VistaSculpt

Getting Started

What is VistaSculpt?

VistaSculpt is a state-of-the-art application that transforms 2D images into 3D relief models with unmatched depth precision and detail accuracy. A "relief" is a type of sculpture where the design is raised from a flat background - think of coins, carved wood panels, or decorative plaques. VistaSculpt uses advanced AI technology to analyze your photos and automatically create detailed 3D versions that you can:

• 3D Print - Create physical objects on any 3D printer (FDM, resin, etc.)
• CNC Machine - Carve into wood, aluminum, brass, or other materials
• Laser Engrave - Etch detailed designs onto wood, acrylic, leather, and more
• Use in Digital Projects - Import into games, renders, AR/VR applications, or other 3D software

Why VistaSculpt Stands Out

VistaSculpt delivers industry-leading depth accuracy that other relief software simply cannot match. Our advanced AI understands the true structure of your images, solving common problems that plague other solutions:

Precise Boundary Detection

When your image contains a frame, picture, or bordered element, VistaSculpt correctly interprets the spatial relationship. The subject inside a frame stays inside the frame in your 3D relief - exactly as it should be. Other software often fails here, causing subjects to incorrectly "pop out" beyond their boundaries, ruining the depth logic of your relief.

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Other Software

Intelligent Shadow Handling

Shadows in photographs are a major challenge for relief conversion. Traditional software often misinterprets shadows as recessed areas, creating unwanted holes, pits, or noise in your model. VistaSculpt's AI recognizes shadows for what they are - lighting effects, not depth information - and processes them correctly, producing clean, artifact-free surfaces.

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Other Software

Precision Flat Surface Detection

Other relief software often struggles with flat surfaces - walls, tables, floors, and backgrounds frequently come out with unwanted bumps, waviness, or uneven textures. VistaSculpt's AI precisely detects and interprets flat areas in your images with 99.9% accuracy, ensuring that surfaces meant to be flat remain perfectly flat in your relief. This precision is critical for professional results, especially for architectural subjects, product photography, and any image where clean, level surfaces matter.

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Other Software

Quick Start Workflow

1. Load Your Image - Drag and drop any image onto the application, or click "Load Image" to browse your files. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP, TIFF, BMP.
2. Prepare Your Image (Optional) - Click "Edit Image" to access tools for removing backgrounds, enhancing quality, or expanding cropped photos.
3. Configure Generation Settings - Adjust the Depth Scale, Details Scale, and Quality settings in the right panel to control how your relief will look.
4. Generate the 3D Model - Click "Generate Relief" and wait for the AI to process your image. Complex images may take longer - this is normal.
5. Refine with Sculpting (Optional) - Click "Sculpting" to manually touch up areas, add details, or smooth imperfections using brush tools.
6. Apply Advanced Tools (Optional) - Use Solidify, Frame Generator, Depth Optimization, or other tools from the left panel to perfect your model.
7. Export Your Creation - Click "Export" and choose STL for 3D printing/CNC, OBJ/GLB for rendering, or Depth Map for specialized CNC software.

Creation Modes

VistaSculpt offers three different modes depending on what you want to create. Select your mode from the dropdown menu at the top of the right panel before loading your file.

Image Preparation Tools

The quality of your 3D relief depends heavily on your source image. VistaSculpt includes powerful AI-powered tools to fix common image problems before generation. Access these by clicking the "Edit Image" button after loading an image.

• Remove Background

  Uses AI segmentation to automatically detect and remove the background from your image, leaving only the main subject with a transparent background. In the 3D generation, transparent areas become flat (zero height), effectively cutting away the background from your relief.

  How It Works

  The AI identifies the primary subject (person, animal, object) and creates a precise cutout mask. Even complex edges like hair or fur are handled intelligently.

  When to Use:

  • Your photo has a busy or distracting background
  • You want your subject to appear on a clean, flat base
  • Background elements are incorrectly being interpreted as foreground depth
  • You're creating a medallion or coin-style relief where only the subject should appear raised
• Enhance Image

  Improves the quality of low-resolution, blurry, or noisy images using AI upscaling and facial enhancement. This is especially powerful for faces - it reconstructs facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, skin texture) to be sharp and well-defined.

