Shade Studio / Free parametric lampshade tool: how the controls work
Free parametric lampshade tool: how the controls work
A parametric lampshade is described by a few numbers (height, a diameter at several heights, rib count and depth, twist, wall thickness) instead of being a fixed mesh. Shade Studio is a free parametric lampshade tool: change a number and the 3D shade and its STL change with it, in your browser and with no signup.
- Price
- Free for now. There is no paid plan today.
- Signup
- None. No account or email is needed.
- Height range
- 100 to 400 mm
- Profile nodes
- 2 to 12, each with a height and a diameter (40 to 400 mm)
- Formats
- STL, SCAD, PNG, JSON
- Where files are made
- In your browser. Your designs and files are not uploaded.
Profile nodes: the silhouette
The outline of the shade is a smooth curve through profile nodes. Each node sets the diameter at one height; you can have from 2 to 12, at least 5 mm apart, with diameters from 40 to 400 mm. The bottom and top nodes are fixed to the ends of the shade. Drag a node plate in the 3D view, type values in the node list, or double-click the shade to add a node. The nodes are stored as fractions of the height, so changing the height scales the whole silhouette proportionally.
Ribs: texture and stiffness
Ribs are flutes around the shade. You set the count (3 to 40), the depth (0 to 20 mm) and the shape: a sine wave (soft), a sharp scallop (crisp edges) or a triangle wave (pleats). Ribs add stiffness to a thin wall. Deep ribs on a small diameter make steep flanks and a thinner wall measured across the flank, which is why the library designs keep rib depth and count in proportion to their radius.
Twist: a spiral instead of vertical ribs
Twist (0 to 360°) rotates the rib pattern from the bottom to the top. A moderate twist gives a spiral look. A strong twist on a wide shade leans the rib flanks sideways; once a flank leans past about 45° from vertical it becomes an overhang that needs supports. While preparing the library, a 150° twist on a shade about 230 mm wide failed the overhang check, and 120° on a slightly narrower flare passed. The lean depends on the radius, so the same twist is gentler on a narrow shade.
Wall: light, strength and weight
The wall is the shell thickness, 0.4 to 3 mm. Thicker walls are stronger and diffuse more light but use more material. With a socket holder the tool warns below 0.8 mm because the holder may not fuse reliably to a very thin wall. The weight shown in the stats is an estimate from the solid volume and PLA density, so your slicer's number will differ with its settings.
Socket holder: where the lamp holds the shade
An optional flat plate with spokes holds the socket in the opening: place it at the top, at the bottom or leave it off. You set the number of spokes (2 to 8), their width and thickness, the style (straight, tapered or curved), their rotation, and the socket hole diameter (20 to 120 mm, 40 mm by default). The plate is sunk into the shell wall, so the shade's outside is identical with or without it, and its outer face is flush with the rim. Measure your own socket and set the hole to match.
See it in the 3D view
The viewport shows the shade shaded, as a wireframe, in x-ray, or cut open in section view, and a lamp-on toggle lights the inside. The library gives you 28 starting points, and the STL guide covers exporting.
Safety
Use LED bulbs only, a certified lamp socket and a certified cable set, and keep the bulb well clear of the printed shade: PLA softens around 55 °C. Shade Studio provides geometry only. See the electrical safety notes.
Common questions
What does parametric mean for a lampshade?
The shape is generated from settings such as height, diameters, rib count and twist. Changing one setting regenerates the whole shade, so you can try a taller, wider or more twisted version in seconds.
Will the curve bulge past my node diameters?
No. The profile is a smooth curve through your nodes that is limited so it never overshoots them; the widest point of the shade is at a node.