Most 3D prints come about when someone looks online for the perfect design and doesn’t find it and that is again the case with this Aboleth from Dungeons & Dragons and maker Collin Klopfenstein.

With the existing models out there either “poorly modelled or just wrong”, Klopfenstein decided to jump right in, learning as he went along.

This lead to the modelling process taking around 14 hours between Sculptris and 3ds Max, switching between the two when a roadblock was hit, either in knowledge or the software itself.

Printing was done in two parts, with the main body in solid PLA, and the tentacles done in SemiFlex flexible filament. The total print time for both was 14 hours before processing and painting took up 6 hours each, bringing the total time for this project to around 40 hours.

If you’re attempting to make your own you should be able to get it done in much less time as the model is available for free from Thingiverse.

You’ll also be able to save some time if you avoid the flexible filament, which requires special processing like heating up the prints to shape and smooth them by hand.

The finished version in the gallery below is an impressive sight though, measuring in at 119 millimetres long, not counting the base or the tentacles.