Dropping this suggestion buoy for the search algorithms.
xTool F2 Ultra UV laser owners stumbling across this post are missing out if you don’t have Nomad Sculpt as part of your arsenal. Here’s a sampling of the reasons why it’s an invaluable tool…
You already know the machine’s surface-engraving abilities with glass & plastics places it leaps beyond the limits that CO2 and fiber lasers run up against.
However, if you want to unlock a whole new WING of what this machine’s capable of, it’s 3D. Doing subsurface 3D engraving inside a block of K9 crystal is next-level sorcery.
Let’s start from the least immersive approach. You’re grabbing whatever 3D files (from Sketchfab, Thingiverse, etc) or following someone’s Patreon to obtain models. You’ll still need Nomad Sculpt to do various basic tweaks like fixing mesh holes, smoothing out bad geometry, or bending/posing limbs.
I’ve already watched videos where YouTubers are haphazardly engraving a 3D character in crystal with no prep. The original character was created with separated, overlapping limb joints and the subsurface engrave shows exactly that: overlaps in the joint. If I were a paying customer, I’d be rightfully cheesed at this amateur-hour output.
Nomad Sculpt would easily retopologize everything into a single unified mesh. Its decimation function deserves praise too. A mesh heavy with vertices can undergo a decimation pass where some 80%-90% of unnecessary points can be removed without a topology penalty. Doing this turned a 17mb file into a 2.8mb model with zero discernible degradation in the 3D engrave. The xTool Studio software generates an independent density engraving path regardless of the original mesh’s vertice density.
Next step, 3D Relief Engraving. Attempts at true 3D engraving with my CO2 laser years ago was unsuccessful. Brutal incineration party. This UV laser, however, has the finesse to delicately remove layers without charring wood. The critical prerequisite is feeding it a 3D Depth Map (AKA Height Map). A.I. is a very mixed bag when it comes to generating or converting images to a Depth Map. Better to do it properly with more control.
Nomad Sculpt’s underrated HeightMap function is found under the Debug panel in the last Debug Tab. A checkbox in the Render section activates the HeightMap view. When activated, the 3D model can be twirled to the desired angle and a screen-capture grabs the HeightMap that xTool Studio takes.
Testing on a postage-stamp sized relief engrave proves the xTool F2 Ultra UV is the real deal.
Finally, for those who have a shred of artistic ability should explore Nomad Sculpt in its full-throttle glory. There are examples of users who have tapped into an undiscovered knack for sculpting or at least those who enjoy it enough to devote time to dive deeper. There are literally scores of YouTubers be your learning sherpa in reaching sculpting nirvana.
However you use it, Nomad Sculpt’s no-subscription one-time cost makes this a no-brainer must-have in the tool chest.