---
title: "PNG to 3MF"
description: "Convert PNG to color 3MF for color printing: transparent backgrounds for badges and stamps, height maps for photo reliefs. Local browser processing, no upload."
toolId: "png-to-3mf"
category: "conversion"
subgroup: "image-to-3d"
subgroupName: "Image to 3D Model"
url: "https://any3d.cc/en-US/tools/png-to-3mf"
markdown: "https://any3d.cc/llm/tools/png-to-3mf.md"
---

# PNG to 3MF

PNG → Color 3MF: transparent backgrounds for color-printed badges and stamps, or color photo reliefs. Free online.

**Category:** 3D Format Conversion Tools (`conversion`)
**Subgroup:** Image to 3D Model (`image-to-3d`)

**HTML:** https://any3d.cc/en-US/tools/png-to-3mf

> Runs entirely in the browser. Files are not uploaded to Any3D servers.

## Overview

Turn a PNG into a color 3MF, ready for color print previews and modern slicers. The transparent channel helps extract badge and logo contours; photos can become color reliefs through height maps. Final color still depends on your printer and material.

## Tips

- Transparent PNGs work best for color badges and stamp outlines
- Color data survives in 3MF, unlike a plain STL export
- Print a small test swatch before scaling up production

## About Configuration Options

### Conversion Mode

- **Conversion Mode** (Default: Outline Extrude): Select how the image should be converted into 3D geometry.
  - `contour` — Outline Extrude (Recommended): Generates solid shapes with uniform thickness from image outlines. Ideal for stamps, logos, nameplates, and other uniform-thickness objects.
  - `heightmap` — Heightmap: Creates a relief surface from the image's light and dark areas. By default darker parts are raised; change it under Raise By to lighter, vivid colors, or custom per color. Great for photo reliefs, terrain models, and artistic surfaces.

### Size

- **Width (X)** (Default: 100mm; Range: 10mm – 500mm): Final model width, including the base. With the aspect ratio locked, the length follows the shape's proportions and does not change with Detail.
- **Length (Y)**: Locked to the width by the shape's aspect ratio. Editing it rescales the width.
- **Lock Aspect Ratio** (Default: on): When on, the height follows the width using the shape's proportions. Turn off to set width and height separately (the model is stretched).

### Background

- **Background** (Default: By Brightness): By Brightness: transparent areas of a PNG are the background; opaque images are split by Threshold. Remove by Color: transparent areas plus pixels close to any picked color are removed. Keep Background: nothing is removed.
  - `auto` — By Brightness (Recommended)
  - `color` — Remove by Color
  - `keep` — Keep Background
- **Background Colors** (Default: #ffffff): Pixels close to any of these colors are removed. Add a second color for gray-and-white checkerboards or two-tone backgrounds (up to 4).
- **Tolerance** (Default: 15; Range: 0 – 100): Higher values also remove colors further from the picked ones. Raise it if a colored fringe remains or the background is uneven.
- **Transparent Fill** (Default: White): Fill transparent areas with this color and keep the whole image.
  - `white` — White (Recommended)
  - `black` — Black

