Voronoi squirrel sculpture, a bold open-cut decor print

A Voronoi squirrel sculpture starts from a familiar shape and takes something away from it, cell by cell, until what’s left is more air than animal. The squirrel silhouette is still unmistakable, tail curled, body poised, but the surface is broken up into an open lattice of irregular cells that let light pass straight through the form instead of bouncing off a solid surface.

That contrast between a recognizable creature and an abstract structural pattern is really the whole appeal here. It’s not a realistic squirrel and it isn’t trying to be. It reads as a design object first, an animal second, which is exactly what makes it work as a decor piece rather than a novelty figurine.

What the Voronoi squirrel sculpture looks like on a shelf

Printed in black, the piece picks up shadow in a way a solid figure never could. Light moves through the open cells and casts a shifting pattern behind and around it, so the sculpture changes depending on where it sits and how it’s lit. That shadow play is part of the design, not a side effect, and it’s the reason black was chosen for the original prints.

The open structure also keeps the piece visually light even though it holds a fair amount of physical presence on a shelf. You get the squirrel’s full silhouette, tail included, without the visual weight of a solid block of filament. Set next to books, plants, or other small sculptures, it doesn’t compete with them for attention so much as sit quietly among them.

Does it work in other filaments?

Black is the default because of the shadow effect, but the open Voronoi body isn’t locked to one finish. Silk, matte, and metallic filaments were all mentioned as good options, since the cutouts catch highlights differently depending on the surface. A metallic filament will throw small glints across the lattice, while a matte finish keeps the shadow effect more subdued and graphic. Neither is wrong, it depends on whether you want the piece to read as sculptural or as more of a light fixture for shadows.

Printing and removing supports without wrecking the lattice

The Voronoi squirrel sculpture is described as an easy print, but the geometry does need some attention once it’s off the plate. Because the body is entirely open cells rather than a closed surface, some of those cells were deliberately made slightly larger during design specifically so supports could be pulled free without stressing the thin lattice walls around them. That’s a small but deliberate choice, and it’s worth taking the removal step slowly rather than forcing anything, since the whole appeal of the piece rests on those cutouts staying crisp and unbroken.

For anyone printing on a Bambu Lab machine, predefined 3MF profiles are provided alongside the raw STL files, which takes some of the guesswork out of orientation and support placement for a shape this open.

Where a Voronoi squirrel sculpture fits

This is a display piece first. It’s suited to shelves, sideboards, desks, and the kind of modern interior where a single sculptural object does more work than a cluster of small ones. Its lightweight, open design means it won’t dominate a space the way a dense solid figure might, which makes it easier to place in a room that already has a lot going on visually.

It also works as a seasonal or gift item, something to print for someone specifically rather than mass-produce for a shop shelf. The squirrel motif keeps it approachable even for people who wouldn’t normally go for an abstract sculptural piece, since the recognizable shape gives them something to hold onto before they notice the structure underneath.

For a maker, it’s a good print to reach for when you want to show off what a printer can do with negative space rather than bulk. Solid figures prove your printer can hold detail. A Voronoi squirrel sculpture proves it can hold a pattern together with almost nothing solid behind it, which is a different kind of flex on a shelf full of prints.