I created two parametric flower lampshades using Rhino 7 and Grasshopper, sliced each design in Cura, and 3D printed the shades on a Prusa i3 and an UltiMaker S5 with PLA. I followed a tutorial to set up the initial Grasshopper structure, edited the parameters until I reached a design I liked, and quickly realized after slicing that the geometry wasn’t printable. I went back into my code, added lofts, and adjusted the structure so the surfaces would actually hold together during printing.

Throughout the process, I used a domain box generated with the Python script component to check whether my dimensions stayed inside the 220 × 210 × 210 mm limits. For Lampshade #1, I removed the top three parts of the design and trimmed the rest to a ~25 mm diameter so the lightbulb holder would fit. After slicing with the teaching assistant, we added the bottom hole back in for printability, and once it printed, we measured and cut out the opening so the lightbulb parts could sit inside the shade.

For Lampshade #2, I wanted a slightly larger version that already had a correct hole built into the design. Connecting the original four parts took time, and I eventually figured out through trial and error that I needed to Bake the Extrude component and move the black mesh away to access the lofted Bake. I sliced the STL in Cura and printed it on the UltiMaker in 32 minutes. The print came out clean and even had a small floor that added character. I measured the lightbulb part at around 20 mm and reduced my hole to 23 mm to improve the fit, but the opening ended up too narrow for the lamp parts, although the rest of the design fit well.

Both final lampshades printed cleanly and matched the light nicely. The first design was smaller and had a cut opening added after printing, while the second was baked, lofted, and printed as a slightly larger flower-like shade with a built-in form.

This project was completed as an assignment for MAT 238: Computational Fabrication, a graduate course in the Department of Media Arts and Technology taught by Dr. Jennifer Jacobs. The assignment was to create a shade for a light, and I chose to design flower-inspired lampshades for small desk lamps.