This is not my code, however, this tutorial helps by laying out nice step by step instructions that will help any user be able to accomplish this project.
Now that you have the three of these downloaded, move the modelbuilder folder into the processing library folder.
//3D printed photograph
//by Amanda Ghassaei (w bugfix by Pete Blacker)
//May 2013
//http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Photograph/
/*
* This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
* it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
* the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
* (at your option) any later version.
*/
//libraries
import processing.opengl.*;
import unlekker.util.*;
import unlekker.modelbuilder.*;
import ec.util.*;
String name = "YOUR_FILE_NAME.jpg";//name of file
//storage for dimensions
int widthRes;
int heightRes;
float widthDim = 8;//width dimension (in inches)
float widthScaled;
float heightScaled;
float zDim = 0.1;//max vertical displacement (in inches)
float thickness = 0.02;//base thickness (in inches)
boolean invert = true;//if true, then white areas are lower than black, if not true white areas are taller
PImage img;//storage for image
float pixeldata[];//storage for pixel array
UVertexList v1,v2,v3,v4;//storage for verticies
UGeometry geo;//storage for stl geometry
void setup(){
img = loadImage(name);//load image
//get dimensions of image
widthRes = img.width;
heightRes =img.height;
size(widthRes,heightRes,P3D);//set dimensions of output
image(img, 0,0);//display image
loadPixels();//poad pixels into array
pixeldata = new float[widthRes*heightRes];//initialize storage for pixel data
for(int index=0;index<widthRes*heightRes;index++){
int getPixelData = pixels[index];//get data from pixels[] array
pixeldata[index] = getPixelData&255;//convert to greyscale byte (0-255)
}
//initialize storage for stl
geo = new UGeometry();
v1 = new UVertexList();
v2 = new UVertexList();
v3 = new UVertexList();
v4 = new UVertexList();
//draw stl
if(invert){
//draw top
for(int i=0;i<(heightRes-1);i++){
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
for(int j=0;j<widthRes;j++){
widthScaled = j/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
//top layer
v1.add(widthScaled,i/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(255-pixeldata[widthRes*i+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(widthScaled,(i+1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(255-pixeldata[widthRes*(i+1)+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
}
geo.quadStrip(v1,v2);
}
//draw sides
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
v3.reset();
v4.reset();
for(int j=0;j<widthRes;j++){
widthScaled = j/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
v1.add(widthScaled,0,(255-pixeldata[j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(widthScaled,0,0);
v3.add(widthScaled,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(255-pixeldata[widthRes*(heightRes-1)+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v4.add(widthScaled,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,0);
}
geo.quadStrip(v2,v1);
geo.quadStrip(v3,v4);
//draw sides
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
v3.reset();
v4.reset();
for(int i=0;i<heightRes;i++){
heightScaled = i/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
v1.add(0,heightScaled,(255-pixeldata[widthRes*i])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(0,heightScaled,0);
v3.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,heightScaled,(255-pixeldata[widthRes*(i+1)-1])*zDim/255+thickness);
v4.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,heightScaled,0);
}
geo.quadStrip(v1,v2);
geo.quadStrip(v4,v3);
}
else{
//draw top
for(int i=0;i<(heightRes-1);i++){
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
for(int j=0;j<widthRes;j++){
widthScaled = j/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
//top layer
v1.add(widthScaled,i/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(pixeldata[widthRes*i+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(widthScaled,(i+1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(pixeldata[widthRes*(i+1)+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
}
geo.quadStrip(v1,v2);
}
//draw sides
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
v3.reset();
v4.reset();
for(int j=0;j<widthRes;j++){
widthScaled = j/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
v1.add(widthScaled,0,(pixeldata[j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(widthScaled,0,0);
v3.add(widthScaled,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(pixeldata[widthRes*(heightRes-1)+j])*zDim/255+thickness);
v4.add(widthScaled,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,0);
}
geo.quadStrip(v2,v1);
geo.quadStrip(v3,v4);
//draw sides
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
v3.reset();
v4.reset();
for(int i=0;i<heightRes;i++){
heightScaled = i/float(widthRes)*widthDim;
v1.add(0,heightScaled,(pixeldata[widthRes*i])*zDim/255+thickness);
v2.add(0,heightScaled,0);
v3.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,heightScaled,(pixeldata[widthRes*(i+1)-1])*zDim/255+thickness);
v4.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,heightScaled,0);
}
geo.quadStrip(v1,v2);
geo.quadStrip(v4,v3);
}
//draw bottom
v1.reset();
v2.reset();
//add bottom four corners
v1.add(0,0,0);
v1.add(0,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,0);
v2.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,0,0);
v2.add((widthRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,(heightRes-1)/float(widthRes)*widthDim,0);
geo.quadStrip(v1,v2);
//change extension of file name
int dotPos = name.lastIndexOf(".");
if (dotPos > 0)
name = name.substring(0, dotPos);
geo.writeSTL(this,name+".stl");
exit();
println("Finished");
}
Click the arrow pointing down to save the code. (This is a necessary step).
Now find a jpg you would like to make into a 3D model. Open up the image editing software called Gimp. Import your jpg file and desaturate the image by clicking colors->desaturate. Export the image as a jpg file. After doing this, move the desaturated jpg file that you would like to make 3D into the sketch folder that Processing made when you saved it.
