Here's a cute flexi butterfly in the style of a Monarch. 🦋 This model can print in place or you can print it in parts to save time and filament! Itemized files are listed as well as a separate zip folder if you want to save time and download everything all at once. Included in all our Commercial packages is a Media folder that you can use for marketing your prints. 🦋
Model Details:
We wanted this model to look realistic while still being durable and flexible. The result was a two-part print. The head and body are one part and print separately from the wings. We do offer the same model as a print-in-place flexi if you don't want to print them separately. The wings are a good, tight fit, so they do take a little force to pop in, but once they're in, they don't fall out, thanks to the bottom notch design in the body.
FILES ATTACHED:
"Butterfly V2 - P in P - NO Legs - By CK3D.stl" : Print in place
"Pop in" : Wings pop in (this is a 2 part print. The wings print separately from the head/body.)
"Butterfly - Pop in WITH Legs - 3MF Monarch - 3 color - 2X plate - By CK3D.3mf" (this is our pre-painted, pre-selected settings, pre-sliced file. This is a "print and go" file. You shouldn't need to change anything. 😘
I want to note there are advantages to printing separate wings, such as saving time when printing in batches and having more color options since they can be printed separately from the body. All versions of the wings move freely, but they are not a sloppy fit when the filament is properly calibrated. (See our 'Calibration Tool' post for more.) The legs pop into the holes in the body and you can position them any direction you want. I recommend using the longer legs on the bottom if you want the butterfly to stand upright. These legs are in their own file if you want to use them. We are also offering a solid body version (without leg holes) if you don't feel like messing with the legs.
These butterflies are not intended to be toys or given to children to play with, as there are small parts that may be a choking hazard. In my mind, these butterflies would make a beautiful novelty gift or a piece of décor. If you're looking for a cute flexi butterfly that's fun to play with, check out our other model, 'Flexi Flutterby.'
We are also including a pre-painted 3MF of a Monarch style painted butterfly that is already painted with our recommended layer and ironing settings.
The most important thing when assembling these is to make sure you point the wings down towards the body when popping them in place. The wings were designed to go in this way so they don’t fall out too easily since there is a notch in the body that holds them in place.
Painting in the slicer:
If you choose to paint these yourself, the process is much easier if you first start with the primary color you want them to be and fill the recessed areas, then fill the raised areas with your secondary color. For example: I painted my whole wing orange first, using the fill angle tool to set the desired tolerance. Then I painted the raised parts black. I found this to be the easiest way to get the right colors in the grooves and keep the print clean for the printer. Video coming soon that goes more in depth on this and other slicer painting tips! 🎥
🦋
Okay cool, but Kajun, why does your butterfly look like some kind of zombified ghost creature? Funny story; I used to be a HUGE fan of the anime series, Bleach, and recently I discovered that it was back and better than ever! (I mean seriously, the graphics of today's animation and the plot was infinitely better than I remember as a child!😅 So yea, I was inspired to paint something Bleach themed and thus my Ichigo/Hollow butterfly was brought to life! Side note: if you want to print my Ichigo painted butterfly, I can send you my exclusive 3MF file. Just let me know in the comments!
As always, feel free to reach out if you experience any issues!
C&K