Name: Depth-R compared with Depth-Map.com
Item: Depth-R
Rating: 4
Author: Depth-Map.com Team

Question 1

Are there tutorials for Depth-R on LightBurn or other platforms?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the /for/lightburn-3d-sliced page has a full parameter matrix (power, frequency, passes, DPI, focus) for brass, silver, stainless, aluminum, and copper on a 50 W JPT MOPA fiber source. Both Depth-R and Depth-Map.com export the 16-bit grayscale PNG that LightBurn's 3D Sliced image mode expects; once the file is on the laser bed, the engraving workflow is identical. The /16-bit-depth-map page covers how to verify the PNG is truly 16-bit before you run the job.

Question 2

What are the best practices for using Depth-R or similar tools with laser machines?

Accepted Answer

Three practices matter most: (1) confirm the depth map is true 16-bit, not an 8-bit upscale — verify with `identify -verbose file.png`, because an 8-bit input burns visible topography lines into brass or steel on a deep engrave; (2) run a 10 × 10 mm corner test before the full job; (3) match power, frequency, passes, and DPI to the specific material rather than using a generic metal preset. Depth-Map.com and Depth-R both produce files that pass check (1); the /for/lightburn-3d-sliced page covers (2) and (3).

Question 3

Do you sell a lifetime plan?

Accepted Answer

No. Pro is $19 a month and Studio is $49 a month.

Question 4

Does the file work with LightBurn 3D Sliced like Depth-R?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The 16-bit PNG from here imports into a LightBurn image layer in 3D Sliced mode the same way Depth-R’s export does. The /for/lightburn-3d-sliced page has starting values for brass, silver, stainless, aluminum, and copper.

Question 5

Is the depth file really 16-bit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Run `identify -verbose file.png` and the output shows `Depth: 16-bit`. A number of competing tools upscale an 8-bit result to 16-bit on export — the /16-bit-depth-map page explains the difference and how to spot it.

	Depth-R	Depth-Map.com
Price	Starter $26.90 / month	Pro $19 / month
Depth estimate	Server	Server, one request
Depth file	Grayscale PNG	16-bit PNG
Mesh	Depends on their export	Closed STL

A 16-bit file and an STL at $19.

Questions