Bending the tentacles

Now, it's time to begin adding some details to the tentacles and give the model some personality.

Before moving ahead, let's take a look at another powerful tool when editing meshes, which is called loop cut or loop subdivide, which will be used while bending the tentacles. Loop cut adds points in the middle of an edge and all around a portion of the geometry. These points can then be transformed. Loop cut only works with edges or vertexes' select mode and will automatically switch modes when using them.

To perform a loop cut, execute the following steps:

1. Navigate to Mesh | Edges | Loop Subdivide from the 3D View menu, or press Ctrl + R.
2. Then, move the mouse pointer near an edge, and the loop cut suggestion will be suggested.
3. When the loop cut is where desired, click on the select mouse button or press Enter. At this point, the loop isn't set and can still be slid back and forth in order to decide an exact location.
4. When it is where desired, press Enter or the select mouse button again in order to finish the operation. At any time, the operation can be canceled by pressing the right mouse button or pressing the Esc key.
5. Now that we know how to perform a loop cut, let's go for why we are here, that is, bending the tentacles.
6. While still in the edit mode, switch to the vertex edit mode (Ctrl + Tab). Add a loop cut (Ctrl + R) to one of the tentacles. Place the cut at the default location in the middle of the tentacle:
   
7. After setting the loop cut, change the operator settings at the bottom of Tool Box and then change Number of Cuts to 2:
   
8. Deselect all points (A) and select the points at the end of the tentacle. Rotate (R) the points around the z axis (Z) and move (G) them along the x and y axes (Shift + Z) to bend the tentacle a bit:
   
9. Expand the selection (Ctrl + NumPad + the (+) sign). Again, rotate (R) the selection around the z axis (Z) and move (G) it along the x and y axes (Shift + Z) to bend the tentacle a bit more:
   
10. Expand the selection again. Rotate (R) and move (G) the tentacle, being careful to constrain the movement:
    
11. Check your tentacle. Adjust your view and make sure that from the front or side views, the twisty tentacle is still on the same level as the other tentacles and not twisted up and down. If it isn't, then your movements weren't constrained properly:
    
12. If not correct, then undo (Ctrl + Z) your movements and try again. There's a way to ensure that the movements are constrained properly. You can do this easily by doing all your transformation while in the top view (NumPad 7). It may be necessary to select points in the Wireframe view (Z) to get all the points and not just the ones on top.
13. Move to the next tentacle and cut it through loops. This time, while the loop location is being displayed, before clicking on the mouse or pressing Enter the first time, try to press the 2 key to quickly change the number of cuts to 2. This is a shortcut method that can be used optionally instead of changing the parameters after the cut:
    
14. Work around, cutting, selecting, moving, and rotating each tentacle. Give each one a different twist, being careful not to overlap them. If the tentacles overlap, the model won't print properly when exported:
    

Your octopus doesn't need to look exactly like this. Make it your own. When all the tentacles have been detailed, it should look much more like an octopus.

Tip

Some 3D printers won't be able to print this model if it's too big, so keep those tentacles tucked in and don't let them fly too far. The smaller 3D printer build areas are about 150 mm or 6 inches across. If the total width of your model is more than that, you'll need to think about the printer you're designing this for.