Tutorial: from a Jpeg 2D picture to a STL 3D file for free

Dear followers, I have seen that there is a wide discussed topic from customizers about how to create 3D figures from pictures.

I'll explain how to create your own 3D printable figurine from the 2D JPEG of the superhero of your dreams... But most important: for free.

What you need is a PC and nothing else, zero costs.

When you want to print it then you need a 3D printer  and the game is done! 

I'll also tell you the main errors of the most commonly used AI tools on the web and, more importantly, how to fix them.

Let's start by creating a figure.

Find a decent AI site that can transform your figure (I chose Caliban) into a good or at least decent STL file to print.

I generally choose Meshy or Rodin.

Meshy has better definition, but it's difficult to get a good number of free figures. I'll explain in another post how to get a minimum number of free figures from Meshy.

So, today, let's start with Rodin. Rodin offers you a welcome pack of 5 free points.

You'll spend 0.5 points for each figure you want to download.

For example, take your figure from Picinterest by downloading it to your PC in JPEG format.

See below Caliban just as a sample.

If it has a background, remove it using Paint (see next pic).

If removing the background doesn't satisfy you, because you MUST make your image as clean as possible, refine it using Paint. For example, I removed the shadow at the base of the feet because it could fool the AI see two pictures before and after below.

Okay now we have a clear, neat and useful picture ready to be transformed by the Rodin AI into a STL printable file.

Then upload it to Rodin by clicking the + button; this operation will not deduct points from your 5 welcome points. When you have the ico showing the picture you can click on generate. This click will not take any of the points from your wallet.

After a short while (picture beow on the left), you'll have a preview of your 3D figure (pic below on the right). If you like it, confirm it, and only after clicking "confirm" it will take 0.5 points (for each figure, that means 5 points = 10 3D figures for free, in reality we can say 9, see below why) .

In my case, I only had 0.5 points remaining, but Rodin doesn't like it and refuses to create the 3D figure of my Caliban (see pic below). You need at least 1 point remaining, to consume your 0,5 point for the figure!

Let's suppose I managed to create it; let's say, for example, that instead of Caliban I created (with the same method) the figure of a girl in a bikini at the beach.

Now I have downloaded from RodinAI a 3D file of my girl on the beach (ok you wanted Caliban... but dear followers.... no money no Caliban...  just keep focused now on the girl in bikini!)

The most common errors you may encounter from Rodin and Meshy are:

1- Hands have six or even seven fingers. This is due to the AI's elaborate interpretation, which, if it can't see certain details in a good way, automatically AI imagines what they might look like. When in doubt about whether to create them in position A or position B, what does it do? It creates them in both positions. This problem is very common, I'd say almost 90% of the times; it's the most common problem. We'll cover it in another post.

2- Some parts are detached from the body, so you'll have trouble printing properly. This problem is quite common. We'll see how to solve it shortly with an example using our "bikini non Caliban girl" model.

3- The model has distorted and misinterpreted the initial image: change the photo you're uploading; obviously, it either has poor definition or too many details. It's often better to use black and white photos rather than color because colors confuse the AI. This is a rare problem by the way.

4-The model has "continuity errors" that need fixing: you may notice them when you upload the model to 3D Builder, for example, but you can easily fix this error directly through 3D Builder by using the "fix errors" button. However, this is an uncommon error with Meshy and RodinAI.

So let's see how to fix the error 2: parts separated from the body.

Let's open SculptGL at SculptGL (long life to Stephany and thanks for sharing your software for free, you made internet a better place!!!!! When you enter SculptGL it appears with a sphere and you can delete it. Also switch off the "symmetry" button.

Here is the Caliban girl in bikini, it seems ready for printing...

 

But at a closer look, in this case, the girl's costume bow is detached from the body and appears to be floating. 

I want to attach it to the body without having to sculpt it from scratch or to drag it consequently deforming it. This is the only limit of SculptGL: you cannot move parts of the STL file  maintaining their ratio and form, you can only drag those or move them but both these functions will deform the part. So, my target is to stick the piece of ribbon exactly as it is to the body.

I'll do this using two programs: SculptGL (free online) and 3D Builder (Thanks Softonic @ 3d-builder free on all PC). Because we give everything away for free, but we also want everything free...!

Open the figure in SculptGL and click "Move", then set the mouse on the ribbon and drag it away from the figure. It will deform the ribbon but not the figure, if you are smart enough with this. Just keep the circle pointer far from the figure and stick onto the ribbon.

Now download the file as is from SculptGL, and you'll have the figure intact but the ribbon is now unusable.

Go to 3D Builder and delete the deformed ribbon, thus obtaining the figure without the ribbon.

Save from 3DBuilder the figure you have (without the ribbon).

Then repeat the whole process in reverse, that is, go into SculptGL (see picture below left) and separate the figure from the ribbon. You'll have the deformed and unusable figure and the ribbon intact.

Now we make the same cut like described above, on 3D Builder, but this time we only keep the ribbon, see the two pictures below.

.

Save the second file (only ribbon without body).

We'll now have two STL files: one is the figure only and the other is the ribbon only.

Now we can upload both figures into the same 3DBuilder window and we can move the ribbon against the body in order to correct Rodin's AI initial error. 

Last thing to do (better to do it for a reason that we can discuss into another blog in the next weeks...)  is to use the "merge" button to permanently join them both in a single figure.

Save again the merged file, now you have your own file of the girl non Caliban in bikini where the bikini ribbon is not anymore fluctuating like dr Starnge in the Sancta Sanctorum.

So here's what our new figure looks like in SculptGL, without the floating ribbon, in SculptGL, ready for printing without errors.

Next Tutorial I'll try to explain how to correct the six fingers problem, hopefully using MeshyAI so that the tutorial can be on wider opportunities.

I hope this one was helpful... but most important: LET'S SHARE!

byeeezzz