What is Shadecaster?
Shadecaster makes a different kind of lamp from the vase and shade generators: a small dome that sits over a tea light and casts a picture as a shadow. You upload a silhouette image, and the dome is shaped so that light from the candle projects that silhouette around the room.
The settings are few: dome diameter and height, tea light diameter and pocket depth, wall thickness and height, the number of angles used to build the dome, and a threshold that decides which parts of your image count as dark. The image center maps to the base and its edge to the top opening where the light sits facing down. A high-contrast black-on-white image works best, and the maker recommends printing in dark, opaque filament.
The download is a binary STL, or ASCII if you need it for debugging. It is free with no account, and the image is processed in your browser. The code is MIT licensed, which covers the software, not prints. It suits makers after a night light or gift with a custom shadow, such as a name, a logo or an animal.
What you can make
- Shadow lamp domes
- Tea light covers
- Custom silhouette night lights
How to use Shadecaster
- Upload a black-on-white silhouette image
- Set the dome and tea light sizes
- Adjust the threshold
- Download the STL and print in dark filament
What you'll need to print it
Filament and parts that suit what you make with Shadecaster.
Matte PLA
LED bases and puck lights
- Bambu Lab LED Lamp Kit Bambu Lab
- Bambu Lab Remote Controlled 16-color RGBW Puck Lights (2 pcs) Bambu Lab
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Shadecaster pros
- Turns any silhouette image into a projecting shadow lamp
- Tea light pocket sized to your candle
- Short settings list, works in a few minutes
Shadecaster cons
- No 3D preview, you only see the result after slicing
- Needs a clean, high-contrast silhouette image
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