Generative Bonsai – Organic Support Tree

Quick Start

1. Slice plate 1 with Organic Supports enabled.

2. Set Preferred Branch Angle = 50

3. Set Maximum Branch Angle = 50

4. Print the tree + terrain.

5. Print plate 2 (pot + bushes).

6. Place bushes on top of the pads.

Description:

This model is not a traditional bonsai sculpture:

it is a tree “grown” automatically by your slicer using Organic Supports.

I designed the platform structure (the small flat pads) where foliage, bushes, or any tiny props can sit.

The trunk is not modeled: instead, it is generated automatically by your slicer through Organic Support Material, which grows upward from a 35 mm hole at the base until it reaches all pads.

So yes:

same model file, but a different tree for every user.

Your printer + your slicer + your settings = your unique bonsai.

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🌱 How it works

• Enable Organic Supports in PrusaSlicer (or any slicer with a similar feature).

• The slicer will build a branching organic structure that looks surprisingly natural — basically a procedural bonsai trunk.

• The trunk will be different for every user, every printer, and every slicing profile.

This means your bonsai will be unique, even though the underlying 3D model is identical.

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🧪 The trick (important)

To encourage a single elegant tree-like structure, I mainly tuned two parameters:

• Preferred Branch Angle

• Maximum Branch Angle

My personal values for this print:

I raised both to 50.

General tip:

Raise them as little as needed until you get a trunk that starts cleanly from the center of the base hole and grows naturally toward the pads.

This is the “secret sauce” that makes the whole concept click.

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📏 Scaling = still safe

Because the trunk is generated based on your printer’s real capabilities and your slicing rules, you can:

• scale the model up or down

• and still keep a very high chance of success

It’s also one of the fastest ways to get a big, impressive tree volume without manually modeling a complex structure.

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🌿 Modular foliage (now even simpler)

The bushes/foliage are printed separately in any color you like.

They do not snap in.

They are designed to be simply placed on top of the pads, so you can swap, mix, and experiment instantly.

You can:

• print bushes in green, autumn colors, pastel tones…

• print multiple sets and mix them

• experiment with different settings to “grow” different trees

Fun detail from my test print:

I used a translucent material for the bushes.

Because slicing often compensates where it “sees” missing material, it can add extra structure in internal gaps, which creates a surprisingly convincing bushy look when the material is translucent.

In real life, the effect is really nice.

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🧩 Community remix ideas

This is where I hope the community goes wild.

Each foliage pad is basically a small medallion sized about:

45 mm × 24 mm

So if you design something that fits those two numbers, you can place almost anything on top:

• a tiny Japanese torii

• a small Buddhist temple

• two tiny characters sitting on a “cliff”

• mini props, animals, ornaments

• even playful functional micro-items

I would love to see remixes, new foliage styles, and creative variants.

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🪴 What you get in this download

• The pad structure (the only modeled part of the tree system)

• A pot/base

• A terrain/soil solution

• Individual foliage/bush pieces

The actual trunk will be generated uniquely on your printer.

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🖨 Print plates (updated: 2 plates)

This project is designed to be printed in two simple plates:

1. Tree + terrain plate
   

   • The pad structure is sliced with Organic Supports, which generate the unique trunk.

   • This plate includes the tree-side parts you need for the final bonsai look.

3. Pot + bushes plate
   

   • Print the pot/base and the foliage/bush pieces in any colors you like.

I added images/graphics to make the assembly easy to understand.

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✅ Great as an organic support test

This model can also be seen as a beautiful “torture test” for organic generative supports:

You’re not just printing a technical sample —

you’re printing a small art project that can become a whole modular series.

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🧡 Share your result!

Since each generated trunk will be absolutely unique, I would love to see what your slicer creates.

Please upload a Make!

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🏆 Small personal request

If you truly enjoyed this model as much as I did while developing it,

I’d be honored if you consider supporting it for the Printables Awards.

Likes, downloads, and Makes genuinely help me reach the goals I mention in my bio — thank you!