  What It Fixes

  • Low Resolution - Upscales small images while adding realistic detail
  • Blur - Sharpens out-of-focus areas, especially facial features
  • Compression Artifacts - Removes JPEG blocking and noise
  • Old/Damaged Photos - Reconstructs missing detail in vintage photographs
  When to Use:

  • Your source image is small (under 500x500 pixels)
  • The image is blurry or taken from a distance
  • You're working with an old photograph or screenshot
  • Facial features appear pixelated or undefined
• Expand Image

  Intelligently extends the edges of your image when the subject is cropped. Using AI-powered generative fill, it creates new pixels that naturally continue the existing content.

  Use Cases

  • The top of a head is cut off in the photo
  • Shoulders or arms extend beyond the frame
  • You need more "breathing room" around the edges for framing
  • The composition is too tight and you want to add background space

  You can specify expansion amounts for each side (top, bottom, left, right) independently.

  When to Use: Your photo crops off important parts of the subject, or you need additional margin space around the edges for adding a decorative frame later.
• AI Relief Preview (Sculptify)

  For flat images like logos, text, or vector art, standard depth estimation doesn't work well because there's no natural shading or lighting to interpret. This tool uses AI to "imagine" how a flat image would look as a 3D relief, generating appropriate depth and curvature.

  How It Differs from Normal Generation

  • Standard Mode - Analyzes existing shadows and lighting in photos to determine depth
  • AI Relief Preview - Creates depth from scratch based on shape recognition, making flat graphics appear rounded and 3D
  When to Use:

  • Logos and brand marks
  • Text and typography
  • Icons and symbols
  • Vector artwork with solid colors and no shading
  • Line drawings or illustrations without realistic lighting

3D Generation Settings

These sliders control how your 2D image is converted into a 3D model. Understanding each parameter helps you achieve exactly the look you want.

• Depth Scale Range: 0-20, Default: 3

  Controls the overall "height" of your relief - the distance between the lowest point (background) and the highest point (foreground features).

  Value Guide

  • 0-2 (Very Low) - Extremely subtle relief, almost flat. Good for testing or when material thickness is very limited.
  • 3-5 (Low) - Subtle, coin-like relief. Creates elegant, understated depth suitable for decorative panels, jewelry, or thin materials. This is the default range.
  • 6-10 (Medium) - Noticeable depth with good shadow definition. Recommended for most portrait reliefs, decorative pieces, and general-purpose use.
  • 11-15 (High) - Dramatic, pronounced relief with strong depth. Great for artistic pieces, large wall hangings, or when you want maximum visual impact.
  • 16-20 (Very High) - Extreme depth. Use with caution - may cause sharp transitions or "spiking" artifacts on some images. Best for highly stylized effects.
  Recommendation Start with the default value of 3, generate a preview, then adjust up or down based on the result. It's easier to increase depth gradually than to fix an over-exaggerated model.
• Details Scale Range: 0-100, Default: 50

  Controls surface texture intensity - the fine details like skin pores, fabric weave, hair strands, and wrinkles. This works independently from Depth Scale, allowing you to have deep relief with smooth surfaces or shallow relief with high detail.

  Value Guide

  • 0-20 (Low) - Very smooth surfaces with minimal texture. Creates a stylized, polished look similar to smooth marble or plastic. Good for cartoon-style reliefs or when you want a clean, simplified aesthetic.
  • 21-40 (Medium-Low) - Subtle surface detail. Softens skin imperfections while keeping basic texture. Good for idealized portraits.
  • 41-60 (Medium) - Balanced detail level. Shows natural texture without being overwhelming. The default of 50 works well for most subjects.
  • 61-80 (Medium-High) - Enhanced detail visibility. Pores, wrinkles, fabric patterns, and fur become more pronounced. Good for realistic portraits or textured subjects.
  • 81-100 (High) - Maximum surface detail. Every texture element is emphasized. Best for subjects with interesting surface detail (fur, scales, rough stone, detailed fabric) or when carving into materials that show fine detail well.
  How to Use: Set your Depth Scale first to establish the overall form, then adjust Details Scale to add or reduce surface texture. Higher values work well for animals with fur, elderly faces with character lines, or rough-textured subjects.
• Z Limit (Floor Cut) Range: 0-90, Default: 0

  Sets a minimum height threshold as a percentage. Everything below this level gets flattened to a uniform base plane. Think of it as raising the "water level" to submerge and hide low areas.

