3D Printed Sundial

Originating from Egypt in 1500 BC, sundials have stood as timekeeping devices used by astronomers and horologists for thousands of years. They have also been used by blacksmiths and stonemasons who displayed their intricate works of craftmanship through art and design. Today, armed with digital tools such as Tinkercad and the versatility of 3D printing, we have the power to reimagine art and implement it in ways we could have never imagined before.

I decided to unite my interests in astronomy and horology with my skills in art and design to create this minimalistic sundial, that is not only functional but also serves as an artistic timepiece displaying art and modernity through an ancient format.

In this instructable, I will teach you how to utilize Tinkercad to make your own sundial from scratch. I will show step by step what I did to make mine, and in turn, I hope that it will spark a chain of creativity so that you can create your own design however you want.

If you wish to skip the design process and directly print the sundial that I designed, you can download the files below depending on which hemisphere you live in, as well as the gnomon, and jump directly to Step: 11 where I explain the basics of 3D printing, and the print settings I used for the components.

Now let's get started!

Supplies

• Tinkercad: It's a free online software where you can not only design on CAD but also code and circuit design.
• 3D slicer software: I used Prusaslicer because I was going to use a Prusa 3D printer, specifically the i3-MK3S. But if you have an Ultimaker 3D printer, I suggest using Cura since it is designed specifically for it. Similarly, if you own a Bambu Lab 3d printer, Bambu Studio is much more compatible. In any case, the print settings will remain the same, so no worries if you don't have the same printer and software as I am using.
• 3D Printer: I don't own a 3d printer, but my local library has a Prusa i3-MK3S and an Ultimaker 2+ free for use. I chose Prusa over Ultimaker because I've had better results printing on the MK3S, but since the sundial isn't a particularly demanding print, any printer should work perfectly fine for this.
• Filament: The library had Galaxy Black PLA filament, which can be found on Prusa's filament store, Prusament. You can use whichever filament you want to use, but I liked this one with the small particles in it, so I chose that over plain white or black.
• Superglue: I used this to glue the Gnomon to the sundial base
• Exacto Knife: I used this to remove any strings and misprinted overhangs after 3D printing the sundial.
• Silver Paint: I recommend using acrylic paint, as watercolor and oil paints won't stick to the printed surface. The color is up to you, but I chose silver so it matched the filament that I used.
• Paint Brush: I used a simple no.6 acrylic brush. You can use any other fine-tipped brushes you have but try to find one that has stiff bristles because the numerals and gnomon are going to require lots of precision to paint.

Step 1: Prepping the Base

First, create a base for the central part of the sundial.

Start by opening Tinkercad and clicking on the "create" button and choosing 3D Design.

Once the Workplane opens up, go to the top left corner of the screen and switch to a flat view, also known as orthographic view. This will change the perspective that you see the workplane from. Instead of seeing it in a 3D view, where certain objects are closer than others, the flat view will make the objects appear equally as far from your eyes, essentially making the design process easier. Also click on "top" on the cube in the top left corner of the screen, giving you a top-down view of the workplane. Additionally, change the snap grid (bottom right corner) to 1.0 mm if it isn't already.

Then open up the shapes panel that's on the right-hand side, and from the shapes library, choose basic shapes and open up a cylinder on the workplane. Click on the cylinder and change the dimensions of the cylinder so that the length and width are both 120 mm. Also in the inspector tab of the shape, change the values to the following: Sides - 12, Bevel - 0, Segment - 1. This will create a base that is a dodecagon meaning it has 12 equal sides.

Then click on the orange cylinder, and a small arrow will pop up on the left side of the object allowing you to rotate it around the center of the base. Rotate the cylinder 15 degrees in either direction as that will allow the flat part of the base to be towards the bottom which will make the steps ahead easier to perform (check the last image).

Step 2: Pattern - Part 1

This is part one out of four for creating the pattern at the center of the sundial.

