Modeling a Daft Punk Helmet #3DThursady #3DPrinting

This week we show you how to model a massive wearable, 3d printed Daft Punk inspired helmet!

Great for cosplay or jamming out, we can use a couple of NeoPixel strips and a Trinket micro-controller to make the helmet light up!

We started off by measuring the diameter of our head by using a flexible tape measure. Coming in at 21cm, we took this value and sized the base in 123D Design to about 22cm by 22cm. The maximum build area on the LULZBOT Taz4 is 29.7cm x 27.5cm x 25cm is has plenty of room for our large helmet.

Creating the base shape is easily achieved with a cube and applying a large filet on one end.

Use the revolve tool to create the front shell that makes up the helmet. Click on the box, then the top face to select the profile. Click on the edge of the face to select an axis to revolve around. Use the handles to adjust the degrees of the revolve.

Now that we have an outer base shape, use the mirror function to apply the duplicate option that will create the back of the helmet. Build the two ear pieces with the use of a rectangle and apply filets on one end.

Taper the top part of the cylinder ear detail with the profile feature. Select the profile tool and click on the top face of the cylinder, then hit enter to accept. Now select the profile that we created. Hover over the cog icon and select the extrude function. Pull the face by clicking on the arrow to extrude the face.

Click on the small rotate handle once to active the degree option tool. Select and drag the handle to edit the taper. Apply a filet once your happy with the look.

Create detail on the helmet by creating duplicates of the the ears and front helmet. Use another copy of the same parts to use as cut outs. Do this to the front, sides and top of the helmet until you are happy with the details.

Duplicate the base helmet shape and decrease the size of the outer faces by 2mm. Use the smaller shape to create the cut out for the outer shell of the helmet. Check the inside details of the shell and create chamfers on parts that will come in contact with you head. The ears portions and the front bottom of the helmet will be more comfortable with smoother edges.

Follow the complete guide to add LEDs and jam out at the next party, halloween or cosplay event!

Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!