2D image to 3D stencil using Free Programs

This tutorial was created in response to a question that was asked on the CadTutor.net forum. The user was asking how he could turn the "Happy Birthday" jpg image into a 3D model that could then be exported and 3D printed. This was the solution I suggested.

Original thread on the CadTutor forum:
https://www.cadtutor.net/forum/topic/77278-happy-birthday-stencil/

Software Links:
https://krita.org/
https://inkscape.org/
https://www.blender.org/
https://www.meshlab.net/