Starry Night Vase

Description

The ability to print with multiple nozzles with minimal purge waste brings all sorts of possibilities. I have always been interested in the possibility of printing or applying art to all sorts of 3d printed forms but the limited ability to use many colors made it difficult. With new developments such as the INDX, here is my exploration of applying a portion of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night to a simple vase to see what is possible. 

This print is recommended only for a 3d printing machine with multiple nozzles/tools or any similarly capable machine. Anything else will require significantly more time and wasted purge filament. This project also has thousands of filament changes so if your method of filament swap requires lots of filament movement through PTFE tubes, make sure your PTFE tubes of your AMSs/MMUs are in good shape! It will certainly give any AMSs/Vortek/INDX systems a workout. All photos provided are printed by the H2C Vortek.

Print a vase or cup with a portion of the Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh for flowers or pencils. Best used for printers with multiple nozzles such as an INDX system, use 7 colors and tool heads to print this vase which comes in different sizes.

Size L x W x H 

Small (Cup): 85mm x 85mm x 100mm (3.3in x 3.3in x 3.9in)
Medium: 71mm x 71mm x 150mm (2.8in x 2.8in x 5.9in)
Large: 118mm x 118mm x 250mm (4.6in x 4.6in x 9.8in

Please verify the size can work with your printer, for example, the large size can be printed on the CORE one but not the MK4 as it is too tall.

Artwork optimized for 7, 5 or 4 bambulab matte PLA colors. Other branded filaments will work just as well if you have similar shades with enough variance between the blues.

• Matte Charcoal (11101)

• Matte Dark Blue (11602)

• Matte Marine Blue (11600)

• Matte Sky Blue (11603)

• Matte Ice Blue (11601)

• Matte Apple Green (11502) A lighter green or white can be substituted, depending on your preference

• Matte Lemon Yellow (11400)

However you are able to use any similar color for other brands and it will likely still look good as long as you use a black, 4 shades of blue from dark to light, light yellow, and a light green (or white).

Subtle texture added for additional depth and texture

A basic normal map was added to the exterior of the vase that follows the strokes of the artwork. Unfortunately due to the nature of multiple color changes, it gets lost in the many color changes on each layer. However it is very useful for areas where it is just one flat color to add extra depth and texture. It also has an added bonus of just adding general noise to help hide the general inconsistencies that comes with this many color changes in one print much like how fuzzy skin functions.

Color optimized for similar filament usage of the blue shade.

The interior shell has different colors so that the blue shades use just about the same filament. Pretty important if you plan to print multiples of them over and over again and want minimal drifting blue PLA spools as that is the majority of the color in this print. However it may vary depending on method of color changing and prime tower. This project is designed with a prime tower in mind so INDX projects (Which do not use prime towers on prusa printers) may vary more.

Artwork on the exterior and solid layers on the interior for water resistance

The color constant color changes introduces tons of gaps in the walls, so the interior walls are a solid color so that a solid wall is formed on the inside to help keep any possible water in. Of course printers, filaments, and print settings vary a lot in real life so its good to test it with a paper towel underneath the vase for 24 hours to check if it truly retains water. If not, you can always do the standard techniques for making anything waterproof such as an epoxy or resin coating or silicone sealants on the inside.

Notes

Current versions of Prusa Slicer (2.9.4) does not yet support INDX, The 7 color versions will be updated with INDX if needed when support comes. If you are looking for files that are sliced in bambu studio, please take a look at my print profiles on makerworld under the same name. If importing to another slicer such as orca slicer to slice it on  your own, please make sure to check the bottom layer and sink the model so it is a solid disk of plastic on the first layer. Adjust your prime towers accordingly, the 4-5 color prime towers can be thin and tall which may be prone to failure so check that out.