3D printing and rapid prototyping company Studio Fathom was just chosen by Inc. Magazine as one of the nations 5,000 fastest growing private companies and they celebrated by creating a 3D picture from a 2D photograph. Fathom earned the number 1312 spot on the business news publications 33rd annual ranking list and this is the second time they made the list.
Studio Fathom was started by Rich Stump and Michelle Mihevc in 2008 and has since become a successful prototyping and design firm within the 3D printing industry. Fathom offers a full range of 3D printing services, including rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing services utilising a range of 3D printing processes and they also sell a full range of Stratasys 3D printers.
“FATHOM is helping put satellites into orbit, electric cars on freeways, and a full spectrum of devices into people’s hands and homes,” said Studio Fathom co-founder Rich Stump. “Our team is psyched to be recognized for a second year in a row and we will continue to be focused on providing our industry-leading customers with a complete experience that gets their products to market faster and more efficiently.”
Here is a video of Studio Fathom at work:
In celebration of placing on the Inc. 5,000 list again, Fathom did what they always do, used it as an excuse to show off what they can do with 3D design and 3D printing. Fathom designers created a 3D print of a 2D photograph of company founders Stump and Mihevc. The 3D picture was printed on an Objet 30 PolyJet 3D printer in VeroWhite because at its thinnest the material will become nearly translucent. Fathom designer Veronica De La Rosa said that currently the process is only capable of creating 3D pictures in a single color, however she and the rest of the designers at Fathom are working on a way to create full color 3D objects from 2D images.
The 3D photo was designed using CAD program Rhino 5 and applying the ApplyDisplacement command to a featureless 3D object. Fathom designer Veronica De La Rosa then deformed the surface of the smooth 3D object using the grayscale of a photograph as the deforming texture.
“The team was quite worried when we first reviewed the model in Rhino because the faces looked rather deformed. Yikes!” Explained De La Rosa. “But as you can see from the photographs, it is pretty amazing how something that looks so incredibly illegible (and almost freaky) can look literally photo-realistic with just a little bit of light behind it.”
The photograph used was of Fathom founders Stump and Mihevc holding a copy of the issue of Inc. Magazine featuring their company. You can learn more about the process from De La Rosa here
Studio Fathom is offering a chance to win a 3D print of your favorite photograph. In order to enter the giveaway you simply need to scroll to the bottom of the interview with De La Rosa and fill out the digital entry form with your name and contact information. One lucky winner will receive a free 3D printed copy of any picture of their choice.
