Crystal Fabricator

Sub-Surface Laser Engraving (SSLE) & Point-Clouds.

By Scott Bedow, Founder & Lead Developer · Published October 17, 2026

Manufacturing manager who runs CO2, diode and MOPA fiber lasers; builds and maintains every Reticle Red tool.

Method — Documents the shipped behaviour of the current build. Updated when the tool changes, and dated so you can tell how far behind the build it may be.

Designed specifically for creating point-cloud data for sub-surface crystal engraving and high-res 3D modeling.

How to use Crystal Fabricator

Step 1: Material Workspace

Input your crystal dimensions (X, Y, Z). The tool draws your block as a bounding box and raises a red clipping alarm for any point outside the safety margin. Clipped points are still exported, so correct Z-Scale, Depth or the margin before you run the job.

Step 2: Depth Alignment

Upload a photo or a depth map. The system projects pixels into 3D space based on their grayscale value.

Step 3: Point Density

Set Resolution, the spacing between points in millimeters (0.2–3.0 mm), to match your laser's scan gap. A lower value packs in more points for a denser, clearer image but takes longer to engrave.

Step 4: Export Your File

Download a millimeter-scaled XYZ point cloud, a binary PLY, or a vertex-only STL for SSLE, BSL, RK-CAD and SeaCAD-oriented workflows. The STL is one degenerate facet per point, for controllers that read point data — it is not a watertight mesh and will not 3D print.

Tactical Tip

Any point outside the safety margin, on any face, turns red in the 3D preview and is counted in a warning. Red points are still exported, so lower Z-Scale or widen the margin before you run the job.

Before a production run with Crystal Fabricator

Save the source file before changing geometry or parameters, confirm the final physical dimensions, and inspect the smallest details at the intended output size. Use matching scrap to test focus, speed, power, frequency, and layer order. Record the settings that worked with the material and machine so the next job starts from a verified result.

Open Crystal Fabricator Tool Workspace