Science fiction and 3D printing- the two just seem to naturally go together. Star Trek items, Futurama ships and Rick’s laser gun from Rick and Morty are just some of hundreds of designs that have been 3D printed. Now it is time for some 1990’s sci-fi nostalgia- Stargate.
Life-size Stargate portal
I am a big lover of science fiction, and always have been. Growing up I was sure to be found watching shows like Sliders, Animorphs and Roswell, and even now anything involving space, multiple dimensions or zombies is sure to hold my interest. My ultimate favorite on a Friday night in the late 90’s was Stargate SG1, so when I heard about the 3D printed replica of the Stargate portal I was more than intrigued, I was downright excited.
An exhibit on Egyptian Gods in Geek Culture at the MuseeRoyal de Mariemont in Belgium, curated by Bertrand Federinov and Arnaud Quertinmont, is running until the 20th of November this year, and features a life-size 3D printed Stargate portal. It took over 1,000 hours to create and assemble, and features 2,000 3D printed parts. Through a combination of milling, laser cutting and 3D printing, Vigo Universal were able to craft this amazing replica.
The CEO and owner of 3D-printing studio Vigo Universal, Hermanns Christophe, told Digitaltrends, “We were approached by the museum as part of their planning for an exhibition called ‘From Stargate to Comics: The Egyptian Gods in the Geek Culture.’ In preparation for it, they came to us earlier this year and asked if we could use 3D printing to create a replica of the Stargate. We’re always excited about using 3D printing for unique projects, so we were happy to get involved.” When asked later if the replica Stargate would remain in the museum or get moved once the exhibition is over, he said “We don’t know what their plans are. But be warned: it’s very, very large. To move it is going to require a truck.”
“The biggest challenge was that we had no plans to work from,” Christophe said. “The only source materials we had were the movie and whatever images we could find on the internet. From that, we had to create everything for the 3D printing. This wasn’t a toy — this was something that had to look good as part of an exhibition, and had to be built to last.”
Check out the production process in the video below.
Featured image: Vigo Universal
