https://preview.redd.it/fgy9wwa7nn8g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41aec3170fc4d2179bf41aac32c016a13b2ab48c

I am a kindergarten teacher.

This year, a Christmas elf has moved into my group.

This tradition comes from Scandinavia. Our elf is called Lykke.

Lykke has a magic door through which he comes to us at night to play pranks. He also does magical things with the children.

For example, with the help of the children (using magic powder —> glitter), he transformed (raw) spaghetti noodles into “Hitschies Fruity Strings” overnight. The children were very happy the next day...

The children also left him some milk and cookies, which he ate.

In return, he wanted to bake something for the children. Of course, he needed cookie cutters in elf size, so I printed them for him on the 3D printer. (Since he cant bake in regular size because the Wichtel is so small…)

He also got a “Toniebox” (from the 3D printer) so he could listen to audiobooks.

Of course, an elf like this also needs an Advent calendar, and guess what... that came from the 3D printer too!

There are so many cool and cute accessories that can be made with a 3D printer! :)

Ill show the door (and area around + the finished coockies in the answer to this post)

Lykke has done so many cute and wonderful things. He even knitted! So that the children wouldn't get cold ears, he knitted a hat for each of them. Well... on his scale (see picture 3... the knitting set and the hat that goes with it...).

Lykke writes the children a letter every day (until December 24, when he has to go home again). These letters are really tiny! (Shalimar 6pt font...)

The children come to the group in the morning and first check to see what's new from Lykke. He has already swapped all the children's slippers when they weren't there...

Lykke plays this and many other pranks :)

Edit:

Printed with my buddys Printer since i actually do not own a 3D printer.

https://preview.redd.it/i5xwfepxck7g1.png?width=1008&format=png&auto=webp&s=7e33dec57ac732cc9bd421e883139c1c941f0e4e

Oh, I think I got a good one. :D

My gf wanted an advent calendar from a specific brand, I was too cheap to buy it and decided to get a bunch of chocolates from that brand and make her a custom calendar. You know, because that way she'll have at least double the chocolate for the same price.

However. I am stupid.

I made that decision Nov 29th, fully intending to buy a "fill-it-yourself" calendar with hanging paper bags, since we both like those. But I couldn't find any. At all. Sold out anywhere close and shipping would take too long.

So 3d printing to the rescue.

However, I am stupid.

Rather than going for a simple design I could print within the 2 days I shopped around the various model sites to find something cute. I initially wanted to do one that looks like gringots from harry potter, but I didn't have enough white/marble filament, so I chose the model in the picture. It looks better, but the drawers are smaller, so it got a bit tight fitting all the chocolate. Anyway, printing started, I knew I'd be 2 days late, oh well.

However, I am stupid.

I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to test a cherry wood filament I've never used before. Oh and I also forgot to dry it. The supports failed, the layer lines were weak and everything was stringing. "Oh well, I can fix that in post with a knife and some glue."

However, I am stupid.

I started the post processing next to the printer and within a few hours my throat got sore. Idk if it was the fumes, the burnt plastic from removing stringing with a lighter or just unlucky timing with a normal flue, but my throat got really bad and infected. I ended up being as sick as I've ever been, 2 weeks bedridden with fever, cough, hearing loss, the full thing. My throat still hasn't recovered though the rest seems to be getting better.

Well to wrap things up, I got better enough to finish the project, this time with a proper mask and open window. the weak layer lines are still somewhat of an issue, but it'S stable enough... the only issue? I finished it on Dec 14th. 2 whole weeks delayed. GF was mad I was "working" while sick but really happy with the (late) calendar and now she's enjoying her chocolates. :D

Here's some advice:

- plan ahead and don't start on the last day. (unless you have enough printers *cough*)

- be safe and wear protective equipment

- calibrate your new filament. the 30 min saved aren't worth 8 hours of post-processing

- dry your filaments...

And don't be me. I am stupid.

https://preview.redd.it/x4d9xy2liu7g1.jpeg?width=2040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84dd44dc2b9e861728311d1ff423dd248fa22213

My older son got into Starwars recently and I designed and printed the big three Lightsabers (they have a collapsible blade in them as well). Luke, Obi-Wan, and Vader. He gets them on Christmas morning.

Edit: I realize you were looking for more than just a snippet of information, so here goes. Most of the parts you see on these are printed separately and glued together. There is also a central cylinder that all the pieces slide onto as I was going to originally make one part and have inter-changeable pieces slide onto it. Unfortunately to get the proportions correct I could not accomplish making them all interchangeable. I am however working on a set that is.

I would have just printed them, but all the versions I could find that were accurate to the degree I wanted were either paid or did not have collapsible blades in them. So, I modeled them from scratch (well as scratch as you can get while looking at movie props) to have what would be the appropriate proportions.

The hardest part was getting the tolerances correct for sliding the pieces onto the central cylinder so that it was both easy and there was as little play as possible.

I decided to do this for my son as he has gotten lost in the movies and it gives us something to talk about that we both love. He was even Darth Vader for Halloween (though I did not print anything for that, just wish I would have had the Lighsaber ready by then).

https://preview.redd.it/uq7sel39di7g1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=709389862f7ed36868a6d8db3519c40b69c69451

Just a small batch of what I'm working on, twist art stencils I have been printing and donating to the children's hospital I work at. I have been trying to make as many sets as I can to put them in all the play rooms and mobile art carts for the patients. I have been working to create these as well as an assortment of kit cards that the kids can entertain themselves with during their (unfortunately long sometimes) stay in the hospital. These stencil cards have been a blast for the kids. The game is usually trying to guess what the final drawing is during the drawing process. It's been a really rewarding project and nowhere close to being done. More printers means I can produce more parts for kids. I just want to use this technology to make their stay even a little brighter. This project goes beyond just the holidays.

https://preview.redd.it/m3v6un1qem7g1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81112854cfe3f2a878774206e2ef1d02781a2dc3

I wanted to print my friends gifts but my ender 3 v3 se died and I can't. Would be amazing to win a new printer

https://preview.redd.it/22rqbybowr7g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aace1ee9c2161a59b355817d67bfb205d10720b9

This is something I designed and print for my kind and all kid from our family.

