Image to STL conversion

A nice little program to convert graphic files to STL can be found on
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:66115
It is excellent for line drawings. Some more experience is required for more complex material.
But is is worth to give it a try.
A very good program BPM2IGES also converts images to STL files. It can be found on
http://geisel.ba-bautzen.de/bmp2iges.htm
Best results with transparent materials illuminated from the back.
See also http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:74322