### Outline Extrude Settings

- **Threshold** (Default: 128; Range: 0 – 255): Brightness cut-off (0-255) between dark and light. Higher values count more (lighter) pixels as dark; lower values keep only the darkest pixels.
- **Extrude Height** (Default: 10; Range: 1 – 100 · step 0.1): The thickness of the extruded geometry in millimeters. Controls how tall the final 3D model will be.
- **Edge Rounding** (Default: 0.5; Range: 0 – 5 · step 0.1): Rounds the top edge of the outline. The value is the radius; 0 keeps a sharp edge.
- **Rounding Segments** (Default: 3; Range: 1 – 8): The number of segments used to create the bevel curve. More segments produce smoother bevels at the cost of more geometry.
- **Keep Sharp Corners** (Default: 37; Range: 5 – 90): Corners that turn more than this angle stay sharp and are not smoothed. Lower values keep more corners sharp.
- **Detail** (Default: 1; Range: 0.1 – 2 · step 0.1): Controls the resolution of the generated mesh. Higher quality produces smoother surfaces but larger file sizes.
- **Base** (Default: None): Adds a solid base under the shape. Rectangle follows the bounding box; Follow Outline follows the shape's outline.
  - `none` — None (Recommended)
  - `rect` — Rectangle
  - `outline` — Follow Outline
  - `circle` — Circle
- **Base Thickness** (Default: 2mm; Range: 0.5mm – 10mm · step 0.1mm): Thickness of the base under the shape.
- **Base Margin** (Default: 3mm; Range: 0mm – 20mm · step 0.1mm): How far the base extends beyond the shape on each side.
- **Base Segments** (Default: 64; Range: 16 – 256): Smoothness of the circular base and of rounded corners on the outline base. More segments are smoother but make a larger file.
- **Base Color** (Default: #e1e1e1): Only for 3MF export: color of the base part.
- **Extract** (Default: Dark Parts): Choose whether the dark or the light parts of the image become solid. Pick Light Parts when the subject is lighter than the background.
  - `dark` — Dark Parts (Recommended)
  - `light` — Light Parts

### Cleanup

- **Max Colors** (Default: 12; Range: 1 – 16): Maximum number of colors kept after merging similar shades. Each color becomes its own shape, which affects how the model is split (STL too) and the parts of a multi-color 3MF.
- **Ignore Small Specks** (Default: 15; Range: 0 – 200): Spots and holes smaller than this area are ignored. Raise it for noisy scans; lower it to keep tiny details.
- **Outline Simplification** (Default: 0; Range: 0 – 4 · step 0.05): Higher values give simpler edges and fewer triangles; 0 (default) follows the image exactly.

### Heightmap Settings

- **Relief Height** (Default: 5; Range: 0.5 – 20 · step 0.1): The maximum height of the raised areas in millimeters. Controls the overall relief depth.
- **Minimum Base Thickness** (Default: 1; Range: 0 – 5 · step 0.1): Thickness at the lowest point of the relief; thicker is sturdier. In By Brightness mode, transparent areas of a PNG count as background and sit at this thickness.
- **Smoothing** (Default: 2; Range: 0 – 10): Applies smoothing to the heightmap surface to reduce noise and stair-stepping artifacts. Higher values produce smoother surfaces.
- **Detail** (Default: 400; Range: 100 – 400 · step 50): Controls the detail level of the generated mesh. Higher resolution preserves more image detail but increases file size.
- **Cut Out Subject** (Default: on): Background areas are left out: only the subject is printed, with sides following its outline. Turn off to keep the full rectangular base.
- **Raise By** (Default: Dark Raised): Dark Raised suits black-and-white logos and photo reliefs; Light Raised is the opposite; Vivid Raised lifts colorful areas while white, gray and black stay flat; Custom per Color sets a height for each color.
  - `dark` — Dark Raised (Recommended)
  - `light` — Light Raised
  - `saturation` — Vivid Raised
  - `custom` — Custom per Color
- **Color Heights**: Set a height for each main color. Pixels use the closest color.
- **Edge Rounding** (Default: 0.5; Range: 0 – 3 · step 0.1): Rounds the top edge of the subject's sides; 0 keeps a sharp edge. The outline grows outward by about the radius.
- **Bottom Rounding** (Default: 0; Range: 0 – 3 · step 0.1): Rounds the bottom edge of the subject's sides; 0 keeps a sharp edge (default). The footprint stays on the outline; the upper shape grows outward by about the radius.
- **Rounding Segments** (Default: 3; Range: 1 – 10): More segments give a smoother curve.

## Format Information

### Input format

- **Extension:** png
- **Full Name:** Portable Network Graphics
- **Type:** Image
- **Format:** PNG
- **Tools:** [Photoshop](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html), [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org), [Krita](https://krita.org), [Paint.NET](https://paint.net/)
- **Open With:** Image Editor, Windows Photos, Preview (Mac)
- **Description:** PNG is a lossless raster format with 8-bit alpha transparency, offering sharp edges and no artifacts. It is preferred for converting silhouettes to 3D models, avoiding color banding and producing cleaner meshes than JPEG.