Idea was to have a nice Christmas tree decoration for all trees upon our family with the kids names. So I printed one for each kid and offer it. And for each newborn I make a new one ! Each year they are proud to hang on tree their name !

Hello from Spain 👋

This Christmas I decided to print something special for my partner: a complete set of the game “Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow”, one of our current favorites. In reality, it’s not just a game — it’s also the reason we get together with our friends, responsible for laughs, absurd arguments, unexpected betrayals… and for more than one afternoon that was “supposed to be short” and ended very late 😅

I wanted to give her something that couldn’t be bought in a store, something I had dedicated my time to, along with my 3D printing knowledge and all my love. With that in mind, I jumped into printing the box, the tokens, and all the details of the base game, carefully choosing the colors and the design so it would have the magical and mysterious feel the game deserves.

Not everything was perfect (what print ever is?). Adjusting the quality so the text was easy to read, avoiding warping on the corners of the long box pieces and on the small details of the tokens, adding cutouts and pauses for the magnets I had available at home, making sure the backs of the tokens had a uniform look, hiding seams as much as possible… these were small challenges, but each failure brought me a little closer to the final result.

There was also an unexpected challenge: keeping all of this a secret. My partner loves seeing what new things I’m printing, so distracting her became almost a parallel game. Luckily, being able to turn off the light on my Kobra S1 and keep it closed helped a lot in making sure the surprise arrived intact.

While printing, I couldn’t help but think about her face when opening the gift and discovering that inside there isn’t just a game, but hours of dedication, tests, mistakes, emotion, and all my effort to help her understand how important she is in my life. For me, that was the true Christmas maker spirit: turning filament, time, and effort into memories for a lifetime.

Now all that’s left is to wrap it up, give it to her at Christmas, and wait for the first game — where I hope I won’t end up being eliminated on the very first night .

Happy holidays and happy printing to everyone 🎄💙

https://preview.redd.it/jbllmx6tds7g1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6a49a8d2886f746e88a6c60eaec539891347907

https://preview.redd.it/xjs9y4u71t7g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20ab0bcdccf63fa78382403d2f055d8bce771a69

We wanted to give a unique gift to the kids teachers, so I started looking at various designs. I found a little Debbie print made some modifications. Added some lights and now all the teachers in the school. Want a little Debbie light up earrings. It started as two pairs of earrings has turned into quite the ordering process and it makes everyone so happy and light up everyone’s face (and their ears lol). It took quite a bit of prototyping to get them right, but I am super thrilled with the finished product and the durability as well.

https://preview.redd.it/b46r0bbqvt7g1.png?width=1201&format=png&auto=webp&s=68e3364fdf4308965082f89e96085535856cca8e

This is easily my favorite christmas print, a almost biblically accurate angel tree topper.

I ran into it right after I got my first printer (mp mini delta) and made it right away as my wife was really excited about it. The print ended up being a bit rough and took so long to print on such a small and old printer.

The photo is of my second one printed on my Aquilla a few years back (dont have a new picture of a more recent one). This is now a new Christmas tradition for me to make a new one almost as a benchmark for how much better the newer printers are, and how much better my slicer profiles get over the year.

Next year I want to print a really big one on my Kobra 2 Plus and then paint the eyes and some accents gold.

Well, as soon as I figure out why my Vyper loses the y-axis position seemingly random after 1,5cm. But I guess this is a good motiviation to give it another shot.

Amazing prints that have been posted so far!

https://preview.redd.it/biyoch3o5v7g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b7b585df143e5df9b6d4c31707ec0ecd48496fe

I made this for my daughter as a way of giving cash instead of just putting it in a card, It is 14 sequential boxes all with really tight tolerances that fit inside one another. the bow and ribbon print as separate parts and you can make all the boxes different colours if you wish.

If i was rally mean i would add some super glue into the mix

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2128493-russian-box-gag-gift#profileId-2304667

View in your timezone:
Dec 30 23:59 UTC

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Not really holiday themed but I am designing and printing a seat riser for grandma.

Grandma has some chairs that were too low so I set a challenge for myself to design functional sear risers so the chair is 1-2cm higher. It's printed in TPU with a lot of walls for rigidity but still some squish so it feels nice.

It's still a prototype waiting for a first test fit

https://preview.redd.it/qg0qpto6wr7g1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d3a189a705b4c0eabf24a649f1d22e3580a08d4

My son can't sleep without a nightlight, and was absolutely desperate for one that is Christmas themed, so 3d printer to the rescue!

Lots of different things, but one "busy" job has been a few "London Underground" light boxes with a custom name for a few family members and friends, either their family name OR their city or suchlike. Sample model from the developer (Makerworld) https://makerworld.com/en/models/1742086-customisable-transport-for-london-sign-lightbox?from=search#profileId-1896831

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https://preview.redd.it/kzn3ujgrs08g1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cfb22a7703828d1528505b8f53d439b2fdf41ee

My submission is a bit different, as its not a Christmas themed print but rather something that I am currently researching, developing, and printing. I'm sharing from California, USA, and this print is an adaptive arm brace to attach a device that helps suppress Alzheimer's disease finger tremors.

The print is being done for some elderly patients that we are currently running tests on, and getting feedback to improve our designs. We made it because our research focus involves a lot of human-robot interaction devices such as pneumatic prosthetics and this 3D printed device is just one example of a small project we are doing on the side. 3D printing is becoming more common for use in engineering labs for rapid prototyping and even for some end result functional parts that aren't high demanding.

