Completed Is sculpting over?

[Colin_Fraser]

Perhaps the impact will be limited for this generation of sculptors who already have their hard-won skills. But I think the easy availability of "perfect" commercial heads at potential low price will reduce the numbers that will embark on the many year journey to develop those skills.I don't think its a positive development for the hobby in the long run....although its no different than other fields, where too much technology too fast does have a potential for negative effect. Call me a dinosaur.

Colin

 

[TWOMOONS]

Perhaps the impact will be limited for this generation of sculptors who already have their hard one skills. But I think the easy availability of "perfect" commercial heads at potential low price will reduce the numbers that will embark on the many year journey to develop those skills.I don't think its a positive development for the hobby in the long run....although its no different than other fields, where too much technology too fast does have to potential for negative effect. Call me a dinosaur.

Colin

Ok, Colin...you're a stegosaurus stenops....and I'm right along there with you, grazing in a Jurassic meadow. Just waiting for the "changes".
Just waiting to be fossilized and become fuel.

 

[redhorse]

I'm still not convinced the prices will be all that much lower than other figures or that traditional sculpting is going to simply die. Photography certainly hasn't killed painting. Epoxy putties may have killed sawdust, but they haven't killed clay yet.

Mold making in the small scales we use doesn't take that long and neither does casting. As far as scanning goes, won't you need to hire a model and either rent or buy all of the clothes and armor? The posing would be another problem to work around. Not impossible at all, but I don't see it being cheaper or faster than commissioning a sculpt.

It looks to me like simply another medium to add to the repertoire.

 

[pokrad]

First of all, learning to sculpt in for example Zbrush is not a few-years process. In fact it goes very fast-I've tried it-and it is not only for computer geeks.
However, sculpting in Zbrush still requires traditional sculpting skills, knowledge of anatomy, some talent,and of course some traditional sculpting experience.
If my statement is not true, then there would be no bad Zbrush sculpts, and I've seen a few - believe me.
That was the reason I give up on Zbrush - I had no traditional sculpting knowledge and turned back to sculpey to get some-one day I'll go back

True, there are few benefits of using Zbrush that make sculpting easier:

Automatic Symmetry
Masks (prevent to touch unwanted areas of the sculpt)
Magnification
Any part of sculpt can be modified at any time during the process
Parts (tools) are "reusable" and can be used in other sculpt
Final sculpt won't crack in the owen
Final "product" can be in any scale you want-Just imagine same figure printed in all needed scales !!!

So, digital sculpting for me is still sculpting, just with new media.

In one word: I'm not using digital sculpting (yet) not because I could not learn how to use the software, but because I do not know how to sculpt !!!


Forgot to say: 3D scanning mentioned in previous posts, and then 3D printing is more similar to live-casting, only difference is that live cast is always 1/1 scale, and with 3D scanning you can get any scale you want. But that is NOT sculpting, and not art, that is pure use of technology


Regards !

 

[bonehead]

How many times have I seen it said that the advent of computer "sculpting"technology sounds a death knell for traditional sculpting? I first read this many years ago. Guess what? it hasn't happened yet. Sorry folks, this is BS.

Have any of the naysayers noticed that photography did not kill traditional painting? That is what many were saying would happen in the 19th century when photography was in its infancy.

Having known a few people in the movie business, all have said that even with computer scanned "models" of the actual subject, they always have to call in an actual artist to tweak the piece to give it life. Hand artistry will always have a place. The idea of "replacing" artistry with technology is bogus as far as I am concerned.

In the meantime, I can always remake myself as a Painter.....

 

[HiroshiAirborne]

I had the privilege to see these in action once. For the detail in a head, a firearm, an engine block, or other small object, (assuming the designer on the other end of the computer is good) the detail is amazing. However a body in a complex pose with folds and the like won't get the detail and if the pose is too complex, such as a person kneeling, the details often pile on one another and looks sloppy.

This only applies to the smaller "desktop" models. If you get a printer the size of a refrigerator that costs about as much as a BMW you'll get better results but I can't see anyone other than the already huge figure corporations getting them.

