Mythical Creatues
Whether through books, movies, or paintings, you know unicorns as mythological creatures are characterized by their single horn and often colorful locks. Unicorns are beloved among many, especially children, because who doesn’t love a colorful horse with a magical horn?
In this article, we’ll share our top ten choices for unicorn designs that can be 3D printed. Beyond just unicorn figurines, our selections include other types of unicorn-themed designs, too. Get ready to be enchanted!
If you see something you like but don’t have a 3D printer at home, check out Craftcloud. In addition to excellent customer service, you’ll have a wide array of materials, colors, and finishes at your disposal.
And now, let’s get to the unicorns!
Statuesque
This majestic unicorn model will look amazing if you get the details right. Originally designed for single color extrusion, you can make it colorful by changing out the filament midway (using the M600 command) or simply by printing with a multicolored filament.
This design includes a base, which makes it less fragile. To add more structural integrity for the legs of the print, the maker recommends that you should print with additional perimeters and a higher infill percentage. Otherwise, the legs could break when you remove the print.
As there are many overhangs on this model, you should print with supports activated.
Who made it? HasenbauDesign
Who printed it? This model has over 34,000 downloads and 25 makes.
Where to get it? Thingiverse
Keychain
Everyone loves those flexible models. This print-in-place unicorn-themed keychain is flexible right off the bed and has quite a bit of detail, especially on the tail.
As this design is print-in-place, make sure to use a 0.4-mm or smaller nozzle to ensure the individual parts are kept separate. This model is primarily 2D, therefore you won’t need supports during printing.
Who made it? MAyobe
Who printed it? In addition to the creator’s own, this model has at least one other recorded make.
Where to get it? Cults
Hair Toss
If you’ve ever felt a mane of a horse, you know how amazing that fluffy hair feels. Now you can 3D print a unicorn with a head full of hair. Similar to the famous hairy lion, the hair is printed and can even be somewhat groomed using a blowdryer.
According to the designer, the design doesn’t require supports to be printed, however, if your printer is bad at handling overhangs, you might want to activate them just in case. The maker also recommends printing at a 10% infill. This makes the hair less rigid, giving it a better look.
Who made it? Geoffro
Who printed it? This model has over 1,700 downloads and at least 4 recorded makes.
Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Low Poly
Ride into the mythical world with this low-poly 3D printed unicorn. Though also possible in a single color, printing with a dual-extrusion system allows for accent colors, yielding an impressive appearance.
Many users claim that the print is very fragile. Therefore, make sure to print with a high infill percentage (60-80%) as well as supports. You may also want to consider using gluestick on the print bed because the first layer of this model is very small.
Who made it? Pumpo
Who printed it? This design has over 21,600 downloads and 23 makes.
Where to get it? Thingiverse
Trophy
Here’s an amazing piece of decor for homes, bars, or restaurants: the unicorn head trophy. Similar to the previous model, this is a low-poly design.
Since it doesn’t have a lot of detail, it shouldn’t be too complicated to print. The design, however, is fairly large, therefore you may need to scale it down to fit on your print bed. You’ll also need to print with supports activated due to the head and horn overhangs.
Who made it? Apachcreation
Who printed it? This low-poly design has over 61,100 downloads and 48 makes.
Where to get it? Thingiverse
Horn Attachment
Everyone loves unicorns, so why not just become one? The maker of this unicorn horn model showcases the horn as an accessory for a cap. The spiral-shaped design features a hole on the inside where a light can be inserted, giving the horn a fun glow.
Using an adhesive with adequate strength, you can mount this horn on the bridge of your cap. Alternatively, you could display the print as a trophy or keep it as a good-luck charm.
The design will need supports to be enabled due to the hole on the inside. To get the most detail, you should also print with a small layer height. Printing with a medium-high infill is a good idea too in case the horn falls off for any reason.
Who made it? Adafruit
Who printed it? This horn design has over 4,000 views and 496 downloads.
Where to get it? Cults
Mounted
This wall-mountable unicorn really captures the beauty of the mythological beast: Its sculpted hair appears to be blowing in the wind.
The maker printed this in ABS, which explains the shine but you can use other materials too. As the hair and head are overhangs, you’ll need to activate supports for this print The hair is a lot of detail, so use a smaller resolution and try to keep your print speed down to prevent any print failures.
Who made it? Ruds3d
Who printed it? This stylish design has over 8,000 views with 1,788 downloads.
Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Balancing Act
This balancing unicorn is truly magical. It stands upright on its hind legs with its tail as a balance. You can easily paint this model too if you want to add some color and detail.
The designer recommends printing with a 35% infill along with 3 perimeters. This provides enough weight in the back so the model is heavy enough to stand alone. Although the designer also says you don’t need supports, if your print fails, you should activate them specifically for the horn part of the print.
Who made it? muzz64
Who printed it? This balancing unicorn has over 5,700 views with 1,000 downloads.
Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Wall Decor
Need some decorations for your home? This cool 2D unicorn wall sculpture can be hung using a tack or nail.
This print looks great on a large scale. If your printer doesn’t have a large build space, you can print it in pieces. You’ll have to export the model into a design program in order to split it up.
To assemble the pieces, you could do something as easy as stapling or taping them together because the print is relatively thin. You can also use hot glue, or acetone if you printed the pieces in ABS, to bond the parts together.
Whatever you decide to do, you should print with a small number of perimeters as there isn’t much space for any perimeters in the lines surrounding the negative spaces. Additionally, this is best printed with 100% infill.
Who made it? UnpredictableLab
Who printed it? This wall sculpture has over 2,400 views and 300 downloads.
Where to get it? Cults
Winged
With so much attention to detail, this winged unicorn model is astounding. Each feather on the wings is outlined, and the mane cascades down the model in waves.
According to the maker, this is a very challenging print, and for that reason, it would make a great stress-test print for printers. You might not want to attempt this if your printer is already having a hard time with less complex prints.
You’ll need to print this using supports because of the body and wings overhanging. Good luck!
Who made it? hetile
Who printed it? This design has one other recorded make in addition to the creator’s own.
Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Lead image source: stijnpeeters via MyMiniFactory
License: The text of "3D Printed Unicorn: 10 Mythical Models to 3D Print" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.