I used my lab owned Bambu Lab X1C for this project with some ELEGOO green PETG, but I would love to have a machine at home where I can continue to develop the project. Some problems we had were stringing (due to the wet filament in our lab) and constant need to iterate on the design of the snap fit connectors, as their

This project has been extremely rewarding both for me and for the patients that receive the 3D printed brace. They think its so cool that a consumer machine that is only $1,000 can produce such a great functional part, and the joy on their faces when the brace perfectly fits around their arm comfortably is something that I always look forward to seeing. As part of the holiday spirit and also for our own development purposes, we are providing these braces and the device for no cost to patients, and we as the lab have the capacity to self-fund our projects. We continue to develop the project and are working on a brace made with more flexible materials, such as TPU, and experimenting with different structural designs. Beyond the scope of the holidays and providing this device for free, I hope that we can make a difference in their lives and continue to expand on this little "side" project. Soon, we plan to open-source all the design files so that anyone can use it for their own needs.

https://preview.redd.it/kp2zul2l038g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d02b4eefe53970215baea4e301e962cdc68a9674

A Death Star Christmas ornament for our tree :)

I don't have a printer yet, so it'd be awesome if I could win one. I've just been jealously looking at all the 3D prints out there and saving collections.

https://preview.redd.it/gxt2450uj48g1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f732506e0ac474f690d59bcc04455ef9be862f66

Hello! This is what I’ve been working on for the last 2 weeks, a Death Trooper helmet. It was a very hard and expensive paint job, as it was the first time that I polished a print. I wanted it to have the best “mirror effect” possible. Overrall I’m very happy with the final product, but I think I can do better! Also, I used this helmet as a preparation for Darth Vader’s, which also needs a lot of polishing and post processing. Merry Christmas!

https://preview.redd.it/qenpwfjkw78g1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=138580bddcdc0282df37e72cc9f7dbeaafd23f4e

My best friend asked me to print the Eevee for her girlfriend’s Christmas present, I decided to do the Pikachu for her, and poke`balls as an additional thing since I already had the stl file and was in the process of printing every one of every type of poke`ball for my own collection.   The poke`balls were my favorite part because it was actually printed in several pieces that I had to put together whereas the Pikachu and Eevee were just one solid model that I just let the printer do its thing (I did clean them up before I sent them to her). 

For the past few years I’ve included something 3D printed in everyone’s gifts.  Though normally it’s just some ridicules test print.  Last year everyone got a Benchy and this year everyone’s getting a dice jail (even though most of them don’t play TTRPGs). 

The most frustrating gift I’ve printed was last year for my sister in law.  It was a Nightmare Before Christmas light box.  The frame and slots came out perfect on the first try.  But when I tried to print the cards, they just kept peeling off the bed during printing.  They’re only four layers tall at .16 layer height but 6x8 in area.  It didn’t matter how I adjusted the settings, I just couldn’t get them to stick until I finally broke down and just put glue on the bed.  Then I had to make sure to wait a few minutes for the bed to cool down before taking them off.    

https://preview.redd.it/m8lzzynug98g1.jpeg?width=1116&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1327735fe3aab11afa9e0e9133f0a51e383295d4

Everyone knows the stereotype of the elementary students telling mom & dad about projects last minute, but did you know the teachers are just as bad? SO came home yesterday to tell me about how they are throwing a Polar Express party for the students today but their is nothing prepared.

Time to fire up the printers!

My personal favorite was the tickets (pictured in black PLA & gold silk) for the students to keep. Cranked out 8 at a time with no failures on my K3Combo in about 4 hours. But in addition was a full-plate sign with magnets to slap on the door, and conductor glasses w/moustaches for the kids to wear while watching the movie.

I printed some lithophanes so my nana could put them on her tree of my aunt (her daughter) who recently passed a few months ago, and my grandpa who passed in 2013, I only have a picture of one of the failed prints because I have already given her the prints so they can be up their for all of us grandkids and great grandkids, it's for a memorial to show they are gone but certainly not forgotten, I will not post with light behind it for privacy reasons. This print failed a few times before I got my bed temp set just right to not peel up during the print.

https://preview.redd.it/orh9gnpl6a8g1.jpeg?width=2296&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=662643dfe766f9848199b5947dcfd173d01bd637

From August through November I printed over 80lbs of toys for a Community Christmas Print Drive!

https://preview.redd.it/t7crwnwogd8g1.jpeg?width=4865&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcd596f64c6dfc3de49f938783911819c55c3a41

This year’s theme was kit cards. Several kit cards to choose from. The community designs all the models, and spends the latter part of the year printing. All toys are rigorously safety tested.

Most of the community’s work is done through discord hangouts, Twitch livestreams, and videos YouTube videos. The community is led by a wonderful family who spends a good part of their year organizing all the logistics. Once we are done printing, we ship to this family who packs and delivers/ships them.

This was my third year participating, and the biggest joy is watching the toys get packed nicely into gift boxes with candy, stickers, and a Christmas card. I also give a few locally. The joy on the kid’s faces and hearing them scream in excitement is priceless. It also sparks an interest in the kids to learn how the toys were made.

Participating in a community 3D printing event has helped me learn new techniques, try new filaments, give to others, and built my confidence in 3D printing.

https://preview.redd.it/93nesf6ukf8g1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9e840c09b066f3e8e3ae8d25b4c4fa4fe8bc2c7

Currently printing this model for my Dad. He has had multiple knee surgeries this year on his knee, and currently they have removed the entire knee joint in hopes it will kill the infection that is plaguing him. Hopefully by the first of February he will be able to have a new knee reinstalled! A Kobra X would be amazing with the potential in filament savings, speed and quality!

https://preview.redd.it/i687nzpohj8g1.jpeg?width=1048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d6a697066a9638471765c2a9935ed3302657600

I want to share a print as a gift for a family member.
It is a Formula 1 Calendar with all the race tracks and the race dates.

This print did not go perfectly at first.
I started printing it on my bedslinger, but the print failed because all the edges warped. This was a problem I hadn't experienced before (with PLA), but I also had never printed something this large and thin.

