Image to STL Converter

Two ways from a picture to a printable STL. The relief converter on the right runs entirely in your browser, with no account. AI reconstruction builds a solid model with a real back and sides, downloadable as STL, GLB or OBJ.

Free · no account · nothing uploaded

Free, no account. Your image is read in this browser tab and never uploaded.

Convert an Image to an STL File

Convert an image to an STL file and you have something a printer can build. Six things people print from one upload, three of them from the relief converter.

Figurines and keepsakes

One photo becomes a solid figure with sides and a back, ready to print and hold.

Convert to STL

Miniatures for the table

Characters and monsters at 28 mm, sliced straight from the download.

Image to 3D model

Parts and prototypes

A product shot becomes a mesh you can scale, measure and print.

AI image to 3D model

Logos, badges and stamps

Hard edges extrude cleanly, and a transparent PNG keeps its silhouette.

Extrude it free

Lithophanes

Invert the relief and print it in translucent filament. The photo appears when light shines through.

Free relief converter

Wall art and reliefs

Brightness becomes height and the plate prints flat, no supports.

Use the converter above

Relief or Solid: What an Image to STL Converter Gives You

  • A plate with your image raised out of the surface, built by the converter above on your own machine, so the picture is never uploaded. It prints flat on the bed with no supports, which suits wall art, stamps, badges and lithophanes. The back is flat and the height comes from brightness, so treat it as a raised picture.
  • A closed object with sides, a back and an underside, reconstructed from one photo. You set the face budget before the run, and a triangle generation also downloads as GLB with full textures. This is the paid route, run in the image to 3D model workspace, and the STL comes from the same generation.
A shaded preview of the relief plate the relief converter builds from the teapot sample picture

FREE CONVERTER

Free Image to STL in Your Browser

The converter above, in three steps. Your picture never leaves the tab, and there is no account and no cap.

  1. Upload an image

    Drop in a photo, a logo or a sketch. Transparent PNG areas are read as background.

    JPG, PNG or WEBP up to 20 MB

  2. Pick Relief or Extrude

    Relief turns brightness into height, for photos. Extrude cuts hard shapes at a threshold, for logos and silhouettes.

    No account, no cap

  3. Download the STL

    Dimensions, triangle count and file size are shown before you press the button.

    Binary STL, in millimetres

THE PAID HALF

Image to STL with AI Reconstruction

A relief is a raised picture. When you need the object itself, AI reconstruction infers the geometry the photo only shows one side of and returns a closed mesh with volume, sides and a back.

You choose a face budget from 500 to 2,000,000 and triangle or quad topology before generating. Triangle runs come back as GLB with full PBR textures and download as STL in your browser; quad runs come back as FBX and go through the workspace converter for STL. This route runs on GPU hardware and uses credits.

Generate an AI model

One reconstruction shown twice, the bare mesh on the left and the textured version on the right, with an arrow between them

opolyo-model.glb @ in about two minutes

Which Image Formats Convert to STL

Both paths accept JPG, PNG and WEBP: up to 20 MB on the relief converter, up to 10 MB on the AI generator. Neither needs the image cropped to a square first.
JPG to STLPNG to STLWEBPPhotosTransparencySize limits

JPG to STL

A textured creature model generated by Opolyo

The usual format for photos, which both Relief mode and the AI path handle well. JPG compression adds faint blocky noise that a relief will raise into texture, so if a photo converts lumpy, start from a cleaner original.

BUILT FOR THE PRINTER

Picture to STL for 3D Printing

Converting a picture to STL is about the print, so the output is built for the printer. The relief converter always closes the mesh: a base plate, four walls and a sealed top, with the base thickness you set so it sits flat on the bed.

Height is capped by your relief setting, so nothing comes out as an unprintable spike. A family photo at Draft detail and 100 mm wide slices in seconds and prints in a couple of hours.

