Knitted Flexible Fabric

I continue to experiment with flexible fabric. Previously it was the Checkered Napkin with a modular version.

Now I decided to make a knitted texture, which is still popular in 3D printing. 🧶

There are only 4 loops per element here 🪢To make a color pattern, you will of course need automatic filament change. I did not use more than 2 colors (for the pattern itself). The purge waste is not large (a small handful of poop and a tower), but the printing time is very long.

I made several sizes: 9x9, 8x13♥️, 15x15.

Also two non-standard shapes: pixelHeart and a "like 1" notification.

I tried all versions both at 100% scale with a layer height of 0.2mm, and at 75% with a layer height of 0.16mm.

The color pattern is not primary here, you can make your own. Mostly I made patterns on the theme of February 14th 💖.

For coloring, I select fill and set the maximum Smart fill angle. I specify the needed loops; since it's a separate element, it gets completely filled without touching the others.

You can also color the first layer; this also adds insignificantly to the 3D print time, and the purge waste is minimal.
I use dark gray color for the bottom STL so that the contrast is felt.

Coloring in this case is a long but creative and pleasant process.
To make the fabric look even better, I colored the internal connection (the top polygon) to match the top.

This is just one layer, so it won't add much time to the 3D print. Don't forget to change the Smart fill angle to 30.

Because each loop is separate, the files are quite large, and slicing in the slicer takes a long time. Sometimes the slicer simply couldn't handle it and closed, giving an error. Please pay attention to this. It was a case where I constantly saved the 3D print profile during the coloring process.

I applied adaptive layer height to the layer with loops for a better effect.

Combining saturated colors like red, black, etc., with white on one layer requires a higher nozzle purge. Don't forget to consider this; otherwise, red will become lighter, and white will be pinkish.

You can get inspired by patterns on pinterest.
Note that a pixel in height in the design occupies 2 loops ☠️🏴

🧶🧶☠️🧶