Luckily, I have access to a second printer with an enclosure, so I tried again. At the beginning, it looked like this print might also fail. The red filament did not stick well to the bed/print, probably because the filament was too wet.

During the print, the situation improved, and I was able to save the print. I only needed a small amount of post-cutting, which was great because I was running out of time to send the parcel (and printing it again would have taken another day).

I used a 0.2 mm nozzle, and I am very happy with the result. The details came out really well, especially the race tracks and the text.

This project reminded me why I love 3D printing: problem-solving under pressure and still ending up with something personal and meaningful.

(Credit for the model to NaughtyFrog! )

https://preview.redd.it/jgjxq405gj8g1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7d9e82b0445f486aedec310d94b64c5f9161eaa

Recently i saw a lot of similar Christmas Tree designs, but none of them were parametric, only a single STL was available for each. So i decided i would make my very own in FreeCAD. It took a lot of time, sweat and of course trial and error, but finally i can present these Majestic Trees.

The first challenge was the python scripting of FreeCAD. A CAD software is meant to be deterministic, so adding random branch distribution with random length deviation was a challenge, which could only be handled in python. Fortunately i managed and the rest of the parameters were easy to implement.

The second challenge was to pick the correct parameter values for the tree. The very first one i made was so dense, it weighted ~500 grams (250mm tall tree). It took 2 full days to print and it was a mess. The nozzle collided with the branches all the time and tore some of them off. Moreover the branches stuck to each other forming blobs on the tree. The inside of the printer looked like a warzone after this (Plastic were everywhere). (Edit: it looked like a perfect cone as well, because the random length deviation was to small)

After the first "chonky" tree, the rest of them came out fine. I even added an auto calculcator for the parameters, which picks the the "right" (good enough) values for a specified height. Of couse you can freely change the values even after calibration.

I am happy with the final result and i hope the community likes it as well! You can check out the project and download it for free here. It contains the script to generate the tree and some ready to print pregenerated trees (100, 150, 200, 250, 300mm tall ones).

https://preview.redd.it/fymqkgxqrk8g1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=48f26dfa6b0c90985d586b0c0c332eac93b1cf54

Printed cookie cutters cause broke af

No prints because I'm just a lurker here. But I enjoy seeing everything you guys make. I'll dive in eventually!

Many years of trying to make a hydroponic tower for gifts.  Years of watching as every single net cup I printed would stop printing as soon as it hit the net design of the cup.  Every time, watching a base fully and beautifully form only for the columns that make the net of the cup evaporate into no where.

Year after year of trying so many settings.  Settings from people printing the samething on the same printer, only to watch it fail.  Printing other things fine, clips, shelves, skadi parts and even printing the tower itself.  But never the cup...........

Until magic!

The magic words being, full break down of everything, rebuild and massive settings calibration.  Got two in a row right now!

(Trying to put a pic but mobile is a horror show.)

https://preview.redd.it/nsbowm3o3v8g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bfb4ebacd2221f7c5f339c82c1cf6fd434503b2

Unfortunately can't post videos or gifs but if you wanna see the model and it in action here's the link: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2148471-christmas-night-kinetic-sculpture#profileId-2327912

I've really only recently started getting into 3D modelling my own 3D prints and figured I'd challenge myself with entering the Makerworld 'Printmas' competition. I figured it'd also be a nice little Christmas gift for my nephew haha. Unfortunately, I kept running into issues with the designs (moving bits jamming or there being too many small bits and pieces to put together) and so I wasn't able to finish it in time before the closing date for submissions.

Nevertheless, I got there in the end and came out with a design that works and I am super stoked. Still have yet to learn how to do the more artistic stuff like drawing the reindeers, the moon surface texture and the clouds - I ended up finding some public domain images and collaging the SVGs to create what I've created above. They don't look the greatest, but they do the job!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Last year I moved from the Netherlands to Austria to be with the love of my life. I have never once regretted this choice and I am as happy as can be now that Im starting to settle in here in my new life.

But of course, having lived my whole life in the Netherlands there are a lot of things I've left behind. There are days where I miss having my family or friends closeby and there are days where I miss the city I was born in, 's-Hertogenbosch.

That's where my 3d print story originates in. I love this city and I truly miss being able to walk through it, see the old buildings, the city walls and the beauitful canals snaking throughout this medieval city. So, when I finally got my first small 3d printer a few months back I decided to try and recreate a part of the city to have as memoir in my house.

I've never before done any 3d printing let alone modelling so with a bit of hope I tried to look if anyone had made 3d models of 's-Hertogenbosch, and lucky me someone has! One of them had me particularly interested, the fountain of the swamp dragon (Drakenfontein). It is a fountain next to the train station with intricate details and a golden dragon on top, this swamp dragon symbolizes the city of 's-Hertogenbosch itself as it is the nickname of the city. Being a city built in the swamps it was thought to be impossible to take over back in medieval times making it earn said nickname (however the city would eventually fall to the dutch forces but thats a story for another time). 

Having now downloaded this 3d model I tried to go straight to printing it... Which of course did not work as it was a 3d scanned model with many non manifold edges. So step one was figuring out how to get the model ready for printing, it took many painful hours but in the end I succeded and managed to get my first print (it is the one in the background of the picture). As can be seen, the dragon itself did not make it as I learnt that tall structures are not great for bedslingers haha.

So for step two, I split the model into sections and printed them all seperately.. this is where I am left with today and the picture attached to this comment. It is not perfect and it is missing multicolour as I do not have access to that at the moment. But in my eyes its a success and this christmas I'll have a happy reminder of the city I love on my chimney next to the tree ♥️. I'll try and improve the model and design in the coming months as I learn more about 3d printing and get better equipment and that itself makes me excited to keep going.