I can't see the consumer-grade tech replacing sculpting entirely. I can see this knocking out the need for weapon sets or Hornet's line of heads. It may hurt the after-market parts business.. or maybe grow the after-market parts business.

I say wait and see!!

 

[martinmack]

Hiroshi hits on a very good point, these machines are not cheap to buy, run, or maintain. Since the figure market is, and always has been a niche market, the economics of using them to produce figures isn't a near term proposition. There are definitely cheaper version coming on the market, but with everything, you get what you pay for, and the cheaper versions can't yet produce a product that would be acceptable. The cost per copy is also quite high, and the time for reproduction doesn't even compare to what a capable resin caster can produce. Technology moves fast and this conversation may be moot in 5 years, but until then, I'll continue to look forward to what the hands of guys like Mike and Taesung produce!!

 

[fanai]

The thing is some of these firms are doing small jobs and I have already seen t in areas of Model Railway - for me getting and axe or hammer done for my dwarves is a good thing _ I love faces hands and boots so leaves me to concentrate on those
Ian

 

[Jamie Stokes]

Link to a you tube video on 3-d sculpting.

what is interesting is that there is a master version of something, some where (at this point in time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw

sound on the clip was scratchy on my computer when I play ed it, hopefully it will be better on yours!

cheers

 

[pokrad]

Maybe I do not get it, (some sort of language misunderstanding or something like that), but to me this is not digital sculpting, video shows 3D scanning and then 3D printing, I think we should make a difference

This is digital sculpting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xUnobm0wV8

The point is, the final sculpt can be printed the same way as the wrench in Your video - and the same sculpt can be printer in any scale you like...

Someone mentioned that life-cast require final touch by the hand of artist to look real and alive. That is also possible: first 3D scanning, importing a mesh into sculpting software and then changing and altering any part you like.
So, it is not impossible to scan a man in the T-shirt, and then add sci-fi outfit and devils horns by hand

I do not know how this would affect our hobby, for now all this is still to expensive, but I'm sure it will affect it soon...

I know that it already affected Statue collectors, there are already great digital sculpts being printed, check this out:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=96899

 

[redhorse]

This could be really interesting, I've found places that will print for very low prices, For example $4.50 for this mage:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/42621/mage.html?gid=mg

$4.32 for this elf:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/32759/elven_healer_39mm_miniature.html?gid=mg

And $23.44 for this 54 mm fig:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/76451/minah_54mm.html?gid=mg

Since Scupltris is a free download, I may have to try this Zbrush is only $699, so really it's already competitive.

 

[T50]

I might have to try this ZBrush thingy soon.

 

[pokrad]

This could be really interesting, I've found places that will print for very low prices, For example $4.50 for this mage:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/42621/mage.html?gid=mg

$4.32 for this elf:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/32759/elven_healer_39mm_miniature.html?gid=mg

And $23.44 for this 54 mm fig:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/76451/minah_54mm.html?gid=mg

Since Scupltris is a free download, I may have to try this Zbrush is only $699, so really it's already competitive.

Yes, very expensive, I also had only trial version. Sculptris is useful too (also tried) , but I do not know if the pixologic will develop it further, I think that they will use some "technology" from it in next version of Zbrush and that will be end of Sculptris. At least I read that somewhere - not sure if information is true...


One more interesting link:

http://www.pixologic.com/turntable/

if we want to argue is this kind of sculpting still art, you should definitelly see this

 

[Vermis]

Speaking as an illustrator myself, I can say that most artistic types have neither the inclination or temperament for the highly "Geek-ese" and math laden languages and approach used to operate and work with most CAD and related programs and machinery.

I discovered the figure-sculpting tutorial on the Milliput site recently. Boggled my mind that Eltham Jones used such a math-laden approach to construct the pelvis of a wire armature...

From my own point of view, John Henry hasn't lost yet. And it's still going to need a bunch of John Henries afterwards.