An Ocarina is a wind musical instrument of Japanese origin with between 4 and 12 holes in a hollow enclosure. They appear in many cultures and have been made with many materials, even using fruits or vegetables like potatoes. Ocarinas had a moment in popular culture thanks to the video game series The Legend of Zelda, and with the power of 3D printing, you can create your own!
There are many challenges when designing and printing ocarinas. First, the shape, position, and size of the holes have to function to create a sound, and even more, a specific pitch! Second, since the instruments need to be hollow on the inside but fully enclosed, internal supports aren’t an option. This means designers either have to figure out a way of printing multiple pieces with a perfect join when assembled, or creating a single part that won’t require internal supports. Additionally, the print quality should be high, because smoother surfaces will help to produce a clearer sound.
We’ve gathered the most successful 3D printed ocarinas that look amazing and sound even better. If you want to play like Link but would rather leave the printing to the pros, try Craftcloud by All3DP. Your new instrument will be shipped straight to you, so all you have to worry about is making music!
Traditional Transverse
This is an English-style ocarina with 4 holes on the front and one on the back. It’s printed in two halves that must be glued together, to avoid using supports on the inside. You can’t re-scale it or the pitch will be off (as will be the case with all the ocarinas on this list).
If you’re slicing in Cura, make sure you set it to inches first, as some users have mentioned that when opening the file with Cura set to metric measurements, it will interpret the size as 4.25 mm instead of inches. If your file does appear tiny, you can alternatively scale it up by 2540% to restore it to the original size, as recommended by another user. Aside from that, makers confirm having printed it without any trouble.
There are two alternative versions you can also print. One is a Remix that adds the triforce symbol from The Legend of Zelda, and the other can be printed as a single part. This version requires supports on the outside, and according to the comments, the best practice is to rotate it 20° off the print bed.
- Who designed it? seggybop
- How printable/popular is it? This ocarina has 141 Makes and 9 Remixes. People have printed it without trouble, and even gluing it together was reported to be easy enough.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Single Print
This is a traditional, vertical ocarina, with four holes on the front. It was made by Thingiverse user 3E8, and has an amazing sound, as you can see in the video below.
It’s designed to be printable in one go, instead of in parts, and it requires no supports on the outside nor the inside of the ocarina. The author says it can be printed with a minimum of 10% infill, but the thicker the infill the better the sound will bounce off the walls.
Comments say the printing process is very straightforward and that the results are perfectly in tune. The advantage of this model is it doesn’t require gluing, while also not requiring supports, and the sound is beautiful.
For another option, there’s also a very similar design from CBLOOMY on MyMiniFactory. The model has one community make, which was reported as an easy print with good sound quality.
- Who designed it? 3E8
- How printable/popular is it? The print on Thingiverse has 64 Makes and 1 Remix, and there are videos to show how it sounds.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
12-Note
This model was based on a 12-note ocarina designed by nimaid, remixed to perfect the pitch of the higher notes without losing sound quality. Adding the extra notes gives more range to the melodies that can be played.
This newer design by RobSoundtrack is even recommended by the designer of the original model, so you know it’s a model to pay attention to. Other makers have commented that the sound is particularly good, and there’s a video to demonstrate how the finished instrument sounds.
- Who designed it? RobSoundtrack
- How printable/popular is it? It has 428 Makes and 23 Remixes, making it the most popular model on our list. The ocarina can be printed in one piece without supports on the inside, as long as you stand it vertically, thanks to the angles of the curves.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Xun
A xun is a traditional Chinese instrument that’s played in a similar way to an ocarina. However, it’s held vertically to be played and doesn’t have a whistle hole, so the sound depends greatly on technique and blowing at the right angle.
There are many variations of this instrument; the one shown here has 6 holes on the front and two on the back. Just be warned that it can be hard to learn to play because getting a sound is not as straightforward as for an ocarina.
People recommend a very high resolution for the smoothest possible sides. Successful prints are reported to have a beautiful sound, as long as you persevere with trying to get a sound at all!
- Who designed it? Licheong
- How printable/popular is it? There are 36 Makes and 2 Remixes for this traditional instrument on Thingiverse and another 2 community makes on MyMiniFactory. Because the curve is progressive and the shape is vertical, it can be printed in a single piece without supports.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory, Thingiverse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vallobApQc
Soprano
The difference between this ocarina and our previous 12-note inclusion is that this one is pitched in the soprano range, meaning it plays in a higher register. To achieve the higher notes, it has a sharper and thinner shape. Additionally, this model has the Triforce symbol from The Legend of Zelda!
The creator recommends printing with thick walls so the sound can properly bounce, and obviously only applying supports on the outside because they’ll be impossible to remove. To achieve this, they recommend leaving the automatic bed orientation or standing it up vertically to print.
The model is currently up to version 17, which has the best sound especially in the highest notes, thanks to modifications taking into account the feedback of makers.
- Who designed it? Karuuv
- How printable/popular is it? Five successful prints of this design have been shared, in addition to the many, many times the designer has printed it. To achieve a good sound, it’s recommended to clean the windway with a small, delicate object after printing is done, to avoid any defects that may hinder the sound. Listen to it go!
- Where to find it? Pinshape
Bonus: Electronic
This really cool model is called the K.L.I.K. Ocarina. It is part of the KontinuumLAB Instrument Kit (K.L.I.K) Project, creating 3D printed electronic instruments that all sound and look super fun to make!
It’s available on YouMagine and in the instructions section, you can also find a detailed video of how to make it and how it works. All of the structural and acoustic parts of the ocarina are 3D printed, but you’ll need additional electronic components such as a midi cable and some sensors.
- Who designed it? Jeppe
- How printable/popular is it? It has 222 downloads but no one has shared their own creation so far. It’s worth checking out a few more of the designer’s videos to be able to recreate this, but if you’re up to the task, it will be a very impressive result.
- Where to find it? YouMagine
License: The text of "3D Printed Ocarina: Best 3D Models/STL Files" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.