Depth Map Mastery

The shared controls behind Neural Relief and Coin Designer.

Every depth map produced by Reticle Red is a true 16-bit grayscale PNG with its histogram stretched across the full 0–65535 range. The Calibration and Tuning panels let you reshape that data for your specific material and laser without re-running the AI. This section explains every control and how to read the feedback. Both Neural Relief and Coin Designer expose the same panel, so what you learn here applies everywhere.

Tactical Tip

Recommended workflow: 1) Generate, 2) Set Smoothing to 5px, 3) Push Surface Detail Restoration to 30%, 4) Check the histogram — both clip indicators should read under 2%, bars should spread across the range, 5) Toggle DEPTH VIEW to confirm the height map looks right, 6) Download Height Map PNG.

The Histogram

A live 256-bin histogram of your current depth map. Bars are colored by their gray value — black on the left, white on the right. Watch this as you move the sliders; it updates in real time.

Black clip %

Bottom-left number. Pixels pegged at 0 (pure floor). Tells you if a chunk of your art will engrave as flat floor with no detail.

White clip %

Bottom-right number. Pixels pegged at 255 (pure peak). Means your highlights are flat — depth budget wasted.

Healthy spread

Bars present across most of the range, no big gaps, and both clip numbers under 2%. This is what you want for engraving.

Depth Calibration Sliders

Surface Detail Restoration (0–100%)

Blends the source image's luminance back into the AI depth map. The AI is good at predicting macro geometry but tends to flatten fine surface detail (text, fabric weave, fur, etched lines).

0% — Pure AI depth. Soft, smooth, macro-only.
20–30% — Default starting point. Adds enough surface detail to read.
50–60% — Strong detail recovery for coin/portrait work where you want the fine engraving lines.
100% — Pure source luminance. Usually too noisy for engraving.

3D Z-Axis Elevation / Displacement (Neural Relief only)

Preview-only setting that controls how tall the 3D mesh in the viewport extrudes. Does NOT affect the exported PNG file — your laser uses the grayscale values directly.

Neural Relief Tuning (Coin Designer)

Coin Designer's 3D mode exposes five extra sliders above the calibration panel — the same Relief Settings vocabulary used by the Fabricator Depth Studio and Neural Relief. Adjust them in numbered order for the cleanest result:

1 · Smoothing (0–20 px)

Gaussian blur applied to the depth map server-side. Removes AI noise and speckle. Higher values produce smoother engravings but lose fine detail — sweet spot is usually 3–8 px.

2 · Relief Contrast (0.4–2.5)

Height contrast curve (gamma). Below 1 lifts low reliefs for more raised material; above 1 deepens valleys for a crisper strike.

3 · Edge Bezel (Round) (0–50 px)

Soft circular bevel applied at the coin rim. Prevents laser charring at a hard 90° edge. 15–25 px = subtle bevel, 40+ = strong dome.

4 · 3D Elevation (Z-Axis) (0.00–0.50)

Preview-only. Controls how tall the relief looks on the 3D coin mesh. Lower = subtle bas-relief, higher = dramatic peaks.

5 · Coin Thickness (0.10–0.40)

Preview-only. Sets the physical thickness of the coin's edge in the 3D viewport. Match to your actual coin blank.

View Toggles

3D PREVIEW

Real-time 3D mesh. The depth map drives geometry; the material color (gold/silver/copper) comes from your selection.

DEPTH VIEW

The raw 16-bit height map PNG that your laser uses. White = peak, black = floor. This is what gets exported.

2D ART

Vector line-art view with text arc overlays. Used in 2D engraving mode only.

BURN SIM

Inverts and posterizes 2D art so white areas show what the laser will burn. Spot unintended fills.

Common Confusions

"The depth map is just a head, not the coin." — Turn up Surface Detail Restoration to 30-60% to pull the background artwork back in.
"The sliders don't do anything." — Watch the histogram, not just the preview image; subtle shifts are immediately visible there.
"Displacement slider doesn't affect my file." — Correct. Displacement is preview-only. Physical depth is set in your laser software.

Open Depth Map Mastery Tool Workspace