From a photo to a laser-cut layered sculpture

Stacked-layer sculptures are a classic laser-cutter project: dozens of flat slices of plywood or cardboard, glued one on top of another until a 3D shape appears. The cutting is the easy part. Getting there used to mean modelling the object in 3D, slicing it in a separate tool and nesting the pieces onto sheets by hand. Wandy3D now does the whole chain: one picture, a 3D model, then SVG cut sheets sized for your laser.

What you get

• SVG cut sheets in millimetres, laid out for your laser bed: red lines cut, blue lines engrave.
• Every piece numbered by its layer, engraved where the next layer will hide it.
• Dowel holes where layers overlap, so the stack lines up, plus the engraved outline of the next layer as a second guide.
• Kerf compensation already applied, a list of the pieces on each sheet and a short build guide with the dowel lengths.

Step 1: a 3D model from one picture

Everything starts with a model. Upload a photo in the workspace: one object, seen at three-quarters, in even light, works best — there are more tips in our guide to turning a photo into a 3D model. Here are two photo-based models from our examples, next to the model this article cuts into layers:

The layer example on this page started from a picture too: a phone photo of a child's crayon drawing of a rooster, made into a model in Drawing mode. From a photo of a real object, every step after this one is exactly the same.

Step 2: slice it for your laser

Open the model and choose Make it real → Laser layers. The settings:

• Height of the finished stack.
• Sheet thickness, 3 to 6 mm; the dialog shows how many layers that makes.
• Laser bed — presets for common lasers and paper sizes; the dialog warns you if a layer won't fit.
• Dowel holes for 3 or 5 mm rods, or none.
• Engraved guides — the outline of the next layer on each piece.
• Kerf, under Advanced — how much your beam burns away. Outlines grow and holes shrink by half of it, so parts come out true to size.

The real example: a rooster in 66 layers

With the default settings — 20 cm tall, 3 mm sheets, an xTool S1 bed, 5 mm dowels, guides on, a kerf of 0.15 mm — the maker produced:

• 66 layers of 3 mm and 182 pieces on 2 sheets of 498 × 319 mm;
• a finished stack of about 19 × 8 × 20 cm;
• 15.5 m of cutting lines and about 7 m of engraving;
• dowels: two of 12 mm through layers 1–4, one of 48 mm through layers 11–26 and one of 75 mm through layers 26–50;
• 124 bits smaller than 20 mm², left out as too small to cut.

The sheet previews use wood colours; in the SVG files themselves, red lines cut and blue lines engrave.

Cutting and assembly

1. Import each SVG at 100 % — the sheets are drawn in millimetres. Set red to cut through and blue to a light score or line engrave.
2. Test on cardboard first. It is cheap, cuts fast and tells you whether your kerf is right.
3. Stack from layer 1 upwards, engraved side up, with all the numbers reading the same way round.
4. Line up each layer on the dowels and on the outline engraved on the layer below.
5. Glue with wood glue (PVA), pressing each layer for a moment, and let the stack dry under a light weight.

Choosing the material and thickness

The number of layers is the height divided by the sheet thickness. Thin sheets (3 mm) give more layers and smaller steps: a smoother shape, but longer cutting and more gluing. Thick sheets (5–6 mm) mean fewer layers and a chunkier, more graphic look. Plywood and MDF are the classics, acrylic works if your laser cuts it, and cardboard is perfect for a first test.

Before you cut

• Check the sheets and the material. The dialog and the build guide tell you how many sheets of which size you need — the rooster took two sheets of 498 × 319 mm.
• Let your laser software estimate the time. Cutting time depends on the machine, the power and the material, so import the SVGs and use its estimate. For scale: the rooster has 15.5 m of cutting lines.
• Cut the dowels to length first. The build guide lists every dowel and its length, so they are ready before the first layer goes down.
• Pick subjects with a solid body. Layers are stacked from the bottom up, so objects that stand on a base and have a chunky body slice best; very thin, spiky shapes turn into fragile pieces.

Finishing touches

A light sanding takes the scorch marks off the edges, and a coat of clear finish or paint makes the stack read as one piece. Leaving the steps visible is a look of its own — the layers are what make these sculptures recognisable.

Honest limits

• Thin parts are fragile. Slender details — the rooster's tail feathers are a good example — become thin, delicate pieces, and the tiniest bits are left out.
• It is a stepped shape. Layers follow the surface in steps; the thinner the sheets, the smoother the result.
• No colour. The pieces have the colour of your material; paint the finished sculpture if you like.
• Laser safety is on you. Follow your machine's safety rules — the cutting is a job for an adult. Stacking and gluing the numbered layers is a great job for kids.

Selling what you make

You may use your models and what you make from them commercially, sculptures and kits included — see section 4.2 of our Terms of Service. You need the rights to the photo or drawing you started from.

Ready to cut? Start on the laser-cut layers page or open the workspace and make your first model.