This may have been answered but I cannot find in forums.
How does one take a 2D flat image and turn it into a 3D design?
For example, take a picture of a leaf and give it a rounded/tapered look.
Is this possible with Carbide Create, or would I need to purchase another software package?
For carving, would I need special bits?
Pointers to existing tutorials on how to do this type of work is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
You can sort of do this with Carbide Create — it affords one V carving and textured toolpaths and will accurately model a cut made with a ball-nosed endmill — for that sort of thing it’s just a matter of patiently assigning toolpaths and previewing and adjusting until one gets the desired effect.
https://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/Carbide_Create_Photo_Tracing and Could use some guidance on creating a carve may offer some ideas / techniques
For more organic shapes, some sort of CAM intended for such work will likely be easier. MeshCAM has an option for this, and the other options are listed at:
Alternately, you can 3D model the entire shape and then use a 3D CAM package.
Usually you’d use a series of smaller ball-nosed endmills, but one can use any endmills which your software supports.