How is 3D printing going to change this hobby?

[mrclean08]

Printers are doing amazing things but heads don't generate themselves. Without the skill of the artisan, a printer is just a paperweight .

Having the printer itself is only the first step. It takes solid 3D rendering skills in 3D software to get exactly what you want.

 

[Lejuan]

It is significant I think that a 3D file doesn't diminish in integrity the older it gets, or the more often it is used. So artists can, if they like, hold onto a 3D file and run off prints of it indefinitely to accommodate customer interest over a long period. And every print will be more or less identical.

 

[Grosby]

Perfect replicas of the actors exact likeness... It will be amazing. I'll feel bad for the sculptors though. There days are numbered

When you can scan an actors head from the source and print it exactly down to scale, why would you need the middle man of an imperfect artist to interpret and sculpt it. I am not saying you're wrong just playing devils advocate.

I speculate that a good likeness made by hand will always be favoured over a scan of an actor's head. Some companies are already scanning heads and it's not incredible. I don't think an exact copy of a head is actually the key to a pleasing head sculpt. Probably a combination of the two would make more sense, a copy of the head that's then built upon.

Plus, Dutch in Predator, Alfred Hitchcock, etc, all these thins long gone, can't be scanned (or maybe with technology they one day can). On top of that, the trouble with getting actors to simply sign off on figures, to now arrange for their heads to be scanned and to get the picture/attitude/look the toymaker wants, I don't think it's ever going to be some easy/perfect solution that can replace sculpting or will be preferable to looking at photos and sculpting.

Where I see such things going, anyway, is maybe a future where people scan their Hot Toys head and put it up on a site and we can download it and make easy bootlegs. Things like PVC figures you see out there, with their simple, solid shapes without moving parts, could be scanned and illegally shared and printed at home. That to me would be an exciting future.

 

[former member DFtM]

Where I see such things going, anyway, is maybe a future where people scan their Hot Toys head and put it up on a site and we can download it and make easy bootlegs. Things like PVC figures you see out there, with their simple, solid shapes without moving parts, could be scanned and illegally shared and printed at home. That to me would be an exciting future.

I hope not. For those who collect for BOTH the love of the subject matter and the value of the pieces... the value component would be shattered.

Plus, it will kill any "uniqueness" of an individual's collection.

I feel terrible for the sculptors out there... this is the writing on the wall for many aspects of their art form. Not all, but many.

I place a huge amount of value in something that has been done by hand... so for me, a scan of an actors head will never be as amazing as a sculpt.

 

[Lejuan]

I hope not. For those who collect for BOTH the love of the subject matter and the value of the pieces... the value component would be shattered.

Plus, it will kill any "uniqueness" of an individual's collection.

I feel terrible for the sculptors out there... this is the writing on the wall for many aspects of their art form. Not all, but many.

I place a huge amount of value in something that has been done by hand... so for me, a scan of an actors head will never be as amazing as a sculpt.

That's what they said about motion capture and animation a few years back, but today a good animator is always sought after because mocap data on its own doesn't necessarily yield a superior performance. Head scans don't necessarily yield a superior sculpt. Good sculptors will be in demand for a long while yet, though skilling up in zbrush or mudbox or similar would be a good move.

 

[georgieboy26]

I have access to the 3D printer and have given some thought to the production of heads.

go for it, we ned lottsa heads

 

[georgieboy26]

checked out some 3d printers, very affordable imho, this looks like the way to go

 

[wookster]

Well... it would be pretty awesome if one day companies like Hot Toys were just scanning actors heads and then printing perfect 1/6 replicas of them. I mean, there is always a place for artists, but what do people want more, an artists interpretation, or a perfect replica?

Hasn't worked so far, they end up looking like perfect representations of the actor as a lifeless corpse.

I speculate that a good likeness made by hand will always be favoured over a scan of an actor's head. Some companies are already scanning heads and it's not incredible. I don't think an exact copy of a head is actually the key to a pleasing head sculpt. Probably a combination of the two would make more sense, a copy of the head that's then built upon.

Plus, Dutch in Predator, Alfred Hitchcock, etc, all these thins long gone, can't be scanned (or maybe with technology they one day can). On top of that, the trouble with getting actors to simply sign off on figures, to now arrange for their heads to be scanned and to get the picture/attitude/look the toymaker wants, I don't think it's ever going to be some easy/perfect solution that can replace sculpting or will be preferable to looking at photos and sculpting.

