Tutorial 20: Heart Vase
Create a heart-shaped vase by defining a heart outline with a 12-point Polyline, then spiraling it upward. A perfect gift or Valentine's Day print.
What you'll learn
- How to use the Polyline block with many control points
- How to design a recognizable shape (heart) using X,Y coordinates
- How Closed mode connects the last point back to the first
- How complex polyline shapes work with Spiral Up
Prerequisites
- Completion of Tutorial 8 (Expanding Spiral) is recommended.
Step 1: Define variable
Step 1
Create height variable
Add Set Variable vaseHeight = 50 with Show in Viewport enabled.
Step 2: Center and add Spiral Up
Step 2
Add Translate and Spiral Up
Add Translate (center on bed). Inside the body, add Spiral Up with Start Z = Layer Height, End Z = vaseHeight, Rotations = vaseHeight / Layer Height.
Step 3: Draw the heart with Polyline
Polyline
Interactive preview is available in the interactive reader.
Step 3
Add Polyline with 12 heart-shaped points
Inside the Spiral Up body, add a Polyline block. Set Closed = true, Coord Mode = absolute. Click + to add points until you have 12. Enter these coordinates:
| Point | X | Y | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0 | 0 | -18 | Bottom tip |
| P1 | 5 | -10 | Right lower |
| P2 | 12 | -2 | Right middle |
| P3 | 16 | 6 | Right bump peak |
| P4 | 12 | 13 | Right bump top |
| P5 | 4 | 12 | Right inner |
| P6 | 0 | 8 | Center dip |
| P7 | -4 | 12 | Left inner |
| P8 | -12 | 13 | Left bump top |
| P9 | -16 | 6 | Left bump peak |
| P10 | -12 | -2 | Left middle |
| P11 | -5 | -10 | Left lower |
Complete block program
Full program — Tutorial 20
Interactive preview is available in the interactive reader.
Final block structure
| # | Block | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set Variable | Path Group | vaseHeight = 50 |
| 2 | Translate | Path Group | X = bedsize_x/2, Y = bedsize_y/2 |
| 3 | ↳ Spiral Up | Inside Translate | Start Z, End Z, Rotations |
| 4 | ↳ Polyline | Inside Spiral Up | 12 points, Closed, heart shape |
Outcome
You should see a heart-shaped vase spiraling upward — recognizable from any angle. The polyline's sharp bottom tip and rounded bumps create the classic heart silhouette.
Load this tutorial
Interactive preview is available in the interactive reader.
Interactive preview is available in the interactive reader.
What's Next
Tutorial 21: Opening Arc Vase — Use the Arc block with a dynamically increasing sweep angle to create a vase that closes as it rises.