HueForge for normal people.

What is HueForge?

HueForge turns a normal 2D image into a thin 3D model that uses stacked filament layers to create colour and shading. HueForge calls the process filament painting. Instead of changing colour inside a layer like a normal multicolour print, you usually swap colours at specific heights.

That means a basic printer can do it manually. A CFS/AMS/MMU makes the swaps easier, but HueForge itself doesn't require one.

TD, translated into human

TD means Transmission Distance. In plain English: how far light gets through a filament before that filament stops behaving translucent.

Two spools that both say “white PLA” can behave differently. HueForge uses TD values to predict how the colours underneath will show through the layers above. That's why a filament database matters, and why a random guessed TD can make the preview lie.

What you need to get started

1. HueForge itself.
2. A printer that can pause/change filament by layer.
3. Two to four known filaments is plenty for a first attempt.
4. A slicer where you can add filament changes at exact layer heights.
5. A source image with enough contrast to survive becoming plastic.

HueForge includes a large measured filament database. If your filament isn't there, the official guidance points to the free Seashell calibration test or a TD1 device to measure it.

The dog that turned black

One of my most useful failures was a family gift print where the dog was meant to be a feature. In the HueForge preview, part of the dog's face had already collapsed into a nearly solid black region. I printed it anyway. The printer then produced — shockingly — a nearly solid black region.

That was the moment the preview stopped being “roughly what it might look like” in my head and became part of the validation process.

Read: The Dog Turned Black →

More black does not automatically mean more contrast

I've had better results by simplifying the source image, cropping away background noise, protecting faces and important subject detail, and being deliberate about where the darkest filament appears. Throwing black at a muddy image can just turn the muddy parts into holes.

My common stacks have included black/brown/beige/white and black/grey/beige/white. Four colours can do a surprising amount if the lighter and darker shades show the details I want to keep.

Which licence do I need?

HueForge currently offers Personal, Limited Commercial, Professional Commercial and Lifetime Professional licensing. The useful translation:

Prices and terms can change, so use HueForge's own licence page as the source of truth before selling anything.

My HueForge prints

See the artwork, finished prints and links to my original Creality listings.

View my HueForge collection →