A case for monsters, vehicles and other large models

Dragons, walkers, tanks, titans. Large models rarely fit any off-the-shelf tray, so they travel in whatever box is big enough — with their wings, antennae and gun barrels free to hit the sides. MyMiniCase carves a case to the actual model, and helps you fit that case onto your printer.

What makes large models different

Weight. A heavy model builds up momentum in a moving bag, and it all lands on whatever touches the wall first. A fitted cavity holds it on every side, so the weight rests on the body instead of the wingtips.

Reach. Wings and barrels make the footprint far bigger than the body. Rotating the model before generating can shrink the case a lot; the outer case refits to the rotated footprint automatically.

Print size. A case for a big model can approach the limit of a desktop printer. The generator shows the model on a build plate sized to your printer, and warns you when an arrangement is larger than the bed.

Making a case for a large model

1. Load the model and lighten it if neededDrop the STL into the generator. If it is very heavy, reduce it first with the free decimate tool.
2. Rotate to the smallest footprintTurn the model so wings or barrels lie along the case, and set your printer’s bed size so you can see whether it fits.
3. Generate and printExport the case and lid as STL. For a large case, generous clearance and a snap detent keep the lid secure.

When the model is too heavy to load

Large models often come as very dense STLs — millions of triangles — or as STEP files from a CAD program. The free decimate & convert tool reduces the triangle count and converts STEP or IGES to STL, in the browser, before you generate the case. A case does not need sculpt-level detail to fit well.

Frequently asked questions