Coin Designer

Custom commemorative coins, 2D vector or 3D bas-relief.

The Coin Designer mints custom 1.5"–3" commemorative coins from a subject prompt, optional reference photo, top and bottom arc text, and a style. Two output modes — pick one when you start:

Operating Steps

Step 1: Pick a Mode (2D or 3D)

On the first screen, choose 2D Engraving or 3D Bas-Relief. This choice locks in for the session — you can start over to switch.

Step 2: DESIGN tab — Fill in the form

Subject (e.g. 'eagle in flight'), top arc text, bottom arc text, diameter (1.5–3.0 inches), finish (polished/satin/antique/matte), and optional reference photo. The subject field is required before MINT activates.

Step 3: STYLE tab — Pick a visual style

200+ style cards across 15 categories — scrollwork, cultural, nature, tactical, retro, memorial, sculptural relief, etc. The style descriptor is sent to the AI to bias the generation. 'No style' is also valid.

Step 4: MINT — Pick an engine and generate

Choose your engine first: SPARK (the default — fast, value pricing), ULTRA (premium — richest detail and rim lettering), or UNBOUND (strong typography and lettering-forward designs — describes your reference photo to the engine rather than feeding it in directly). The MINT button always shows the live credit cost for your engine + mode. 2D mode takes ~20s. 3D mode takes ~40–60s because it runs two AI calls sequentially. You'll see the pipeline stepper progress through DESIGN → MINT → EXPORT.

Step 5: (3D only) Tune in Relief Settings + Depth Calibration

The 3D output exposes Smoothing, Relief Contrast, Edge Bezel, 3D Elevation, Coin Thickness, Surface Detail Restoration, and a live histogram. See 'Depth Map Mastery' for what each control does.

Step 6: Toggle 3D PREVIEW / DEPTH VIEW

3D PREVIEW renders the coin as a metal mesh with the depth map driving displacement — gold/silver/etc. material shading, displaced geometry, orbit to inspect. DEPTH VIEW shows the raw 16-bit height map PNG (what your laser will actually use).

Step 7: Export at 300 or 600 DPI

The output panel offers PNG export at 300 DPI (standard) or 600 DPI (fine detail). 3D mode also exports the 16-bit height map separately for LightBurn.

Tactical Tip

The 3D pipeline always returns two files: the artistic 2D coin (shown in the preview) and the true depth map (used for the 3D mesh and laser export). Toggle between them with the 3D PREVIEW / DEPTH VIEW buttons above the canvas. If your depth map looks like "just a head" or "just the subject," that's the Reticle Depth Engine doing its job — turn up Surface Detail Restoration to bring the surrounding art back into the engraving.

2D Engraving — from 2 CR

Flat monochrome vector line art. SPARK engine 2 CR · ULTRA 3 CR · UNBOUND 4 CR. Direct laser engraving on metal, wood, or acrylic. CO2 or Fiber.

3D Bas-Relief — from 4 CR

Two-stage pipeline: Reticle Depth Core renders a sculpted artistic coin, then the Reticle Depth Engine extracts a 16-bit height map. SPARK engine 4 CR · ULTRA 6 CR · UNBOUND 7 CR. 2.5D engraving territory.

3D Mesh Reading Guide

In 3D PREVIEW, the coin shows in your chosen material color (gold/silver/copper/etc.) with the depth map driving displacement only. The material color is for visualization — laser export is always grayscale. To see the raw height data, switch to DEPTH VIEW.

Before a production run

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 Coin Designer Tool Workspace