Custom 3d printable Space Marine shoulder pads - template/tool for making

thingiverse

This file is in .3mf format, created using 3D Builder on Windows 10. Other programs may be able to handle .3mf files, but I'm not familiar with them. It's possible to convert to other formats, but I'm a beginner at this and leave it up to more experienced users. This template is designed for cutting custom shoulder pad icons. While it's not perfect, especially when working with larger icons that can become distorted, it's relatively easy to use and has some features to mitigate distortion. To use this template, simply place a fat version of your icon where you want it on the pad, move the outer cutter bit to intersect it, and adjust it slightly so the top of the icon is flat rather than conforming precisely to the shape of the pad. Using the Subtract feature in 3D Builder, cut away the excess protrusion, leaving behind what's not covered by the icon. To minimize distortion, I did this: Before importing the icon, I put it in Blender and made it slightly cone-shaped as shown in the images. This causes the edge of the icon to emerge from the shoulder pad at almost 90 degrees. One can be more precise and calculate an exact angle, but I just threw this together as a quick example of what can be done with my template file. After subtracting the outer part, tilt and resize the icon to flatten it heightwise, which remedies the effect of cutting that makes it slightly oval. Then, tilt the icon and move it slightly to achieve the result shown in the last image. Next, I subtracted the inner part and removed the leftover parts sticking outside it. Tip: To get a 3D version of your icon for this template, import an image file into 3D Builder, which will allow you to get it as extruded 3D shapes. Unless your original is high-resolution, it may be a bit rough, but it can also create stamps or heightmaps depending on the shading. To get the icon I used, I downloaded an SVG of the black sun and uploaded it to a webpage to get an extruded 3D version. If your icon is already in SVG format, you should be able to get a very accurate 3D version easily. EDIT: I noticed that my example shoulder pad has a flat spot because I didn't make the logo tall enough and thus easily avoided it.