Flying saucer shadow box SVG
A flying saucer lifting a cow off the desert floor in a beam of light, with a second saucer over a far mesa, a third landed among the cacti with its pilot looking out, and a little alien waving from the front under the moon and stars. 6 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
6 sheets at 8 × 8 in, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 6 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 6 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Blue dusk” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Alien”, the slowest: at 0.9 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Stones and grass”, fills the most of the view, 25% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: 9 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 29% |
| 2. Far mesa and saucer | A gentle slope, with: Desert mesa with rock layers and Alien UFO with a beam of light | 1.3 mm | 11% |
| 3. Saucer and cow | A gentle slope, with: Alien saucer beaming up a cow | over 2 mm | 16% |
| 4. Landed saucer | Rolling ground, with: Alien spaceship with a pilot and Saguaro cactus with two arms | 2 mm | 13% |
| 5. Alien | A gentle slope, with: Cute alien waving and Prickly pear cactus | 0.9 mm | 6% |
| 6. Stones and grass | A gentle slope, with: Ball cactus with a flower, Bunch of grass and Desert plants: Joshua tree, agave and ocotillo | 1.1 mm | 25% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 8 in. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 8 × 8 in. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | 152.4 × 152.4 mm | 0.7 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 1 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1.1 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
The beam and the cow are one part with the big saucer, which stands on the ground of its sheet, so only the small far saucer hangs on a thread. Cut the third sheet in a pale card and the beam glows against the darker sheets in front. The alien at the front, with its two antennae, is the finest cutting, at about 0.9 mm at 8 inches.
- Cut all 6 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 6.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 6 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Can I take the cow out?
The cow is part of the saucer and its beam, so it cannot be removed on its own. Select the saucer in the maker and choose Swap: a saucer with an empty beam and a landed one are under Figures.
Does it work as a night light?
Yes. In white card with a light behind, the moon and the stars shine and the saucers are dark shapes against the sky. A green or a blue light suits it.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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