Personalizable Christmas Tree Ornament—No MMU required

Update 11-25-22: EXPERIMENTAL. OpenSCAD script to easily generate customized elves. 

A simple but PERSONALIZED Christmas ornament! No MMU required for multiple color print.

To customize the elves/santas and the banner, there's a few options:

• If you have Fusion 360, use the 3fd file and edit the text directly.
• I provide an OpenSCAD script to easily generate custom versions. See below. 
• Or print the blank templates and
  • Use acrylic paint to draw text; 
  • Use a thin marker pen (thick pens tend to bleed); or
  • Use CAD software (e.g. TinkerCad.com) to design text (make text 0.4mm high) and use PrusaSlicer's Add part→Load function to add the text by right-clicking on the object.

To scale the elf, select it, then click the padlock icon in the Object manipulation pane so it turns red/open. Enter scale factors for X and Y, but leave Z at 100%.

To change the direction of the elf's hat, in PrusaSlicer right-click on the model and select Mirror→Along x-axis.

The 3mf files contain my suggested settings, including manual filament changes for multi-color prints. 

I used Gorilla super glue to attach my “family”, colored baubles, and the banner to the tree.

The star has a hole so you can hang the ornament on your Christmas tree.

Using OpenSCAD to create custom elves with YOUR names

(Experimental)

Uh… wait… OpenSCAD? What's that?! I mean… do I need to learn how to write code?

No, you don't! It's actually very simple, and you don't need to “speak SCAD” to create your very own elves.

Here's a step-by-step guide.  

Setting everything up

1. If you don't have OpenSCAD, download it from https://openscad.org/ and install it following the standard installation procedure for your computer platform.
2. Download the files from the Files section here and save them in a convenient place on your local computer. Make sure Elf Blank.stl and Elf Text.scad are in the same directory. 

Making the model

1. Launch OpenSCAD.
2. Use File>Open File to load the file Elf Text.scad (or double-click on the file).
3. You should see the Customizer on the right. If not, go to the Window menu and uncheck Hide Customizer.
   
4. Select the appropriate Customizer options. Press F5 or go to the Design>Preview menu command after you've made changes, to update the image of the model.
5. When you're happy with the results, press F6 or go to Design>Render to render the model.  Rendering may take a few seconds time, so please be patient. Watch the progress bar at the bottom right of the window.
6. Press F7 or go to File>Export to STL and save the model as an .stl file.

The final act… slicing and printing

1. Load the .stl file you created into PrusaSlicer and slice it. To get the appropriate color swaps, you may want to use the Elf.3mf file as a template. Open it, right-click on the model, select Replace with STL, then load the .stl file you created from OpenSCAD. 
2. Slice the model, go to Preview (Ctrl/Cmd-6), select Color Print from the View drop-down menu, and check the visualization to make sure the color change looks okay. 
3. Save and print the model. The printer will prompt you to swap colors at the appropriate time.

OpenSCAD and text

Alas, OpenSCAD is not the finest tool when it comes to working with text. You may have to try to adjust the size of the text in the Customizer, or try a different font. If the font is too thin, PrusaSlicer will have a hard time slicing it properly. Ultimately, you may need to switch to a 0.25 nozzle for best quality.

If you like what I'm doing…

 … consider buying me a coffee or joining my Club.