3D Scanning
3DCAMP- Houston-Get Ready
I have been working with a few very interesting people on reviving the 3DCAMP-Houston that took place in 2009. It is exciting to be on this committee and to see something grow and come to fruition.
3D CAMP is a day long seminar that will take place September 29th, 2012 in Houston, Texas.
Many different speakers will be present as well as vendors and others. Now we are not just talking gaming and 3D as it pertains to film. Now 3d is reaching wider than that, and personally, I’m very excited to see a fine art component added to this years 3D CAMP
What else is new about this 3D CAMP? Well this time it is going to be taking place in The Arts District of Houston. This is a series of warehouses just south of I-10 off of Sawyer. If you know of artist David Adickess it is where his old studio used to be, and yes, his large heads of presidents will be there for viewing. Transportation will be provided between speaker venues. One venue will have an exhibition hall where vendors and artists can work and show their process and wares. In this same exhibition hall will be a blow out art show featuring many different aspects of 3D art. The art show will be the night before the event. Think show, party, excitement!
I will be speaking and here is a description of my two topics.
3d Art – Fabric to Frankenstein
3d technology, science and art are combined to create some incredible and sometimes bazaar artwork. Sculptor, Bridgette Mongeon shares the work of different artists, and the vendors and universities who are making some interesting discoveries. Many artists are embracing the new technology, having fun and creating some incredible and sometimes gruesome artwork.
Bridging the gab between the traditional and digital sculpture studio
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon shares her work flow and resources of incorporating both digital and traditional technology in what is referred to as tra-digi art that she creates in her Houston, Texas studio. The new technology expands the creative process and expedites her work flow.
A Great Committee!
There are some really prime people on the committee. I don’t have everyone’s bios but besides myself there is executive director of SpaceTaker– Jenni Rebecca stephenson. What is spacetaker? Here is what is on their mission statement “Spacetaker is a 501(c)3 professional organization and Artist Resource Center located in Houston’s First Ward whose mission is to provide artists and non-profits access to economic development, continuing education, and networking opportunities to support their professional growth.”
Lori Betz from Betz Art Gallery and Betz Art Foundry Betz Gallery is in charge of the art show and the call for artists.
David Morris is the founder of 3D CAMP- I can’t believe he did this on his own in 2009.
There are of course some others listed on the planning committee but I have not met them face to face yet.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
If you are interested in
* The art show
* Sponsoring this event
* Being in the exhibition hall
* Speaking
Please fill out the contact form on the website.
If you want to be kept abreast of what is happening, check out the 3DCAMP website and while there, fill out the newsletter form so we can send you regular updates on our progress with 3DCAMP Houston.
______________________________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon-Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation PodcastClick on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Exporting ZBrush File For Milling
I have been on the phone with Synappsys Digital Services trying to figure out the best file, size and format that my digital sculpture of Evelyn needs to be in for them to work. This sculpture was created in the computer, will be milled out in foam and then created as a life size bronze. Synappsys Digital Services will be milling this out for me, but first I need to get them the file.
I have already decimated the individual files, with Decimation Master in ZBrush and I talk about this in a previous post. An important thing to remember is that ZBrush can create some very large files. Many companies that create output, for either milling or digital printing may not have the capability to handle such high resolution meshes. I have spoken to Synappsys Digital Services and they can handle 5 million or less.
To upload the file I have called Synappsys Digital Services and asked them to provide server information to upload my files. I must be able to upload them via Ftp. I use Fetch on my mac, which works just fine. With my FTP information ready, now all I need is the proper type of files.
Synappsys Digital Services can work with many different types of files. They can work with obj’s but their file of preference is STL Binary.
of all of my
subtools I can
merge them
down to create
one tool that
has all of its parts.
Obtaining OBJ’s are simple. While your Z tool or sub tool is selected go to Export and several file formats are available in the drop down menu. I need to export this sculpture in 4 pieces-both arms, the body , and the base. I will also want to combine the pieces and send it as one file. This way Synappsys Digital Services can see how each piece goes together. The reason why I want to separate the pieces is that if I combined all of them I will lose part of her hand as I realize that as it is placed on the digital sculpture the thumb is inside her body. I want to work with these hands more closely once I have them enlarged and sculpted. I need them separate and I need a thumb. They may also be milled at a different percentage to the rest of the body. They are more defined and so the hand/arm will probably only receive a minimum of clay on top.
Where as, the rest of the sculpture needs work.
