Tesla Logo 3D Print

In this Instructable, you'll learn how to design a 3D Tesla logo like the one you see above! Show it off to your friends or your dog because it'll look awesome!

Go online and choose an image of the Tesla company logo, then save it onto the computer in a folder where you will be able to find it. Be sure to pick an image that is clear and not blurry, and a high contrast between the logo and background will make the process a bit easier.

This is the program I will be using throughout the design process, so following along with the instructions should be fairly easy if you're using the same program.

Once Inventor is finished loading, click on the "Part" tab to begin a new workspace. Then click on "Start 2D Sketch" in the top left corner of the screen and select the XZ plane when the orange plane selector appears in the middle of the screen. You should now see a blank space with an X an Y (actually Z) axis.

In the Sketch tab, look for the Image button in the top right corner of the toolbar. Click the Image button and select the image you saved earlier of the Tesla logo. Then click Open and a box should appear at the tip of the mouse arrow. Click anywhere in the workspace and you should see the image appear in the box.

Drag on the corners of the image to resize and position it. Go to the Tools tab and select Distance to measure the sides of the image. Use 1/2 the length of the bottom edge of the image to draw a line from the midpoint of the workspace along the X axis to the right. Do the same line towards the left as well. Then add vertical lines at the ends of the horizontal ones. Use these lines to position the image in the center of the workspace.

Choose Line again and draw a line from the origin of the workspace vertically until it passes the height of the image to add a center line with which to work.Then start the point of another line on the bottom tip of the T in the logo and simply place the endpoint of that line up to where the curve of the T starts. Do this for both sides.

Using the same method to draw lines as before, trace two new lines over the V shape in the T between the previous lines you drew. Use the center line to help with symmetry.

Draw a horizontal line that connects and spans past the top two points of the T shape, then click on the Sketch, Arc, Three Point button in the top left. Click on two points along the horizontal line that sit at the very tips of the T, then add the third point along the midline to lift the arc into the appropriate shape, still outlining the very edge of the T shape. Repeat this process by drawing horizontal lines and adding arcs along the top arc above the T as well.

Open the Sketch tab and click Trim in the Modify section towards the middle of the toolbar. Now click on all of the horizontal lines repeatedly to make them disappear until only the arcs you drew remain in the image.

Use the Three Point Arc again to draw the curved edge along the inside of the T. Click on the bottom of the outside edge you added in the previous step to begin a new arc at that point. Then place the second point of the arc at the upper part of the deepest section of the curve in the T shape. Then use one more arc on either side starting from the last arc up to the point where the edge of the T flattens out. Then finish the shape with a horizontal line all the way to the stem of the T with the first lines you drew. This step is by far the most complex, so it may take some playing with to get it right. Follow the pictures as best you can, but remember that the focus is to make it look as close as possible, even if it means doing it a different way. Also, be sure that the horizontal lines connect all the way to the ones along the edge of the T, as these tend to come short, leaving the shape open and causing some problems later on.

Use the Line tool to close the two top arcs together, and use the Trim tool again to clean out the midline and other extra lines, leaving only an exact trace of the Tesla logo underneath. Zoom in close to the lines and scan the entire shape to ensure that any connected lines are in fact touching and there are no spaces. If there are, simply connect them using arcs or straight lines. Also be sure that your entire shape is in one sketch. If you accidentally created a second sketch, delete it and resume editing the first sketch to finish the shape. I messed up my example sketch, so if you notice the extra stuff along the left side of the images in this step, just ignore it, as the steps you're following are exactly the same. To remove the image, click and drag it off to the side, then right click on it and press Delete. You should now be left with a bare sketch of the Tesla Logo!

Click Finish Sketch on the top right side of the toolbar, then go to the 3D Model tab and select Extrude. Click on the two enclosed regions of the Tesla logo sketch and you should see the shape pop up. Enter a thickness for the extrusion by typing one in with numbers. I would recommend .35 (inches). Again, I messed up my example sketch, so ignore the Tesla image behind the extrusion in this picture. You should see roughly the same as this image, just without the background.

Congratulations, you're almost finished! Simply start a new sketch on the face of the logo and add a shape of your choice for your logo to rest on. For simplicity's sake, I chose a circle. Then finish the sketch and extrude the shape by .25 (inches) and vois la! You have a finished Tesla Logo!