Lighting up your 3D prints with LEDs is one of the coolest ways to bring your models to life—but if you’ve ever tried running wires through a finished print, you know it’s a nightmare. Like trying to thread spaghetti through a brick.
That’s why designing wiring channels directly into your 3D model is such a game-changer. Whether you’re illuminating eyes, mouths, or a glowing skull for your next spooky project, this method saves you time, frustration, and busted drill bits. In this guide, I’ll show you how to create internal channels using Nomad Sculpt, though the techniques work in other modeling programs too.
Why Add Channels Before You Print
Running wires post-print is painful. By designing the channels into your model before you slice and print, you:
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Prevent drilling mistakes
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Save post-processing time
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Avoid damaging small, detailed models
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Ensure proper wire routing
In this project, we’re lighting up an adorable bear skull with LEDs using pre-built channels designed in Nomad Sculpt.
Step-by-Step: Creating Wiring Channels in Nomad Sculpt
1. Set Up Your Scene
Start with your model—in this case, a stylized bear skull—and a tube that will act as your wire channel.
Make everything else invisible except the skull and tube. Lower the skull’s opacity so you can see the tube inside as you position it.
2. Position and Scale the Tube
Bring the tube into the area you want to light—here, it’s the eye socket.
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LED size: Ours is 6mm, so we designed the tube to match.
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Scale to fit: Nomad Sculpt doesn’t use standard units like millimeters by default, so define your own scale and stick to it.
Stretch the tube to the back of the skull where your wires will exit. Add a control point and bend the tube if needed to route it naturally.
3. Duplicate and Align
Duplicate the tube and place it in the other eye socket.
Make sure both tubes are aligned. Adjust opacity and rotate/bend the second tube until it merges smoothly with the first at the back of the skull.
4. Voxel Remesh
Once you’re happy with placement:
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Make the tubes invisible.
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Make the skull visible.
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Voxel remesh the skull.
This will imprint the hollow space where the tubes were directly into your model.
⚠️ Pro tip: If your model has extra pieces (like spikes or ears), select them during remesh to preserve clean geometry.
5. Verify in Slicer
Load your model into your slicer and double-check:
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The wiring channels are clear.
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Nothing accidentally closed off during remesh.
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There’s room for wires to pass through.
Tools for the LED Wiring Process
Once printed, it’s time to bring your model to life. Here’s what I used:
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Soldering iron
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Kaisi helping hand station (with six arms and silicone mat—love this thing!)
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Pre-resistored LEDs
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Wire strippers & solder
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Heat shrink tubing & heat gun
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Glue
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2x AA battery holder
Solder the LEDs and battery wires, heat-shrink for safety, and glue the lights into place. Then run your wires through the channels you created and connect everything up. Boom—glowy skull.
Can I Use Other Software?
Yes! While this example uses Nomad Sculpt, the same concept applies in:
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Blender
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Fusion 360
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Tinkercad (with patience)
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ZBrush
Just use any cylinder/tube shape, align it how you want the wires to flow, and boolean subtract or remesh it into your model.
Lighting Up Your Prints the Smart Way
By planning ahead and adding wiring channels directly in your 3D design, you save yourself the grief of post-print drilling, especially in delicate prints. Whether you’re creating glowing skulls, LED-lit cosplay gear, or animated terrain for tabletop games, this technique is essential.
Keep on making.
🛠️ Materials & Tools Used in This Video:
• Kaisi Helping hand soldering station w/ silicone mat - https://amzn.to/45RzAJe
• 2 x 5mm pre-resistored LEDs - https://amzn.to/43Ik4hu
• AA battery holder (2 AA) - https://amzn.to/43Ik4hu
• 22 AWG wire - https://amzn.to/3Zs3gsA
• Wire strippers - https://amzn.to/4kAw1f3
• Fantik soldering iron - https://amzn.to/3HC1zmk
• Solder - https://amzn.to/4kE0Iju
• Heat shrink tubing - https://amzn.to/3TlaWJz
• Ryobi heat tool - https://amzn.to/45mkOdw
• Super glue for securing LEDs - https://amzn.to/4kCTUme
• Nomad Sculpt app (iPad) - https://nomadsculpt.com/
• 3D printer (I used a Bambu Lab X1C) - https://amzn.to/45QCApg