First, change the view by right-clicking on the workplane and dragging the cursor up. This will allow you to look around the workplane and see the object from different angles.

Then open a green prism from the shapes panel, also named as "roof". Rotate the prism 90 degrees anti-clockwise along the horizontal axis, meaning that the triangular face of the prism is facing up while one is facing the workplane.

Then click on the orange base and click the white square in the middle of the cylinder. This will allow you to change the height of the base to 3 mm, and that can be done by clicking on the values next to the center of the base and changing them to 3.

After the base is 3mm in height, go back to the top-down view (by clicking the "top" button on the cube that you will find in the top left corner) and move the triangle to the bottom side of the base (check the fourth image). This means that the triangle will be sticking through the base and only the part that will be able to be seen is the part that is taller than the base. Then change the width of the green prism to 26mm and the length to 10mm (check the fourth image). Now, make a copy of the prism by clicking on the green triangle, pressing "ctrl + c" on your keyboard which is the copy action, and then "ctrl + v" which is the paste action. This will give you an identical copy of the triangle which you'll rotate 180 degrees in either direction meaning that it will look as if it is upside-down. Move this upside-down triangle to the opposite side of the base, and position it in an area that is similar to the triangle that you placed before (check the sixth image).

Once you have an orange base with two green triangles that are placed opposite to each other, hold down left-click on your mouse and a rectangle with red borders will form as you move the cursor around. With this action, highlight the entire workplane, making sure that you highlight both the green triangles as well as the orange base. This will allow you to make an exact copy of the objects that are on the workplane. When you have a copy of the entire base (check the seventh image), click on the orange base of the copy and delete it, leaving you with just 2 triangles that are not connected by anything (check the eighth image). Highlight those two triangles with the same action as before and that will allow you to rotate both the triangles simultaneously. Rotate them 90 degrees in either direction and place them as shown in the ninth picture.

There should now be 4 triangles on top of the orange base. Then highlight the entire workplane, making sure every object on the base is highlighted, and make a copy of that. Then again delete the orange base as you did previously and that will leave you with 4 unconnected triangles. Highlight them, and rotate them 60 degrees anticlockwise. Then move these 4 triangles onto the orange base and place them so that they fit onto the corresponding sides of the dodecagonal base (check the twelfth image).

Then paste the last thing that you copied which will be the orange base with 4 triangles, and again delete the base leaving you with 4 triangles that are not connected by anything. Then once again highlight the 4 triangles and rotate them 60 degrees clockwise. This will give you the position of the triangles corresponding to the remaining open spots on the orange base. Move the highlighted triangles to those spots and align them with the other triangles so that they are equally spaced apart. Check whether you have something that looks like the last image. If you find that some of the triangles are not spaced properly, realign them individually, but if you have followed the steps carefully there shouldn't be any problems.

Now onto the second part of the design.

Step 3: Pattern - Part 2

Start by dragging the red cube which is named "box" from the shapes panel, and rotate it 45 degrees in either direction. This will give you something that looks like a quadrilateral with equal sides, but throughout this instructable, I will refer to it as a kite.

Next, highlight the orange base with all its green triangles and rotate it 15 degrees in either direction (check the third image). This will return the orientation of the base to how it was when you originally made it.

Then, change the width of the kite to 20mm and the length to 25mm, and move it between the green triangles giving it enough space so that it doesn't touch them (check the fourth image).

Now, you're going to make a copy of the red kite and rotate it 180 degrees in either direction, meaning that it is essentially a mirror copy of the original. You want to place this copy in the empty area that is right in front of the kite (check the fifth image).

Now, make a copy of the entire base on the workplane and move it slightly aside so that it doesn't touch anything that is on the workplane. Then, delete everything but the 2 red kites that aren't connected to each other, highlight them, and rotate them by 90 degrees in either direction, similarly as you did in the previous step where you rotated the green triangles. Once rotated, you want to place them in the empty spaces between the green triangles (check the ninth image).

