Spherical Lithophane Lamp
Introduction: Spherical Lithophane Lamp
In this project I will show you all the steps you need to follow to create a spherical lithophane using an image and the software 3ds Max. Then I'll show you how I 3D printed the model and made it into a desktop lamp. This same process could be used for applying an image to any shape.
Lithophanes are objects that can create high quality images when light is shined through them. It's quite easy to create lithophanes using online generators that will give you a .stl file after you simply upload the image. If you're looking for a simple flat lithophane I've found that this one works well and is free. However, if you're looking to control more details and learn about new software I would definitely recommend trying this instructable out.
If you want to skip some of the steps download the model or the image I used click here (image) or here (model).
Supplies
Tools
Access to 3ds Max
3D printer big enough to print globe
soldering iron
saw or lathe
sandpaper
Materials
500g-1000g White PLA (hatchbox is my favorite)
~8' 18 gauge 2 strand wire (Home Depot)(Amazon), 14 or 16 gauge will also work ***
Plug to attach to wires (Home Depot)(Amazon)***
Light Bulb socket (make sure to match to the light bulb you will be using)(Amazon), standard is E26 ***
LED remote controlled light bulb (a good option)
Wood (I turned a thick piece of black walnut on the lathe but you could make the base out of anything)
Wood glue
Solder
Wood finish of your choice
***You could use an old lamp or buy this
Step 1: Finding an Image
This step proved harder than I expected and is definitely the most important factor leading to the resolution of your final product. I started by trying to use .png images because they are readily available on the internet. As I progressed through doing test prints I realized that these wouldn't work for the resolution I wanted on the sphere of my size (8"). If you are shooting for a 4" or even a 6" sphere a .png image will probably work.
You'll want to look for a mercator projection of the earth (or whatever planet you're doing)(preferably without grid lines). The mercator projection is the most common projection and will allow for the image to be wrapped back onto the sphere later.
It's also important to find your image of a satellite view (without clouds). I haven't tried making one with elevation image but the continents would not be as distinguishable from the oceans.
I ended up using a .tif file which is very similar to a .bmp (bitmap) file. These file formats are not compressed, in other words they can have more resolution. The bad news is that these are slightly harder to find. 31
Here is the website I used (NASA).
The images above show the difference of quality between images I found (zoomed in on the same lake). I personally used the ~20K .tif which might be overkill but it worked for me.
Step 2: The Image Really Matters
I can't stress this enough how much the image quality affects the final product. Here are some previews of my failed attempts I have had solely because of poor image quality.
Step 3: Editing the Image
To portray the image on your object you will have to convert your image to grayscale and the invert the colors.
Option 1: Use GIMP, it's free software and it's incredibly easy to use.
Option 2: Use online conversion websites. This is a better option if you don't want to/can't download a program. These are 2 websites that would probably work although I'm not 100% sure they can handle .tif files. (grayscale, color inverter)
The pictures above show how to do it in gimp with 2 clicks. To turn the photo into grayscale go to Image-> Mode-> Grayscale. Next, for inverted colors, go to Colors-> Invert . Make sure to export it with no compression.
Here is the high quality .tif image I ended up with. Image, it's on google drive because it wouldn't upload to Thingiverse. Feel free to use it on your own projects.
Step 4: Download 3ds Max
I have tried multiple pieces of software to attempt to create a lithophane. The specific operation we are looking for in the program is the displace modifier. I attempted to do this in blender but I had trouble wrapping the image around a sphere.
To get a free 30 day trial of this program go to Autodesk. 110