In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the steps and a few tips on how to create customized ornaments using our Ornament Creator.
To successfully make a 2D pattern for a 3D printed ornament, there are several steps you need to follow to make sure that your ornament is 1 solid piece and is strong enough to withstand manufacturing and shipping.
How we use your pattern to create an ornament:
We take your rectangular 2D pattern and first cut it in half along the diagonal line. We then repeat your design several times around a sphere and add thickness to it.
From the above pattern, the black will be positive space, while the white will be the negative space. If your image is in color or grayscale, every pixel that is colored, gray or black will be positive space on your ornament. Varying thickness with grayscale does not apply in this creator.
How to make your own pattern:
- The maximum image size to upload is 2000x2000 pixels. You can start with a bigger image, but make sure your image does not exceed this size when you upload.
- The ideal image is part of a pattern, but if you are creating your own design be sure to focus on the bottom left triangle of your image since that's the half of your pattern being used. For best results, use more black than white.
- Your pattern (the part in black) must be connected to all three sides of the bottom left triangle (left side, bottom, and diagonal of your pattern) in one continuous, connected piece.
By connecting your pattern in one continuous line to all three sides of the triangle you will ensure that your ornament will be printed in 1 piece.
The black part of your pattern must be one continuous piece (all black parts of the pattern must be connected to one another), otherwise your ornament will be in multiple pieces.
You can explore our preset settings or create your own design here.