How to Make a Layered Cardboard Sculpture of Almost Anything

In this instructable I will show you step by step how to make a layered cardboard sculpture of almost any .stl file you can find. This process can be done either by hand, or with the aid of a laser cutter/CNC machine (I do not have one of these). This process can be time consuming but the results are quite impressive if done well. This project is good as is, or it could be incorporated to another project using paper Mache or another technique. Lets get started!

For this project you will need:

• A Couple decent sized corrugated cardboard boxes (I used single ply but double ply might work even better)
• Hobby knife
• Scissors
• White school glue or any adhesive that works on cardboard
• A windows or mac computer with internet
• A printer or laser cutter

The first thing to do before anything else is download Slicer for fusion 360 here. After installing and opening, you should be presented with the screen above. Click import and select the .stl file of your choice. Just make sure that it does not have to many large overhangs or to many small pieces that will make it hard to assemble. I chose A low poly bunny because it is currently the day before Easter as I am writing. Also because low poly models are often easier to cut out with a Hobby knife. I got my file here. A good place to look for files of this sort is Thingiverse.

Use the pictures above for reference.

1. Set the manufacturing settings to the paper size you are using. select the one above for standard printer paper.
2. Set the dimensions to the size you want. BEWARE: If it is too big then it may take a long time to cut out by hand.
3. Set the construction technique to stacked slices.
4. To view the model in layers, click on assembly steps and use the arrow at the bottom to go up and down.

If you are happy with the result, then select get plans. From here you can either print out the template, or if you have a laser cutter/CNC machine you can download them to cut out using that. If you would rather not bother with the software, then you can download one of the files above to print instead. My bunny is just over 6 inches tall and has around 50 pieces.

This is by far the most time consuming step in the project if you have a large model. Use the templates to cut out the pieces with these steps. Do not make the mistake of not writing the piece number on it as this can make it much harder in the future.

1. Cut out template with scissors.
2. Put template on cardboard and trace it with pen or pencil.
3. Cut out cardboard with Hobby knife.
4. Write piece number on back of piece. <== VERY IMPORTANT

Almost there! Follow the steps below to assemble the model from the cardboard pieces you made earlier.

1. Find piece #1, piece #2, and template #1. (It helps to organize these before hand)
2. Use the assembly steps tab in slicer for fusion 360, as well as the template to place piece #2.
3. Glue them together using Elmer's glue and let dry for a few seconds before moving on.

Repeat (in my case) 50 more times to make your model! Thanks for reading all the way to the end and I hope that this instructable was helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment them below. : )