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3DAI
Free · runs in your browser · photo or blank · 4 to 225 pieces

3D Puzzle Maker

Set a size, or add a photo that becomes a lithophane-style relief, choose rows and columns (2 to 15 each) and the gap between pieces, and get locking jigsaw tabs. Spread the pieces apart in 3D, then download them laid out on your print bed, or as a ZIP with one STL per piece.

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How to make a 3D printed jigsaw puzzle

  1. 1

    Pick blank or photo

    Type a width and height for a plain puzzle, or add a photo: dark parts print thick and light parts thin, like a lithophane. You can also cut your own flat STL.

  2. 2

    Set the pieces

    Choose rows and columns, the tab size and a seed (each seed gives different tab shapes). Add rounded outer corners or a frame tray if you like.

  3. 3

    Set the gap

    The tolerance is the gap between two pieces. 0.25 mm is the default; raise it to 0.3 or 0.4 mm if your test pieces are tight.

  4. 4

    Download and print

    Get the pieces laid out on your bed size (more plates when they do not fit) or a ZIP with one STL per piece. Print flat, with no supports.

The settings

Puzzle typeBlank: a flat plate of any size from 30 to 600 mm. Photo relief: your picture as a relief top, thickness from brightness. Cut my STL: your own flat, watertight model (a plaque, a tile, a relief map) cut from above.
Rows and columns2 to 15 each, so 4 to 225 pieces. Pieces must be at least about 8 mm on their short side for a tab that locks; the tool tells you when they are too small.
ToleranceThe gap between two neighbouring pieces, in mm. Each piece is shrunk by half of it on every side, so the gap is the same all round the tabs.
Tab size and seedClassic round knob tabs with a narrow neck, so pieces hold together. The seed changes where each tab sits, which way it points and its exact shape; the same seed always gives the same puzzle.
ThicknessBlank puzzles: 0.8 to 20 mm (3 to 5 mm is easy to handle). Photo reliefs: the thinnest and thickest parts, for example 1.2 and 3.2 mm.
Corner roundingRounds the four outer corners of the puzzle.
Frame trayA shallow tray with a wall around the puzzle, with the same gap to the pieces as the pieces have to each other.
Print bedThe plate download lays the pieces out with a 3 mm gap on this bed size, and starts a new plate when one is full.

Turn a photo into a 3D figurine with AI

A puzzle keeps your photo flat. AI can make it stand up: turn a photo into a full 3D printable figurine, or any picture into a 3D model, ready to slice. The AI generators use credits; this puzzle maker does not.

Photo to 3D figurine →Image to 3D model

Want the picture to glow instead? Make a classic photo lamp panel with the lithophane generator.

More free 3D printing tools

Lithophane generatorImage to STLSTL viewerSTL repair3D print cost calculatorText to STL

3D puzzle maker FAQ

Start with 0.25 mm, the default here. Most guides for FDM printers suggest a gap of about 0.2 to 0.3 mm for a snug fit. If the pieces are too tight, raise it to 0.3 or 0.4 mm; if they fall apart, go down to 0.2 mm. Print two pieces first to test the fit on your printer.
Choose Photo relief and add a picture. The tool turns it into a lithophane-style relief: dark parts are thick and light parts are thin, so the picture shows when you hold a piece up to a light, and as a relief on the top. Print it in white or a light colour at 100% infill. Invert makes light parts thick instead.
From 2 x 2 up to 15 x 15, so 4 to 225 pieces. Pieces need to be at least about 8 mm across on their short side for a tab that locks, so a 15 x 15 puzzle needs to be at least about 130 mm wide. The tool warns you when pieces are too small for the tolerance you set.
Yes. Every inside edge gets one round knob tab with a narrow neck, and the head of the knob is wider than its neck, so a piece cannot slide out sideways. The neck is kept at least about 1 mm wide after the gap is cut, so it does not snap.
Choose your bed size. The plate download places the pieces flat with a 3 mm gap and opens a new plate when one is full, so a large puzzle comes as a ZIP with several plate STLs. You can also download a ZIP with one STL per piece and arrange them yourself in your slicer.
Yes, if it is a flat, closed (watertight) model such as a plaque, a tile or a relief map. Choose Cut my STL and open the file: it is cut straight down from above into rows and columns. If the model has holes in its mesh, fix it with the free STL repair tool first.
Print the pieces flat on the bed with no supports. A 0.2 mm layer height and a few walls work well. Watch the first layer: if it squashes out (elephant foot), the pieces get tight at the bottom, so lower the first-layer flow or raise the tolerance a little.
Yes. It runs in your browser with no sign-up and no watermark, and your photo or model never leaves your device. Turning a photo into a 3D figurine with AI is a separate tool that uses credits.