Where I see such things going, anyway, is maybe a future where people scan their Hot Toys head and put it up on a site and we can download it and make easy bootlegs. Things like PVC figures you see out there, with their simple, solid shapes without moving parts, could be scanned and illegally shared and printed at home. That to me would be an exciting future.

this man speaks the truth.

That's what they said about motion capture and animation a few years back, but today a good animator is always sought after because mocap data on its own doesn't necessarily yield a superior performance. Head scans don't necessarily yield a superior sculpt. Good sculptors will be in demand for a long while yet, though skilling up in zbrush or mudbox or similar would be a good move.

yep, right again.

 

[DFanatic]

Hasn't worked so far, they end up looking like perfect representations of the actor as a lifeless corpse.



this man speaks the truth.


yep, right again.

What are you? A sculptor afraid to lose his job or something? 3d printing will be the future of this hobby, everything is at a very early stage right now. It's just a matter of time until it becomes the main method for creating character representations and replicas.

 

[K.bowen]

not sure about everything else but when people show a headsculpt on a 3d program it looks awesome but once its been printed and casted it turns into an old ss head all the little details are gone i much prefer buying hand sculpted heads

 

[Lejuan]

What are you? A sculptor afraid to lose his job or something? 3d printing will be the future of this hobby, everything is at a very early stage right now. It's just a matter of time until it becomes the main method for creating character representations and replicas.

You weren't reading his post carefully enough, or those he was replying to - the contention Wookster was arguing against wasn't that sculpting skills were under threat from 3D printing technology but from 3D scanning technology.

 

[loricstone]

not sure about everything else but when people show a headsculpt on a 3d program it looks awesome but once its been printed and casted it turns into an old ss head all the little details are gone i much prefer buying hand sculpted heads

That's where solid painting skills come in I would think.

 

[georgieboy26]

as said early days, but it will be the future methinks, the scan/print milos did of sheldon cooper looked brilliant

 

[penfold*david]

Really tough (if you so desire, that are a variety of materials). Check out this video. They replicate a wrench and it works just as well as the real one. Right at 3:33 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aghzpO_UZE

wow.....like the guy says this changes everything

 

[dvdwyn]

3d printing is the future..

 

[The Batman Professor]

There is a difference between an artist and a technician. Most of the digital pieces being produced right now lack the vibrancy of hand rendered pieces produced by master sculptors like William Paquet or Ray Villafane. As the technology advances, the possibility of breathing "the noise of life" into digital sculpting increases, but it will require skills initially born in the studio, not the computer lab.

A great artist can make the transition from traditional to digital easily, but a skilled technician will only work in one medium.

Digital is the future not because it's better, but because it's more expedient for the collectibles companies.

 

[georgieboy26]

and a larger variety of heads would be available one hopes

 

[loricstone]

There is a difference between an artist and a technician. Most of the digital pieces being produced right now lack the vibrancy of hand rendered pieces produced by master sculptors like William Paquet or Ray Villafane. As the technology advances, the possibility of breathing "the noise of life" into digital sculpting increases, but it will require skills initially born in the studio, not the computer lab.

A great artist can make the transition from traditional to digital easily, but a skilled technician will only work in one medium.

Digital is the future not because it's better, but because it's more expedient for the collectibles companies.

That's not entirely true. There are technicians who are artists as well.

Digital 3D printing is best for geometric shapes and such. I recently inquired to a company that does customs about Transformers, and most of their sculpts are hand sculpted. However, they responded to me that for Transformers and anything with sharp angles and robotic modes are more suited for Digital 3D. Its not that someone couldn't sculpt it by hand and it be done well, but with a computer, an artist or designer can get things down to .01 micron of execution. Not to mention it can be outputted much faster now.

I think both traditional and digital sculpting have their places in the world. And both will continue to thrive.

 

[intothevoid]

I think there is plenty of room for both digital and traditional sculptors. The more the merrier as far as i'm concerned.

We've already seen some incredible 3D sculpt work from CREG Customs, and his sample prints also look amazing.

 

[0gravity]

Hi folks,
Just modeled and printed 3D models few month ago.
As I am a bad painter i'am looking for someone who can paint my figures