Week 3: 3D Parametric Surfaces (Lampshade)

In this project, I aimed to create a personalized lamp shade for an existing light fixture in my home. I utilized Grasshopper to explore different approaches such as converting a 2D pattern to a 3D surface, creating a surface from points, or performing a revolution of a profile curve to design the shade. Once the design was ready, I ensured its 3D printability by checking its edges and slicing it in Cura 3D software. Finally, I printed my design on Ultimaker 3D printer.

• Grasshopper and Rhino software for designing the lamp shade
• A measuring tool to determine the diameter of the light fixture base.
• Cura 3D software for checking the printability of the design and slicing it for 3D printing.
• Ultimaker 3D printer

The design of this lampshade was made using the loft function in grasshopper. The above image shows the workflow in Grasshopper:

1) Create a point in Rhino

2) Connect the point to a circle with a defined size

3) Loft the two circles

4) Add sliders as necessary to make adjustments (ex: diameter of the top circle)

When satisfied with the design, I created an stl file compatible with Ultimaker Cura software to slice my design for 3D printing. I considered the maximum dimensions of 220 by 210 by 210 mm, ensuring that my design fit within these limits to guarantee 3D printability. Moreover, I checked the edges of the design in Cura 3D software, resolving any potential geometrical issues such as overlapping surfaces or holes to optimize the printability and achieve a successful final result.

My final design has a 38mm top diameter with a height of 70mm.

When all considerations were made and I was happy with the result I saw in Cura, I printed my design. The image above shows the final product.