If you are a 3D modeler, working in the entertainment or in the manufacturing industry, modeling objects is becoming more and more of an opportunity for additional earning but, even more importantly, it is a great way to express your creative talent and stand out by embracing new technologies. We recently covered Paul Liaw’s new Shapeways store, now here are Phil Nolan’s latest 3D printable sculptures, once again on a Shapeways store.
In both cases the artist explores the figure of a woman’s body, using CAD algorithms and laser sintering to create beautiful statues with parts that seem to just levitate in the air. Kneeling Woman is Phil Nolan’s best known work: it is about 8 inches tall as that was the minimum height required to meet the minimum thickness of the vines. A virtual 3D representation of the complex work can also be viewed on Sketchfab.
Another interesting piece is Contrapposto, a beautiful and accurately detailed woman built as if every part of her body was a leaf stemming from a central tree. Both designs are inspired by Nolan’s fascination with Japanese animation (anime) and the style of its characters. This shines through in Contrapposto with a “reverse tattoo” (meaning the tattoo is drawn by removing material rather than adding ink) on the model’s leg which represents the Japanese word for beauty.
Nolan is also using Shapeways to experiment with different 3D printing technologies, which include a lost wax 14 carat gold and a polished brass ring as well as a full color Arcade machine model based – with permission – on the MAME machine design found at arcadecab.com and the graphics made by Scott McCullar: a perfect metaphor of how 3D is moving from the virtual to the physical world.
