In this tutorial, you will learn all steps to design personalized Christmas balls.
In cooperation with 3Digo.
Parts Required
- PowerPoint software;
- SVG Image converter;
- 3D Software (Ex: Fusion360);
- 3D Printer;
- PLA Filament;
PowerPoint
To design your personalized Christmas ball you have to decide what you want to see in effects. I have decided that want to make a simple model with 3 different snowflakes and a name.
So, the first step is to make the outside of the ball (Figure 1). To do that, go to insert-shapes-oval. The main formats are:
- No Shape fill;
- Outside Edge black;
- Width of outside edge 20 pts;
After that, you need to create the part you will use to hang on the Christmas tree. To do that we use a black padlock clipart image (Figure 2) and replace it on top of our personalized ball (Figure 3).
After making the exterior of your ball it’s time to fulfill it. To do that we have used 3 types of snowflakes as you can see in Figure 4, Figure 5, and Figure 6.
As you can see, the snowflake number 3 is not a complete image but for our purpose doesn’t matter because we use it leaned to the ball edge. Now it’s time to fill your Christmas ball with those snowflakes with different sizes until you feel that it’s perfect ( Figure 7).
To make the personalized name I use the “Edwardian Script ITC” letter because it’s kind of artistic and makes a perfect appointment. For that example, I use size 125 but you can adjust the letter size according to the name size (Figure 8).
To finish your work in PowerPoint select all shapes, right-click, and save your personalized Christmas ball as image.
SVG Image converter
Now that you have your Christmas ball as image you have to convert it to SVG format. To do that I usually use an online free converter.
The only thing that you have to do is upload your ball image by clicking on button number 1 and then click on button number 2 (Figure 9).
This software will automatically download your SVG File that you should save for the next step.
Fusion 360
After opening Fusion 360 Software, go Insert-Insert SVG (Figure 10), open your SVG file and click finish sketch.
As you can see your design appears in Fusion 360 software. Now it’s time to end it. I usually make an extrude of 5mm just to give it a 3D form. My Christmas ball has 100 mm diameter so I scale it using the “Scale” algorithm. To finish I make my Christmas balls with 4 mm height, so I made another extrude to end the design (Figure 11).
This post ends here. If you have doubts or want to know more about this 3D Print area don’t forget to leave a comment.
If you have designs to make and can’t do it, lets us know and we help you.
