Jamie believes he only scratched the surface of what he can do with 3D scanning.
#ARTEC STUDIO TO BLENDER ARCHIVE#
Now, I can digitally archive my work electronically on the computer using the Artec 3D scanner.” Unlocking new potentials to 3D scanning Before, I would have no records of the handmade sculptures I put countless hours into creating. “My sculptures would eventually dry up and crack. It’s not destroyed by the rubber sealant during the molding process if we had done it in-house.” Jamie scanning his sculpture using the Artec Space Spider. After scanning my sculptures, I can now reuse the clay after the project is complete. “I use water clay as my medium of choice for hand sculpting. It’s cheaper and more convenient for us to pay the foundry to do it than doing it ourselves.” Jamie Lester Bronze Sculptor Vandalia Bronze There’s no shipping cost involved and it saves us time. “3D scanning saves us about $2,000 in labor cost Once the rubber is cured, plaster and burlap is applied on top to create the mother mold, which will eventually be shipped to the foundry for bronze casting. The sealant ruins the clay and prevents Jamie from reusing it again for another project. Rubber is applied to the statue’s surface to create the mold. Previously, Jamie and his team would have to create a negative rubber mold of the life size clay sculpture at the studio. It was scanned using the Artec Space Spider 3D scanner. Life size clay sculpture of Lord Robert Baden Powell created for the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in Mount Hope, WV. The lost wax process is used to create the final bronze sculpture. The foundry uses the stl file to 3D print the detailed parts of the sculpture in plastic (PLA), and CNC mill foam the larger areas to recreate the sculpture back into physical form for molding. I can then simply modify and do touch ups to my artwork in ZBrush before I send my final files to the foundry.” Since purchasing the scanners, I scan my sculptures digitally into 3D. “If I need to make modifications to my clay sculptures, previously I would have to start from scratch because I use clay. I don’t particularly like using photogrammetry stickers because I would need to buy them regularly–which can get quite expensive–and they mark up the surface.”Ī 3D scanner outputs the stl file which is then electronically sent to the foundry for bronze casting. They use geometry to register scans together rather than using photogrammetry.
The Artec Eva and Space Spider are both very good at scanning large objects. The viewer can see Jamie’s vision, even in the final bronze creation–a sculpture that approaches life, that reads as flesh and blood. The Artec 3D scanners are great at picking up the fine details in Jamie’s clay sculptures–the tool marks, the finger gouges, the paddle, and all the other instruments of his craft.
It serves as the strong foundation that would hold up hundreds of pounds of wet clay which Jamie would use for sculpting. Jamie’s team starts by welding steel in the exact shape of the model called the armature. Once the design has been approved, Jamie and his team creates the actual size version of the sculpture in clay. With a clear vision of what the final sculpture would look like, he presents the maquette to his clients for approval. From there, he creates a miniature clay model, called a maquette, to work out the design issues in three-dimensional space on a small scale and to refine his design. Jamie begins the process of making a bronze sculpture by taking inspirations from photographs and by sketching conceptualized drawings. He first purchased the Artec Eva 3D scanner and then the Space Spider from GoMeasure3D to improve his design process. Seeing the benefits and potential that the technology could offer, he decided to bring 3D scanning in-house. Jamie first came in contact with 3D scanning when Vandalia Bronze outsourced the service for a specific project. It wasn’t until I was exposed to 3D scanning that it motivated and inspired me to pursue it even further,” Jamie explains. “For the longest time, I wanted to focus on the digital aspect of sculpting by using ZBrush as part of my creative process. Jamie’s final rendition of Norman Rockwell clay sculpture scanned using the Artec 3D scanner.