Then, as you have done before, highlight everything in the workplane and make a copy of it, then delete everything but the 4 kites from the copy. Then, highlight the 4 kites, make another copy of it, and place the copies on either side of the workplane (check the twelfth image). Rotate the kites that are on the left side 60 degrees anticlockwise, and rotate the kites that are on the right side 60 degrees clockwise. Now, highlight the kites on the right side and move them onto the orange base. You will find that they fit perfectly into the empty areas in between the triangles. Once those 4 kites are aligned, highlight and move the kites on the left side onto the orange base, and you'll see that they will fit into the 4 remaining areas for the kites.

At last, make sure none of the shapes are touching each other and ensure that there is equal spacing between them.

Check the last image and make sure that you have something that looks similar to that.

Step 4: Pattern - Part 3

This part is slightly different compared to the last two, and also a bit more tedious.

Start with a red cube (box), and rotate it 45 degrees in either direction from the top-view perspective to create a kite. Then, change the width to 5mm and the length to 40mm (check the second image).

Highlight the entire base with everything on it and rotate it 15 degrees in either direction. Then place the kite that you made exactly as I have in the fourth image. It should not touch any of the shapes around it.

Now, make a copy of the kite and rotate it 30 degrees clockwise. This will align the copy with the next open space and you can place it there (check the sixth image).

Now again make a copy of the new kite that you just placed and rotate it another 30 degrees clockwise. This will align it with the next open space alongside the previously placed kites. Since this step repeats 9 more times, I won't reiterate it, but you are essentially taking the latest copy you make of the kite and you are rotating it 30 degrees clockwise and placing it next to the previous kite. This creates an intricate pattern shown in the last image.

If it seems that the space between the objects is too little and isn't aligning properly, make micro adjustments in the rotation such as 1 degree more or less to make sure that the pieces fit together perfectly. Just keep in mind that these parts are going to be much smaller than they seem on screen, so tiny imperfections are not a problem as the final product after printing will look identical.

Once you have something that looks like the last image I provided above, you are ready to move on to the final step of the design.

Step 5: Pattern - Part 4

This part can be skipped since this doesn't have much of an impact on how the final product looks and it is going to be covered by the gnomon anyway. I will still include it for those who want to replicate what I did. If you choose to skip this, go directly to step 6.

Start by highlighting everything on the workplane that you have currently, and move it aside to create some open space to make the middle part of the design.

First, drag a green isosceles prism onto the workplane, and move the perspective around so that you can rotate the prism 90 degrees across its horizontal axis, so that its triangular face is facing up and the other face down. Then, switch back to the top-down view and scale the width of the triangle to 5mm and the length to 10mm (check the third image).

Then, make a copy of the triangle and rotate it 180 degrees in either direction, placing it right on top of the original triangle. You will then highlight both of these triangles and make a copy of them, rotating the copy 90 degrees in either direction and placing it so that all the triangle's vertexes meet at the center (check the eighth image).

Then, highlight all 4 of the green triangles and make a copy, rotating it 45 degrees in either direction. Then place them so that all the triangles meet at their vertexes (check the tenth image)

Then move the orange base that you moved aside onto the workplane, and place this new pattern that you just created at the center of the base (check the last image). This is what the final pattern will look like. Now to group it.

Step 6: Grouping the Pattern

Grouping the pattern will allow you to condense all the individual objects into one, which you will then use to create the sundial base around.

To start, highlight everything and in the top right corner click the button that says "change to hole". Alternatively, you can highlight everything and click the letter "h" on your keyboard. This will make all the objects holes, meaning solid objects will have an impression removed from them in the shape of the hole.