  How It Works

  At 0%, no cutting occurs - all depth information is preserved. At 50%, the bottom half of the depth range is flattened. At 90%, only the highest 10% of the relief remains raised.

  Value Guide

  • 0 (Off) - No floor cutting. Use this when your background is clean or already removed.
  • 5-15 - Subtle cleanup. Flattens minor background noise while preserving most depth information.
  • 20-40 - Moderate cutting. Good for removing textured backgrounds while keeping the main subject intact.
  • 50+ - Aggressive cutting. Use when you want only the most prominent features to remain raised.
  When to Use:

  • Your background has unwanted texture appearing as raised areas
  • You want to flatten the base completely while keeping only the subject raised
  • There's noise or artifacts in the lower depth regions
  • You're creating a silhouette-style relief where only the outline matters
  Note Z Limit is only available after background removal or when the image has transparency. For images with solid backgrounds, remove the background first using the Edit Image tools.
• Smoothing Surface: 0-50 | Edge: 0-100

  Controls how much the generated mesh is smoothed. VistaSculpt provides two smoothing options:

  • Surface Smoothing - Smooths the overall surface to reduce noise and create cleaner transitions. Default: 3. Higher values create softer, more blended surfaces.
  • Edge Smoothing - Specifically targets the sharp edges where the relief meets the background. Default: 3. Helps blend the outline for a more natural look.

  Auto Mode: When "Auto" is checked (default), smoothing values are automatically calculated based on your Details Scale setting - higher detail = less smoothing, and vice versa.

• Quality Preset

  Controls the resolution of the depth analysis and resulting mesh density. Higher quality = more polygons = finer detail but larger file sizes and longer processing times.

  Options

  • Fast - Low resolution (518px). Quick generation for testing and previewing. Good for initial experiments.
  • Medium - Moderate resolution (850px). Balanced quality and speed. Suitable for most projects where fast iteration is needed.
  • High - High resolution (1024px). Detailed output recommended for final production files. Default setting.
  • Ultra (Pro) - Maximum resolution (1200px). Best detail quality, requires more RAM. Available for Pro license users. Use for high-end CNC work or when maximum detail is essential.

Sculpting Tools

Click the "Sculpting" button to enter manual editing mode. This allows you to touch up your generated model, add details, fix imperfections, or make creative changes. All edits happen in real-time - you see changes instantly as you sculpt.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Brush Types

Advanced Modeling Tools

These powerful tools perform operations on your entire model at once. Find them in the left panel, displayed as icon buttons. Hover over each button to see its description.

• 🧩 Solidify

  Closes any open areas in the outline sidewalls of your relief. When a relief is generated, the sides may have gaps or open edges - Solidify detects these boundary edges and creates proper wall geometry to seal them.

  What It Does

  • Detects open edges along the relief outline
  • Creates vertical side walls to close gaps
  • Seals the sidewalls for cleaner geometry
  When to Use: When your relief has open or incomplete sidewalls that need to be closed for a cleaner model. This is especially useful before exporting for 3D printing or CNC machining.
  Note Solidify closes the sidewalls but does not add a bottom surface. The relief remains open at the bottom, which is typical for CNC machining where only the top surface matters.
• 📐 Depth Optimization

  Intelligently compresses the overall depth of your model while preserving surface details. Unlike simple scaling (which squashes everything equally), this algorithm separates "base volume" from "surface texture" and compresses them differently.

  How It Works

  The tool identifies large, low-frequency shapes (like the roundness of a head) and compresses them aggressively, while preserving high-frequency details (pores, wrinkles, texture). This allows deep subjects to fit onto thin materials without looking washed out.