Thank you for listening to my rambling story and I wish you happy holidays 😁

https://preview.redd.it/7pzicp7nhw8g1.jpeg?width=2145&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb31426ef3037f6e7778914ec98598d8adecf2ec

Last year I printed playing card boxes for my friends I regularly play Skat with.

As you can see it is not perfect however I was still pretty happy with the result as the boxes almost fitted perfectly on the first go. After a few tries I got it mostly straight, however when I slid the inlay in the case it got stuck and I had to use pliers to get it out.

When I gifted it to them we all sat down and used files to get them to fit snugly.

I know it is not very christmasy but it was also our last session of the year so I wanted to make something for them

https://preview.redd.it/lflbeliz0m9g1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2acbbdd9e911c3ece1c36011fb2cc6460255d833

Eight years ago, I printed a small elephant-shaped phone stand. It was the very first print I ever made, and I made it for my daughter. The print wasn’t perfect, but it carried a lot of intention and care. What started as a simple experiment became something meaningful. Today, she no longer lives at home and has built her own life elsewhere. Yet that little elephant still travels with her everywhere she goes. It sits on her desk, quietly holding her phone and a piece of our story. Sometimes, the smallest prints end up being the ones that last the longest.

https://preview.redd.it/pja10rs4ox8g1.jpeg?width=1884&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75e998a2dc6408b0769c4b3179acc3b4df2e09ac

Love this. Love reading all the stories on the prints. Here is mine.
So, I am new to Nomad. I have been sculpting (trying to sculpt) for a few months. I created a Halloween dice randomizer (not a tower cause it wasn't tall so I felt funny calling it that) and wanted to work on something for the Holiday Season.
We play a lot of games with the family, so I wanted to try to make something I can use with my family that would be funny and functional. So, I reached out to a friend of mine, who is an expert Nomad user to see if she wanted to help collaborate and add some unique touches to it and she agreed. So i created the "Santa Stuck Dice Tower". She helped me with the tube inside and the small touches like the Santa's footprints. Overall, it was something that I was really happy with and I loved it, and so does my family. I have made a bunch since this, but this one is still one of my favorite pieces I created in Nomad Sculpt.

https://preview.redd.it/kva0099yaz8g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8bd1a62107aee41b597ca65a53c6612230f74fc9

https://preview.redd.it/ip46vfjb409g1.png?width=1344&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a9c452fa779ad502d0197e2efbbf732868c0417

I though it would be fun to print out some 3d scans of my family out and hid them all around the house for them to find unexpectedly, so I made a couple of these and stuck them in places like cabinets, on a desk, etc. So far it's been working great, and there's still a few left hidden.

Sharing from Atlanta. This year’s Christmas print is Ralphie in the bunny suit from A Christmas Story. Yes, it’s pink. I can only print one color with my Ender and my hand skills aren’t detailed enough to paint this.

That movie was my dad’s absolute favorite. It was basically on a loop every Christmas, and the bunny suit scene never stopped being funny to him. To the point he even had a suit of his own he wore every Christmas.

My dad passed away about a year and a half ago, so I printed this mostly because I wanted something on the tree that actually meant something, even if it’s a little dumb. The first print failed because I rushed it. Second one worked after slowing it way down and accepting that it was just going to be… aggressively pink.

It’s not detailed, it’s not painted, and it doesn’t match anything else on the tree, but it feels right. My dad would’ve thought the pink made it funnier anyway.

Happy holidays!

https://preview.redd.it/29a75sknl09g1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d8d30625c2000466949ec047650c00b7574ca0e

Since I'm at uni in Denmark, finishing my bachelors, money isn't exactly plentiful at the moment. On the wishlists from my nieces and nephew, there was exactly zero items under $200, and I'm not about to drop that amount of money I dont have, for kids under 6. So as always, 3D printing to the rescue, especially with free filament and printers available at uni.

One of the toddlers are absolutely obsessed with the moon, the second has just discovered Lego, and talks about nothing else. Last one just loves everything that lights up.

So to continue my streak of being the uncle that always brings 3D prints as gifts, I combined the Design Moon Lamp with the Brick Mega Figure scaled to 135%, some personalized caps with their names (gilded, of course), modeled up a moon holder, and came up with a "smart" lightbulb for LEDstrips controlled by WLED on an esp8266.

The result is these 58 cm tall figures with a moon nightlight, in three different colorways. Mostly so I didn't have to come up with three different ideas for each one - and there won't be any jealousy between the toddlers 😇

https://imgur.com/a/UEQtM8x

Only 2/3 brick figures in the pictures, as the last one is missing a head and a moon.

I am currently printing a new arm for each figure that has routing for the usb cable, to avoid the tail through the legs. The moon and the holder can be removed, to have just a brick figure, and the moon can be hung from the ceiling or placed in a stand.

Pretty satisfied for a last minute idea, and judging by the curious looks and questions from kids on the bus, I am pretty sure these will be a success.

Issues and challenges? Besides printing a moon in a metallic silver filament, that turned out to not be translucent at all, having two failed moon prints at 50ish%, one finished moon in white that was stolen, and today I came back to uni to find that someone had stopped my print, taken the last roll of white from my printer and put it on theirs - and thrown the 70% finished moon in the trash (free printing at uni is cool, selfish assholes are not), my own prusa xl printing the two color heads killing an extruder and failing the print, stuck filament on another attempt causing air print - and running out of the same yellow filament, dropping a hat so the brim broke (which I sneakily covered with a little heart, which is now a feature, not a bug), and being dumb enough to think "hell yeah, I should try gilding those raised letters, cant be that hard", I had no real issues while printing these. Went absolutely flawless.

https://preview.redd.it/b3i2wo98e69g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=730f875f19aa0ccdd5d438bada685bbd2dd7a579

I'm in Scotland and I printed this to run for a roleplaying game one-shot with the kids on Christmas Day. Did the terrain with my FDM printer and the minis with my Mono M4. Had a couple of failures on some of the minis on the first plate but got them on the second. It was my first time speedpainting and all in the whole project was done over four days.

