Create mesh lane from B/W drawing?

Is there a way to create a mesh plane from a drawing (or photo) in black & white, so that the lines, curves etc. of the image become edges, and creates faces in the “empty” spaces? I have tried a displacement modifier, then using a boolean modifier on a plane of the same dimensions, but it just doesn’t work right.

I think I understand what you’re asking. You want something that will trace a shape, from a photo or drawing, and turn its outline into a 2D shape in blender.

I do this all the time, usually with shapes I drew myself, but sometimes from scans or photos of parts (door hinges, for example).

I load the photo into Adobe Illustrator, use Trace Bitmap on it, and export the result as an .SVG.
Then I import it into blender and I get a(n) outline(s), perfectly drawn as a Curve object. Sometimes, it’s easy to ‘fill’ it using settings in the Properties panel (Object Data tab). For complex shapes, I sometimes need to connect some vertices myself.

I just tested the trace bitmap method in InkScape, too, so there’s a free or OSS option for you.

I did this to make some custom shims for a guitar by scanning its bridge’s bottom plate, then doing the above tricks to get a 2D shape that matched the guitar part, with screw holes in the right place, etc. In blender, I extruded it: bingo, 3D object.

Does that help?

Does that help?

Nice to know that Inkscape have the same function, this will be really handy .

I will try that. Thank you. I’ll let you know how it works for me.

Didn’t work for me. I thought maybe converting a curve to a mesh might work, but it’s messy. And I have to create most of the larger faces.