8 Best Software For Turning Photos Into 3D Models
Check out this amazing list for turning your 2D images into 3D
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Key notes
- Advanced AI and imaging capabilities have made software pretty capable of turning 2D images into 3D models.
- You can even use a single image of your face and turn it into a 3-dimensional model.
- There are some apps such as Clip Studio Paint or Autodesk Tinkercad to turn 2D images into 3D.
How software can turn a face photo into a 3D model?
If you are a graphic designer or a regular user who would like to know the best software available on the internet for turning photos into 3D models, then you have come to the right place.
Previously, it required a lot of time and a lot of images of the face from different angles to create a face into a 3D model. Thanks to artificial intelligence and powerful software, you can easily turn your face photo into a 3D model.
In this guide, we will present 7 of the best free and paid software for turning pictures into 3D models. Some software is pretty easy to use, while others require a bit of graphic designing knowledge to convert photos into 3D models. Let us take a look at the software one by one.
What is the best software for turning photos into 3D models?
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler – Digitize and enrich assets
We all know that Adobe is the go-to company when it comes to digital art and anything visual actually. Of course, they are also great at transforming your picture into a 3D asset.
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler it’s the product that can do that for you. This Adobe software is packed with powerful tools that are not as hard to master as one would think.
The scan system of this product is powered by AI allowing you from the very start to set up the way your 3D will look like. You can remove shadows, generate albedo, roughness, and mapping. Post-scanning you can focus on the 3D transformation.
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler also comes with parametric effects, allowing you to combine weathering and natural effects any way you want.
It is worth mentioning that this Adobe product is not part of the Creative Cloud All Apps.
Some key features:
- AI-powered Scan Processing
- Create HDR environment lights
- Built-in Photogrammetry
- Send any image directly to Adobe Photoshop
- Combine weathering and natural effects
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler
Transform your photos into 3D assets with this professional tool from Adobe.Clip Studio Paint – Great for drawing 3D comics
If you are looking for great value software to help turn your face into a 3D model, then you should consider using Clip Studio Paint.
Clip Studio Paint consists of over 10,000 free assets, and many more are available if you are ready to pay. It comes with access to 3D models, which you can use to create illustrations and comics.
You can use it to create full 3D color comics and convert tone and outline into separate layers by using the LT conversion of layers. The best part is that you can import 3D data made with other software and configure them as materials in this tool.
Here are some of the key highlights of Clip Studio Paint:
- You can import 3D data from other software
- Use built-in AI to pose your figure
- Lets you fine-tune various attributes of your 3D drawing figure
- Regsiter 3D primitives as materials
Clip Studio Paint
Create 3D models by using this great app which has a multitude of editing options, including tones, layers, and colors.Autodesk Tinkercad – Good overall 3D modeling software
Tinkercad is the next one on our list of the best free software for turning photos into 3D models. It is available for free and can be accessed via the web. All you need to do is create an account on the website, and you can create your 3D masterpiece.
You can use Tinkercad to turn your 2D images into 3D images. The 3D model will have clearly separated colors and will show off gradually.
Tinkercad also lets you enhance the details of your 3D model, place objects, combine objects, and use various features.
Check out some of the best features of Tinkercad:
- It has a user-friendly interface
- Available for free
- It is compatible with 3D printing
- You can use it on your browser
ItsLitho – Create high-quality 3D printed lithophanes
ItsLitho is a free online tool that will help you turn your 2D image into a 3D lithophane. The user interface is also easily understandable, and there isn’t much learning curve.
The tool also has multiple in-built tools, such as a gray-scale converter and pixel editor to edit the brightness and contrast of the images.
You can also use this tool to design your shape, add a frame or border, enhance the quality, and other aspects of the image.
Apart from converting your image to a lithophane, you can also turn a 2D image into a 3D model as well.
Here are a few key features of the ItsLitho tool:
- Create a 3D printable image from a 2D image in a few clicks
- Easy to use
- Free of cost
- Does not require installation and can be used on a browser
Vectary – Decently price 2D to 3D converter
Vectary is another popular name that makes it to our list of the best software for turning photos into 3D models. While you can use it on your browser for free, it will have limitations, which you can easily get rid of by purchasing the paid plan.
The conversion process is pretty simple and comes with an extensive library of tools to create 3D visuals on your 2D image.
You can drag-and-drop elements, use ready-made assets from the massive 3D library, and tweak the size or rotate your 3D model as per your liking.
Here are the best features of Vectary:
- It is web-based
- The user interface is pretty simple to use
- Lets you control various elements of the 3D model
- Comes with a huge 3D asset library
- Allows viewing in Augmented Reality
Blender – Free and open-source tool
Blender is an open-source and free tool that lets you easily and quickly create 2D to 3D images. It is an advanced tool that is used by professionals and is best for commercial projects.
You can use this tool on any device, and apart from converting your images from 2D to 3D, you can also create a 3D image from scratch.
Blender can be used to for rendering, modeling, sculpting, animation, motion tracking, 3D printing, and much more.
Some of the best features of Blender are:
- It is a free and open-source tool
- Can be used on any device as it is web-based
- Comes with multiple features
- Apt from 3D printing and various other aspects of filmmaking
3DF ZEPHYR – An advanced tool for creating 3D models
3DF ZEPHYR lets you create 3D models from images you have captured from any device. Be it a camera, phone, laser scanner device, drone, etc., you can use the images from these devices to convert them into 3D models.
While the tool offers a free version to try out the features, you need to purchase the product to access advanced features such as full exporting capabilities, control points, full NVIDIA GPU support, etc.
Check out some of the special features of 3DF ZEPHYR:
- Can take images from different devices to process them together in a single project
- Fast processing speeds
- Control minute data points to enhance the image
- Offers plenty of editing tools
- Good for advanced users
Photomodeler – Powerful photogrammetry software
Last but not least, we have the Photomodeler tool that will help you extract measurements out of 2D and 3D images.
You can try out the Photomodeler software to measure your photos for free but get the paid version for advanced measurement, diagramming 3D modeling, or 3D scanning tasks.
The customer support is also pretty great, as several users have reported getting their queries resolved in no time. The product is highly accurate, captures moving objects, and can be used with photos from many devices.
Check out the best features of Photomodeler:
- Highly accurate measurement
- Good for professionals
- Multiple editing tools to enhance your photos
That is in our list of the best free and paid software for turning photos into 3D models. Do note that this list contains both free and paid options allowing you to decide on the software as per your need.
If you are someone that is looking for the best CGI software, then we would suggest you check out our guide on the 5+ best CGI software for professional 3D modeling list.
We also have a guide on the 5 best 3D printing software for PC that lists some of the best tools that you can have for 3D printing.
Let us know in the comments below which one of the above tools you opted for turning 2D images into 3D.
