Tutorial 16: Twisted Tray

Build a designer tray with rounded corners that twists gently from base to top — like a candy dish or jewelry holder from a high-end home goods store.

A rounded rectangle tray with gently twisted walls preview

What you'll learn

How to use the Rounded Rect block with configurable corner radius
How to use For Z for manual layer-by-layer iteration
How to combine Rotate with normZ for a continuous twist
Why Travel Relative Z is needed after each layer in a For Z loop

Prerequisites

Completion of Tutorial 5 (Twisted Prism) is recommended.

Step 1: Define variables

Set Variable

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Step 1

Create five slider variables

Add five Set Variable blocks with Show in Viewport enabled:

trayWidth = 60 — X dimension

Step 2: Center and add For Z

For Z

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Step 2

Add Translate and For Z

Add Translate (center on bed). Inside the body, add For Z with Z Start = Layer Height, Z End = trayHeight, Step = Layer Height.

Step 3: Add Rotate with height-driven angle

Rotate

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Step 3

Twist the shape as it rises

Inside the For Z body, add Rotate with Angle = normZ × twistAngle (Arithmetic × with Variable normZ and Get Variable twistAngle). At the bottom (normZ=0), no rotation. At the top (normZ=1), full twist.

Step 4: Add Rounded Rect

Rounded Rect

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Step 4

Draw the rounded rectangle

Inside the Rotate body, add Rounded Rect with Width = trayWidth, Height = trayDepth, Corner Radius = cornerRadius.

Step 5: Add Travel Z

Travel (Relative) Z

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Step 5

Move up after each layer

After the Rotate block (connected via next), add Travel Relative Z with Z = Layer Height. This lifts the nozzle to the next layer after drawing.

Complete block program

Full program — Tutorial 16

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Final block structure

#	Block	Where	Values
1–5	Set Variable	Path Group	trayWidth=60, trayDepth=40, cornerRadius=8, trayHeight=20, twistAngle=25
6	Translate	Path Group	X = bedsize_x/2, Y = bedsize_y/2
7	↳ For Z	Inside Translate	Start = LH, End = trayHeight, Step = LH
8	↳ Rotate	Inside For Z	Angle = normZ × twistAngle
9	↳ Rounded Rect	Inside Rotate	Width, Height, Corner Radius from variables
10	Travel Rel Z	After Rotate	Z = Layer Height

Outcome

You should see a tray with smooth rounded corners that twists gradually from base to top. The twist creates an elegant, designer look that's impossible with traditional manufacturing.

Load this tutorial

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What's Next

Tutorial 17: Temperature Tower — Build a real stepped temperature calibration tower using Floor and Set Temperature to print multiple zones at different temperatures.