ETA: Oh yeah there's also a small failure on the base of the mini closest to the bottom that you can probably see, but I thought it was acceptable so just bashed on with my Christmas Spirit.

I’ve been wanting to paint some minis for my lgs games and this would certainly help out a lot.

https://preview.redd.it/vzfbwmgt299g1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=502875a25ba8be2a29b564fe3e4cbc0e9335ddc1

This is my first Christmas with a 3d printer so of course I'm excited to spam every person I know with awesome prints I've made as gifts lol. 

This Christmas I'm hitting 3 separate generations with 3d printed gifts! 

The magic of 3d printing combined with the magic of the holidays! 

For the grandparents, they are going to see the magic of 3d printed lithographs! Besides just being utterly beautiful and fun, the 3d printed frames, allowing the easy replacement of the actual litho images, I'll be able to send not only a neat digital light up Christmas card, but also separate litho images of their grandkids to trade out after the holidays. Then I can easily print out updated pictures of the kids as I get new ones so they can easily swap out and I can even send other holiday themed scenes they can display. The gift that keeps growing and giving every holiday and school picture day lol. 

For the parents, I can finally have pretty much any and every holiday decoration I ever wanted lol, and the adults get variations of that. I don't have pics because they may, or may not, lean into intellectual property issues and don't need any Disney lawyers jumping in here (bah humbug), but I did also print these fun "melting" snowmen to prank my kids by changing them out slowly, kind of like a prank advent calendar. 

And for the kids, carrying on the pranks of course, I am using these "annoying gift" box models, the kind with hundreds of screws and layers upon layers, to get to the gift inside. My eldest kid actually requested one so less of prank on them and more a torture on me because I'm the one that had to put in the 216 screws to build it in the first place lol. But should keep them busy and me entertained for at least a while. 

Some of these can become annual traditions and great inside jokes for my family for years to come. It really is amazing to be able to literally print anything you can come up with and that is especially powerful around gift giving times.  

Thank you much for the giveaway. Happy holidays everyone!

https://preview.redd.it/ixf8gq5tya9g1.jpeg?width=375&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa5f0c0892484aed6673cf99a0c412448d503cae

USA. I’m new to 3d printing. My dog James (on the right) had a stroke and passed away on Dec 8. Im going to do a lithophane of this photo of him with his brother Truman. James was my ride or die. He was the sweetest, friendliest dog in the world, and I miss him a ton. This will actually be my first ever print and it feels appropriate to dedicate it to him. Probably going to screw it up a few times lol.

My husband asked me for one for a long time, so I finally gave in and looked for a file (it's not easy because many have problems with the interlocking parts). It's 20cm tall, which is big, but I need to rework the file or find another one.

I also made three smaller versions for my children, but it's the same problem; I'm having issues with the files, so I've put it on hold.

https://preview.redd.it/ajsa4bl0jb9g1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d929c9dd52a81b49946b0f7927ebdb3b09ca4a39

https://preview.redd.it/lz891swovc9g1.jpeg?width=3194&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f2e5094dfd8c0c3ebf8446e22d4be35f4c33889

I printed out a fun Nerf blaster for a friend of mine! Had a great time blasting each other with it around the house.

So, my parents decided to give me my Christmas present early this year: a brand new 3D printer! (I've been wanting one since high school but never had the cash to buy one). I was already queuing up files for Star Wars/Halo helmets, lightsabers, and some figurines I’ve been eyeing for months.

But then my Mom walked in, showed me a picture on her phone, and said, "I saw this on Facebook... can you print this snowflake? It would look great on the tree." I said sure, thinking it was a quick little favor. Nope. She needed 15.

Then she posted the result in the family group chat, and suddenly I have 4 aunts on my mother's side "placing orders" for 15 each. "It's just plastic," they said. "It's fast," they said.

I ran the numbers, and I think I accidentally opened a sweatshop instead of a hobby:

• The Demand: 15 for Mom + (15 x 4 Aunts) = 75 Snowflakes.
• The Material: Each flake is huge (about 3.4 oz for an 8-inch diameter snowflake). That is almost 16 pounds of PLA.
• The Time: Each one takes 2.5 hours.
• The Reality: 75 x 2.5 hours = 187.5 Hours.

That is 7.8 DAYS of non-stop, 24/7 printing (And I know for a fact that I have to sleep lol).

So here I am. I don't own a 3D printer anymore; the printer owns me. My "gift" was actually just my parents hiring me as unpaid labor for their holiday decor (though at least they are buying the filament, bless them).

I would love to win this giveaway for one simple reason: Parallel Processing. If I have a second printer, I might actually finish this order before Easter... or maybe, just maybe, finally print that lightsaber for myself. 🫠

Merry Christmas to everyone (and send help)! And here is a photo of my snowflakes, they are awesome, I'm thinking of trying SILK white pla and see how they turn out

https://preview.redd.it/7o3f0v2nwd9g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e18e471231b62a2af7c945b5715fba8666a21d52

https://preview.redd.it/5l3j64yy1e9g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e5faeeba7b3e88ec443d5dcda50e3915911cb98

Hey, an opportunity to demonstrate why I love 3D printing: the ability to fix very specific problems for which no spare part is available anywhere else!

These are plug casings/adapters for my car’s fuel pump (BMW E36 Compact). Apparently at some point about 29 years ago, someone at BMW deemed it necessary to ever so slightly change the shape of the plugs and I couldn’t get a fuel pump anymore with the fitting holes for my plug casings - even one with the correct ones on the image online turned out to be wrong.

Frustrated by the inability to get a fitting pump, I decided to try and print a fitting casing, as the pins and their arrangement were the same. Sadly though, my printer was about 400km away and driving 400km without a fuel pump is rather difficult.

