Wandy3D

Laser-cut layers

Laser-cut a layered sculpture from any 3D model

Your model sliced into sheets of plywood, MDF, acrylic or cardboard: SVG cut files sized for your laser, every piece numbered, with dowel holes and engraved outlines that keep the stack straight.

Start with a modelSee the real example

10 per build — the same settings again are free

Stacked wooden layers in the shape of the rooster, as the laser layers maker previews them
A child's crayon drawing of a rooster in tall grass under a yellow sun
Real output: laser layers made from a child's drawing of a rooster, default settings.

A real example

From a crayon rooster to 66 wooden layers

The drawing became a 3D model in Drawing mode; the laser layers maker sliced it with its default settings: 20 cm tall, 3 mm sheets, an xTool S1 bed.

  1. The drawing

    A child's crayon drawing of a rooster in tall grass under a yellow sun
    Crayon drawing by a child of almost six, shared by the family under CC0 on Wikimedia Commons. Source

  2. The 3D model

    3D model of the rooster
    Made in Drawing mode, nothing retouched.

  3. The layer stack

    The rooster as stacked laser-cut layers
    The stacked result, as the maker previews it.

The two cut sheets

Preview colours; in the SVG, red lines cut and blue lines engrave.

The build in numbers

  • 66 layers of 3 mm
  • 182 pieces on 2 sheets of 498 × 319 mm (xTool S1)
  • Finished stack: about 19 × 8 × 20 cm
  • 15.5 m of cutting lines

In the download

  • SVG cut sheets in millimetres, sized for your laser bed: red lines cut, blue lines engrave
  • Every piece numbered by layer, with dowel holes where the layers overlap
  • A build guide with dowel lengths, and a list of the pieces on each sheet

How it works

Laser layers in three steps

  1. A 3D model on the Wandy3D workspace stage, with Make it real among its actions

    Make or open a model

    Generate one from a photo, a drawing or a sentence — or open any model in your library and choose Make it real.

  2. The Make it real dialog with the laser layers settings

    Set the height, the sheets and your laser

    Pick the height, the sheet thickness and your bed; the dialog counts the layers and warns you if a layer won't fit.

  3. The rooster as a stack of layers

    Cut, stack, glue

    Import the SVGs at 100 %, cut every sheet, then stack from layer 1 up on the dowels or the engraved outlines.

Before you start

What you need

  • A laser cutterAny laser that imports SVG at 100 % scale; common beds have presets.
  • Sheet material3–6 mm plywood, MDF or acrylic — or cardboard for a cheap test.
  • Dowels (optional)Round rods or bamboo skewers keep the layers lined up.
  • Wood gluePVA; let the stack dry under a light weight.

Price

What it costs

10 per build — the same settings again are free

Credits only — no plan needed. Charged once per set of settings: the same settings again are free, and a build that fails gives your credits back.

Plans and credits

From a photo

It works from photos too

Any model you make can be made real — these two started as photos. Open either one in the workspace for free, no sign-in needed.

Questions

Laser layers questions

More answers in Support

Any laser whose software imports SVG at 100 % scale — the sheets are drawn in millimetres. Choose your bed in the dialog so that every sheet fits; common lasers and paper sizes have presets.

The height divided by the sheet thickness: the rooster, 20 cm tall in 3 mm sheets, is 66 layers. Thicker sheets mean fewer layers, a faster cut and bigger steps.

Kerf is the width the beam burns away. The maker grows the outlines and shrinks the holes by half of it, so the parts come out true to size. If you know your laser's kerf, set it under Advanced; if not, the default is a good start — cut a cardboard test first.

Thin parts become thin, delicate pieces, and bits too small to cut (under 20 mm²) are left out — the rooster had 124 of them. Tiny pieces without room for a number are listed in layers.csv.

The cutting is a job for a grown-up, following your laser's safety rules. Stacking the numbered layers and gluing them is a great job for kids.

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

Make it real

More ways to make it real