How to 3D Print Your Rocket Designs From Kerbal Space Program - Fun Classroom Activity!

Hi,

This Instructable which allows you to take your rocket designs from KSP (Kerbal Space Program) and 3D print them.

A bit about me, I am currently a student from India. I am in the 8th grade and love designing with Autodesk Fusion.

Bringing Virtual Rockets to Reality 🚀

In this project, I have detailed every step of how you can directly convert your .craft files from KSP to STL, readying them for 3D printing! If you're just starting off, don't worry I got you covered!

If you are a designer, interested in aerospace technology, this is the Instructable for you.

If you are an educator, use this in your classroom to introduce students to Design, 3D Printing, and especially an easy and fun introduction to Space and Rockets!

If you are already a KSP player, have you ever spent hours designing your dream rocket in Kerbal Space Program, wishing you could actually hold it in your hands? That’s exactly what inspired this project!

Follow the video on the top for every step demonstration or follow the steps detailed below!

To 3D print you KSP rockets, you would need to the following Materials:

Software

1. A computer with KSP (Kerbal Space Program) - https://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com/
2. Bambu Lab Studio Slicer Software - https://bambulab.com/en-in/download/studio
3. Blender Software - https://www.blender.org/

*You don't need prior experience in these software for this Instructable, although I have attached some starter videos to get you started if you need them!

Hardware

1. A 3D printer (I used Bambu Labs A1 )
2. Filament (PLA is suggested)

*The above supplies are the main requirements, however, you also need to access websites to convert the file from a .craft to a .stl which I have described in the following steps.

Now that you have all the supplies with you,

You can launch KSP (Kerbal Space Program) and start designing your own rocket.

I would suggest using components like thrusters and fuel tanks, allowing for a functionable design which you can also test in game.

If you are new to the game, you should consider watching tutorials to understand the basics of rocket design. Here's afew links to some very helpful starter videos to get you started:

1. https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Tutorials

But this game is all about experimenting to learn, so don't hesitate trying yourself!

Once you are completed and satisfied with your design, you can go ahead and save it using the button located in the top right corner and name it as you wish (remember the name as you will have to find it in your files when importing the design ).

This is an interesting classroom exercise to introduce students to rockets and aerospace engineering in a fun way!

To find the plugin, (It looks lengthy but it's an easy process!)

1. Go to your everyday browser and search, "io object mu" (or just follow the link)
2. Click on the first link and once it opens, find the code button highlighted in green towards the top right.
3. Click download zip which appears at the end of the dropdown.
4. Go to the location at which the zip was downloaded and then right click the file. Now, in the list, find extract all and click that button.
5. After this, a program will come up and find the extract button towards the bottom. Copy the file which pops up after the following steps and switch tabs to blender.
6. Go to the local disk after clicking on 'This PC' and then find and enter "program files".
7. Find and enter "Blender Foundation", then "blender 4.4", Click on "4.4".
8. Then click on scripts, then add-ons core and now you can finally paste the copied file. (click on replace the files in the destination)
9. Click continue and wait for installation, once completed, you can exit the plugin-in website.

To install the plugin,

1. Open up blender and find the edit option at the top left.
2. In the list, click on preferences at the absolute bottom and a new menu will open.
3. In the menu, find the add-ons in the side bar and find the KSP model format which should be automatically present after these steps.
4. Tick the box corresponding to it and click on the dropdown.
5. In the preferences section, find editing and then "GameData Path".
6. Click on the file icon to the right of it and on the side bar. find "Secondary (D:)" and click on the games folder.
7. Click on Kerbal Space Program and find the folder labelled as "GameData" and lastly click accept on the bottom right.

All done!

Now you can simply import the file by clicking on the file option at the top left and finding the import option.

Now once again open "Secondary (D:), click on games, then click on KSP, find the saves option, click on the file labelled test, then find the file labelled ships and finally click on VAB and select the design you would like to print (The design is saved with the name you saved it with in KSP)

Once the craft file is added, to make it a usable STL,

1. you need to click on the object option in the top left and find the apply option within it.
2. In apply, click on the "Make Instances Real" option. This will finally make the .craft file into a normal and usable body, ready to be printed.
3. To export it, just click on the file option at the top left and then export it as an STL.
4. Save it in the location of your choice and click the export button at the bottom right.

To slice the STL and get it ready to print,

1. Open up Bambu Studio (download link given in Supplies section incase you don't have it)
2. Create a new project file and select the previously saved STL. Scale the design as per your requirements, as it would be necessary due to the miniature size of the model.
3. I would recommending adding tree supports to the part, as it may have a large amount of overhangs. You can place them manually or automatically.
4. You should even reduce the layer height for the print, as the space ship would require detail which would not be achievable with the use of the default height.

Finally, you can slice the file and get ready to print it.

If you haven't used the software before, here's a link to some starter tutorials from Bambu Labs.

*This is also an interesting introduction to slicing if you're using this project in the classroom!

Common Challenges (optional but helpful)

Scale:

Some models imported too large or too tiny. I fixed this by checking dimensions in Blender and using “Scale to 1.0” before export.

Mesh Errors:

KSP models sometimes have open meshes or flipped normals. Using Blender’s “3D Print Toolbox” to analyze and repair holes helped get clean STL files.

Thin Wall Failures:

Very thin rocket fins or struts can warp while printing. I slightly thickened those parts in Fusion 360 before slicing.

Support Material Overload:

Long, thin rockets often needed excessive support. Printing them in halves (nose + body) reduced waste and gave cleaner results.

To 3D print this file, you can either send it via network to your printer or use an SD card to deliver the file.

Recommendations

When starting the print, make sure your build plate is clean and the printer has completed homing. Since rockets are tall in height.

I would also recommend using a glue stick on the build plate for extra adhesion for the part, just to prevent print failures.

Once you have taken also safety measures, you can finally start printing your very own rocket.

All set for Launch!

Through this entire process, I had a lot of fun. It really seems incredible to take something from a video game and make it exist in real life.

What makes it even better is that what we're printing is my very own rocket that I designed. It really helps young kids like me to bring their dreams to life with an imaginative edge.

Space has always been humanity’s biggest classroom — and this project is my way of bringing a piece of that classroom to the 3D printer.

Classroom or Workshop Idea

This workflow is perfect for STEM classrooms or makerspaces

Students can:

1. Design spacecraft in KSP (learning basic Physics and Design)
2. Export and clean up geometry (learning CAD fundamentals)
3. Slice and print their designs (understanding 3d printing)

It’s a fun way to teach digital-to-physical thinking, 3D printing workflow, and even inspire future aerospace engineers.

Teachers can easily replicate this activity with minimal setup using Blender and Fusion 360.

I really hope that this has helped you and wish you a fun learning journey!

*and if you've used in the classroom, hope the students loved it too!

For fun, I even listed some test launches i did with some rockets. Please sit back and enjoy.