When you think of 3D prints, you don’t usually think of softness. This Box for Love Notes is my attempt to change that, by creating a texture that calls out to be touched. It features two different textures: the lid’s, which comprises thousands of narrow boxes, and the wall’s, which results from tiny arcs.

 

I spent a lot of time fine-tuning the jitter applied to each box and arc. Too much jitter and the units overlap chaotically; too little and boring rows emerge.

 

Because of the visual complexity of the wall texture, I kept the overall form factor simple: gem-like trapezoids define the base and lid. The knob is a compressed ellipsoid (a shape that was big back in the Renaissance, and is overdue for a renaissance of its own). Finally, the feet are sleek, horn-like appendages, with just the right curviness to contrast with the rectilinear scheme above.