The trade-off: larger file sizes than JPEG, no CMYK support. For 3D conversion: use 16-bit grayscale for height maps; transparent backgrounds are auto-detected, so manual masking is unnecessary.
- **Supported Features:**
  - Lossless compression preserves image quality
  - Alpha channel transparency for precise contour extraction
  - Wide color support (24-bit RGB + 8-bit alpha)
- **Notes:**
  - Transparent backgrounds are automatically detected and handled

### Output format

- **Extension:** 3mf
- **Full Name:** 3D Manufacturing Format
- **Type:** 3D Model
- **Format:** 3MF
- **Tools:** [Bambu Studio](https://bambulab.com/en/download/studio), [PrusaSlicer](https://www.prusa3d.com/p/prusaslicer/), [OrcaSlicer](https://github.com/OrcaSlicer/OrcaSlicer), [Cura](https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura/)
- **Open With:** Windows 3D Viewer, [3MF Viewer Online](https://any3d.cc/en-US/tools/3mf-viewer), [Blender](https://www.blender.org), [3D Model Viewer](https://any3d.cc/en-US/tools/3dmodel-viewer)
- **Description:** 3MF is a modern 3D printing format from the 3MF Consortium, based on XML and packaged as a ZIP container. It preserves mesh data and supports per-part color, material, texture, and print properties. It is recommended for multi-color and multi-material printing. Major slicers (Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer) have native support.

Compared to STL, 3MF carries richer information but is more complex. Some older slicers and printers may not recognize it. When converting from other formats, color and material mapping depend on source data. For simple single-color printing, STL remains sufficient. For multi-color, multi-material, or print parameter transfer, choose 3MF.
- **Supported Features:**
  - Per-part and per-vertex color support
  - Material and texture preservation
  - XML-based with ZIP compression
  - Native support in Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer
- **Notes:**
  - Some older slicers and printers may not support 3MF
  - More complex than STL but carries richer information

## How to use

### 1. Upload your PNG

Drag in a PNG: transparent areas suit color badges and stamp outlines, while photos can be turned into color reliefs with a height map.

### 2. Choose a mode and adjust detail

Pick contour or heightmap mode, then tune the resolution and level of detail.

### 3. Export the color 3MF

Save the 3MF and preview it in a color printer or modern slicer; final colors depend on the printer and material.

## FAQ

### What's the difference between PNG to 3MF and PNG to STL?

3MF can carry color, which makes it better for color-printed badges and color relief previews; STL is geometry only. Choose 3MF whenever color matters, and use PNG to STL only for monochrome solids.

### How is a transparent background handled?

Transparent areas usually generate no geometry, leaving a hollow cutout with only the opaque subject. This suits transparent PNG stamps, badges, and silhouette-style logos.

### Will the colors be fully preserved?

The tool writes PNG colors into the 3MF as faithfully as possible. Clean, high-contrast images produce the most stable results; the final print color still depends on your printer, material, and slicer settings, so run a small test print first.

### What kind of PNG works best for color printing?

Images with clean edges and clear subject-background separation perform best. For badges and logos, favor transparent backgrounds; for photo reliefs, use an evenly lit, non-overexposed image and crop the subject if needed.

### Why do the colors in my 3MF look simplified or banded?

Outline Extrude mode merges similar colors into flat regions, so smooth gradients become stepped bands and subtle shading gets flattened. Heightmap mode keeps the photo colors as a textured surface, so choose it when you need smooth gradients.

### Can I get different colors on different parts of the model?

Yes. Each extracted color region keeps its own color in the 3MF, so a multi-color logo appears in color in your slicer. Whether regions map to separate material slots depends on the slicer and printer; on single-material machines the colors act as a preview.