To get an obj of all of my pieces I simply duplicated all of my subtools and then merged down these duplicated subtools together as one tool. Now I have both the subtools apart and one piece put together.
I have exported each an uploaded them up to Synappsys Digital Services but let’s see how the 3d Print Exporter plugin works in ZBrush.
UPDATE- COUNTDOWN BEGINS!
* The Sculpting process begins. The foam is soft and allows me to carve into it before we add the clay. The foam piece becomes the armature that the clay will be added to. Muscles are sketched in and now I begin the process of roughing in the body. Friday 3 people are schedule to put the two layers on the foam. one is wax to seal the foam the other is clay. I hope I can be ready. These are long gritty days. I could use some Prairie View A & M cheers here. Just 16 days before I am hoping to get approval.
This is a sculpture for Prairie View A & M University in Prairie View, Texas of their mascot the Prairie View Panther. The entire process is being recorded on a special blog designate for this project and can be found at http://www.prairieviewpanther.blogspot.com/
ENLARGEMENT BEGINS!
The file is off to my vendor in Oklahoma- introducing Synappsys Digital Services. They will take my digital file and enlarge it using foam and a milling machine. I wrote an article about this process in the Winter 2007 issue of Sculpture Review.Here is a pdf should you like to read the article and see the process.
This is from the Prairie View A&M Blog created for this project.
Ceramic Extrusion And Homemade 3D Printer
I had heard it rumored that the home made 3d printer called Rep Rap was adding an extruder so that a ceramic mix could be pushed through the printer. I want to start watching this much closer and look at possibly doing this in my own studio.
I know that several universities have been working with this entire topic. The leading university in this is Solheim research laboratory . They are however using a very expensive machine. They have even made their recipe public, and are supporting and interested in other individuals endeavors into the research of this area.
My curiosity is in being able to use something in my own home studio.
Some posts on a rather new blog called Unfold-fab I am absolutely going to have to watch more closely.
Open3DP is Solheim Additive Manufacturing Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department on the University of Washington campus blog. It describes their progress in ceramic printing in 3d.
Colbert Has His Head Created As A 3D Print
Makerbot talks about scanning and creating a 3d copy of Colbert. For those who are not aware of the Maker bot here is a link to them. The other leading 3d homemade printer is RepRap.
I have seen the cup cake which is the baby Makerbot in action. Sure would like to get one of these, but I’m holding out. I think the Reprap is now offering a ceramic 3d extrusion attachment. Now we are talking.
Is It Easy For You To Identify And Judge 3-Dimensional Shapes, Distances And Proportions On a Computer Screen? An Interview Cont.
9. Is it easy for you to identify and judge 3-dimensional shapes,
distances and proportions on a computer screen?
1. The hardest part, and we mention this in the book is the size of the sculpture. If I am working on a maquette in the studio, I know if I enlarge that maquette 500% I will not have as much detail as I need. So what is the actual size of a virtual piece of art? What happens with the translation from digital work a the size I have created, to the physical size I need output?
2. I would love to see calipers in the digital programs. Something that resembled more traditional calipers in a digital environment.
3. I also was very confused when I first worked in mudbox with perspective view and orthographic view.
4. There is also a cliche with Macs that if you hit the some keys in a certain order your sculpture flips. This is not just a problem with Mudbox or Zbrush but many graphics programs. This freaked me out, and I wish someone could solve this.
5. It is easier for me to judge 3d space now than in the beginning. Though when symmetry begins to act funky, and I know It is some sort of driver error, I get a bit frustrated. I love being able to spin around a sculpture.
6. I do wish that I had more access to my photographs. The one solution I have found for this is Macs Photstickies.
By the way, question number 8 was
8. Which medium is more comofortable for you to use?
( see other posts)
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
______________________________________________________________
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
What Do You Miss In The Digital Sculpting Technology? An Interview Cont.
7. What do you miss in the digital sculpting technology?
As mentioned before, ease and affordability of output. Ease of quickly sculpting without having to worry about topology. As I have mentioned before, retopologizing is actually the holy grail of this process. However, I have seen this change over the last year, and it is quickly becoming a non issue. I look forward to exploring these in the up and coming months.
At first I might have missed much about traditional and I still will continue in it. However, one of the main factors that pushed me in the direction of this exploration was damage to my hand, I could no longer hold a sculpting tool. Years of pushing and pulling clay, pounding with tools or scraping had taken its toll. I have since had surgery and am happy to say I have my hand back, but the advances and exploration of this digital technology will be a very important element of creating late in life, when my body may rise up again in revolt. It has extended my tool set and capabilities as a sculptor far beyond anything I could have imagined for myself.
