So far, we have been exploring things about 3D scanning (if you have been following my blogs, the first expert post is about 3D scanning) and 3D printing ( transformation of an ice block into a citadel that fits in your glass of whiskey). It might suggest to you that the whole 3D printing process is a piece of cake. All you have to do is to take some pictures, upload that to a computer, and *Tada!*, next thing you know is the 3D printer begins its work at a snail’s pace. What an easy task this is, I should get a 3D printer and start working on my own project right away! Of course not, if these are the only three steps you are doing, 99.9% of the times that the end-product printed by the machine after waiting for like hours, if not days will look something like this.
One important step that is missing is called 3D modeling, a crucial step to transform the raw data from the scanned object to a printable, flawless model. Some of the software are :ZBrush, Mudbox, Photoscan Standard, Photoshop CS6, 3DSMax, Maya, Modo, Lightwave or Blender.
The two videos below is a tutorial on some basic procedure to edit a raw scanned data. For 3D Sculpture, this process is like the chiseling of the sculpture with a mouse instead of a chisel. And better yet, if you made a mistake, you can always Ctrl+Z your step and redo it. There are some other amazing features shown with the modeling software. For example, you can hide a part of your sculpture so you can work on parts that are otherwise covered or hindered by the hidden part. I think the video can explain itself better. Be aware though, these videos are an hour long each, after some speeding up, just to show you how difficult and frustrating it is to do some real editing work on a 3D project. Disclaimer : The video features some mild nudity, purely designed for educational purposes and falls within YouTube’s Policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sWEHYeU6w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0vlA1ZiD9Q
Reference: http://www.triplegangers.com/index.php/blog/cat/tutorials/post/tutorial-series-part03-01/