  When to Use:

  • Your relief is too deep for your available material thickness
  • You want to reduce depth without losing surface detail
  • Creating coin-like reliefs from deep originals
  • Optimizing for specific CNC bit limitations
• ➰ Spherical Bend

  Warps your flat relief onto a spherical surface, creating either a dome (convex) or bowl (concave) shape.

  Options

  • Positive Values - Creates a dome shape, curving outward (convex). The center rises up while edges curve down. Great for shields, medallions, ornaments, shoulder pads.
  • Negative Values - Creates a dish/bowl shape, curving inward (concave). The center drops down while edges rise up. Perfect for creating molds, bowls, or concave decorative pieces.
  When to Use: Creating curved decorative pieces, making medallions that catch light interestingly, designing jewelry components, or preparing molds for casting.
• 🔲 Frame Generator

  Creates a decorative border frame around your relief. Choose from geometric shapes or load custom ornate frame designs from the built-in library.

  Frame Shape Options

  • Rectangle ⬜ - Rectangular frame with optional corner radius. Set Corner Radius to 0 for sharp corners, or increase for rounded corners. Negative values create concave (notched) corners.
  • Rounded ⚪ - Oval/elliptical frame that automatically matches your relief's aspect ratio. Creates smooth, continuous curved borders.
  • Outline ✏️ - Follows the actual outline shape of your relief rather than using a geometric shape. Perfect for irregular silhouettes.
  • Library 📚 - Pre-made ornate frames (baroque, classical, decorative patterns). Browse thumbnails and click to select. Library frames have their own positioning and scaling controls.

  Frame Size Controls

  • Width - Total width of the frame opening (in mm or inches)
  • Height - Total height of the frame opening (in mm or inches)
  • Depth - How tall the frame rises from the base (Z-height of the frame border)

  Frame Profile Controls

  • Thickness - Width of the frame border itself (how wide the molding is)
  • Angle - Controls the slope from outer edge to inner edge. At 0, the frame top is flat. Higher values create a sloped profile dropping toward the center.
  • Round - Controls the cross-section curve of the frame profile:
    • Positive values - Convex/bulging profile (traditional picture frame look)
    • Zero - Flat/linear slope
    • Negative values - Concave/scooped profile (cove molding look)
  • Inner Offset - Gap between the frame's inner edge and your relief:
    • Positive values - Frame inner edge moves inward (frame overlaps relief edges)
    • Negative values - Frame inner edge moves outward (gap between frame and relief)
  • Corner Radius - (Rectangle only) Rounds the corners. Positive = rounded outward, Negative = notched inward.

  Position Controls

  • Move X / Move Y - Shifts the frame position horizontally and vertically relative to the relief center

  Additional Options

  • Fill Bottom - Adds a solid surface at the bottom of the frame (useful if frame will be visible from below)
  • Auto Crop - When enabled, automatically trims your relief to fit inside the frame boundary. Disable if you want the relief to extend beyond the frame.
  When to Use: Finishing pieces for presentation, creating complete wall plaques, adding professional borders to portraits, making picture frame-style reliefs, or preparing medallions with decorative edges.
• 🪓 Crop With Offset

  Crops your model by calculating its 2D outline (silhouette) and shrinking it inward by a specified distance. This creates a clean, consistent border around the entire relief.

  How It Works

  1. Calculates the 2D perimeter of your model from a top-down view
  2. Offsets (shrinks) this perimeter inward by your specified distance
  3. Uses this new shape as a cutting boundary
  4. Removes everything outside the boundary
  When to Use:

  • Removing ragged or noisy edges left from AI generation
  • Creating a consistent margin around your relief
  • Cleaning up the outline before adding a frame
  • Trimming artifacts that appear at the boundaries
• 〰️ Smooth Outline

  Smooths the sharp vertical edges where your relief meets the background. CNC machines, especially those with smaller bits, struggle with perfectly vertical (90°) walls which can cause vibration or bit breakage. This tool creates gentle slopes instead.

