This is an interesting video on 3D scanning and printing I saw on the BBC site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9550469.stm

At the very end they show the small (1/12?) head of the reporter. Looks pretty good. So is traditional sculpting done for? Will 3D printed heads start appearing in shows? Should they have their own class? So many questions.....but I am off the play with the sculpey anyway.

Gordy - if this is in the wrong spot pls move it.

Colin

Thanks for that Colin, amazing stuff.
I'm sure this kind of thing will be seen in the figure industry, especailly where a specific individuals likeness is required.I can imagine famous actors and the like selling their likeness on software to figure producers.

Wow, you don't even need to paint them! That head looked great.

Thanks Colin (apropos post location ) , very cool technology!

Replace traditional sculpting maybe! There is always something more, knowing that something is created in the traditional sense. Maybe it would replace casting?

Imagine going to iTunes and for 99 cents downloading your latest figure, painting it digitally and then printing it out on your home 3D printer.

wow that was an amazing likeness could see used in The sport figurine and doll industry also muesum pieces (wax works)
Still a little expensive but the Railway modeller are now getting wagons ,Boilers done this way - soon even mechanical gearboxes and LED's built into a vehicle /tank
very exciting _ actually painted a 3d model for an architectual firm about 4 years ago

If this method does make it to the competitions, then there is no doubt that it should absolutely be a seperate category...hands down. Like photography should be (and usually is, though not always),from 2d and sculpture in art shows. And it will still boil down initially to a painting competition of a different type of figure. It should never be included with scratchbuilt or sculpture, when that is the criteria.
I have no doubt that it eventually will make it in, just lke conversions became conversion/scratchbuilt, which it is not. Scratchbuilt that is....one is a conversion, whether there are parts that were sculpted on it or not, but it is not "scratchbuilt" without the clarification. It always should be seperated. But it all now goes as just scratchbuilt.
It's only a matter of time...it's fine to add another dimension to miniatures. But to meld it with traditional categories is not only unfair competitively, it's counterproductive.

I like this idea

Been shopping around for the past 3 years looking for someone to 3-D print a 1930s vintage H-D Knucklehead engine and transmission in 1/9th scale.

That would save a lot of time scratchbuilding the 1/9th scale miniature 'project bike' of my dreams.

Hopefully my "dream" will come true soon. Maybe even a 3-D design/printing APP for the iPad coming out in the near future.

Just thinking positive and staying ahead of the learning curve.

alex wence

Hmmm... when a technology called photography came about,
what did it mean to portrait and landscape painters?

In all honesty, I wholeheartedly welcome this new technology.
I think this type of new tech will help increase the value of
hand crafted products because it will be rarer and more exclusive.

Shooot.. you could do one in a weekend with five fingers superglued behind your back! :lol:

Great points

This has already happened in a lot of areas...mcFarlane Toys for example has no sculptors working on projects, everything is scanned and 3d printed, and the quality has actually gone down on some of their projects. We have a scanner and printer where I work and it is invaluable on some projects, while we still rely on actual sculpting for some things. As an example, if we are developing a concept we can model it, tweak it, then print it overnight and have it in the AD's hand the next day...if he doesn't like that, then we tweak again and have another example ready to go in a few hours. That would be a tough slog for a traditional sculptor, but with 3D modelling and a printer it's pretty straighforward.

I don't think human hands will ever be eliminated completely, but their role has certainly been reduced as the search for faster and cheaper continues. I think Taesung has it exactly right though, there will always be a value associated with actual hands creating art.

I have been using CAD drawing and 3D printing in the Jewellery industry for about 7 years now, although it is a bit different to what you have seen in the video clip. In Jewellery design competitions they have had to make a catagory for CAD stuff as yes it is different to hand made items, but that in no way makes it less credible or easier to make. It just takes different skills to use and perfect.
George Lucas used this technology during the making of the three prequel movies to produce toys of all the actors, so it has been around for a while, its just getting better.
Are we going to see figures made this way, of course we are, its just whether they can make them as beautiful in design as what we see our "hands on brothers" do, and that will take a new breed of figure makers with different skills.
Ben

I agree with the idea that sculpting is changing format,

the market will change, with masters for mass production items being done digitally, with garage kit guys re-labeling themselves as boutique type sculptors. (although 'Garage Kits' will stick as a name)

I do wonder what industry discussions were like, with the advent of polymer clays, ever finer 2 part putties, for example.

I have an old article, about how figures pre-1950's, were done in a combination of sawdust and something else, then pressure moulded.

AND! we still have metal figures, once lead, now white metal alloys, so the material technology has changed.

Now it seems the material technology and the sculpting technology are merging (to a degree)

Besides, a basic understanding of volumes, structure & anatomy (plus everything else) will still have to be learned, as well as the computer skills to do them.

Taesung has a good idea though

Cheers

And we have the benefit of working on historical figures, the vast majority of whom are either dead or much older than the time we wish to portray them.....so unless you can pull a dead ringer of your subject off the street to scan, it won't help a lot.....I feel better now. Great points made above too.

Colin

To me, the 3D printing is more a replacement for the mold and casting process. You will still have sculptors providing the figures.

Yes, there are those that will switch to the creation of figures via CAD, but I don't think it will completely replace sculptors. There are a lot of artists that have no want to become a computer CAD designer and they will still produce amazing work that will be valuable to the hobby.

If there is to be a merging of the two, the CAD designers and programmers had better come up with a much more friendly, intuitive interface.

Speaking as an illustrator myself, I can say that most artistic types have neither the inclination or temperament for the highly "Geek-ese" and math laden languages and approach used to operate and work with most CAD and related programs and machinery.

Of course, that's obvious. That's if anybody does it the old way anymore after some time.
And do we need totally hand sculpted figures to be rarer and more exclusive?
What for?

The technologies have changed sure...just like enamels to oils to acrylics, etc. Now there's no more sawdust and glue figures and theres Sculpey and two part epoxies, etc. But you still have to sculpt with it by hand. Whatever you use. Not a machine.
It is inevitable that it comes, and we see it painted on tables...we all know that.
Whatever floats your boat...with the open system of judging that proliferates in competitions now, with figures going against Tiger tanks...what's the difference?

I know. That period will weed out the weaklings.
Sculptors will need a wife that does well.

I know. Good luck to the sculptors!
In all seriousness, this new tech will "prevent" the mass from enjoying old school
style hand crafted products as they will be exclusive for the peeps who can afford it.
So enjoy the abundance now.

I agree that not all painters don't need, want and/or deserve(dare I say, but I did anyway!)
totally hand-sculpted figures.
But wait! Forget sculpting. Why paint at all? 3D printing does it for you! It does it better in most cases!!!
(there I go again)

When I read this topic first thing that came up to me was the loss of different styles that distuingishes one from the other in case everyone would be impressed by this tool and stop sculpting.( what about caricatures?)
I think soon will be realized that perfect will not be good enough.

besides that, should I stop playing the guitar, stop trying Bachs' Chaconne because John Williams recorded a perfect version of it?

come on.

Rene

Oh,guys!I've read all this through here,on PF and I did read a lot of this kind on other forums.All posts are just equal at any rate.Manual sculpting's dying by and by and we have to admit it but there's nothing to be afraid of!
We just still have our brain,imagination and skills.Only stuffs and our tools are going to be changed. PC(or Mac)soft and another sort of using hands and handy devices will come instead.
As I said we still have our brain and It's the main "stuff".:lol:
It looks like a digital had perfectly changed "old-school" chemical photo.And what?Who's still using 35-mm films in cameras?!
And yet...nobody banned real sculpting.And this will never happen.
PS.Excuse my so-so English...