Animation Sculpture with 3D Printing

Often, the first few considerations of 3D printing lies in the ability of the printers to create intricate details and achieve the closest representation of a design. The specifications of top 3D printers produces resolution of 600x600x1600DPI – that translates to 360,000 dots per square inch.

The level of details enables designers or sculptors to bring out the original feel and form of the design which can be beneficial to the arts and entertainment industry, namely film and animation.

Working with Kronicles, Creatz3D test printed some partial character surfaces to better understand the level of details, or resolution, in which 3D printers can fabricate. Chosen for this experiment was an extra-terrestrial character bust, showing half a face.

Using Autodesk’s Mudbox, the bumps on its complexion underwent a detail magnifier to achieve: 100%, 200%, 400% and 600% (shown below). These were later scaled down before printing.

Glossy mode would not be recommended on the basis for printing a full figurine in consideration of the undercuts/over hangs of the printing process. Further prints were performed with matte printing mode to achieve a more consistent feel, without the gloss. This can enable designers or sculptors to paint the models and further bring the details out with post processing in the future.

The line of Objet printers can produce parts with fine details at even the original 100% model design, scaled to an inch’s height. Personal preference and expert’s advice says that the 200% magnified model at matte mode brings the model to life without over-exaggerating the design.

For more information, do contact us at info@creatz3d.com or (65) 6631 8555.