A dwarf warrior figurine generated by Opolyo, the kind of model sent to a 3D printer
Opolyo

one generation

STL, converted in your browser
GLB, written by the generator
OBJ, converted in your browser

three files

The right file for the printer, the engine and the handoff

SEE FOR YOURSELF

STL-ready models you can spin right here

Each of these is a real Opolyo mesh, so drag any one to spin it. The full walkthrough from photo to finished print is in how to 3D print a photo.

BEFORE YOU SLICE

Preparing the STL for Your Slicer

A converted STL opens in Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio or Orca like any other model file. Two things to check before you slice.

  1. Will the STL Be the Right Size?

    Yes. STL files carry no units, so a converter that writes metres produces a model your slicer reads as a thousand times too small. Every STL from either tool here is written in millimetres, and the relief converter shows the dimensions before you download.

    Millimetres, always

  2. Where the Colour Goes

    Nowhere: the STL format has no field for it. In Relief mode, brightness survives as height. If you want the colours themselves, download the AI generation as GLB with its textures and print the STL for the shape.

    STL stores geometry only

  3. Is the Mesh Watertight?

    Yes: the relief converter always writes a closed solid with a sealed top, a base plate and walls, and AI generations come out as closed meshes. A quick preview in your slicer before a long print is still worth doing.

    Closed meshes, no naked edges

SPECIFICATIONS

Image to STL Specifications

Every hard number in one place, relief converter first.
Free converter input
JPG, PNG, WEBP
Up to 20 MB, read locally in your browser tab.
Free converter modes
Relief or Extrude
Brightness height for photos, threshold shapes for logos.
Detail levels
128 / 256 / 512
Grid cells on the long edge: Draft, Standard, Fine.
Output
Binary STL, mm
Closed solid with a base plate and sealed walls.
Size preview
Before download
Millimetre dimensions, triangle count and file size.
Privacy
Nothing uploaded
On the relief path your image never leaves the tab.
AI input
One picture
JPG, PNG or WEBP up to 10 MB, one subject per run.
AI geometry
A closed mesh
Sides, a back and a bottom included.
Polygon budget
500 to 2,000,000
Faces, on a slider before the run, triangle or quad.
AI formats
STL, GLB, OBJ
Plus FBX, glTF, USDZ and 3MF through the converter.
Generation time
A few minutes
Usually under three minutes. Higher polygon counts and texture quality take longer.
AI cost
10 credits
At Standard textures, shown before the run. Failed runs refund.

AFTER THE DOWNLOAD

From STL to a Printed Object

Your slicer turns the STL into G-code, the movement instructions your printer runs.

  1. Slicing the STL

    Open the file in Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio or Orca, check the size, pick a profile and export G-code. No online STL to G-code converter is needed; the slicer does this.

    In slicer software you already have

  2. Supports and orientation

    A relief plate prints flat on its base and needs no supports. An AI generated figure usually needs supports under overhangs, and your slicer will show where.

    Reliefs: none. Figures: slicer decides

  3. On the printer

    Load the G-code and print. The full walkthrough, including slicer settings, is in our how to 3D print a photo guide.

    How to 3D print a photo, in the blog

BEFORE YOU CONVERT

Why Opolyo, not a typical image to STL tool

Compare how a typical tool and Opolyo each handle your image, the mesh they build and the file you download.
3D result
Most tools:Many tools are limited to a flat relief or heightmap.
Opolyo:A printable relief, or an AI reconstruction that comes out as a closed solid.
Print scale
Most tools:Many write ambiguous or wrong units, so the model imports at the wrong size.
Opolyo:Every download is written in millimetres, with the dimensions shown first.
Mesh integrity
Most tools:Many produce holes or non-manifold edges that fail in the slicer.
Opolyo:Closed, watertight solids from both the relief and the AI path.
Your image
Most tools:Many upload your picture to a server to process it.
Opolyo:The relief converter runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
Transparency
Most tools:Many read a transparent background as black and leave a dark slab behind it.
Opolyo:Transparent PNG areas are read as background.
Put a picture through the free converter above and you get a watertight STL, sized in millimetres, ready for the slicer.

