Ball-joint articulated octopus

thingiverse

This exercise began as an effort to design the smallest printable joint tentacle, capable of producing reliable results with my printer. It evolved into creating cute octopus toys using these flexible tentacles when I made a decision to produce fun gifts with them. It is unexpectedly frustrating and time-consuming to assemble, as each segment must be hand-cut free of support material before snapping it into place, but the final product features ample flexibility and posing abilities. Adding color variety to the segments for a rainbow octopus appearance is an optional yet highly suggested enhancement. A notable addition came when I experimented with some freehand sculpting tools and created a large-eyed alien head attachment for my octopus that has since been uploaded. Another development included incorporating fantasy steampunk submarine designs into the main body of the creature. An updated variant was achieved by reusing the skull from thingiverse.com's "thing:4126" page. **Printing Instructions** Print one central piece, one of eight tentacle tips, and approximately seven of the segment components. Tentacle ends include embedded support that will need trimming before they're ready to use. You may choose to print more or fewer segments to control your desired octopus appendage length. Center body variations include two models: one with embedded support and another with no support if you'd rather add material with your own slicer software. Printing parameters involved an 85% fill for the center, but all tentacles used 100% for increased stability due to their compact volume. Secure each ball segment securely by inserting it into socket holes on individual tentacle tips or a socket within the main body for successful assembly.