jaxenro | 16 Sep 2015 3:16 p.m. PST |
Given the advances in 3D printing what do you think the future of sculpting is for miniatures? For the miniature busts and statues I am having made I want hand made because I want to deal in miniature works of art not just photo reproductions but for the archectural reproductions I was going with 3D printing to reproduce the originals exactly. So where do you see miniature figure sculpting heading? |
Mako11 | 16 Sep 2015 4:43 p.m. PST |
A divergent split between the two. There will always be artists, but now we also have digital artists in the mix, too. |
JSchutt | 16 Sep 2015 6:18 p.m. PST |
While violating IP on traditionally sculpted figures was not terribly rampant in the past I would expect to see much more pirating of traditional and digital sculpts using 3d scanners and printers in the future…as rampant and common as "photoshopping" is today….for "personal use" only of course. Traditional sculpting will be relegated to a nostalgia (works of art) niche product. Probably as radical an adjustment for "our" society as recording devices were to the music industry. |
Baron Trapdoor | 16 Sep 2015 6:46 p.m. PST |
Just as digital software has not replaced traditional paint, illustration or other long practiced art forms and the advent of digital music software has not replaced the orchestra there will always be a place for traditional sculptors. In fact looking at the film industry, there has been a resurgence of late back to traditional methods of costume design and practical effects (this means sculpture the old fashioned way) purely because, well for the most part most CGI looks crap. Case in point look at the difference between the reception received for the orginal LOTR films when compared to the more recent Hobbit films. I'd urge all sculptors to keep their grubby old tools within easy reach and dont give them up so easily for the digital stylus just yet… and like with may other paths, a digital sculptor with a grounded establishment and understanding in traditional methods will always (well at least in my eyes) be advantaged in the realm of organic sculpture at least than a johnny-come-lately with a new tablet and pirated piece of sculpture software. |
MechanicalHorizon | 16 Sep 2015 8:14 p.m. PST |
I'm trying to learn digital sculpting so I can be more flexible and get more work, but I don't ever plan on giving up traditional sculpting. There are things digital sculpting and 3D printing are very good at, and there are things that traditional sculpting is still a better method (IMHO). I can see both methods working together, supplementing each other rather than one going the way of the Dodo. |
thorr666 | 16 Sep 2015 8:27 p.m. PST |
So let me throw this out for discussion, I can't sculpt at 28mm but I can sculpt at 4in. Now I can sculpt, scan, and print in 28mm. I can make minis now, which I couldn't before |
Aidan Campbell | 16 Sep 2015 11:31 p.m. PST |
I work full time as a model maker and miniature artist across all sorts of markets and do a lot of small scale sculpting. I was at a model show last weekend where for the first time a chap was there with full 3D body scanning set up and real high res. specialist 3D micro printer aimed at the jewellery market. (max build volume up to 45mm tall at 25micron x/y/z precision) For £20.00 GBP he was offering bespoke portrait minis in any pose you desire and he also had with him a modest selection of props and uniform/costume accessories so as to "dress up" to suit the type of miniature figure you wanted. This wasn't a war-gaming exhibition but the application was obvious and it was notable my own takings were half what they had been the previous year. There will always be a market for hand made art/craft and in reference to the TV/film work mentioned above I've spent this week hand carving props for HBO's TV show the Vikings so I don't see all my work drying up. However I do think that for the majority of table top gamers who are only interested in the end result sculptors will find a lot of their work disappears, first to a change in the nature of small business and cottage industries, but given the rapid price drops in technology more and more home enthusiasts will have suitable gadgetry available. |
GildasFacit | 17 Sep 2015 2:55 a.m. PST |
They haven't come anywhere near what I'd expect to see in a 10mm or 6mm sculpt yet, the technology has some way to go before it would be useful to me. |
haywire | 17 Sep 2015 7:09 a.m. PST |
Miniature sculpting will head where the artists skills reside. Whether it is 3D Modelling or putty. |
Aidan Campbell | 17 Sep 2015 10:05 a.m. PST |
They haven't come anywhere near what I'd expect to see in a 10mm or 6mm sculpt yet, the technology has some way to go before it would be useful to me. you need to check out the quality of some of the 1/600th scale 3mm tall figure prints of sailors being offered for maritime modellers. |
ced1106 | 20 Sep 2015 7:57 p.m. PST |
To build on Campbell's post, I'm seeing various "make your own miniature" KS projects, and *that* is where 3D will have an advantage over traditional sculpting. Roleplayers particularly want custom sculpts for their characters, and are willing to pay high prices, since they don't buy as many miniatures as other miniatures gamers. Ced's first law about new technology: The first attempt of any new technology will be first used to replace an existing technology. Ced's second law about new technology: The first mistake of any new technology will be its attempt to replace an existing technology. |
Marc the plastics fan | 22 Sep 2015 4:02 a.m. PST |
Good old Ced Those new fangled cars have never managed to replace horse and carts… |