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
______________________________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwritertwitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Which Medium Do You Think Is More Flexible, Digital or Analog Clay? An Austrian Student Interview Cont.
2. Which medium do you think is more flexible, digital or analog clay?
I have described a bit of this in a previous post, however, in defense of digital sculpting, the tools that are available intrigues me. For example, sculpting symmetrically, though no person is symmetrical, I can change that at the end. But in digital I don’t have to sculpt two eyes, or two ears, etc. When I can shorten the amount of time of getting the shape and instead focus on the detail the technical process allows me more time for creativity.
By far the most hindering part of the digital process is the output. There are still a few factors that interfere with my process in this area. One is cost, and the other is the medium, also the build envelope or size. I’m finishing a bust in traditional clay right now, but I would much rather have created it digitally. However, my resources for out put would have been milling in foam, a good armature for larger pieces, but I would have still had to do the details again, and I do not like the stiff look that a piece of foam covered in clay has.
I could mill it out in stone; I must say I anxious to have a project where I can explore this more. All my life I have sculpted in clay, concrete, bronze or pourable mediums. Now with digital milling in stone I can extend my tool set to “stone carver”. With the Digital Stone project, I can create artwork in this medium, as well. This excites me to no end. When I think of the possibilities I also consider the many projects I have given up over the years not having this skill set.
I also love the idea of doing more architectural sculpting work using the digital tools. Creating a finial and being to enlarge it 20% or anything in steps of enlargement is huge. There is no price that can be put on that.
However, digital printing in any other medium is not a viable option, either because of the build envelope or the cost.
Im intrigued with the research at Solheim Additive Manufacturing Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department on the University of Washington campus. If only I could create in the computer and then digitally print out my form in clay in my own studio, like they are doing at this lab. I think this would be a viable resource for me. I know that the open source “free” 3d printers like Rep Rap or maker bot have some attachments to digitally print in clay, and I’m waiting to see how these evolve.
I think another resources is materialize by .mGX for going directly to bronze, though very expensive. I have visions of using them on an intricate piece similar to Alfred Gilbert’s Virgin Mary or St. Michael. Pieces that would be a nightmare to recreate in a triditional bronze process but could easily be done with .MGX.
The very near future will drastically change the way I work. As many of the patents have ended on 3D printing, I believe you will begin to see a change in the cost factor and availability of home 3D printers. I still may be limited by the build size, unless, of course, I can figure out how to change a machine to accommodate my needs. I’m not sure I am that mechanically savvy.
As I write this, I find an aching. To go from screen to finished project without touching it leaves a hole inside of me. I am afraid I will not be able to “feel” the emotion of the piece unless I touch it. Oh, this is a strange thought.
Though looking at the quick sketches in my Mudbox video I can feel the emotion without touch. Will it feel the same digitally printed?
Remember, I am still a traditional artist. I get paid for a tangible piece of art. I need to get the sculptures out of the computer. I must base my choices on that final output.
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
_____________________________________________________________________________
-Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
An Austrian Student Interviews Me On Comparison Of Digital And Traditional Sculpture
processes and the traditional sculpture studio.
I have worked hard over the last few years exploring the digital technology and trying to bridge the gap between digital sculpture and traditional sculpture. I have explored the process in my book Digital Sculpting inMudbox Essential Tools and Techniques for artists, with the Art and Technology podcasts, and in lectures that I have presented to organizations and institutions. Should your institution want me to come and talk about these topics, please feel free to contact me with the details.
My graduate studies and the writing of my first novel distracted me for the past year, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the topics surrounding digital technology. The technology continues to change. I really want to write a book about the technology and the processes. It would be wonderful to focus on the incredbiel artwork stemming from the use of this technology. I see it as a guidebook of resources, as well. There are also many new issues surrounding the use of digital technology that need to be addressed. I’m still looking for a publisher that will get behind the need for this information.
Today, I woke and found an e-mail in my in box from a student from FH Vorarlberg University in Austria. Mathias has the same desire and direction and focus that I have with sculpting/digitally and traditionally and wants to interview me. I’m flattered, but more than that I feel comforted. In my life, it is extremely important to pass on information and help others. I find it in all aspects of my life— a driving force. To see that my podcasts, articles, books and desire have reached half way around the world to someone else with the same passion and direction, is inspiring. I thought it would be interesting to answer these questions publicly on my forum.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast