3D Printing

Artficial Unchained, New Project Seeks to Set Art Free with 3D Printing

Teased over the past few days, the Artficial platform has finally been revealed. The project, launched by start-up 01 Srls, will put priceless works of art from humanity’s heritage into the hands of everyone by replicating their essence, or Art DNA. The idea behind it is to use 3D scanning, 3D printing and some of the most advanced software tools shaping the next manufacturing revolution, in order to provide quality content that is 3D printable in the most efficient way.

By implementing an easily accessible online configurator, along with the possibility to get the replicas professionally 3D printed through the integrated i.materialise service, or streamed to any desktop 3D printer through Authentise’s online app, Artficial wants to become one of the first manifestations of an iTunes-like service catered to the fine art and 3D printing communities.

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“Through collaborations with philanthropists, art collectors, and museums, we have built a database containing several perfectly reproduced 3D models of priceless works of art, from different historical periods and cultural locations,” says Giorgio Gori, founder of 01. “Western art models from the Classical Greek period, through to the Renaissance, Hebrew, Islamic, Asian and African artifacts are all part of our digital Library. Each sculpture has been carefully 3D scanned and 3D modeled into a perfect virtual replica, which is referred to as ‘Art DNA’.”

Using professional 3D printing technologies, the sculptures from museums and private collections can be reproduced to fit individual taste, desires, and styles through Artficial’s exclusive online configurator. Users can select their artwork of choice and visualize it in a stylish setting, selecting different sizes and materials to obtain real-time information about the replica’s final cost. At launch, the service offers replicas of selected works in both laser sintered nylon (polyamide) and cured transparent resin, with each material available in several different colors. Additional customization options, include casted and direct metal 3D printing, which will be integrated gradually.

artficial1Consumers and schools will also be able to take full advantage of the possibility to stream free replicas of all the 3D scans in the Artficial Library to their desktop 3D printers. This service, offered in collaboration with Singularity University and Autodesk Spark member, Autentise, will both allow users to access the original scans at no cost (other than the material necessary to print it) and the owners to manage and regulate the use of the artwork’s digital file.

The goal of democratizing access to art pursued by 01 begins with the establishment of a “Cradle of Technology” in several museum and internationally relevant cultural sites. Here, visitors will be able to use a desktop version of Artficial’s configurator to customize some of the works present inside the museum and order personalized replicas or purchase pre-fabricated ones already present in the museums.

artficial2“By progressively taking some of the most valuable examples from humanity’s artistic and cultural heritage into the future of manufacturing, we want to make the past of human creativity more accessible than ever, inspiring a new era for artistic expression,” says Gori. “By passing DNA on to the next generations, humanity assures the survival of its species. Through Art DNA and 3D printing it can assure the survival of its essence.”