Pricing

Every credit turns into a model you keep

Billed every month. Cancel anytime.

Start

For your first prints and props

$19.99

USD

Billed monthly

  • 160 credits / month (16 generations)
  • Standard and Ultra PBR textures
  • GLB, STL & OBJ export
  • Built-in format converter
  • Failed generations refunded automatically
  • Commercial license
  • Email support
Get Opolyo

Cancel anytime.

POPULAR

Build

For people who ship models weekly

$39.99

USD

Billed monthly

  • 360 credits / month (36 generations)
  • Standard and Ultra PBR textures
  • GLB, STL & OBJ export
  • Built-in format converter
  • Failed generations refunded automatically
  • Commercial license
  • Email support
Get Opolyo

Cancel anytime.

BEST VALUE

Scale

For studios and print farms

$89.99

USD

Billed monthly

Everything in Build, plus:
  • 900 credits / month (90 generations)
  • Lowest cost per credit
  • Priority email support (24h response)
Get Opolyo

Cancel anytime.

I filled my first map in just one afternoon! That's 24 props already.

Marcus Reed

Built a Game

Image to STL Converter FAQ

Question not here? Ask by email.

  • The relief converter is free: no account, no upload, no watermark, no daily cap. AI reconstruction is the paid route, 10 credits per generation, and the two are labelled so you always know which one you are using.

  • Not for the relief converter. The AI generator needs an account, since its results are stored in your workspace.

  • No watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. What you set is what you download.

  • The relief converter runs on your own machine. AI reconstruction runs for a few minutes on GPU hardware, and credits pay for that time. The cost is shown before you press generate, and a failed generation refunds itself.

  • Your choice. The relief converter produces a plate with your image raised from the surface, flat on the back. AI reconstruction produces a closed object with sides, a back and an underside.

  • From the AI generator, yes: it reconstructs the whole object, including the sides the photo never shows. From the relief converter, no: a relief is flat on the back, which is right for wall art and lithophanes and wrong for figurines.

  • STL stores no colour, from any tool. In Relief mode, brightness survives as height. On the AI path, colours survive in the GLB download as textures, and the STL carries the shape alone.

  • The relief converter shows the count before you download. It follows the detail level, from around thirty thousand at Draft to half a million at Fine. On the AI path you set a face budget yourself, from 500 to 2,000,000, in triangles or quads.

  • JPG, PNG and WEBP on both paths. The relief converter accepts files up to 20 MB, the AI generator up to 10 MB. Screenshots, phone photos and exported artwork all qualify.

  • For the relief converter, no: the image is read inside your browser tab and never leaves your machine. For AI reconstruction, yes: the image has to reach the GPU that rebuilds it, and it is stored in your private workspace.

  • For a relief, a high-contrast image, since contrast is what becomes height. For AI reconstruction, one clearly visible object on a clean background. Resolution beyond the detail you asked for is averaged away, so a sharp 2,000 pixel image is plenty.

  • Yes. Transparent pixels are read as background, so a transparent-background logo extrudes as the logo alone, without a dark slab behind it.

  • Yes. The relief converter always writes a closed solid: sealed top, base plate and walls. AI generations come out as closed meshes too. A quick preview in your slicer before a long print is still worth doing.

  • Yes. Every STL from either tool is written in millimetres, the unit every slicer assumes, and the relief converter shows the dimensions before you download. A model that imports a thousand times too small came from a converter writing metres.

  • Any of them. The output is standard binary STL, which Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Orca and every other slicer read natively, with no plugin or import settings.

  • On the AI path, yes: a triangle generation downloads as GLB with full PBR textures, and the 3D model converter writes OBJ, FBX, glTF, USDZ and 3MF from it. A quad generation comes back as FBX and goes through the same converter. If you already have a GLB, the GLB to STL converter runs in your browser with no account. The relief tool only writes STL.

