This is the 3D Printed Lightsaber you are looking for, young Jedi. A movie props designer printed this awesome Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsaber – and you can even 3D print it yourself.
Just in time for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, youtube channel Tested examines a popular, not to mention gorgeous, printable lightsaber design. Tested is a maker-oriented channel in part from Mythbusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. In this video, they don’t examine just any old fan-made Jedi lightsaber. It’s Obi-Wan Kenobi’s, and it’s clear that designer Jacky Wan meant business.
Wan hasn’t always been a printing enthusiast, but rather has a background in creating graphics for television and film. Combining his skills and finesse with the power of printing, he created one of the prettiest light saber designs, yet.
“The examples I saw were mostly over simplified, impossible to print without supports, or difficult to assemble. I knew I wanted something more faithful to the original prop with better surface quality. So I set out to build my favorite design from the series.”
It was clear that making the perfect lightsaber wouldn’t be easy, so he created two variations: one with four parts, and one with fourteen. While fourteen may be a lot, Wan also explains that it makes the painting process much easier. Plus, it looks much more professional and believable. It looks amazing so feel free to get cocky, kid.
Originally created in combination with Ultimaker for May the Fourth be With You Day, 2014, the design can be found on Youmagine here. He even wrote a detailed post on how to get the perfect worn-out-sci-fi-look on his blog.
If you want an inside look into the process, as well as some great insight as to why and how Wan designed the 3D printed light saber as he did, check out the video from Tested, below.
License: The text of "This Is Probably the Most Beautiful 3D Printed Lightsaber" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.