallest raised detail is sensible for the ball-nose bit. A quick air-cut or simulation is still useful before cutting the keepsake. I work on CADProps, so this is a project-related reference rather than an independent recommendation. It is not a photo-to-relief generator, but we keep a small public set of CC0 STEP/STL samples with known dimensions that can be useful for checking an export: [CC0 STEP/STL sample files](https://github.com/cadprobs-a11y/cadprops-step-models).