A case that actually fits your AirPods
Most free AirPods case models on the sharing sites are drawn for one generation and quietly reused for the rest, which is why so many of them rattle or refuse to close. This one is generated from Apple's own published charging-case dimensions for the model you choose, so the cavity starts at the right size before your clearance is added.
| Model | Height | Width | Depth | Port |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods (1st & 2nd gen) | 53.5 mm | 44.3 mm | 21.3 mm | Lightning |
| AirPods (3rd gen) | 46.4 mm | 54.4 mm | 21.38 mm | Lightning |
| AirPods (4th gen) | 46.2 mm | 50.1 mm | 21.2 mm | USB-C |
| AirPods Pro (1st gen) | 45.2 mm | 60.6 mm | 21.7 mm | Lightning |
| AirPods Pro 2 | 45.2 mm | 60.6 mm | 21.7 mm | Lightning / USB-C |
| AirPods Pro 3 | 47.2 mm | 62.2 mm | 21.8 mm | USB-C |
How a photo becomes a case
The square you frame is sent to an image-to-3D generator, which returns a mesh — a shape, with no idea that an AirPods case exists. Everything that makes it a case happens here, in your browser.
The mesh is first turned the right way up. Generators disagree about which axis is up and an STL carries no metadata to settle it, so the orientation is worked out from where the model rests rather than assumed. It is then scaled and placed so your charging case sits in the middle of it.
Then the model is sampled into a signed distance field and your AirPods case is subtracted from it, exactly the way a sculptor hollows a form. The cavity is carved out of the finished shape rather than wrapped around by it, and it is unioned with the case grown by one wall thickness first, so a thin belly still cannot let the cavity out. The result is re-meshed with surface nets and split at the hinge line, so the top lifts off exactly where your AirPods case opens.
Why it asks you to frame the head
Because a generator given a whole animal returns a whole animal, and a whole animal is thin everywhere. A charging case needs roughly 27 mm of depth to disappear into. The lion that started all this measured 17 mm through the body — and scaling the model up does not help, because the thickness scales with it.
A head is compact and deep and already close to the case's proportions. Cropping afterwards does not work either: on a lying animal the head sits beside the body rather than above it, so there is no neck to cut at. Crop the photo, and the generator simply never makes a body.
Whatever comes back is measured before anything is carved. The tool reports the model's thickest point against the depth the case needs, and says plainly when the case would stick out — so you find out before you spend an hour printing it.
What makes a good photo
- A head, filling the frame. Compact, chunky and upright beats anything lying down.
- No plinth, no base, no ornament stand. They generate as part of the model and waste the depth.
- Front-on and evenly lit. Harsh side light gets read as shape and turns up in the mesh.
- A plain background. Busy backgrounds get generated too.
Printing it
- Print each half cut-side down on the bed, so the flat hinge face is your first layer.
- Generated shapes have ears, muzzles and other overhangs, so turn supports on — tree supports leave the least to clean up.
- A 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.12–0.16 mm layers resolves the detail. Going finer mostly costs time.
- Matte, light-coloured filament shows form best. Glossy black hides it almost completely.
- If the shell is tight, raise the fit clearance by 0.1 mm and reprint the bottom only — you don't need to reprint the top.
Will it still charge?
Through the cable, yes — the port cutout is sized generously so chunky cable mouldings still seat. Wirelessly, no: the case is buried inside a solid printed figure, and Qi and MagSafe power will not cross that much plastic. Charge it with a cable through the cutout.
Common questions
Does my photo get uploaded?
Yes — this tool is the exception on this site. The square you frame is sent to the image-to-3D provider that builds the model, and only when you press Generate. Everything after that — carving the cavity, the 3D preview and writing the STL — happens in your browser. The other KEMETORY tools upload nothing at all.
What does it cost?
Nothing, up to two models a day with a free KEMETORY account. Generating costs real credits at the provider, which is why it is capped and why nothing runs automatically. The same photo is only ever paid for once: regenerate it and you get the cached model back without spending an allowance.
Is the STL watertight?
Yes. The surface is generated as a closed manifold with an even wall, and every cutout is given its own rim wall, so slicers take it without a repair step.
Can I use a photo of a pet, or a logo?
A pet, yes — a head-on portrait of a cat or a dog is close to the ideal input. A flat logo is not: there is no depth in it to generate, so what comes back is a thin plaque with nowhere to hide a charging case. The fit check will tell you so before you print it.
Which file do I need?
Both parts gives you one STL with the two halves side by side, ready to slice together. The single-part downloads are there for when you only want to reprint one of them.