Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Pokemon Go Things

Unless you’ve been living in a shack in the middle of nowhere on a mountain under a rock for the last week then you’ve probably heard about Pokémon Go. If you’ve been spared, then allow me to explain. Pokémon Go is an augmented reality smartphone game that encourages players to actually leave their house and explore the city around them looking for wild Pokémon to capture. Players can train their Pokémon to battle other players at Pokémon Gyms, and meet up at Pokéstops to recharge and maybe find a few surprises. Gyms and Pokéstops are scattered around cities, in local businesses, parks and landmarks, and the game has unexpectedly forced hundreds of thousands of gamers off their sofas and out into the real world.

To say that the game has been a success would be a pretty spectacular understatement. Not only has the game become popular with almost everyone, it has started to have real world impacts on the local businesses that have been lucky enough to be Pokémon Gyms and Pokéstops. It has become so popular that there has been real estate ads for houses that tout their proximity to Gyms, Pokéstops and high concentrations of rare Pokémon. Bars and local businesses are hosting Pokémon Go-themed events and there have even been local businesses so overwhelmed with Pokémon trainers that they’ve had to limit who can seek Pokémon inside their stores (mostly noting that Pokémon are for customers only).

And if all of this wasn’t fun or chaotic enough, a clever Redditor has found a way to give players who visit Gyms and Pokéstops a special surprise. Reddit user bmemike has been 3D printing little Pokémon models and hiding them for players to discover. I think the idea is a great way to have fun with a game that everyone seems to be playing and also introduce new people to the wonders of 3D printing. So for this week I collected a bunch of 3D printable models perfect for leaving around for other players to find, or local businesses to print out and give out as prizes or giveaways. Here are Ten 3D Printable Pokémon Go Things:

LOW-POLY POKEMON

Low-Poly Pokémon by Agustin Flowalistik

Found on: Youmagine
Cost: Free

What a better place to start than this collection of easy to 3D print low-poly Pokémon models? These models are a great choice for something like this because they’re easy to print, can be easily resized bigger or smaller and Pokémon players will instantly know what they are. So next time you take a trip to the local Pokéstop, print out a handful of these and leave a few surprises for your fellow trainers.

WORKING POKEBALL WITH OPENING LID

Pokéball (with button-release lid) by Intentional3D

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Okay so this life-sized Pokéball is probably not something that you’re going to want to 3D print and then just leaving laying around, but it’s a great model for any Pokémon fan. And if you run a business that is finding itself getting a lot of Pokémon Go traffic, or if you’re planning a social event, this would make a great prize or reward. There are even alternate lids so you can 3D print a Great ball, an Ultra ball or a Master ball.

Here is a video explaining how to assemble the Pokéball:

MINI POKEBALL

Small Pokéball by Trekimann

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

If you don’t want to print out and leave full-sized Pokéballs then this small version is a perfect alternative. No, it doesn’t have a working lid but it is still a recognizable shape and will be spotted instantly. The model has a small hole in the back so you can put a magnet in it, but you could also pretty easily turn it into a keychain or a zipper pull. Just 3D print it with a red filament and leave a few of these scattered around and you’ll make a ton of Pokémon trainers’ days.

POKEMON GO PLUS MODEL

Pokémon Go Plus by Chaosghoul

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

The Pokémon Go Plus accessory is a wearable that can detect nearby Pokémon even if you’re not currently playing the game on your phone. It’s a pretty cool device and this is not it, sadly. This is just a 3D printable model that looks like a Pokémon Go Plus. While it may not be the real thing, it’s actually still a pretty cool looking model that makes a great keychain or zipper pull.

Here are some printing instructions:

Another Thingiverse user made some team specific versions so you can show your individual team pride wherever you go. You can get Team Mystic here, Team Instinct here and Team Valor here.

POKEMON GO TEAM BADGES

Pokémon GO Team Badge by ClassyGoat

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

These Pokémon Go team badges are super easy to 3D print, require no supports of any kind and are going to be instantly recognizable to anyone who plays the game. Make sure that you print them out in corresponding color filament for each team.

TEAM ZIPPER PULL TABS

Team Valor Pokémon Go Backpack Tag, Team Mystic Pokémon Go Backpack Tag, Team Instinct Pokémon Go Backpack Tag by ThreeMuskets12

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

These team-specific zipper pulls are another super easy to 3D print model that any player is going to love to have. While the designer printed his in white and then painted them, I’d suggest 3D printing them in the corresponding team colors so you don’t need to do much extra work.

POKEMON TEAM KEYCHAINS

Team Instinct Keyring, Team Valor Keyring, Team Mystic Keyring by Keridel

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Here is another option for a zipper pull or keychain that has a more recognizable shape. Each of these models is really easy to print and don’t need any support. The STL can also be bumped up or down a bit without causing any problems during printing. While using corresponding colors is an obvious idea, I think it would be kind of cool to switch it up and use transparent materials just to make them stand out even more.

TEAM LOGO STENCIL TEMPLATES

Pokémon Go Inspired Spray Stencils by spring_melt

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

While I absolutely do not suggest 3D printing these stencils and then going around town spray painting team logos on anything, that doesn’t mean these can’t be used in some fun, and legal, ways. You can get spray chalk, which is like spray paint but washes away with water. They can also be used with fabric paint to make your own custom team shirts. Again, please don’t pull a Team Rocket and graffiti using these stencils, no one wants to be Team Rocket.

No graphiti!

PIKACHU POKECOIN

Pokécoin by lenwar

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

These little Pokécoins are super simple and easy to print and you can make a lot of them really quickly. I printed a few myself and they only took about 4 or 5 minutes each, so I was able to make a handful in no time at all. I printed them in a gold filament and then I printed some in red, blue and yellow to match the three teams. I originally printed them out for my nephew who is currently spending his entire summer vacation looking for Pokémon, but i’m going to start hiding them around a few of the Pokémon hot spots in my neighborhood.

CUBONE SKULL

Cubone Pokémon Skull by Bluebie

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is probably more work than you may want to put in, but I found this model and think that it would be really cool to print a few of these out and hide them around Pokéstops as if they were fossils. The model is really simple, so it can easily be made a little smaller or bumped up to life-sized and actually worn as a helmet.

Okay, so there you have it, a bunch of great Pokémon Go 3D printable models that are perfect for giving to fellow players. These are also obvious prizes to give away to young players for participating in local events, or as giveaways for store owners who want to attract some of that sweet Pokémon money.

If you decide to leave some of these laying around your local Pokéstops and Pokégyms then make sure that you use the #pokeprint hashtag that bmemike started. It is already getting a ton of play on Twitter. You could also print out small slips of paper with the hashtag and encourage whoever finds your models to Tweet about them. While you’re at it, you can also hit me up @SJGrunewald because I’d love to see what 3D printable Pokémon models you’re making. You can also drop me an email.

Happy 3D printing, and remember to watch where you’re going while hunting for Pokémon!