Personalise your Christmas tree with these wonderful customizable bauble decorations!
Use your slicer's 'pause at height' or 'filament change' feature to create multicolored decorations on a single extruder 3D printer, or why not add a bit of sparkle?
This one comes with a bucket load of customizable options!
OpenSCAD Customizer Options
This design has the following Customizer options:
Text
Text
- The text
Font
- The font
Other_Font
- Enter a font name and select 'Other' (above) to use this font.
Font_Size
- Font size
Letter_Spacing
- Letter spacing
Text_H_Offset
- Horizontal text offset
Text_V_Offset
- Vertical text offset
Text_Rotation
- Text Rotation
Text_Underline
- Add text underline?
Text_Underline_Thickness
- Thickness of underline
Text_Underline_Offset
- Underline offset
Text_Overline
- Add text overline?
Text_Overline_Thickness
- Thickness of overline
Text_Overline_Offset
- Overline offset
Stars
Stars
- Number of stars
Star_Offset
- Star offset
Star_Outer_Rotation
- Outer rotation of stars
Star_Inner_Rotation
- Inner rotation of stars
Star_Points
- Number of star points
Star_Outer_Point_Diameter
- Outer diameter of star points
Star_Inner_Point_Diameter_Percent
- Inner diameter of star points as percentage of outer diameter
Star_Cutout_Percent
- Percentage of star to cut out
Bauble
Bauble_Diameter
- Diameter of bauble
Bauble_Thickness
- Thickness of bauble material
Bauble_Rotation
- Rotation of bauble
Hanger
Hanger_Hole_Diameter
- Diameter of the hole
Material
Material_Thickness
- Base material thickness
Bauble_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of bauble relative to Material_Thickness
Text_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of text relative to Material_Thickness
Text_Underline_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of text underline relative to Material_Thickness
Text_Overline_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of text overline relative to Material_Thickness
Star_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of stars relative to Material_Thickness
Hanger_Material_Thickness_Offset
- Material thickness of hanger relative to Material_Thickness
Other
Priming_Block
- Add a priming block (for multi-filament prints)
Priming_Block_Diameter
- Diameter of priming block
Priming_Block_Offset_Percent
- Priming block offset as percentage of distance from center
Priming_Block_Rotation
- Rotation of priming block
Custom Font
Version 1.1 includes an Other Font
option, which allows you to use another font from your system. To use a system font:
- Open the v1.1 (or later) .scad file in OpenSCAD
- Click Help > Font List, to find the name of the font you'd like to use
- You can use the 'Copy to Clipboard' button to copy it to the clipboard
- Paste it into the
Other Font
text box
- If you used the 'Copy to Clipboard' button, you'll need to remove the double quotes that surround the name
- Select the
Other - Enter font name below
option from the Font
dropdown
Design Considerations
- Ensure your letters overlap enough. Use the
Font_Size
and Letter_Spacing
options to ensure that none of the letters print without being attached.
- Add stars to support the text, especially if there are gaps between some of the letters.
Multicolor baubles with a single extruder 3D printer
If you'd like to print with multiple filaments:
1) Use the Material_Thickness_Offset
settings to stagger heights.
2) Consider adding a Priming_Block
. The idea is that, at the start of each layer, your printer should print this first. This will help to ensure the filament is flowing nicely after a filament change, before starting to print the bauble in the new filament.
3) You can adjust the size and position of the Priming Block to suit your needs. Don't make it too large though, as you'll be wasting filament.
4) Print using your slicer's 'pause at height'/'filament change' feature, ensuring to switch the filament somewhere between the desired heights. In Cura this can be found under: Extensions > Post Processing > Modify G-Code > Add a script
Finishing with glitter
You will need:
- Water-based découpage glue - clear gloss works best
- A fine brush - one you are happy to use to apply the glue
- Glitter - fine crafting glitter works best
- Sheet(s) of paper - to recover any excess glitter (you may need several sheets if you'd like to avoid mixing colors)
- A container with a small amount of fresh water (for soaking the brush between coats)
When customizing your bauble, we recommend using the Material_Thickness_Offset
settings to stagger heights as this can help when applying the glue.
1) Place your bauble on a sheet of paper
2) Apply glue to the area you'd like to glitter - if working with multiple colors, glue one color at a time
3) Sprinkle a generous amount of glitter on the glued area
4) Collect up any excess glitter by folding the paper and pouring it back into the glitter container
5) If working with multiple colors, repeat steps 1 - 4 until you've applied glitter in all the areas you'd like
6) Leave the brush to soak and wait for the glue to dry
7) Repeat steps 1 - 6 a second or third time until covered to your satisfaction
8) Add a final layer of glue over all the glitter to seal it
9) Wait for the glue to dry and wash the brush well
Versions
- 1.2 (15 Dec 2020) - Fixed typo (Hangar > Hanger)
- 1.1 (10 Dec 2020) - Added
Other Font
option
- 1.0 (9 Dec 2020) - Initial version
Printing
Recommended slicer settings:
- Resolution: 0.1mm - 0.2mm
- Infill: 20% - 100% depending how durable you'd like it to be.
- Supports: No
- Rafts: No. You may require a brim if you experience adhesion issues. If you also use an inside brim, care will be required to remove it without damaging the stars or letters.
License
The "Personalised Christmas Bauble Decoration" code (.scad) is licensed under The MIT License by Code and Make.
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