Once all the objects on the workplane are holes, select the baseplate that was originally orange and make it solid again, either by clicking "s" on your keyboard or clicking on the button in the top right corner that says "Change color, make solid". (check the third image)

Once all the shapes are holes, and the orange base plate is solid, highlight everything and press "ctrl + g". This will group all the objects to make them one object. Once the action is complete, you should have an orange dodecagon with the pattern that you made engraved into it (check the last image). If the pattern didn't fully remove the section from the base plate (such as in the fifth image) it is most likely that the shapes that you placed didn't fully go through the orange base (such as in the sixth image). To fix this, switch your view to "front". You can do this in the top left corner where there should be a small cube and the word "front" on it. If you don't see a cube, and only see a square with the word "top" on it, hold down right-click, and move the cursor around and you will see a small cube appear in the top left corner also moving as you move your cursor. Then look for the front view and you will get a view that shows how deep the shapes are placed in the orange base. Ungroup the pattern by pressing "ctrl + z" which will undo the last action, and you will again be able to see the shapes that are holes. Then highlight only the grey objects (objects that are holes) and a grey triangular arrow will show up either above or below the object. If you hold this arrow, you can change the location of the shapes in comparison to the workplane. Move the objects lower so that they poke through the orange base (check the seventh image). Or you can also slightly increase their height in the case that they are too short to poke through the orange base plate.

Once you are sure that all the shapes are fully through the orange base, highlight everything and group it to make the pattern and this time you should have something that looks like the final image that I have provided above.

Now you have the basic stenciled pattern which you will layer to create a mesmerizing design for the sundial base.

Step 7: Layering the Pattern

This part of the sundial is quite repetitive so it's not too difficult to understand, but it's essential for making the pattern look stunning, and it is the highlight of the sundial.

First, make a copy of the pattern that you have and increase its width and length to 125mm (check the second image). If you remember from the beginning, the original dodecagon was 120mm on each side, so now you have increased it by 5mm.

Then, switch to the front view, where you will be able to stack the larger pattern on top of the smaller pattern. Place the bigger layer 2mm high from the workplane (check the third image). This means that the total height of these two layers is 5mm since they are both 3mm thick and they are overlapping at 1mm. Once you have placed the larger pattern on top of the smaller pattern, rotate the larger pattern 5 degrees clockwise which will allow you to see the layers of the pattern (check the fourth image). This will very quickly elevate how good the base looks by simply giving the design depth and a 3D effect.

Now, continuing on the pattern. Make a copy of the larger layer that you made and change the width and the length to 130mm (check the fifth image). This is again 5 mm larger than the last dimensions. Then, move back to the front view and place this larger pattern over the smaller 125mm x 125mm pattern. Place it 4mm from the workplane meaning that the total height is now 7mm (check the sixth image). Then rotate the 130mm x 130mm pattern 5 degrees clockwise (check the seventh image). This will give even more depth to the pattern that you are creating. There is only one more layer to go.

Once again, copy the largest pattern layer and change the width and length to 135mm. Place this layer 6mm from the work plane (check the tenth image), making the total height of all the layers 9mm. Rotate this layer 5mm clockwise which will complete the final step of the pattern.

Lastly, highlight everything and group it ("ctrl + g" or the group icon in the top right corner).

Now you have the final pattern which will be integrated into the sundial base.

Step 8: Making the Sundial Base

First, move the layered pattern aside, and bring in an orange tube from the shapes panel. Make the width and the length of the tube 190mm and place the layered pattern at the center of the tube (check the second image). Then, change the values in the inspector tab (top right corner) to the following: Radius - 10, Wall Thickness - 3.3, Sides - 64, Bevel - 0, and Bevel Segments - 1.

You will have something that looks like the fourth image that I have provided above.

Now, highlight everything and change the height of the sundial base to 5mm. The original 9mm would be far too thick hence the change.

Then, highlight the tube and the layered pattern, and group them so that you have a singular object that you can work with.

It should look like something like the last image.

This is the main part of the baseplate complete, now you just have to add the Roman numerals so you can tell the time.

Step 9: Adding the Numbers

To make the Roman numerals, use the text shape which can be found in the shapes panel. Individually, type out the following numerals: V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII.

