Since the arrival of 3D printing, which has brought immense freedom in creating complex designs, Mother Nature has become a strong inspiration for decor, toys, gadgets, and many other things that now can be made in the comfort of your home.
The ability to 3D print something exactly as you envision it is incredible, and there are many inspiring animal models out there. From cats and axolotls to octopuses and dinosaurs, many creatures have inspired or been redesigned into true works of art. This article is especially for fans of the peaceful and calm turtles!
Around since the age of dinosaurs, turtles are not only strong and resilient, but their beauty can be seen in various incredible species. We’ve gathered the coolest, most fun, interesting, and even useful models of the moment to honor our turtle friends.
And if one or a few of the models on this list would be great additions to your life, but your 3D printer’s on a break, check out Craftcloud. In a few simple clicks, your 3D printed turtle will be on its way to being created and delivered to your doorstep.
Let’s take a look!
Pendant
You don’t need to spend a lot of filament to show your love for nature and sea turtles, and you can even do it using (somewhat) biodegradable materials like PLA!
This pendant combines art and style in a lightweight and beautiful accessory that can easily match your outfit, but be careful, there are some important details to keep in mind to be able to reproduce one perfectly.
For the best possible print quality, the layer height needs to be as small as possible to make the layer transition smoother. The designer also recommends disabling the “Slow down for overhangs” setting if using Bambu Studio; in fact, one of the printing profiles he included already disables the option.
Printing time is less than 30 minutes, and among the many successful makes shared, you’ll find different colors for inspiration. You can also check out the collection from the maker, which includes manta ray and shark pendants!
- Who designed it? Sevro
- How popular/printable is it? This pendant has over 2,200 prints and 2,400 downloads reported by MakerWorld so far.
- Where to find it? MakerWorld
Squishy
For many people, a turtle is a slow or slow-moving creature, but these little models show off their energy and determination. They can jump, hop, and even shrink their limbs thanks to internal 3D printed springs, showing how versatile their materials can be. The toy includes six different shell designs, but if you want something different, you can also try other models sold by the author on Gumroad for $3.
If you’re wondering how difficult it is to assemble this, don’t worry – it’s quite simple. In fact, all the parts are joined together with the help of two other small pieces that the author calls “H-Clips”. If this still sounds confusing, there’s a video from the maker of the printing and assembly.
All the parts can be printed without the need for supports; the author warns against using a brim or raft, as this can require additional post-processing that can make assembly trickier. If you find it challenging to slide the turtle’s head into the model, note that the author left three different files with narrower stems so that you can find the one that’s just perfect.
- Who designed it? jakejake
- How popular/printable is it? More than 4,000 makes have been reported, combined, from all sites. If that’s not popular, we don’t know what is!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse, Cults, Pinshape, Printables, MakerWorld
Planter Pot
When you think of turtles, you immediately think of natural landscapes and beautiful gardens, but if you have a small garden and can’t afford a turtle (or you just don’t have a garden), you can still be enchanted by nature’s inspiration.
This design was originally conceived by Thingiverse maker YahooJAPAN as a complete turtle, and was remixed by nivekmai to add holes and be used as a planter. If you have a multicolor setup, you might also be interested in the multicolor remix.
To reproduce this model, it’s important to pay special attention to the supports, as users have reported some difficulties in removing them. If your printer has a small bed or you want to print the parts separately so that you can paint them before gluing everything together, don’t worry. The designer has included both the full model in one file, as well as the different parts already split up, with the necessary pins to ensure correct assembly. If you choose to print this planter as a single part, keep in mind that it can take up to 7 hours and consume up to 250 g of filament.
- Who designed it? nivekmai
- How popular/printable is it? This planter has 8 makes and more than 1,100 downloads.
- Where to find it? Printables
Baby
There are many species of turtles out there, but the birth of a sea turtle is truly beautiful and enchanting. Before these little warriors face the dangers of the open sea, they must break the hard shell of their eggs and leave their nest. Witnessing this moment is magical and remarkable, but having something to remind you of it can be even more special and can make you sigh deeply at the mere memory of these cuties overcoming their challenges.
Unfortunately, the designer did not leave any printing instructions, but the MakerWorld print profile indicates that the model should be printed with a layer height of 0.16 mm, two external walls, and 15% infill. The profile also indicates that the model will take approximately a little over an hour to print. Among the several compliments in the comments, a few makers indicate that no supports are necessary.
Maker mibeluna, whose adorable baby turtle can be seen in the image above, also suggests applying resin after painting to give the model an additional shine.
- Who designed it? kmaus
- How popular/printable is it? Almost 1,400 downloads and 209 makes show that it is easy to make the day happier.
- Where to find it? Printables, MakerWorld
TMNT Minifigures
No matter your age, these famous turtles have been heroes for so long that it’s impossible not to recognize them, and their hunger for pizza is almost as great as our passion for 3D printing!
Ninjas Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo will always be ready to show off their flexibility and skills, in this case with five movable joints, customizable weapons, and interchangeable expressions. You don’t need a multicolor printer to replicate them, as you can print separate parts in the respective colors and assemble them.
All characters are compatible in scale with other items in the collection, such as April O’Neil (in a Catwoman version), Slash, the Party Wargon and the News Van (both of which double as coin banks), and of course, the villains Rocksteady, Shredder, and Bebop!
