Can VCarve Pro make lithophanes?

The answer

No. Lithophane creation (building a true 3D model from a photo's brightness) is Aspire-only. In Aspire, the image becomes a real 3D component (bright areas thin, dark areas thick) machined with 3D toolpaths, typically in Corian or translucent acrylic and backlit.

What VCarve CAN do with photos

Photo V-Carve is available in VCarve Desktop and Pro. It converts a photo into a V-bit or ballnose engraving pattern (lines or stipples of varying width simulating the tones). It is a fundamentally different product: a surface engraving you view by reflected light, not a translucent 3D relief you backlight.

Alternative routes to a lithophane without Aspire:

1. Generate the lithophane mesh elsewhere. Free tools (for example web lithophane generators and image-to-STL converters) output an STL from your photo. Import that STL into VCarve Pro as your one third-party model and machine it with 3D Roughing and 3D Finishing toolpaths. This is a common workaround.
2. Upgrade to Aspire for the integrated workflow (photo to component to toolpath in one app).

Pro tips

• Common machining approach for lithophanes either way (treat these as starting points and test on scrap): a fine tapered ballnose, a small stepover, Corian roughly 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick, and carving the BACK face mirrored so the front stays glossy.
• Photo V-Carve shines on wood plaques and portraits where backlighting is not wanted. Do not treat it as the lesser option, it is a different look.

VCarve Pro does include the Lithophane preview mode in Preview Toolpaths, so you can preview an imported lithophane model. For the full Aspire workflow, see the entry on creating a lithophane in Aspire.