I chose this set of numbers since the sun approximately rises at 05:00 and sets at around 19:00.

Then, individually move each number so that the "VI", "XII", and the second "VI" are at 90 degrees from each other (check the second image).

Next, place the rest of the numerals so that they are approximately 15 degrees spaced apart from each other. The reason for choosing 15 degrees is because the angles in between the numerals must remain equal, and there are 5 numerals, meaning 6 equal angles. Since "VI" and "XII" are at a 90-degree angle from each other, you can divide 90 degrees by 6 to get the angle at which the rest of the numerals have to be from each other. This gives 15 degrees precisely. So keeping this in mind, place the numerals so that they are around 15 degrees apart from each other (check the third image).

Then, to make the numerals face the center, rotate them in the values that are given in the fourth image. The "XII" is not rotated as it is already pointing toward the center. Rotate the "XI" and "I" that are right beside the "XII" positive and negative 15 degrees. Then, rotate "XI" and "I" by positive and negative 30 degrees. You can see that the amount you rotate the numerals increases or decreases by 15 degrees, and this is the same logic as from before where the numbers are placed 15 degrees apart from each other, meaning that their rotational difference in degrees is also 15. I won't write all the degree values for the numerals here, as it will be difficult to discern the difference between two of the same numbers. So instead, just follow the fourth image that I have provided and rotate the numerals according to their corresponding degrees.

Please note that the location of the numerals will be different for those in the southern hemisphere. This is because in the Northern Hemisphere for the sundial to work correctly, you have to point it towards the north. So as the sun moves from the east to the west, the shadow moves from the left side of the sundial to the right side. But in the southern hemisphere, the opposite occurs. You have to face the sundial south, meaning that the shadow casts from the right side of the sundial to the left side. In order for the times to be correct, the numerals have to be switched around. If you reside in the southern hemisphere, change the location of the numerals as shown in the fifth image. All the angles for the numerals remain constant.

Both files for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are included in the introduction as well as in the final step.

Now, once all the numerals are facing the correct direction, make sure that the numerals are touching the sundial base plate. If they aren't touching, go into the front view and highlight all the numerals. Then lower their distance from the workplane and make sure that the numerals and sundial base are in contact (check the last two images). Then group the base and the numerals so you have one single object.

This is the final base of the sundial.

Now you just have to make the gnomon, which is a part of the sundial that casts a shadow onto the base and effectively tells the time.

Step 10: Gnomon

Making the gnomon is quite simple, but it is probably the most crucial part of any sundial as it is what casts the shadow onto the base and allows us to read the time.

To start, move the baseplate aside and bring in a right-angle prism onto the workplane. This is also named a wedge in the shapes panel. Then, change the width and length of the prism to 85mm and 70mm respectively (check the second image). Lower the thickness/height of the prism to 4mm.

Then, move the prism aside, and bring in a cylinder. Change the width and length to 165mm and 100mm which will form an oval shape (check the fourth image). Then, make the oval into a hole bring in the prism that you made a second ago, and place it as shown in the sixth image. The oval should intersect with the prism on the side that is 100mm, but a thin part should be left over since that is what is going to cast the shadow. Once you are happy with the positioning, highlight and group both the objects and you should have something that looks like the gnomon in the seventh image.

And that's all the parts for the sundial made. You can rotate the gnomon upright and place it on the sundial to get a better look at what it will look like when it has been completed, but make sure to return the orientation of the gnomon to its flat side since it will be difficult for the printer to print the gnomon standing up. The reason is because orientating the gnomon upright will construct substantial overhangs which are difficult for 3D printers to print.

You are finally done with designing the sundial base and the gnomon. Now you can move on to printing the sundial and gnomon and putting it together.

Step 11: Printing

First, export the gnomon and base from Tinkercad onto your computer. To do that, click on either the base or the gnomon and click export which is in the top right corner above the shapes panel. Then a smaller screen will pop up and you want to make sure that you only export one of the parts at a time. For that, where it says "Include" click "the selected shape". This will mean that it will export only one of the parts for the sundial in a single file. Then, click the option for '.stl' and Tinkercad will start exporting the object in the STL format onto your laptop.