Fortunately, there’s a place in my city with several workshops you can use if you’re a member, including one with 3D printers. So I headed over there with my design and printed it, tried to install it, but I had neglected that the inner plugs expand slightly when plugged on the pins and I had made the tubes too narrow to accommodate that. I changed the design to account for that, and the second iteration turned out to fit very well - I haven’t had any issues since.

In the spirit if giving not only for Christmas, but just in general to help anyone in the community who might stumble upon the same specific problem: it’s up on thingiverse if anyone finds themselves in the same shituation as me (just look for E36 fuel pump adapter).

Merry Christmas everyone!

Edit: just read that it’s supposed to be something printed for Christmas. I hope this still counts even though it’s a few months old, as the most meaningful thing I printed for Christmas was a measuring teaspoon for baking because I can’t find the teaspoon of the measuring spoon set anymore. I mean, the fuel pump now working did allow me to drive home for Christmas, so I guess there’s a bit of a connection lol

https://preview.redd.it/4z48mxpjde9g1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6b410b182955d0d999b86f6ad4f8ade508c7d58

Other views (because I can only upload one photo in a comment):

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ET5NmFdo-WKocHcO0wRiTMhbdI7Wm8sZ/view?usp=sharing
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ESfmB-yQJpqVkQr7PPDikPkJK9otgn-i/view?usp=sharing

This is Mom's out-stretched hand. My Mom died March 16. As much as I miss her, I would not wish her back into a life of pain and suffering. My Dad died 27 years ago and she still missed him: now they are together again.

When a loved one dies, I look for small keep sakes and this hand serves it's purpose. On the hand I have placed three rings (Mom's school ring and a couple of costume jewelry pieces she had), an angel broach and a broach with a multiple of hearts. This will sit on my desk and the out-stretched hand will remind me of our relationship.

The hand is printed in Creality Ender PLA (gray). Thanks to "MakerBot" for uploading the model to Thingiverse.

Last year when I visited my best friend and his family, his 7yr old daughter took a strong interest in my stories of what I had been 3D printing. She loves designing and building things, so I sat down with her and got her to design her own character on HeroForge which I told her I’d print and paint for her for when I see them again at Christmas (they live on the other side of Australia).

Each time I called my friend she would jump on yo check in on progress (never make a promise to a child… they certainly won’t forget lol).

The print came out great so I made sure to make the time to slowly paint it as close to the colours she chose. Whilst not a great painter, I was pretty happy with how it turned out!

When I saw them again at Christmas I told her I had a big surprise for her (like she didn’t know exactly what it was given she’d enquired about it every fortnight or so when I called my friend.)

The look on her face when I showed her was priceless! And she now believed me about how magical 3D printing feels when create something on a screen, and then get to see and play with it in person! She immediately placed it on a shelf in her room where all her prized possessions are displayed and it made me feel like a millionaire!

3D printing really can make kids ideas and dreams come to life… perfect for Christmas time! And now my own daughter is nearly old enough to tell us what she likes, I can’t wait to print some things she has a hand in designing!

Just need an FDM printer so I can do bigger and more hardy toys for my toddler! 🤞

Merry Christmas all

https://preview.redd.it/wnlb2fnopg9g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6dccca77d7965734e173236d585a7dbe0ef85a1

I gave my sister a gift she will never forget. And I didn't take a single picture of it because we don't take a lot of photos in my family.

I found a few different troll 3d prints to make for her. They were things one was one of those boxes with 200+ scres that needed to be removed but this one had screws that were threaded backwards and some that were captive so they just spun but didnt come out. Inside that was one of those tube puzzle things but this was a 9 layered one so she had to solve it 9 times after removing all of those screws.

When she got to the end there was simply a note that said "lol" and I handed her a 3d print that I designed. It's for giving cash. it's a snap card thing so you can break it in half and inside is cash. but I filled it with glitter. She snapped it and got glitter all over her lap. She was not amused as this was over 2 hours into her ordeal.

I handed her another one. Inside was $1 and a note that said "I got your son a drum set"

Thats when I told her 8 year old I got him a starter drum set.

She was not pleased. I thought it was hilarious. I get her kid a new instrument every year because it's loud and annoying and she doesnt like it.

She also just passed her real estate test so she can sell houses and I bought her a domain name for 10 years and told her I would make her website and told her I would 3d print her whatever she wanted including business cards with NFC tags in them if she wanted. Im not 100% evil.

If I won this 3d printer I would likely just give it to her so she stops asking me to print toys and ffidgetsd for her kid and his friends

https://preview.redd.it/werzoyaeeh9g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e8b964baa8a92adf82b618fa7d48731a6f36f2e

I dont have a printer yet, so I have not printed anything before. I want to print toys for my little cat who is always bored and the only cat in the house. The fat neighbour cat isnt a big fan of my cat and so they dont play with each other. I want to be able to print and combine electronics to make an autonomous dry food cannon!

I downloaded the small tree (about 5 inches tall) last year and printed 2 of them out. Our older daughter was 2 at the time and loved them.

We had just had our second daughter and nursing was painful to the point we thought my wife had breast cancer (history in her family). So we went to get it checked out. All clear luckily.

