Here on 3DPI we’ve shared several stories of different kinds of 3D printed figurines with you, from Woody Allen to Star Trek characters, but the perspective has been predominantly a western one. Today’s piece moves further East and is something that will be appreciated by fans of Japanese culture – and of course by anybody who has a place in their heart for precise and intricate 3D modelling and printing – such as myself [Ed: And me!].
Figure.Fm user Kaetemi, is a Japanese programmer/illustrator/dev/3D-artist, who has created an ambitious 1/10 scale figurine for the Tsunacon 2013 convention in the Netherlands. His third time in attendance at this event, Kaetemi has been experimenting with different 3DP tech but for this attempt has combined a number of processes — the full colour powder 3D printing (ZPrinting from 3D Systems) for the body parts and stand and EOS’ SLS for clothing and details utilising full colour sandstone / white strong & flexible materials. All of the 3D printing has been fulfilled via Shapeways.
Taking inspiration from the core design of last year’s model, Kaetemi started to work on this newest figurine at the end of last year with some sketching. The modelling phase with 3DS Max started early in January. By the middle of last month the 3D model was ready to be 3D printed and then finished after delivery to smooth the parts.
It was necessary to go through several phases of finishing touches, including cleaning out the parts, sanding and buffing, applying primer and layers and layers of varnish and spray paint. Once completed the parts were finally ready for assembling. The results are very impressive – just take a look at the figurine’s side profile/arm details.
I think the work done by Kaetemi is really outstanding and proof of the holy trinity of design, craftsmanship and determination (and of course 3DP) producing impressive showcaseable results.
We’ve gathered an assortment of images of the process in the gallery below – enjoy!
[nggallery id=59]Source: Figure.fm