The STL (standard tessellation language) format is used to display the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object. It doesn't have any color or infill, but that's why you will have to use printing software, often called a slicer. The printing software converts the 3D object into instructions that the 3D printer can follow layer by layer to create different 3D shapes. These sets of instructions are written into a "gcode" and it is used by almost all printers.

Once you have exported the models off of Tinkercad, or have directly downloaded them from the files I have below, open them onto a 3D slicer of your choice.

Here are a couple that I recommend: All are free :)

• Prusaslicer: Personal favorite due to the large variety of settings, but can be hard for beginners to use.
• Cura: Easy to use for beginners, but not as powerful as prusaslicer
• Kiri:Moto: An online 3D slicer that is probably the easiest to use, but not nearly as powerful as the others, and lacks some advanced functionalities.
• Bambu Studio: This 3D software is based on Prusaslicer and Cura, but has many unique aspects that only work with Bambu Labs printers. It isn't the easiest to use but is still a very good choice of slicer.

Any of these 3D slicers will work perfectly fine, but I used Prusaslicer because I have used it the longest and have grown accustomed to it.

Here are the instructions on how to prepare the sundial and gnomon to be printed.

The gnomon: (check images two and three)

Open the gnomon onto the 3D software of your choice and use these print settings:

Layer Height: 0.07mm. I wanted a high-quality gnomon so I used an extremely low layer height. If you want, you can change the layer height to something a bit higher such as 0.1mm or 0.15mm. This will significantly lower print time, but will also lower the overall quality of the prints.

Supports: None. I didn't use any supports because there aren't any overhangs on the gnomon.

Infill: 70%. I used relatively high infill since it is quite a small piece so it will have slightly more weight and feel more premium.

Infill Pattern: Gyroid. You can experiment with different patterns, but since the infill percentage is so high, it makes no substantial difference.

Print Speed: 60mm/s. I used slower print speeds because it usually ensures better quality. It is very easily possible to increase the speed to 100mm/s or even up to 200mm/s if your 3D printer can print that fast. However, I highly recommend a slower print speed to ensure that the quality turns out good and the layers have time to cool down.

Filament: Since I used my library's 3D printer, I didn't have much choice regarding the filament type, but I have found that PLA is considerably better than most other filaments, so I ended up using that. It is very rigid and strong so it is the perfect filament for the sundial. The exact filament is called Galaxy Black and can be found here: Prusament store

Skirt/Raft/Brim: The gnomon doesn't require any of these because it has a high surface area of contact with the print bed.

The Sundial Base:(check images four and five)

Open the sundial base onto the 3D software of your choice and use these print settings:

Layer Height: 0.15mm. I booked the 3D printer for 12 hours and did not have enough time to print at a higher quality, so I had to go with 0.15mm which is still high quality, but it is possible to make it better. If you own a 3D printer and have more time to print it, I suggest using 0.1mm layer height or 0.07mm layer height. This will vary depending on your nozzle size. If you don't have a 0.4mm nozzle, the next typical size up is 0.6mm and I recommend 0.1 mm-0.15 mm for that nozzle size.

Supports: None. While it may seem like it needs prints considering its overhangs, it surprisingly didn't. Adding supports would have made cleaning them up a hassle, so I decided to have no supports and to rather clean up the sundial with a pair of scissors and an Exacto knife.

Infill: 15%. I didn't want to waste too much filament, but I didn't have enough time to print it with a higher filament density. You can choose to increase this if you have a longer amount of time to print the base.

Infill Pattern: Gyroid. I have always used gyroid for my prints, but any other infill pattern would work just fine. My personal preference is gyroid though.

