# 2d Printing to 3D Print **URL:** \ **Category:** 3d Printing / Slicers / Setup / Problems\ **Tags:** ender-3, tinkercad\ **Created:** [December 5, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828 "2020-12-05T22:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/1 "2020-12-05T22:02:36Z")
Hi Everyone, I’m trying to find a good video on how to scan a picture and change it to a 3D Print. I didn’t see a video by Dr. Vax…??? I have used Tinkercab. I am more familiar with this program than any other at this time. What I need to create is very simple, but would like to try to make more my husband for Christmas. Thanks in advance for help and guidance. ---
**Author:** ![Geit](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forum.makewithtech.com/geit/32/44_2.png) [@Geit](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Geit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/2 "2020-12-05T23:02:29Z")
I think lithophanes are the thing you are searching for: [How to Design a Lithophane. Part 1 of 3. - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1sYVJjAWyM) There is no other way to turn 2D photos into 3D prints. Here is a threat in this forum. @roon4660 is the expert in this department. 😃 > **[Need Simple photo editing software for lithophanes. - MakeWithTech...](http://forum.makewithtech.com/forum/3d-printing/2817-need-simple-photo-editing-software-for-lithophanes)** > > I hate to admit it but Gimp has got me stumped. Even with watching videos for lame brains like me I can not do what I want to do. I want to be able to size and crop a photo to 102 mm x 156 high including a 6 mm light grey border all around. This... ---
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 5:22am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/3 "2020-12-06T05:22:59Z")
I actually want to scan something and then print it with the 3d printer. Not a picture but an item (car part) It’s flat, so It fits in my regular scanner. ---
**Author:** ![Stuart](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forum.makewithtech.com/stuart/32/17_2.png) [@Stuart](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Stuart)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 11:04am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/4 "2020-12-06T11:04:04Z")
Hi Tammy, Can you scan your image and post it here? Just so we can see what you are try to print. Then someone may be able to offer advice on the next step. ---
**Author:** ![Ender5r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ender5r](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Ender5r)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/5 "2020-12-06T15:56:39Z")
> [@Tammy](#): > > I actually want to scan something and then print it with the 3d printer. Not a picture but an item (car part) It’s flat, so It fits in my regular scanner. If it’s a flat part, it may be easier to simply take measurements & duplicate it in a CAD package. I’ve done that several times already, & I only start 3D printing in June. Also, you can take a photo and import it into a CAD package and use B-splining to outline the features of the part. I have found that to be more trouble than it’s worth most of the time. For a couple of items with complicated curves it proved useful. ---
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 4:32am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/6 "2020-12-07T04:32:19Z")
I thought I had it, but my thought was wrong. I was so close, but my pattern was a little big and off shape. I have scanned a picture of what it is, and will upload tomorrow. Thank you for the help. It would be great if I could trace the object and color it in… I created in tinkercab, by using cylinder shapes and lots of them. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Ender5r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ender5r](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Ender5r)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/7 "2020-12-07T13:40:25Z")
That’s why I prefer to measure. Photographs, unless shot with very special lenses, & done using specific techniques not available to the vast majority of people, are not dimensionally accurate. If dimensional accuracy is important, they’re not the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Ender5r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ender5r](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Ender5r)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/8 "2020-12-08T00:51:07Z")
So it’s just the pinkish part you’re trying to replicate? ---
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/9 "2020-12-08T04:20:29Z")
I’m extremely happy to say I have finally got it. I traced the piece that goes on the gasket (silver part) and put it into Tinkercad. Took forever, but basically took a lot of cylinders and reshaped going up to the edge and filling in my trace and grouping each piece together each time. I then duplicated it and expanded it 2.5mm in size and placed the smaller piece in the larger one and showing it as a hole. I know there has to be an easier way. But after hours of doing this, I have learned a lot about Tinkercad, and I have a finished product. If anyone has a 1960 Buick that is in need of some door protection pieces (the pink part) I can provide. Is there an easier way? I will post a picture of the finished product. Thanks to everyone that took the time to try and understand what I was trying to do. Next project… ---
**Author:** ![Ender5r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ender5r](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Ender5r)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/10 "2020-12-08T04:51:10Z")
Congrats. I suspect it was harder than it might have been if you had used FreeCAD or Fusion 360. ---
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/11 "2020-12-08T13:57:39Z")
Thank You Ender5r, I’m sure you are correct. I need to learn these programs. Which one would you suggest? It seems as if I see more help posts on Fusion 360… DrVax has info on both. ---
**Author:** ![Ender5r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ender5r](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Ender5r)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/12 "2020-12-08T19:19:49Z")
I can’t really make a recommendation. FCAD has the advantage of being open source, but it also has some issues that make it, IMHO, more difficult to use than F360. It is getting better, but @Geit recently pointed out some more issues going on with the developers. As I said, I find F360 easier to use, but it is not open source, meaning 1 company controls its future. The F360 team @ Autodesk, the makers of F360, have stated that there will always be a free-to-use version of F360 for non-commercial use but, as @Geit points out, how long that will actually last, and what features will remain free to use, can be changed at any time. That happened just recently, when Autodesk altered the number and type of free-to-use features. ---
**Author:** ![wmyhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wmyhal](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/wmyhal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/13 "2020-12-08T20:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=Tammy;n6887][/QUOTE] Nice work! ---
**Author:** ![Tammy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@Tammy](https://forum.makewithtech.com/u/Tammy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://forum.makewithtech.com/t/2d-printing-to-3d-print/2828/14 "2020-12-10T02:33:57Z")
Thank You for your comments