- Who designed this? Rocketlab Project
- How popular/printable is it? According to MakerWorld, this team has been 3D printed over 160 times so far.
- Where to find? MakerWorld
Articulated Sea Turtle
Decorative models are great, but articulated and functional models are even better!
Once again, sea turtles enchant with their charm and elegance. This design, inspired by the green sea turtle, was among the winners of the Printables Fish Tank Tweaks contest in February of 2024. In addition to this beautiful 132- x 150- x 32-mm turtle, the designer shares several other articulated creations of marine life that are part of his collection.
There are versions of the model for both multicolor and single-color printing. In both cases, it’s recommended not to reduce the scale too much to avoid losing resolution, although in the single-color option it is possible to reduce the size by up to 50% without much loss if your 3D printer is well calibrated.
This articulated sea turtle prints in place – no additional mounts or supports are required. In fact, the designer recommends avoiding adhesion layers (raft, brim) because they can make it difficult to remove the model in some cases. As for other 3D printing tips, a standard 0.2 mm for layer height and 15% infill should do the trick.
- Who designed it? Jopek Design
- How popular/printable is it? According to MakerWorld, an impressive 10,500 makes have been shared so far, while Printables reports over 130 dazzling creations.
- Where to find it? Printables, MakerWorld
Flying Sea Turtle
If you’re looking for something a little more elaborate and creative, this might be just what you’re looking for! Sea turtles are also well-known for their graceful “aquatic flight”, which is almost hypnotic to those of us who are fans of marine life. In this instance, 3D printing has made it possible to build a system to reproduce these movements. The designer was inspired after seeing a report on ocean pollution and his admiration for marine life while diving.
He certainly had great success reproducing the sea turtle’s swimming in a simple and easy-to-assemble mechanism that can be printed with PLA. As for printing suggestions, the designer recommends a layer height of 0.2 mm for most parts, but he specifies that the file “FT-GEAR02” should have a lower 0.1 mm or 0.15 mm. Once you’re done, a little oil can help ensure smooth movement on the parts.
- Who designed this? amaochan
- How popular/printable is it? This amazing mechanism has over 1,500 makes and more than a whopping 430,000 downloads, combined from all sites.
- Where to find it? MakerWorld, Cults, Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory
Wall Art
Nature is a wonderful source of inspiration, and here this turtle is given the structure of a colorful and original mosaic that can decorate many different spaces. Whether it’s to create a cool theme or just brighten up your little corner, this can be an excellent idea to use up those leftover filaments; after all, the small parts can be made of different colors to make everything even more interesting and beautiful.
Once assembled, the mosaic measures around 125 cm x 130 cm, and it’s made up of a total of 123 pieces that are luckily numbered on the back. To make assembly even easier, the designer provides a PDF template that can be printed and then taped to the wall for guidance. Keep in mind that if you scale the model (up or down), you’ll have to do the same with the template. Alternatively, the creator explains how you can use a projector. And of course, intuition is always a possibility…
To fix the pieces to the wall, you can use Velcro, double-sided tape, or hot glue, for example. This will depend on the wall itself and how permanent you want to make the art.
- Who designed it? dgemily
- How popular/printable is it? Over 450 downloads, 2 makes, and 1 remix combined from all sites show that this wonderful design is gaining popularity.
- Where to find it? MakerWorld, Cults, Printables, Thingiverse
Shell Container
When it comes to turtles, of course we couldn’t forget one of the most iconic shells of all time. With its characteristic white border and unmistakable colors, there isn’t a single Super Mario fan who doesn’t remember them!
To make the whole experience a breeze, the model’s parts were designed to be printed individually (in your color of choice, avoiding the need to paint them), and can then be easily put together. The upper part of the shell is held together by magnets, while other parts have to be glued.
As you can see in the image above, the model can be used as a container for memory cards from your favorite Nintendo Switch games. However, the organizer insert and a spiked shell version have to be bought via Cults for ~$5.
Despite being present in several repositories, there are no direct printing settings from the designer. The MakerWorld print profiles vary between two and three walls, layers from 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm, and an infill starting at 8% and reaching up to to 20% for each part. Comments on Printables indicate that a lower layer height helps with the finish.
- Who designed it? PLA-N-PA
- How popular/printable is it? Almost 1,550 makes combined from all sites make it clear that it is very popular.
- Where to find it? MakerWorld, Thangs, Cults, Thingiverse, Printables
Car
Some people say that all toy cars are the same, so why not use the power of 3D printing to create something unique? With this toy, your little one will have a car that is as strong as Mother Nature’s design allows. And of course, it’s based on their favorite animal. It can even get a special name! Either way, it’s also a great toy to teach your child from an early age that safety is more important than speed.
All parts can be printed separately, except for the body, which is one piece and requires a multicolor printer to be printed in color. Assembly is super simple, but if you still want to check out the details, the designer shared a video to guide through setup. No supports are necessary, and the designer recommends a layer height between 0.2 and 0.28 mm, three walls, and to activate Z hop (Cura’s default 0.2 mm should do the trick).
License: The text of "3D Printed Turtles: The Coolest Models" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.