Make 3D prints using your own photos for free

By Beren Neale
published

Autodesk's free software Memento makes 3D models from your snaps, doing all the hard work for you.

Time was, making a high definition 3D model from a lowly 2D photograph was the stuff of a mad man's dream… or at least a wealthy studio with all the latest tech.

Times have changed, and the software behemoth Autodesk has released the beta version of Memento (opens in new tab), a free desktop/cloud-based solution that effortlessly converts your photos into high definition 3D models, quickly, ready for 3D printing.

The idea has been around for a bit - Autodesk already released the iPad app 123D Catch. What's exciting about Memento is it promises to be user-friendly for beginners with professional results. And it's free (for now).

Download Memento free (opens in new tab)

The software can stitch hundreds of photos, taken from all angles of an object, and generate a 2-billion-polygon mesh.

It can also clean the mesh to produce a model that you can export for printing. (Have a look at the full breakdown (opens in new tab) of the process.)

This isn't just for 3D hobbyists though. If you know what you're doing, you can edit and manually alter the mesh by slicing, smoothing and filling holes.

Or just let Memento do it all for you automatically.

The final model can be ready within an eye-watering three hours, thanks to all the complicated processing occuring in the cloud, not on your computer.

Make 3D prints using your photos for free

It's not just for 3D prints and horse heads. It can be used to measure the growth of coral too!

Experts will understand Autodesk when it declares the tech process will provide a 'high technology stack' with 'out-of-core' visualisation and a 'algorithmic tool stack'.

For the rest of us: it'll take no more than 20 minutes for someone with no previous 3D knowledge to be confidently using Memento to create their own 3D printable models.

Make 3D prints using your photos for free

The Smithsonian museum is already using Memento to log its many pieces of ancient loot

And it's currently free - so go have a play (opens in new tab) - though Autodesk has plans to start charging before the end of the year. It's also only available for Windows, though a Mac version is coming soon.

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Beren Neale
Beren Neale
Deals Editor

Beren has worked on creative tech magazines and websites at Future Publishing for 13 years. He started this journey as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, and in 2012 found himself bridging the magazine/website divide as Commissioning Editor on the newly launched Creative Bloq. Since then he took the editor role on ImagineFX, was Launch Editor of the fine art magazine Paint & Draw, moved to Canon Pro Europe website as Deputy Editor, and then edited the graphic design magazine Computer Arts. In 2020 he moved back to Creative Bloq, the biggest global art and design website, and as Deals Editor has applied his expertise in creative tech to help digital creatives get the best deals on the kit that they need and love. Outside of work, Beren likes nothing better than to climb himself a bit of rock.  

Topics
3D
3D printing

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