Version 1.0 · Public domain (CC0 1.0)
These guidelines are for anyone designing MotiveMesh parts or presenting them. The specification says what a part must do to fit. This document says how parts should look, feel and print so that everything on one wall belongs together.
Auras
Every part is designed for one of three places. The Aura sets the look, the details and the default mounting.
The Paddock: sim rig and garage
Motorsport hardware. Engineering made visible.
| Surfaces | exposed lattice skeleton: isogrid by default, honeycomb on large flat sides |
|---|---|
| Colour | Matte slate body, fluro green accent |
| Details | blowout vents in floors, exposed screw heads at the top corners of back plates, 12 mm chamfers on the Desk Pod |
| Mounting | twist-lock pins |
| Filaments | ASA, ABS, PETG-CF, PA-CF (PLA and PETG build solid) |
| Tags | #paddock #simrig #garage |
The Studio: creator and tech desk
Calm, precise, quiet. Nothing shouts.
| Surfaces | solid walls, or vertical flutes (slots) when skeletonised |
|---|---|
| Colour | slate body, sage accent |
| Details | 45° chamfers on top edges, flush faceplates, cable slots, hidden magnets |
| Mounting | hidden 6 × 2 mm magnets by default |
| Filaments | PLA, PETG, PETG-CF |
| Tags | #studio #desk #creator |
The Galley: kitchen and home
Soft, warm, easy to clean.
| Surfaces | a smooth exo-shell with its ribs hidden between two skins |
|---|---|
| Colour | warm sand body, cream accent |
| Details | every inside corner rounded (fillets and coves) so nothing gets trapped; rounded top edges |
| Mounting | twist-lock pins |
| Filaments | PLA or PETG (food-contact use depends on your filament and printer; printed parts are not food-safe by default) |
| Tags | #galley #kitchen #home |
Colour
| Name | Hex | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Slate | #3a3f45 | Paddock and Studio bodies |
| Fluro green | #39ff8b | Paddock accent: pins, keys, dividers |
| Sage | #a7c4a9 | Studio accent: faceplates, clips, pins |
| Sand | #d9c09a | Galley bodies, secondary tags on the site |
| Cream | #efe3cc | Galley accent |
| Carbon | #1e2124 | Backgrounds for photos and pages |
| Eggshell | #f6eed9 | Text on carbon |
| Teal | #9ec4b5 | Mint Motive's site accent |
Rules:
- Accent marks what you touch or turn: pins, keys, clips, faceplates, dividers, link keys. Bodies are never accent-coloured.
- Two colours per part at most: body and accent. Multi-colour printing is optional; every part must also look right in one colour.
- Accent parts are always separate parts, so a single-nozzle printer can print them in a second colour without a filament change mid-part.
Shape
- On the grid. Widths are whole 30 mm steps less the gap in the specification. No odd sizes on the wall.
- Lean, don't overhang. Fronts lean back rather than jut out. A leaning front shows what is inside and prints without supports.
- Chamfer or round, never both. The Paddock and Studio use chamfers; the Galley uses rounds.
- Keep lattice away from joints. Leave solid material around sockets, magnet pockets, notches, plugs and edges (see the specification for margins).
- Name the gap. Every mating surface has a stated clearance. Default 0.2 mm.
Printability
Every published part must print without supports in the orientation it is published in.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Overhang | 45° from vertical at most |
| Bridges | about 15 mm or less; ribs and lattice cells are sized to stay under this |
| Horizontal overhanging steps | 2.5 mm or less |
| Minimum wall | 1.2 (solid), 1.6 (skeleton) |
| Minimum rib | 1.0 |
| First layer | put the largest flat face on the bed; add a brim for tall parts that stand on a thin edge, like the Desk Pod sleeve |
| Holes in vertical walls | shapes with pointed or sloped tops (hexagons, diamonds, triangles, rounded slots) so they bridge cleanly |
Large items are split into parts that each print well, and joined with plugs, keys or pins, not glue.
Lattice
- Use the engine's rib and cell sizes for the filament (specification §9.3). Stronger filaments get bigger cells and thinner ribs.
- Isogrid by default, honeycomb on large side panels, slots for the Studio, diamonds where parts print in several orientations.
- Always frame a lattice with a solid border at least one rib wide, and a solid rim at the top of any wall.
Words
- Say what it is and where it goes: "Paddock headset hook, 70 mm reach, ASA".
- Use plain words: "twist-lock pin", "connector key", "faceplate", "link frame".
- File names:
motivemorph-<aura>-<item>-<size>, for examplemotivemorph-studio-pod-4u.3mf. Part names inside a 3MF:side-panel-x2,faceplate-desk,link-key-x2. - Always give the filament a part was designed for, the clearance, and whether it needs magnets or pins.
- Tag community uploads with the Aura, the item and
#motivemesh.
Presenting parts
- Photograph on the part's real home: a rig, a wall, a desk, a bench. Show one part in use and one close-up of the mounting.
- Show the accent colour where it is.
- Say how it was printed: printer, filament, layer height, infill, time.
- Show the numbers the generator gives you (grams, time, stiffness), including when a part is heavier than solid PLA.
Using the name
MotiveMesh, MotiveMorph and the Aura names are free to use to describe compatible parts. If a part meets the conformance list in the specification, call it "MotiveMesh compatible". If it changes the standard, say so ("based on MotiveMesh, with a 40 mm grid") so no one expects it to fit.