3D artwork for the visually impaired

thingiverse

So I stumbled upon a reddit post from user flycouch that caught my attention - converting artwork into a 3D printable form so those with visual impairment could feel the texture is an amazing idea! To achieve this, I created an STL of the Mona Lisa along with a guide on how to replicate the process with your own images. This concept works beautifully with any image, and here's a step-by-step breakdown: First, convert your chosen image to greyscale using free online services or software like Photoshop or GIMP. Next, upload this greyscale image to 3dp.rocks/lithophane, where it will be converted into a lithophane - note that for most applications, lighter areas would need to be inverted for the lithophane effect, but this particular technique works without inverting it. Now, scale up the depth of your design by approximately twice its original size within your printing software to amplify the texture. A crucial step is smoothing out any rough edges after the print with an acetone application - this greatly enhances the tactile experience for users with visual impairment. For high-resolution images, be prepared for excessively large files that will take a significant amount of time to process during slicing. However, there's an easy workaround: import your STL file into Blender (a completely free program), apply a "decimate" function to reduce the polygon count, and then export it as a significantly smaller STL - even on faster PCs, you may still encounter long wait times for slices with resolutions as low as 0.3mm; imagine how much longer 0.1mm would take!