Heartfelt Knitted Otter

I wanted to make something cute for Valentine's Day, and since otters hold hands when they sleep, it seemed like a really appropriate choice! I made him holding a little heart to help you express your love for your special someone. 🥰

I love knit-style 3D prints, but as an avid knitter it has always bugged me that so few models follow actual knitted geometry. So I tried my hardest to model mine with stitches that run in realistic directions, seams that make sense, and knit stitches that look fairly accurate to real life. I'm really enjoying stretching my 3d modelling and texturing skills with these knitted models. Let me know in the comments below if you have any requests!

I've got it using pretty minimal and easy to detach slim tree supports. If you're printing either version with parts, do not change the orientation of the heart. I have it positioned to best minimize support scarring and visible circular layer lines. As with any small part print, make sure your print bed is clean and free of oil to avoid any potential adhesion issues. If you have any trouble, I recommend bumping up the brim size. The multipart versions should have pieces that press fit into place, but they may need a drop of superglue to make sure they stay put. He stands about 60mm tall, but I've printed him smaller and he's been just as cute, if you wanted a shorter print time. All version will fit on the A1 mini.

I made three different versions: 

1. Multicolor (AMS enabled, all in one), ~7.5 hours to print, ~90g of filament. Alternatively, you can also change it to print all in one color-- this takes ~1.75 hours and ~19g of filament. 

    

2. Multicolor (no AMS), each color prints on its own plate, ~2.3 hours to print, ~31g of filament.

    

3. Multicolor (AMS, all on one plate, multiple parts), ~2.75 hours to print, ~ 21g of filament. This prints by object, so if you'd rather not spend the time/filament on printing all at once but still want to use your AMS, this one is for you! 

I hope you make a bunch to share with all of your favorite people! Happy printing!