Print Speed: 120 mm/s. I could have printed it faster, but there were lots of small details on the sundial that I wanted to preserve, so I chose to print with a relatively controlled speed. It's not super fast but it's not slow either. The speed can be decreased to 70 mm/s if you want a higher-quality print, though mine turned out amazingly. Keep in mind that certain printers cannot print very fast, so it might require you to decrease the print speed to 60mm/s - 80mm/s.

Filament: Same as the gnomon. I liked how the galaxy black looked so I chose to stick with it for the base too.

Once you have changed the print settings, press slice and export the g-code. This will be saved on your computer, and to send it to your 3D printer, you will either require a direct connection to the printer (if you own a 3D printer, you most probably know how to transfer a gcode to your printer), or then I downloaded the files onto an SD card, and when I went to print the parts at the library, I simply inserted the SD card into the printer and clicked on print. Once the printer bed heats up, it will start printing and now you just wait.

Skirt/Raft/Brim: The sundial base doesn't require any of these because it has a high surface area of contact with the print bed.

Once you have your parts, you can move on to the next step.

Step 12: Finishing the Sundial

Once you have prints that you are happy with, you might notice that there are some loose filament threads and that some overhangs didn't perfectly print, especially on the sundial base, but no worries. You can use an Exacto knife or any other sharp tool, and carefully cut off the threads and misprinted strings of filament. Essentially, clean up the print to the best of your abilities.

The gnomon won't require any cleaning up as it is a very basic shape and it is very unlikely that it will have been misprinted.

Once the sundial base has been cleaned up, apply super glue to the side of the gnomon shown in the first image, and align it with the the space on the sundial shown in the second image. Remember to accurately place the gnomon onto the sundial, because the super glue dries pretty much instantly, though it requires to be held in place for a couple of seconds.

Once the glue has dried and the gnomon is securely in place, you can start painting the sundial.

Step 13: Painting

Start by grabbing your acrylic paint. I went with silver because I thought it contrasted the black filament really well. You can use any color of your choice, as you might have printed the sundial in a different color.

First, make sure that you have a good amount of paint on the tip of the brush. You don't want to dip the entire length of the bristles into the paint vial because you will only be using the tip of the brush to paint the thin numerals and gnomon. So keeping this in mind, start by carefully painting the numerals. These are rather easy to paint because they are elevated off of the surface meaning that it is hard to accidently paint an area that you didn't intend on painting.

Once the numerals have been painted, move on to the gnomon. I only painted the edges because I thought that it brought a really bold and clear border to the gnomon, and elevated the looks of the entire sundial.

You will notice that when you are painting the gnomon, the paint spreads very thin on the plastic, meaning that the surface below shows through the paint. To overcome this, we will be going over the painted parts of the gnomon with another layer of paint. This will make sure that the color that's been painted really stands out and is clear and consist throughout the parts of the print.

To speed up the process of the paint drying in between the coats, I used a hairdryer at its lowest temperature to let the paint dry faster, which sped up the entire painting process. It is very important that you keep the hairdryer on the lowest temperature because anything that is even moderately hot will start to melt the plastic. You may not notice it immediately, but certain overhangs (such as the part of the gnomon which is very thin) will start to slowly droop down. This isn't catastrophic if it occurs, but it just decreases the final quality of the print.

Once the paint has dried, and you have done two coats over the edges of the gnomon, you are done!

Step 14: How to Use the Sundial

Using the sundial is extremely simple. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, point the sundial towards the north, meaning the number 12 in Roman numerals (XII) is pointing towards the north. And if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, point the sundial towards the south.

I enjoyed making this sundial a lot, and hope you learned a lot about Tinkercad, 3D Printing, and sundials. I have attached all the models I made below. Now you have the skills to make your own sundial design, print it, and build it all from scratch. You can change almost all aspects of the sundial from the pattern, size, and numeral font, to even the gnomon design.

The final product is stunning, and I am extremely happy with how it turned out. If there are any improvements I could make, please do let me know in the comments as I appreciate feedback.

Thanks for reading!