How to Design 3D-Printed Leaf Coasters in Fusion and Slice Them in PrusaSlicer
Updated September 19, 2026
This tutorial shows how to turn an imported leaf design into a practical set of 3D-printed coasters using Autodesk Fusion (formerly Fusion 360). You will also learn how to organize the models for clean exports and prepare single-color or multi-color prints in PrusaSlicer.
What You’ll Learn
- How to organize multiple coaster designs with separate Fusion components
- How to use a 100 mm construction circle as a sizing guide for irregular geometry
- How to import a leaf design as an SVG
- How different extrusion heights enable physical depth and controlled color changes
- How descriptive body names improve STL and 3MF export workflows
- How to import, slice, preview, and export the finished coaster in PrusaSlicer
- How to add manual filament changes for a single-extruder 3D printer
Watch the Workflow — or Read It Step by Step
You can follow this guide in two ways:
- Read the steps below if you want quick written instructions, reference images, and modeling notes.
- Watch the full video at the end of this post to see the workflow in real time — including extra tips, camera angles, and shortcuts that don’t fit neatly into text.
Both formats build on each other.
Reading helps you understand why each step matters, while watching shows how to move faster in Fusion.
Step 1: Create and Name a New Component
Open Fusion and create a new component for the first coaster. Give it a clear, descriptive name based on the design—for example, Maple Leaf Coaster rather than a generic name such as Component1.
Keeping each coaster inside its own component makes a multi-design project easier to navigate. It also gives you more control when you edit the model parametrically or export one design at a time. This is particularly useful if you intend to distribute or sell the files through marketplaces such as Etsy or Cults3D.
The leaf coaster is created inside a dedicated component using Assemble > New Component. A descriptive component name keeps sketches, bodies, appearances, and timeline features grouped together.
Component-based organization is especially useful when a Fusion project contains several related coaster designs. Each coaster can be activated, edited, exported, or hidden independently without mixing its features with the rest of the set.
Step 2: Create a 100 mm Sizing Guide
Start a sketch and create a circle with a diameter of 100 mm. Convert the circle to construction geometry so it acts as a reference without becoming part of the coaster profile.
A 100 mm diameter is a practical coaster size for many cups and glasses. Because the leaf outline is irregular, the circle provides a consistent visual boundary and helps you scale every design in the set to a comparable footprint.
Construction geometry is valuable here because it keeps the sketch intentional: it controls size without creating an unwanted edge, body, or printable feature.
Start a sketch and create a circle with a diameter of 100 mm. Convert the circle to construction geometry so it acts as a reference without becoming part of the coaster profile.
A 100 mm diameter provides a practical footprint for many cups and glasses. Because the leaf outline is irregular, the circle creates a consistent visual boundary and helps scale every design in the set to a comparable size.
Construction geometry controls the overall dimensions without creating an unwanted sketch profile, model edge, or printable feature.
Step 3: Import the Leaf Design as an SVG
The original leaf artwork for this project was generated with a ChatGPT prompt. Once the sketch is ready, use Fusion’s Insert menu to import it as an SVG and place it inside the 100 mm guide.
Before continuing, check the imported curves for unwanted gaps, overlaps, or extremely small features. Thin tips and narrow internal regions can be difficult for a nozzle to reproduce reliably, while tiny isolated details may disappear during slicing. Simplifying these areas when necessary can produce stronger edges, cleaner toolpaths, and a more dependable first layer.
If you want to see more of the AI-assisted design workflow, the Viking coaster video linked at the end of the accompanying video covers that process in more detail.
The imported leaf geometry provides the detailed outline, veins, and openings used to construct the coaster. The Insert menu is highlighted while the leaf profile is visible around the component origin.
Imported geometry should be positioned and scaled before solid features are created. This keeps the outline, internal veins, and future extrusions aligned throughout the parametric timeline.
Step 4: Extrude the Coaster at Different Heights
Use Extrude on the closed sketch profiles to create the coaster geometry. The workflow uses different extrusion heights for the separate visual areas, although the source project does not prescribe one fixed height for every section.
