Jenna Richards, Makerspace Manager at FirstBuild, has developed a custom texturing tool for ceramics that blends precision modeling with practical fabrication methods. Using Rhino‘s modeling capabilities, Richards set out to design a patterned roller compatible with Speedball’s Pop-In Brayer system—an off-the-shelf handle and roller set used for printmaking and surface decoration.
The process began with precision measurements using digital calipers to ensure compatibility with the brayer handle. Richards created the base roller by drawing and extruding two concentric circles to match the physical dimensions. This blank roller was then test-printed and refined until it fit perfectly into the handle system.
Once the form was established, the focus shifted to patterning. Utilizing Rhino’s Unroll command, Richards generated a 2D template corresponding to the roller’s curved surface. This allowed her to develop a flat “pattern field” that would later be wrapped around the cylinder using the Reroll command.
The challenge here was to ensure that the motif aligned correctly, achieving a continuous visual flow without visible starts or stops. This required a careful balance of trial, scale adjustments, and Rhino’s planar unfolding tools to calculate the appropriate wrap dimensions.
An additional technical hurdle emerged during the re-rolling stage. Selecting the wrong starting corner could lead the pattern to spiral around the roller instead of following a straight path. Multiple attempts were sometimes necessary to coax the geometry into wrapping correctly without distortion, highlighting the command’s sensitivity to selection order and axis orientation.
Richards initially tested her roller designs on a Creality Ender FDM printer, producing serviceable—though somewhat rough—results. These early prints, made in 2022, were used to press patterns into clay before the ceramic pieces were fired and glazed. The layering artifacts from the 3D printing process remain subtly visible in the final works, adding a trace of the digital-to-physical transition.
This year, Richards returned to the project with upgraded equipment, reprinting the rollers on Bambu Labs P1S printers at FirstBuild. The improved resolution allowed for cleaner impressions and more reliable pattern application.
By customizing a widely available brayer system with Rhino-modeled rollers, Richards has created a tool that expands the creative potential of ceramic surface treatment, merging design intent with tactile outcomes through digital fabrication.
CREDITS
Artist: Jenna Richards
Initial Prints: Creality Ender (2022)
Final Print: Bambu Labs (2025)
