Paid

Hey Buddy (Genform)

Turn a shape or your own STL into a cute character with a face and print-in-place moving limbs; Genform plan

Hey Buddy (Genform) is a paid browser tool for cute print-in-place desk toys from everyday shapes. Free to try in the browser; download needs a Genform plan: Starter $29 a month (personal) or Business $49 a month (commercial), $19 and $39 for the first 12 months by Nov 12, 2026; free 7-day Starter trial. Exports STL; an account is needed to download. Last checked 13 October 2026.

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At a glance

Price: Free to try in the browser; download needs a Genform plan: Starter $29 a month (personal) or Business $49 a month (commercial), $19 and $39 for the first 12 months by Nov 12, 2026; free 7-day Starter trial
Runs on: Browser
Exports: STL
Multicolor: No, single color
Account: Required to download
Open source: No
Skill level: Beginner: fill in a form
Best for: Cute print-in-place desk toys from everyday shapes
Selling prints: On a paid plan Genform's Starter plan is for personal, non-commercial use only. The Business ($49 a month) and Scale plans include a commercial license to sell physical products made with the tools, only while the license is active; when it ends you must stop selling, including products from files made earlier. The STL files themselves may never be sold or shared under any license.
How we checked: Opened the generator Opened Hey Buddy without an account and ran Generate and inspect on the plant pot: a ready-to-print mesh of 271,730 triangles with eight captive joints; Download STL showed 'Open this program from your Genform account before exporting'
Checked by: Mike Janssen
Last checked: 13 October 2026

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Sources: Hey Buddy, Genform plans and pricing, Genform software license terms (checked 13 October 2026)

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What is Hey Buddy (Genform)?

Hey Buddy is a browser studio from Genform that turns a simple object into a little character. You start from one of eight base shapes (plant pot, coffee cup, avocado, heart, star, cloud, tooth or toast) or upload your own STL of up to 80 MB, then add a face that is fitted to the surface of the body, and arms and legs that hang from captive joints and move after printing.

The face is built from parts: eyes (open, solid or closed), a mouth and optional cheeks, each with spacing, height and size sliders, inset or carved into the body at 0.5 to 3.5 mm, plus four expression presets. You set the final size from 55 to 250 mm and the limb style, scale and placement. Generate and inspect builds the mesh and shows a ready-to-print check; the default plant pot came to about 271,000 triangles with eight captive joints, printed face up with release posts you snap off.

You can export one print-in-place STL or a ZIP with the body and four limbs as separate STLs. The studio opens and generates without an account, but the download asks you to open it from a Genform account. Every Genform plan includes it: Starter $29 a month for personal use or Business $49 a month with a license to sell the printed products, with launch prices of $19 and $39 for the first 12 months by November 12, 2026, and a free 7-day Starter trial. It suits makers who want quick desk toys and gifts from everyday shapes.