  What It Does

  Identifies the vertical side walls of your relief and applies a relaxation algorithm to slope them outward (e.g., from 90° to 75°). A visual heatmap shows exactly which areas will be modified.

  When to Use:

  • Before CNC machining, especially with ball-nose or small-diameter bits
  • When you see tool path warnings about vertical walls
  • To create a more natural-looking transition from relief to background
• 🩹 Fill Holes

  Automatically detects and fills gaps or holes in your mesh. You can set a size threshold to fill only small holes (which are usually errors) while preserving large intentional openings.

  How It Works

  The tool scans your mesh for non-manifold edges (holes). It calculates the area of each hole and lets you choose a threshold: holes smaller than this size get filled, larger ones remain open.

  When to Use:

  • Before 3D printing to ensure a watertight mesh
  • Fixing small gaps that appeared during generation
  • Repairing imported models with geometry errors
• 📈 Edit Height Curve

  Provides a graphical curve editor to remap depth values. This allows non-linear adjustment of the relationship between original depth and output depth.

  Use Cases

  • Flatten Background - Pull down the left side of the curve to make low areas flatter
  • Enhance Foreground - Raise the right side of the curve to make high areas more prominent
  • Increase Contrast - Create an S-curve to exaggerate the difference between high and low areas
  • Reduce Contrast - Flatten the curve to compress the depth range
  When to Use: Fine-tuning the depth distribution after generation, making the background flatter while keeping foreground detail, or adjusting overall relief "contrast."
• 🌟 AI Enhancer

  Uses AI to improve your 3D model's details. It can sharpen fuzzy areas, add realistic surface texture, or even change the artistic style of your relief.

  How It Works

  The tool captures a depth snapshot of your current relief and uses AI to regenerate enhanced details. You can optionally provide a text prompt to influence the style (e.g., "carved wood texture", "smooth marble", "ancient bronze coin").

  Options

  • No Prompt - Simply sharpens and enhances existing details
  • With Prompt - Changes the aesthetic style based on your description
  When to Use:

  • Your relief looks "mushy" or lacks definition
  • Standard smoothing isn't producing the results you want
  • You want to add artistic style to your relief
  • Details were lost during generation and you want to recover them

Scene Management & Export

Working with Multiple Objects

VistaSculpt allows you to work with multiple models in a single scene. The Scene Explorer panel (bottom of the right panel) shows all your objects and provides these capabilities:

• Select - Click an object in the list or click directly on it in the 3D view to select it. Hold Ctrl while clicking to add/remove from selection (multi-select).
• Copy/Paste - Use Ctrl+C to copy selected objects and Ctrl+V to paste duplicates. Useful for creating patterns or arrays.
• Move, Rotate, Scale - Use the transform gizmos (Move/Rotate/Scale buttons in the toolbar) to position your objects precisely.
• Show/Hide - Click the eye icon to toggle visibility without deleting objects. Hidden objects are not exported.
• Delete - Select objects and press Delete or use the context menu to remove them.
• Rename - Double-click an object name to rename it.

Export Formats

Click the "Export" button to save your model. Choose the format based on your intended use:

Export Options

When exporting, you may see additional options:

• Polygon Optimization - Reduce polygon count for smaller file sizes. Higher reduction = smaller file but less detail. Keep at 0% for maximum quality, or reduce for web/game use.
• Include Texture - For OBJ/GLB exports, optionally include the original image mapped onto the surface.
• Scale - Adjust the physical size of the exported model. Enter the desired dimensions in mm.

Credits & Generation Limits

Relief Generation Limits

To ensure fair usage and server stability, VistaSculpt limits how many AI-powered relief generations you can perform within a 3-hour rolling window.

Credit System

Some features require credits because they use cloud-based AI processing. Credits are only deducted when a process completes successfully - if an operation fails or is cancelled, you keep your credits.

Credit Costs

Purchasing Credits

Click the credits display in the toolbar to open the purchase dialog. Credits are available in packages - larger packages offer better value per credit. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.

Troubleshooting & Common Questions