Free online filament painting: color photos with layer changes

No file handy?

What this tool does

Turns a photo into a thin relief where color comes from stacking layers of filament: no multicolor printer needed.

A live simulation of how it will look, from the color and translucency (TD) of each filament.

Two to six filaments, with ready sets to start from: black and white, sepia, sunset and ocean.

The filament changes place themselves by each color's brightness, and each one can be moved by hand.

A list of changes with the layer and the height in millimeters, to set the pauses in your slicer.

Layers from 0.08 to 0.2 mm, 40 to 250 mm wide and an STL ready to print; the image never leaves your browser.

How it works

Upload the image

A photo, a portrait or a landscape. Images with smooth gradients come out best.

Choose the filaments

Put them in print order, darkest to brightest, with their translucency. The simulation updates with every change.

Download and print

Get the STL, add a pause in your slicer at each height on the list and change the filament when the printer stops.

Frequently asked questions

What is filament painting?

A way to print color images on a single-extruder printer. The piece is a very thin relief: the dark areas of the image stay low and the bright ones end tall. The print starts with a dark filament and changes to brighter ones at set heights; since each layer is thin and somewhat translucent, it lets part of the color below show, and that mix produces the tones in between. ilove3d's filament painting tool works out the relief, simulates the result and tells you the height of each change.

What is a filament's TD?

Transmission distance: the thickness, in millimeters, past which the filament stops showing what is under it. A black is around 0.4 mm, strong colors run from 1 to 2 mm and a white from 4 to 6 mm. It varies by brand and even by batch, so the simulation is a guide: if your filament turns out more opaque than expected, lower its TD and watch what changes.

How do I set the filament changes in the slicer?

Slice the STL with the layer height you chose here and 100% infill. Then add a pause or a filament change at each height on the list: in PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio by right-clicking the layer slider, in Cura with the Filament Change script. The printer stops, you swap the filament and it goes on.

Do I need a multicolor printer or an AMS?

No. The changes are by height, one per filament, so a single extruder is enough and you swap the spool by hand three or four times. With an AMS or an MMU the printer makes the change by itself.

Question of the month

Which printer do you use?