These height differences serve two purposes:
- They create visible and tactile depth in the finished coaster.
- They make layer-based color changes possible, even on a single-extruder printer.
When choosing your own extrusion values, align each transition with a printable layer. For example, a height that is an exact multiple of your selected layer height will create a predictable point for a filament swap. Also make the base thick enough to remain flat and resist flexing, without adding unnecessary print time and material.
Because the design is built as stacked horizontal regions, it can be printed flat on the build plate without steep overhangs or support material. This orientation gives the coaster a large contact area, keeps the decorative top face clean, and makes manual color changes straightforward.
The completed Monstera leaf form is reviewed together with its feature history at the bottom of the Fusion window. Moving through the timeline reveals how the model develops from its initial geometry into the finished solid.
A timeline walkthrough is useful for identifying which features create the main leaf body, openings, and decorative veins. Editing an earlier feature automatically rebuilds the downstream geometry.
Step 5: Name the Bodies for Reliable Export
Give every body a descriptive name that identifies its role or intended color. This becomes especially helpful when exporting a multi-body 3MF file for a multi-color printer, where the slicer needs a clear mapping between model parts and filament assignments.
Good names reduce the chance of assigning the wrong color to a decorative region. They also make the Fusion browser easier to understand if you return to the project later or provide the source file to a customer.
The Browser separates the coaster geometry into named bodies such as Leaf, Fenestrations, and Midrib. The finished model combines the outer leaf shape with recessed veins and characteristic Monstera openings.
Descriptive body names make complex organic models easier to inspect and revise. They also help when selecting specific geometry for Combine operations, appearances, or mesh export.
Step 6: Repeat the Workflow for Every Leaf Coaster
Repeat the sketch, import, extrusion, and naming workflow for each leaf design. Place every finished coaster in its own component rather than combining the complete set into one unstructured collection of bodies.
Fusion assigns colors to components in the timeline, which makes the individual designs easier to identify. More importantly, separate components preserve flexible export options and make future parametric edits less disruptive.
Before exporting, confirm that each model has:
- A footprint based on the 100 mm diameter guide
- Closed profiles that produce valid solid bodies
- Clearly named bodies
- Its own clearly named component
- Height transitions that match the intended print strategy
The Fusion project contains four botanical coaster designs: Monstera, oak, ginkgo, and maple. Each design is stored as a separate component and given its own appearance for visual identification.
Keeping the complete set in one project makes it easier to compare scale, thickness, and detailing. Individual components can still be activated and exported separately for 3D printing.
Step 7: Export Each Coaster as STL or 3MF
Export each component as an STL or 3MF file, depending on your printer and intended color workflow.
Use STL when you need a widely compatible mesh or want to add color changes manually at specific layer heights. Use 3MF when you want to retain a better-organized, multi-body workflow for a multi-color printer.
Fusion provides several mesh export settings, but the default presets are well balanced for most coaster projects. Inspect the exported curves in your slicer before increasing refinement: an unnecessarily dense mesh can make files larger without producing a visible improvement on the printed part.
The Monstera coaster component is selected for export with Save as Mesh. The format is set to STL (Binary), which produces a compact mesh file supported by PrusaSlicer and other common slicers.
Select only the intended coaster component before exporting. This prevents the other leaf designs from being included in the same STL file unless a combined build plate is specifically required.
Step 8: Import the Coaster into PrusaSlicer
Open PrusaSlicer and go to File → Import → Import STL. Select the coaster file and place it flat on the virtual build plate.
PrusaSlicer includes practical presets that can be used as a starting point immediately after import. Select the preset that matches your printer, nozzle, and filament, then slice the model so you can inspect the estimated result.
Keeping the broad, flat face against the bed maximizes adhesion and avoids supports. If the upper decoration contains multiple heights, it will then build vertically in a controlled sequence that is easy to preview.
The exported STL is imported into PrusaSlicer and placed flat on the virtual build plate. The displayed model dimensions are approximately 86.39 × 93.05 × 5 mm.