While she was getting checked out I was in the car with both girls modeling the big tree on my laptop. Decided to print it this year for a Christmas party. I got multicolor capabilities this year which was nice to make it more special. There was a 14 year old boy at the party who started asking about 3d printing about them he's interested in 3d printing so I showed him my set up and told him all about it. Comes around full circle!

https://preview.redd.it/557dwcsqot9g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5860be4e7507efb59b87c202153eebaff1d707dc

Edit: added picture. Don't know why it wasn't included before

https://preview.redd.it/u3slsp874m9g1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f04c467f863582a0b3cdae1b37af168d3c58a6ed

What if I got it but no filament before then? 🤣

https://preview.redd.it/hvezqulrfm9g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7879d0e2a1b40148d12b979291ded51f11823dde

Probably not the coolest 3d holiday print, and I made lots of mistakes (still a beginner in 3d printing). But made these ornaments to give family cash gifts for Christmas. I did gold, red, and green balls. But the nubs broke off so the maze wasn't actually doable. And the top of the insert was too weak.
Trying to reprint as my mom passed away this last fall, so we're actually doing my family as a late Christmas gathering this year. Hoping to have these ready.
All the inserts I did gold, but I have only one filament at a time with my current printer, so I separated the balls from the inserts, and did those first, then did the inserts. I thought this was a really cool idea, but I can't claim the print as mine, because I did find it on either yeggi, or thingaverse.
I just thought it would be fun to give a little challenge and something the family could all post in memory of this Christmas being the first Christmas without mom/grandma to my son and nieces.

https://preview.redd.it/dlgkal8sro9g1.jpeg?width=6120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41ff1b637004bd48574ee30b068eb3b8ddb1f7c1

I just made my first prints today. 2 Benchies made of PLA. I think my temperatures might have been slightly too high for the multicolored one, but I'm still happy with how both of them came out. Tomorrow, I'll make myself a waste bin. I'm going to create my own CAD design, and then I'll have to navigate a slicer for the first time. I'm greatly looking forward to it.

https://preview.redd.it/qqxo9vrbsp9g1.png?width=464&format=png&auto=webp&s=58cba7c5c3219d77d14044bb50784061af441742

A friend of mine always dreamt about being a toy designer. He had a lot of sketches but it was never nothing more than a dream. Recently he discovered the IMG23D AI workflows and started making meshes of his designs. But he has no printer or 3D experience, so as a Chrsitmas surprise I asked him to see one of the STLs "to see how they look" and made him a 23 cm. tall physical toy of his design. He is really happy and considering finally buying a 3D printer in order to make his dream true.

https://preview.redd.it/w97qaeeavp9g1.png?width=851&format=png&auto=webp&s=099504c3be499d0effd3e27db40a7b6689faec27

This is a Kingdom Hearts lithophane lamp I made as a Christmas gift for my sister.

Years ago, my parents surprised me with my very first 3D printer because I dreamed of making cosplay props. That printer ended up becoming more than a hobby, it became a way to create meaningful gifts when money is tight.

This year resources are a bit limited, so instead of buying something, I decided to make something personal. My sister is absolutely obsessed with Kingdom Hearts, and it instantly took me back to when we were kids, spending hours at our cousin’s place playing Kingdom Hearts II on the PlayStation completely amazed by the story, the music, and the combat.

This lamp is my way of turning those shared memories into something tangible. It’s not perfect, but it’s made with a lot of love, nostalgia, and holiday spirit. I really hope she loves it as much as I loved making it.

Happy holidays and happy printing 🎄

Printing fidget hearts as gifts.

https://preview.redd.it/klao571a5u9g1.jpeg?width=1837&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=849cdb7a18985491d08889fe3a291bf883f1fe83

https://preview.redd.it/0v4jvbi14v9g1.png?width=1271&format=png&auto=webp&s=6589b8dc28b5cf37afcd9d43c477952bc7abbfc3

Custom garage door opener for an Air BNB in Hawaii

https://preview.redd.it/cxzvnl8otw9g1.png?width=1488&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8e7ab9c8b11a2463a369341dd70ac84b01a4c4b

Greetings from Germany.
I've been looking for a new printer for quite a while, last weekend I decided to get a Kobra S1 Combo, so far its been a blast printing with it. I had a Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro before but its been collecting dust since then.

So talking about the print I did for this holiday;

I've been printing a half-timbered house which serves as a bird feeder (it has been mounted on a wooden plate later on!) For who you might ask? I made it for my grandpa, he is 92, since he loves bird watching and used to live with us in that kind of a house. Nowadays they live in a flat in Hanover, so I decided to bring him a little bit of village life back. He appreachiated the gift quite much, since it's handmade and unique if you count 3d printing as handmade ;)

I used Wood PLA for the base and PETG for the roof, because I wanted to have that wooden feeling to it, turned out great. Just had some struggle with orientation on some parts, mainly the connectors, which turned out to spagetti twice, but that was my bad.

While printing I test fitted the parts a couple times, when I had the parts out of wood PLA (without the roof) assembled, I put it on my bed like you can see on the image. I didnt pay attention for like 5 minutes and all of the sudden I heard the construct collapsing, turns out my cat thought it was a good idea to use the house as a kind of basket, he was just sitting there in the middle of the parts looking at me, like it was my fault that the house broke down when i sat on it.

Why does the image show 3 different printers if you're only offering one specific model without an option to pick either of the others?

I live in California, USA and I printed a Rumi+Junu Kpop Demon hunters Bust. This print was chosen specifically to push my printer’s limits.

Printing Jinu and Rumi as a single, back-to-back bust meant dealing with fine facial features, complex hair geometry, long overhangs, and consistent surface quality across two very different forms. It wasn’t something I could rush or “good enough” my way through.

The first attempt failed around the braided hair when layer definition started collapsing. On the second attempt, I improved cooling and slowed outer walls, which helped preserve detail but introduced stringing and rough transitions. It took several test prints, slicer tweaks, and a lot of patience to find the balance where the faces stayed clean and the hair retained its shape.

What made the final print work was accepting longer print times and prioritizing precision over speed. Watching the facial features resolve cleanly near the top layers was one of those moments where you can see your adjustments paying off in real time.

Winning this giveaway would directly impact prints like this. A more capable printer would give me better consistency and reliability when pushing detailed geometry, meaning less time restarting failed prints and more time refining designs and improving quality. It would allow me to take on more complex character pieces without having to compromise detail to avoid failure.

This print represents a step forward in how I approach printing. The reward would help me keep building on that progress. I hope you guys pick me I would really appreciate the rewards!

https://preview.redd.it/6w4zitxz139g1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=d7c41507d81f635dcb817e8ac9b2b5768ab6bd8f