How to cast a spell with noble blue
Twisty String Vase by 3DPrintBunny
Published on 4 May, written by Laila
Natalie Cheesmond, who goes by the nickname 3DPrintBunny, is an artist and designer who enjoys exploring the potential of using 3D printing to create amazing decorative prints. Her creation, Twisty String Vase, combines special printing techniques with a perfect shape, beautiful color, and clever ideas.
You are a very active maker. What do you love about 3D printing?
I really like the hands-on element of 3d printing, at times it is frustrating when things go wrong, but it means you get to know your printer and how it works inside-out. This also means you can push the limits of what your printer can do and experiment with new ideas and ways of doing things. It is an evolving hobby and there is always something new to be wowed by. I love being able to imagine something and create a real thing from those initial thoughts and I love playing with printing things that feel like they shouldn’t be able to print.
This is a very interesting vase, how did you design it? Is there some story behind this design?
I have done quite a few ‘string’ designs, I first started looking into printing single continuous extrusions bridging large gaps because I wanted to make a print-in-place tensegrity table. The slicer wanted to print the string starting in thin air so I developed a technique to ‘force’ the slicer to start the string above a printed part. Then I had the idea for these decorative string vases. The shape of this particular vase made the design quite challenging. I used Blender to manipulate the shapes of the strings and the vase separately and then combined them into one piece in Tinkercad.
Sounds like basic principles of hacking : ). You know, “hacking is a state of mind”, using things in a new creative way. Did you notice this mindset of yours from childhood, or is it a new thing discovered with 3D designing and printing?
A bit of both maybe, I’ve always wanted to play with ideas and explore new ways of looking at things but I think 3D printing has provided me with a good platform for actually doing it.
I noticed, while scrolling down your enormous portfolio of designs (congrats!), that you often find an interesting principle and then you develop it in many other projects. Like your vases with overhanging loops. So sometimes you inspire yourself and you search for the edge of the principle?
Kind of, I get a bit obsessed when I get a new concept/idea and, because it’s on my mind, I’m constantly thinking about ways to develop it or use it differently which tends to result in a bit of a splurge of related models… I also use previous designs for inspiration when I can’t think of something new to do, I go back and think: what else could I do with that technique.
Which sources are you using for getting new skills and knowledge?
I try to follow a wide range of makers, creators, and researchers in 3D printing and its peripherals from across the world. Hopefully, this keeps me relatively up-to-date with new ideas, concepts, technology, etc, and I also get a lot of links to articles through this. Most of my design/CAD skills come from practice, trial and error, blogs/guides, and the occasional courses. I think my knowledge is still lacking a lot, there is so much still to learn.
In 3D printing communities, there are always new trends. One time everybody is printing a bust of a famous movie character, another time some lovely string vases. Do you think about actual trends while designing your models, or do you just go with your ideas all the time?
No, I don’t even try to follow what’s trending, I generally just stick to designing the things that come into my head. I do try to do models for holidays and celebrations though as people like to print these.
Do you receive some requests from your fans and followers?
I get a lot of requests and suggestions. I love receiving them, there are so many fabulous ideas and lots of inspiration for me. Some of my favorite designs were ideas gifted to me in this way. My sailboat was an idea suggested as part of a competition run with Voxelab and this has to be one of my most popular models now.
Is there any special setup in the slicer for this design to print?
People often comment that I must have my printers very well tuned in to print these string models. I also get comments suggesting I must have changed my speed and cooling settings. The reality is I don’t do any of this, the first time I printed a string design it was on my stock Ender 3, sliced in Cura with stock profile settings. The most important thing is to use the correct layer height and then the only settings that might need to be tweaked are due to the way the slicer maps out the prints. Currently, Cura and Prusaslicer will print most of them without any changes and Bambu Studio just needs Arachne to be selected as the wall generator. If anybody struggles with printing them I am always happy to help.
What printers are you usually using and are you satisfied with them?
I mainly use my BambuLab, Snapmaker J1, and Prusa MK3S at the moment and they are all great printers. I also still use my Ender 3 and my Voxelab Aquila, they are basic printers but work well and I like to check my models are printable on these before publishing the stls.
That's very responsible to test print. I know that a few designers also have small friend groups in which they test print in. Do you also have some helping fellas or a close community?
Not really, I might ask my daughter to print things out if I am having a problem and I definitely use my family to bounce ideas off if something isn’t working. I really like the idea of having a group of people who can test print eachothers designs though.
If you like to use Fillamentum materials, which are your favorites and why?
I use lots of Fillamentum filaments, I think the colour range is unusual and sophisticated. I absolutely love the Fillamentum Crystal Clear PLA. I don’t know of another transparent range that is so clear and clean. It makes beautiful prints and is also great for making parts of a model almost ‘invisible’.
On which platforms we can find your designs?
Almost all of my designs are free and available on my Thangs profile. I also have a Patreon with supporter and commercial tiers.
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what can you find in the interview?
- Introduction
- What’s fascinating about 3D printing?
- Designing the Interesting Vase
- Mindset of a Maker
- Developing Ideas and Principles
- Sources for Learning and Growth
- Trendy Designs or Personal Ideas?
- Requests from Fans and Followers
- Slicer Setup for the Design
- Preferred Printers and Satisfaction
- Testing and Community
- Favorite Fillamentum Materials
- Platforms for Finding Designs
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