Design a printable lure by choosing a starting shape, defining the finished materials and hardware, checking the as-built mass, and comparing its simulated action before exporting. A watertight, assembled prototype still needs a float check and a real water test.
1. Start with a preset and a clear goal
Open the editor and choose a hard bait, jointed bait or soft-bait preset. Decide what you want to compare: a shallower-running crankbait, a different rest attitude, or a changed retrieve. Give the design a name before making several variants so the files remain distinguishable.
2. Set the body, bill and line tie
Set body length, height and width before tuning smaller details. On a lipped hard bait, record bill length, width, thickness and angle, as well as whether the line tie sits on the nose or bill. Changing a bill also moves geometry and mass; treating it as a cosmetic change can mislead a comparison.
3. Define the finished materials and hardware
Choose the shell material, wall thickness, coating, ballast, hooks and split rings. Keep the ballast clear of attachment hardware. For hard and jointed baits, use the as-built readout: it includes printed internal structures and the hardware represented by the print setup. The design-only mass and the finished-part mass can differ.
Nominal material density is an input to the model. Infill, moisture, paint, glue and the hardware you actually install can change a real prototype. Weigh those parts and update the design when they differ from the planned build.
4. Compare action under the same conditions
Choose tank or cast simulation, then keep water properties, line settings and retrieve speed fixed between variants. Reset and run each variant for the same duration. Read depth, wobble, roll and line tension together rather than selecting a design from one attractive animation frame.
5. Save an editable source before printing
Keep the design JSON as your editable source, and save to My designs when signed in. Share a read-only snapshot when you want feedback on the model and its action. Print meshes are manufacturing outputs; keep the source so a later adjustment does not start from a mesh alone.
6. Prepare the print and check the assembly
Choose the print setup and inspect the parts before exporting. Hard baits can use split shells; soft-bait designs produce a mold rather than a flexible bait. Check clearances, alignment pins, the wire path and ballast pockets. Inspect the exported file again in your slicer and choose settings suitable for your printer and material.
STL is a mesh format to import into a slicer. A 3MF file can carry multiple parts and other manufacturing information supported by the export; it is not a guarantee that your printer settings are already correct. Check units and part placement in either format.
The 14-day account trial includes one 3D-print export in total. Monthly and annual subscriptions both include 10 exports per subscription month; further trial exports require a subscription. Design JSON and assembly instructions do not use the print-export allowance.
7. Validate the physical prototype
After printing, assembly and sealing, weigh the finished lure and test its float attitude and leaks before a controlled water trial. Record line, speed, hardware and observed action. Use that evidence to adjust the design. The simulation is a comparison tool, not proof of real diving depth, durability or catch performance.