Overview
Kromacut turns a flat image into a stacked, color-layered 3D print. The central idea is simple: the colors in your image become physical layers, and the order and height of those layers become the print plan.
Use Kromacut when you want a HueForge-style print, a color lithophane-style relief, or a layered display piece where filament swaps create the final image.
Main Workflow
Most projects follow the same path:
- Load or import an image.
- Reduce colors until the preview has a printable palette.
- Dedither or clean up isolated pixels if the image looks noisy.
- Switch to 3D mode and choose Manual or Auto-paint.
- Build and export an STL or 3MF file and follow the print instructions.
Two Ways To Paint
Kromacut has two printing workflows in 3D mode.
| Workflow | Use it when | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | You want direct control over each image color. | Color order, per-color slice heights, print settings, and swaps. |
| Auto-paint | You want Kromacut to plan the physical filament stack. | Filament colors, Transmission Distance values, max height, and optimizer options. |
Manual mode starts from the image colors shown in the Image colors panel. Auto-paint starts from your real filaments and their TD values, then generates printable layers for the image.
What You See In The App
The workspace has three main areas:
- The header contains Load TD Test, theme controls, and community links.
- The left panel contains the current mode controls.
- In 2D, it shows adjustments, dedither, quantization, custom palettes, and detected image colors.
- In 3D, it shows print settings, Manual controls, Auto-paint controls, and print instructions.
- The main preview shows the 2D image canvas or the 3D model.
Tip: 3D settings do not automatically rebuild the model. After changing print settings, Manual slice heights, or Auto-paint options, click Build 3D Model.
Good First Project
Start with a high-contrast image that has a clear subject and limited background detail. Reduce it to 4 to 16 colors, then use Manual mode if you already know your layer order or Auto-paint if you have calibrated filament TD values.
Next: Quick start.