The selected setup uses the 0.20 mm SPEED print profile, Generic PLA, 15% infill, no supports, and an Original Prusa i3 MK3S/MK3S+ printer profile. The broad, flat base gives the coaster sufficient build-plate contact without support material.
Step 9: Review the Layer Preview and Add Color Changes
After slicing, use the vertical layer bar on the right-hand side to simulate the print layer by layer. Move to the layer where a raised design begins, then add a manual color change if you are printing on a single-extruder machine.
At that layer, the printer will pause so you can remove the current filament and load a new color. Preview the result carefully to confirm that the pause occurs immediately before the intended geometry begins.
Layer height directly affects the available transition points. A smaller layer height offers finer vertical control and smoother height changes, but it also increases print time. Plan the Fusion extrusion heights and PrusaSlicer layer height together so each color boundary lands on a complete layer.
After slicing, the vertical layer slider is used to locate the transition between the coaster base and its raised decorative geometry. Right-clicking the slider opens the Add Color Change command.
A color change inserted at the correct layer allows the leaf veins or upper surfaces to print in a contrasting filament on a single-extruder printer. The preview should be checked carefully so the change occurs after the base has finished and before the detail begins.
Step 10: Slice Again and Export the G-Code
Once the manual filament changes and print settings are correct, slice the model again. Review the toolpaths one final time, checking that:
- The first layer forms a continuous, well-supported footprint
- The decorative regions start at the intended layers
- Every manual color change appears in the right position
- No unexpected gaps, unsupported islands, or missing thin details are visible
The layer slider displays separate colored sections after the filament changes have been added. The visible transitions divide the 5 mm model into its base and raised-detail regions.
The project must be sliced again after modifying the color-change events. Selecting Slice now updates the toolpaths, material estimate, print time, and color preview using the revised instructions.
Export the finished G-code and transfer it to your printer using your normal workflow. The exact layer height, filament, temperatures, and printer preset are not fixed in this project, so use validated settings for your own machine and material.
The final Color Print preview confirms the planned filament transitions across the coaster’s height. The legend identifies the layer ranges assigned to each color, making it possible to verify that the contrasting filament reaches the intended raised details.
The sliced model uses approximately 18.33 g, or 6.15 m, of filament with an estimated print time of about 1 hour 23 minutes. Reviewing the preview before exporting the G-code helps catch misplaced color changes without wasting a print.
Key Takeaways
- Use a 100 mm construction circle to size irregular coaster outlines consistently without adding unwanted geometry.
- Keep each coaster in its own named component for cleaner parametric editing and flexible exports.
- Use different extrusion heights to create depth and enable layer-based color changes.
- Name individual bodies before exporting multi-body 3MF files for a clearer multi-color workflow.
- Design the coaster to print flat so it has good bed contact and requires no steep overhangs or supports.
- Coordinate extrusion heights with the chosen layer height so manual filament swaps occur at clean boundaries.
- Use PrusaSlicer’s layer preview to verify the complete print before exporting G-code.
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You Might Also Like
Want to explore more Fusion workflows for lighting design, surface modeling, and organic 3D printable geometry? These three tutorials build on the same techniques used in this lampshade project, including splines, patterns, revolves, and printable surface structures.
Each project focuses on practical Fusion workflows for organic modeling, surface control, and efficient 3D printable design techniques that translate well into real-world products and renders.
⏱ Chapters
- 00:20 Create a New Component in Fusion
- 00:33 Selling STL Files on Etsy
- 00:49 Why I Use Construction Lines
- 01:05 Designing with ChatGPT
- 01:18 Extruding at Different Heights
- 01:38 Naming Bodies for Better Workflow
- 02:06 Exporting as STL or 3MF
- 02:28 PrusaSlicer Print Settings
- 02:48 Adding Manual Filament Swaps in PrusaSlicer
- 03:40 Finished Coaster Results
- 03:50 Affiliate Links & Resources