How Nerdforge Turned a Workshop into a Fantasy City with xTool P3

by YingHelen Updated on December 30, 2025

The Challenge: Not Just Stickers

As with any fantasy project, the challenge is in the detail. In decoration projects like these, what most people think is stickers, vinyl decals, or maybe painting.

But that doesn’t provide the depth and realism this project needed. The goal was not wrap cabinets with something; it was to make the cupboards feel like real buildings inside a fantasy city.

There were three major challenges in making that happen:

Creating True 3D Relief

The surfaces needed 3D relief. The requirement was to create objects, not 2D footprints - with depth and structure so they would actually resemble stone walls, wooden frames, roof tiles, and window trims.

Keeping the Cupboards Functional

It wasn’t just an aesthetic cupboard makeover meant to be a showpiece. Everything still had to function as cupboards. The doors needed to open smoothly, which meant every element had to be carefully designed and placed, avoiding areas that moved or flexed.

Handling Hundreds of Tiny Details

Finally, the amount of small work was huge. Bricks, shingles, window frames, tiny trims — all of them had to fit, line up, and repeat across multiple cabinet fronts.

Trying to achieve something like this by hand would be slow and, honestly, tiring. Even if you managed to sculpt or carve everything, repeating the same shapes again and again would be nearly impossible. Which leads to the modern cutting option, the laser cutter and engraver.

With a laser cutter, for instance, xTool P3, you can replicate every cut, carve, and engraving across multiple pieces in record time, keeping depth, detail, and alignment spot-on.

Key Production Steps Analysis (Step-by-Step Breakdown)

The job was split into different stages. The first phase focused on giving the cupboards a basic structure. After that came the creation of 3D design elements: bricks, shingles, stained-glass style windows, and other details that would sell the fantasy look.

Basic Wood Cutting

The initial goal was to cut out the base shapes for the cupboards — the parts that would actually stick out from the surface while still keeping the cabinets fully functional.

In this phase, the door panels were removed, and some hinges were repositioned so they wouldn’t collide or overlap when opening. At the same time, the basic openings for doors, windows, and raised sections were cut, forming the underlying silhouette of the fantasy city façade.

Batch Production and Intricate Patterns

The next big task was creating all the textured elements for the façade: doors, windows, bricks, cobblestones, tiles, and shingles. There were hundreds of them.

The question was how do you cut all of these pieces and give them texture at the same time. That is where the xTool P3 laser cutter helped.

First, the door panels were cut out using the xTool P3. Its 80W CO₂ laser was powerful enough to slice the door cutouts in one go. Since the material was a long wooden board, the passthrough slot helped feed it through without any issues.

The same method was used for the door panels and windows. Each result matched its corresponding pair accurately, which was exactly what was required.

Next, the bricks and cobblestones were created. They needed texture and different shapes. XPS foam was used and cut into strips and blocks, resembling bricks.

Then came the shingles for the roofs. The foam sheet was placed inside the P3, the camera captured it, and the design was dragged to position on screen. The platform lifted on its own. It felt almost effortless. You can also monitor everything from your PC with two views: front and side.

Simulating Old Wood Grain and Textures

Some engravings were added to the panels to show wear and tear, like wood that had aged over years. For the bricks, the creator textured them by hammering with a stone, although the same effect could be achieved using the laser engraver.

Creating Colored Glass Windows

This part was particularly interesting. The “faux glass” windows were made of acrylic. The base acrylic was laser cut on the xTool P3, which produced precise shapes with smooth edges.

Next, an intricate wooden pattern was laser cut, painted black, and used to cure UV resin. The panel pattern was then filled with pigmented epoxy in light yellows, deeper reds, and blues. The result created a stained-glass effect.

Assembling, Painting, and Wiring

The bricks, shingles, and stones were placed carefully on the façade, painted according to the design, and everything was wired. The final result checked three boxes. It resembled the original piece. It had real 3D elements, not a sticker look. It felt durable, helped by fabric reinforcement. And it remained functional. The doors opened properly even with all the added details.

How xTool P3 Became the Perfect Partner for This Project

One tool that really stood out and made this project possible at this scale was the xTool P3. On repeated occasions, it proved exactly why it was the right choice.

Versatile Material Support

This DIY build involved cutting wood, acrylic, and foam. Each material was cut with clean precision. But that’s not all the P3 supports. It can handle 300+ materials thanks to its dual-laser setup: an 80W CO₂ laser and a 5W IR module. From thick 20 mm wood and 25 mm acrylic to delicate fabrics, the P3 manages all of it reliably.

Batch Processing

The project required many small components such as bricks and tiles. Here, the P3’s batch engraving feature really helped. In one setup, you can map different cutouts and engravings on a single sheet, then batch produce dozens of identical parts in a single run. This saves time and keeps every piece consistent.

Large-size Processing Capability

The xTool P3 is one of the largest desktop CO₂ laser cutters on the market, with a working area of about 36 by 18 inches. It also supports virtually unlimited length. For example, the long door panels used in this project were handled easily. This is possible due to the conveyor feeder, an automated system with rails that supports long materials while they pass through the machine.

Dual-camera intelligent positioning

You don’t have to spend a lot of time trying to line things up or guessing where the cut will land. With the dual-camera system, everything becomes straightforward. The cameras capture the workspace, give you a precise live preview, and you can simply drag and drop designs onto the material. The cut happens exactly where you placed it.

Focusing is automated as well. When you close the lid, the bed adjusts itself and moves the material to the optimal focus distance for cutting. At that point, the only hard part left is pressing the big ‘Start’ button on the machine. If you can handle that, you are officially a laser operator.

See it in action. Watch the full build on YouTube and judge the results for yourself here:

Conclusion

This project proved what thoughtful planning and the right tools can achieve. You don’t need to be a million-subscriber YouTuber to build something like this. What matters is patience, creative problem solving, and a reliable partner such as the xTool P3. With that combination, you can bring your own immersive ideas to life.

So if you have a project in mind, take the first step. Explore the xTool P3, join our community on Facebook, share your builds, and who knows. The next project proudly featured on our official channels might be yours.

Unlock Your Perks