CMYKForge

I went looking.
Then I started building.

Grayson Carpenter Creator of CMYKForge@Bigcarpyy on X ↗

AI-assisted cutout of a CMYKForge color-wheel print from August 3, 2026
Development example

Before there was software,
there was an idea for a print.

I wanted to turn images into color 3D prints. I started by looking for something that already existed. When I couldn’t find what I wanted, I decided to try making it.

The story so far ↓

About CMYKForge

CMYKForge is a color 3D printing platform in development, built to reproduce images, artwork, and photographs using a limited number of filaments through color science and optical blending.

Our goal is to make high-quality full-color FDM printing more accurate, reliable, and accessible while giving creators more colors than the number of filaments loaded in their printer.

Fully Funded on Kickstarter

CMYKForge launched its original Kickstarter campaign on .

The campaign successfully concluded fully funded on , marking the beginning of the next stage of CMYKForge development.

Explore CMYKForge Standard ↗

The people
behind the progress.

Special thanks to the people and businesses whose encouragement, conversations, support, and contributions have helped CMYKForge along.

From looking for a model
to making the software.

  1. June 6, 2026

    First, I went looking.

    I started looking into CMYK image printing and quickly found that there were limited 3D models available. I kept searching for a way to make the kind of print I had in mind.

  2. About a week later

    A different route. Not the right fit.

    I tried lithophane makers, but the results weren’t what I wanted. So I went back to looking.

  3. June 16, 2026

    What if I made it?

    I couldn’t find anything on the market that did what I wanted. That was the day I decided to set myself a goal: build it.

  4. June 17, 2026

    Time to get to work.

    The next day, I got a ChatGPT Plus subscription and started working on the software. AI became part of how I built CMYKForge—not something a maker would have to use to run Standard.

June 24, 2026

The first model.
A real beginning.

I got the first model ever made by the software. The idea was no longer just something I was looking for. The software had produced a model of its own.

AI-assisted recreation of the color wheel from Grayson’s first CMYKForge model
June 24, 2026 · The first result

July 11, 2026

The print
I still come back to.

This was the best result I had achieved at that point. It’s the image you see on the homepage, and the one I still use because it looks more vibrant to me.

The August 3 example produces more colors. That doesn’t make this earlier result any less important to the story. It’s a reminder of what I was trying to make in the first place.

The real color-wheel print Grayson identifies as his July 11 breakthrough
July 11, 2026 · Real physical print

AI helped me build it.
You don’t need it to use it.

Those are two different things, and I want to be clear about both.

AI to run it

Not required. Not included by default. CMYKForge Standard is the local-first, non-AI version. Image analysis, color planning, model generation, previews, and export stay on your machine. Optional AI editions may follow separately; the core workflow stands on its own.

AI to build it

I use AI to help build substantial parts of CMYKForge, with human review before changes are accepted. It’s part of this project’s history, and I don’t want to hide that. It does not make Standard an AI-dependent tool.

Read more about the development decisions ↗

And then, do it again.

The first model and the July print weren’t the end.
They gave me something to keep building on.

  1. 01 / Question

    What changed?

    Start with the image and the result. Look for the decisions that could explain the difference.

  2. 02 / Build

    Make a better tool.

    Prepare the image, plan around the materials, and turn those decisions into model data.

  3. 03 / Print

    Meet the material.

    The preview helps us plan. A physical print gives us something real to examine.

  4. 04 / Learn

    Go around again.

    Question the result, refine the setup, and carry what we learn into the next attempt.

Original color-wheel artwork
The intention. Original image
Simulated CMYKForge color preview
The prediction. Software simulation
Photographed physical color-wheel print
The reality. Physical print

How I build
CMYKForge.

GPT-6 AstraWe use GPT-6 Astra to help code CMYKForge, with human review. CMYKForge is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI.

Your control.

Standard keeps image analysis, color planning, and export on your machine. The tool should support your judgment, not replace it.

Your confidence.

Print quality, color accuracy, reliability, and usability guide the work. They are things to test and improve—not claims to hide behind.

Your trust.

I use AI to help build substantial parts of CMYKForge, with human review before changes are accepted. That’s a development choice, not a requirement to use Standard.

Read the decisions behind the work ↗

What’s still
unfinished.

A useful tool needs clear boundaries.
Here are ours.

Exact printed color
Not guaranteed. Filament, calibration, lighting, printer and slicer settings all affect the result.
The preview
A simulation, not a photograph or a promise. Physical examples on this site are photographed prints.
Your slicer
Still part of the workflow. CMYKForge prepares model data for compatible slicer software; 3MF is the primary export target.
Availability
Standard is in active development. Public beta is not open yet, and features and compatibility may change.
AI to run Standard
Not required. Optional AI editions are separate future plans, not dependencies of the local-first workflow.

Start with what
we’re building now.

Standard is the current development focus. The local-first color workflow is the foundation—not a stepping stone you have to upgrade away from.

Explore CMYKForge Standard ↗
Looking ahead

What comes next.

Three directions we’re exploring beyond Standard.

  • 01Optional local AI assistance
  • 02Deeper calibration tools
  • 03Professional workflows

Under consideration—not promised releases. Scope and timing may change, and some ideas may not happen.

Explore the planned editions

CMYKForge Backers

These names and display names were submitted through our backer survey and are shown as provided. They are the respondents’ words, not CMYKForge’s.

Still making.
Still learning.

Every test, conversation, and supporter shapes where this goes next.

Follow what comes next ↗Explore the tools ↗