PNG → 3MF · Heightmap
PNG to 3MF
Convert a PNG into a printable 3MF. Transparent areas flatten to the base; brightness becomes height. Drop your PNG and download a 3MF that opens at the right size in any slicer — free, in your browser.
How to use it
- Drop a PNG, JPG or WebP above (high-contrast images give the cleanest result).
- Pick Relief (bright = taller emboss) or Lithophane (dark = thicker, glows when backlit).
- Set the physical width and thickness, then download a watertight 3MF.
Converting a PNG to 3MF
This turns a PNG into a printable 3MF: each pixel's brightness sets how tall that point is, and the result is sealed into a watertight solid with a flat base — a relief you print face-up, or a lithophane that reveals the image when backlit.
3MF is worth choosing over STL here for one concrete reason: it stores units. An STL is just numbers with no stated scale, so slicers have to guess; a 3MF says millimetres, and the model arrives at exactly the width you set on this page. Modern slicers all read it.
It runs entirely in your browser — no upload, no account, no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you convert a PNG to 3MF?
- Yes. A PNG is flat, so the 3D shape has to come from the image itself, and there are two honest ways: for a photo or drawing, brightness becomes height (a relief, or a lithophane you light from behind); for a logo or icon with a transparent background, the opaque shape rises as a flat-topped solid and the background stays at the base. This page detects a transparent background and switches to the flat logo shape automatically. It won't reconstruct a full 3D object from a picture — no image-to-3MF tool honestly can from one photo.
- How do I convert a PNG to 3MF?
- Drop your .png above, choose relief or lithophane, set the width and thickness, then download the 3MF. Brightness becomes height, and the file is written with real millimetre units.
- Why convert an image to 3MF instead of STL?
- 3MF records units explicitly. STL does not, which is why an STL sometimes lands in a slicer at 1/25th size or 25× too big and you have to guess whether it was authored in inches. A 3MF opens at the size you set here, in Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Orca and Cura alike.
- Does the 3MF keep my PNG's colors?
- Not in this export. 3MF does have an optional color extension, but Flip3D writes plain geometry rather than a half-supported color file. If you want the image's colors carried through, use the color relief tool, which exports PLY or GLB — both handle per-vertex color properly.
- What happens to transparent areas of the PNG?
- They stay at the base thickness, in every mode. If the PNG has a transparent background, "Flat logo shape" is switched on: the opaque part rises flat to the full height you set, with soft edges following the PNG's anti-aliasing — ideal for logos, keychains and signs. Turn it off to let brightness inside the shape set the height instead.
- How do I open the 3MF in Bambu Studio and print it in two colors?
- In Bambu Studio (or Orca / PrusaSlicer) use File → Import and pick the .3mf; it arrives at the millimetre size you chose here. The file is a single-color solid. The common way to get a two-color logo or keychain is a filament change by height: in the preview, move the layer slider to the first layer of the raised shape and add a color change there, so the base prints in one color and the logo in another. For more colors, use the slicer's color-painting tool on the object.
- Is the PNG to 3MF converter free?
- Yes — free, no signup, no watermark and no file-size paywall. It runs locally in your browser.
- Does my PNG get uploaded anywhere?
- No. There is no server and no upload — the PNG is converted on your device and nothing is stored.