Laniako 3DCreations

Example project · Model from photos

Checked in CAD · Physical test prints pending

An eyewear frame, modelled from a few photos

A shape and hinge study. It shows how we turn limited references, here a few photos and a hand-measured size chart of a frame from our own eyewear line, into an editable 3D model and print-ready files for a small trial batch.

Render of a full eyewear frame with both temples open, seen at an angle.
Render of the CAD model, not a photo of a finished print. Frame with both temples open; no lenses.

What we started from

The frame is one of our own eyewear designs. We worked only from a few product photos and a size chart someone had measured by hand. The chart itself notes a measurement error of roughly 1–3 mm. Photos are not a 3D scan. The frame thickness, the nose area and the hinge design were our own design assumptions, not measurements.

We kept the nominal sizes from the references:

  • Front: 146 mm wide
  • Each lens opening: about 55 × 44 mm
  • Between the lens openings: 19 mm
  • Temples: 149 mm long, measured along the centreline

There are no lenses. This is a study of shape and printability, not a wearable or vision product.

Render of the frame with both temples folded flat behind the front.
Render of the CAD model: temples folded.
Cut-away render of one hinge: a blue fixed knuckle on the frame holding an orange moving temple arm on short pins.
Render of the CAD model: cut-away of the captive hinge. Blue is the fixed knuckle, orange is the moving arm.

Hinges that print already assembled

Each temple prints already joined to the front frame. The hinge knuckle has short tapered pins that sit inside closed sockets. There is no separate pin or clip, and nothing to put together after printing. The pins are 5 mm across at the root and 2 mm long on each side.

A hinge test plate before the full frame

Render of a small test plate with three hinge coupons side by side, marked with one, two and three dimples.
Render of the CAD model: hinge test plate with three clearance coupons.

How well a hinge like this works depends on the printer and filament, so before printing the whole frame we made a test plate. It has three hinge coupons with clearances of 0.30, 0.40 and 0.50 mm, marked with one, two or three dimples. Printing the plate in PETG on the actual printer shows which clearance to use for the full frame.

What we have checked, and what we haven’t

Checked in CAD

  • Every part is a closed solid
  • Hinge test pieces: no collisions across 0–90°, checked every 2°
  • Full frame: no collisions over a 91-position folding sequence (right temple 0–90°, then left temple, in 2° steps)
  • Files load correctly in the slicer

Not yet verified

  • Real print clearance of the hinges
  • Strength
  • How it feels to fold and unfold
  • Durability

We will add physical test results here after the test prints. Until then, we are not claiming that the hinges work on a real print.

What you receive in a project like this

  • Editable CAD (STEP)
  • Print-ready meshes (STL / 3MF)
  • Renders
  • A short note of the design assumptions and any test results

After you approve a sample, we can make a small trial run, from a few pieces to a few dozen, in a material we agree with you.

About rights. This frame is one of our own designs, shown as a capability study only; it is not for sale. For client projects, please only send designs you own or are authorised to reproduce.