What people make with Opolyo

5,873 makers and counting. A few of them told us what they made, and what happened next.

  • The customer's payment dashboard, a net revenue panel reading $2,605.00 with $0.00 for the comparison period
    I’m a game dev and originally started using this to turn some of my reference images into 3D assets for a project. A few of the models turned out better than I expected, so I cleaned them up and started selling them on the side too. Just crossed $2,600 in net revenue from those 3D models. Never really planned on becoming an asset seller, but I’m definitely not complaining 🙌
    N
    Nathan Brooks
  • Didn’t think a single image would get me this far. The model needed a little cleanup, but I had a solid base ready in minutes. Saved me an entire afternoon.
    D
    Dylan Reeves
  • Turned one of my kid’s drawings into a little 3D character with Opolyo. She absolutely lost it when she saw it. Probably the most fun thing I’ve made with this so far.
    K
    Kyle Brandt
  • The customer's Stripe gross volume: £231.05 for Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 against £0.00 for the twelve months before, the line flat at zero until a single month of £186.15 near the end
    Honestly didn’t expect anyone to actually pay for the 3D stuff I was making. Put a few of them up for sale just to test it and somehow made £231 from my models. Still feels a bit unreal seeing that number 😂
    O
    Owen Whitaker
  • The customer's Dodo Payments record of paid 3D requests, at a range of different amounts
    I started using Opolyo for a few custom 3D requests from clients and somehow it turned into a little side service of its own. Some people just need a quick conversion, others want more detailed work, so the order sizes are all over the place. Seeing multiple paid requests come in on the same day still feels pretty surreal. Never thought image-to-3D would become something clients actually kept coming back for.
    A
    Adam Pike
  • I use a lot of reference images when working on interior concepts, and this made it really easy to turn an object I liked into a rough 3D asset. I still adjusted a few things afterward, but it saved me from modeling the whole thing from zero.
    C
    Claire Bennett
  • Couldn’t find the exact prop I needed anywhere, so I threw the reference image into Opolyo as a last resort. The first result wasn’t perfect, but the overall shape and proportions were already there. It actually looked like the thing in my reference. After a little cleanup, it was exactly what I needed.
    J
    Jonah Reyes
  • Used it to turn a couple of product images into 3D models for our store. Took a few tries to get the best result, but still much easier than hiring someone to model everything manually.
    G
    Grant Miller
  • The customer's inbox of Stripe payment notifications: five payments, four of $14.99 and one of $125.88
    Woke up, checked my inbox and Stripe notifications just kept showing up. Most were $14.99 orders, then a $125.88 payment landed later in the day. I’m still pretty new to selling my 3D stuff, so seeing 5 sales come in on the same day was a really nice feeling. 🔥
    M
    Miles Prescott
  • I had a photo of a small figurine from years ago that I couldn’t find anywhere anymore. Tried putting it into Opolyo just to see what would happen, and the result was honestly better than I expected. It felt like bringing an old thing back to life. I still want to clean up a few details before printing it, but this is probably my favorite use so far.
    R
    Riley Fenn
  • Turned a photo into a little 3D model, printed it, and gave it to a friend for his birthday. Wasn’t expecting him to react that much 😂 He absolutely loved it. Now I’m thinking of making a few more for Christmas.
    T
    Tyler Hodge
  • The customer's Dodo Payments dashboard for their 3D commission work, totalling $181.92
    I mostly got into this because I like 3D printing and wanted to make a few custom pieces without learning modeling from scratch. Then a couple of people asked if I could make something for them too, so I started taking small requests here and there. Just hit $181.92 from custom 3D commissions. It’s not a huge number, but getting paid for something I was already doing for fun feels pretty awesome.
    W
    Wes Delaney
  • Been playing around with this for a small game project and some of the results are actually really fun. I generated a few props from reference images and one of them ended up fitting the scene perfectly. It’s staying in the game.
    E
    Evan Ross

Put a picture through it

Use the relief converter above, or open the AI workspace.

Generate 3D Model