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There are many 3D printed pen and pencil holders out there. There are many 3D printed planters out there. There are many 3D printed dinosaurs out there. And we could keep going about toys, cute models, and gifts.

We are All3DP, after all.

Which brings us to our Thing of the Week: The famous Chubby T-Rex Dino Pencil Holder / Pot by IK3D.

It’s such a cute and useful creation, we couldn’t keep it off our list. A few members of our team really like dinosaurs, and when the model was first shared, we jumped at the opportunity to create a few of these – in multiple colors, of course. While we’re keeping it to its main intended use, we’re also impressed by makers’ creativity as they adapt the T-Rex to different tasks, from keeping plants to shining a light.

Printing Tips

Image of: — The overhangs of the green dino are as flawless as can be (Source: All3DP)

The model’s name gives it away: No supports are needed. That said, some makers preemptively decided to use organic or tree supports for the top of the mouth to avoid any potential issues. (Although comments point to a bit of a challenge removing them.)

For our printing setup, we used Bambu Studio and sliced the dino with the presets for a 0.2-mm standard model. And to keep it streamlined, the printer of choice was Bambu Lab’s P1P. Models were printed with Bambu Lab’s PLA Dynamic (which changes from yellow to green depending on the temperature), turquoise, and a third purple T-Rex that was too shy for the photoshoot.

For all these prints, we opted out of supports, and while there might’ve been a few minimal imperfections for the knowing and critical eye, these had nothing to do with the model or settings but more with the occasional, accidental bit of stringing you might come across. (Not a recurring issue that needs to be worked on.)

If We Could Time-Travel to the Past

Sometimes, some of us get carried away. We see a model, wonder if we’ve got just the shade of filament we’d like to print it with, check to see which 3D printer is available, slice, and print. Then we look at the makes and wonder if we should’ve checked them out first…

For example, a dazzling rainbow filament can make these dinos stunning, while a multicolor setup (like Bambu Lab’s AMS) can also lead to fun creations. Especially eye-catching? The work done by Vincenzo Borriello to add fuzzy skin to certain parts of the model – isn’t it just perfect?

Don’t get us wrong, we love ours. But if there are any reasons to print more, we’re definitely looking at these for inspiration.

Who’s the Creator?

This isn’t IK3D’s first rodeo with dinosaurs and pen holders. The Chubby T-Rex encouraged the creation of the Chubby T-Rex Pencil Holder, and you can also find a pterodactyl if you feel like John Hammond and want to create a park of dinos.

While there are around 20 free models, IK3D has plenty more for sale at Cults. A noteworthy category includes Home Decor, with over 100 designs for a variety of styles, events, and preferences.

Be sure to check out all of IK3D’s designs and the different memberships available via Thangs to support them!