MemeMesh Lets You Create and Convert Your Memes into 3D Printable STL Files

January 3, 2017 by Sarah Saunders 3D Design 3D Printing

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We do love our Internet memes. From Grumpy Cat to Judgmental Kermit the Frog to the vast number of political memes, this social phenomenon has spawned a vast number of hilariously captioned photos and videos, designed to make you laugh (though some may tick you off), traveling quickly through the avenues of social media. One of my personal favorites is the Philosoraptor (caution: some are NSFW). We know that it’s possible to turn a 2D photo into a printable 3D model, which means that it’s also possible to turn a meme into a 3D print as well. Some of the more famous 3D printed memes we’ve covered include last year’s blue and black (or is it white and gold?) dress sensation, this Hillary Clinton smartphone meme, and of course, the infamous #LeftShark who danced his way into fame during Katy Perry’s 2015 Superbowl halftime show, and spawned some debate when the creator of the 3D printable meme was asked to remove it from his Shapeways shop a week later.

If you’re interested in learning how to create and convert your favorite meme into a 3D printed object, the MemeMesh website wants to help you out! The creation of the website was based on the idea of creating memes to share on the Internet. Then, they decided to crank it up a notch, and created a place where you could convert memes into 3D printable objects. You may find yourself asking why a person would want an actual 3D meme. Well… why not? This doesn’t solve any major world crisis, it’s just fun…and after all, what would the world be without fun?

“Wouldn’t it be cool to have an actual Meme? I don’t know what for but it sparked this website to be set up! Hang it on the the wall? Create a personalized Meme? Gifts or just for the sake of it?” the site says.

This particular version of this meme makes no sense, but you can still 3D print it!

Redditor odinsmaster is the mastermind behind MemeMesh, and posted about the site on Reddit a few weeks ago. While the few Reddit comments weren’t entirely kind (one user asked if it was at all better than the Cura 3D printing slicing software), 74% of the users who checked it out gave it upvotes. The easy-to-read instructions on the website show you how to create and convert your favorite meme into an STL file, suitable for both 3D printing and CNC routing, for free! There are just three simple steps to follow, using the site’s simple yet powerful tool.

You can create your own custom meme using the site’s “Meme make” function. Just upload one of your PNG, JIG, or JPEG images (no larger than 600 x 600), and add whatever text you want, then hit the save button to download your meme image to your device. If you don’t have a good picture to use, you can also use one of the site’s available pictures. You can see the sample one I made below, using a photo of my dog Gracie.

Then, once you’ve customized the meme to your heart’s content, scroll down and click the box that says “HERE” in order to convert your meme into a 3D printable STL file. This will open a new window to Embossify, and you can upload and convert the meme you created to a 3D STL file. It features free low resolution renderings, and only charges $5 for a high resolution rendering; MemeMesh recommends this high resolution option, for best results. Once you’ve converted the file and saved it to your device, you can close the window.

The last step in the process is simple: just drag and drop your newly saved 3D STL meme file, or browse your computer to upload it, to the ViewSTL viewer near the bottom of the page to see your completed meme. Have fun creating! Discuss in the 3D Printable Memes forum at 3DPB.com.