THE MUSEUM OF HIDDEN LIGHT · EST. 2026

Your memories,
written in light.

A photograph becomes a sculpture. A little light brings it back to life. Shape your shadows, test your glow, and make something worth keeping.

Start creating ↗

◌ Free STL export◌ Photos stay on your device

EXHIBIT 001 / LIGHT & MEMORYLIVE MATERIAL STUDY

A LITTLE LIGHT. A HIDDEN MEMORY.
LIVE TRANSMISSION FROM YOUR WORKBENCH

01 / YOUR PERSONAL LIGHT LABORATORYLOCAL PROCESSING · NO SIGN-UP

THE LIGHT WORKBENCH

A memory, in the making.

Move between your image, its light and its material. Your photo is processed inside your browser.

LIVE TRANSMISSION / BACKLIGHTAPPROXIMATION

DRAG TO MOVE THE LIGHT

Memory rescue brush

Drag on the panel for local shadow correction. This is tonal editing, not AI restoration. Changes affect the STL.

Size

3D viewing angle

MESH PITCH
—TRIANGLES
—TRANSMISSION
EXPONENTIAL · APPROX.

THIN → THICK

PANEL DIMENSIONS100 × 75 mm

ESTIMATED PLA— g

THICKNESS RANGE0.8–3.0 mm

03 / MAKE IT REAL

Closed, flat STL · millimeters · slice and inspect before printing

BEFORE YOU WASTE FILAMENT

A little foresight. Less waste.

Material estimate uses the thickness-map integral and PLA density 1.24 g/cm³. Supports and brim are excluded.

FILAMENT LIGHT FINGERPRINT

Make the light your own.

Enter relative transmitted brightness from a thickness test, measured with the same locked exposure. These two points estimate attenuation. Default values are illustrative.

At 1 mm (%)

At 3 mm (%)

Only settings are saved locally on this browser. Photos are never saved in the diary.

LIGHTBOX MATCHMAKER

Find a home for your light.

Compare starting layouts below. Measure components and follow LED thermal and ventilation requirements. Custom frame STL is not included.

LED panel

LED strip

Single round LED

FIELD NOTES / THE ART & SCIENCE OF LIGHT

From a photograph to a glowing keepsake.

01 — IMAGE

Choose the quiet details.

A lithophane uses thickness to control light. Highlights become thin and shadows become thick. Choose a clear subject, separate it from a busy background, and avoid tiny faces. The sample is an original procedural illustration; it is not a photograph.

02 — MATERIAL

Start small. Print thoughtfully.

White PLA is a practical starting point. A 0.8–3.0 mm thickness range is only an initial trial. Inspect the model in your slicer, rotate for upright printing if appropriate, and consider a brim for stability. Layer height, nozzle width and filament opacity all affect detail.

03 — LIGHT

Give the glow some room.

A nearby point light creates a bright center and darker edges. More distance or a diffuser can improve uniformity. Use a low-heat LED assembly, follow its manufacturer’s ventilation requirements and keep hot components away from PLA. This tool does not generate electrical enclosures.

A few illuminating answers.

Is my photograph uploaded anywhere?

The maker reads your selected image in this browser and generates the STL locally. The tool does not send photo pixels to a server. Blogger, Google and existing advertising services may use cookies or network requests under their own policies.

Why does the printed result look different?

The preview uses exponential attenuation and an approximate LED falloff. Actual scattering, filament formulation, layer lines, light spectrum and camera exposure change the result. Calibrate and print a small test before a full panel.

What does the STL include?

A closed flat panel with a smooth back, a sampled relief front and sealed perimeter. It does not include a frame or lightbox. STL has no stored unit: import as millimeters. Increased mesh detail means more triangles, not guaranteed printable detail.

Can I return to a previous experiment?

Save diary stores up to ten settings records locally. Restore latest loads the newest settings; reselect your original photograph. Download Glow proof as JSON to keep a portable record. Clearing browser data removes local history.

Search This Blog

LITHOPHANE LIGHT LAB: The Museum of Hidden Light

Free Lithophane Maker & Backlight Preview