I think they were responding to me, probably not understanding my question and thinking I was asking for the file (I wasn’t, I asked for a small section to demonstrate the shading, to expand on the detailed explanation of their process that my post was in response to.)
That file is freely available with a simple Google image search (2300x2300).
I see that now, but the answer is the same for both of us.
I didn’t mind answering the question. It isn’t my file and of course, having a file and actually getting an artwork produced from it are two quite different propositions. Of course, I shared a little on that technique as well, so it’s all good.
On a side note, one thing that was a deciding factor on my purchase of a Glowforge was this active, thriving and helpful community.
FANTASTIC…now lets see if i can do this as well… very cool.
That’s absolutely stunning. Phenomenal work.
It helps that you built me a pretty good machine. Thanks!
Stunning results!
I’m possibly a bit dense, but don’t understand what you mean by:
“The trick seems to be laying down an image composed of dots first”…
Or how to go about it.
wow very nice
Looks like I should get tips from you.
I probably could have worded that better. What I was referring to is that I ran the first pass on the piece with the laser set to vary a pattern of dots rather than using the very power setting. This gives the parts of the composition a better shading than the vary power will. Reason being that the lighter parts of the drawing get little or no power during the pass. By laying down the dots first, the shade gives the impression of more depth as subsequent passes are made. If you zoom in on my photos, you can see what I’m referring to.
My Glowforge is on it’s way, I can only dream to be making such beautiful artwork only a few weeks in 
AWESOME work!
Forgive me if I missed it, but what power and speed settings did you use?
Beyond awesome
Hi Tim,
Would you be open to walking me through how you created a 3D version of what you envisioned? I have been trying to create 3D products for some time but cannot seem to master it. I would love to speak with you further if you are open to this. Thank you & keep up the fantastic work!
Joy Morris
This is covered in the discussion above.
They didn’t create the source file, but a section of what one looks like was shared to demonstrate what they look like to achieve these kinds of results. They are generally called 3d depth or relief images, you can find thousands (including this one) online. They have been commonly used for some time to create 3D wood carvings using CNC routers.
Here is a good tutorial on how to create them using Blender.
Hi Steve,
I used the stock Glowforge settings for Thick Maple. Stock speed etc. For the first pass, select the “dots” mode and use the defaults for that. For subsequent passes, select the "vary power settings and lines per inch settings discussed above. I ran 2 passes at a lower LPI and finished with one final pass at a higher LPI. I used the stock Thick Maple speeds, power, etc otherwise during the whole process.
Thank you. You got beautiful results.
Simply put, this is beautiful. It is impressive… I am completely impressed.
I am never without admiration, the projects created by you and others.
Regards, Michael
Thank you.