Personal Project

Research Question/s: How can physical and digital methods of creating art be combined to create a piece?

 How can 3d scanning and printing help players with the ever-growing prices of miniature figures in tabletop gaming?

 My goal for this is to create a statue of an original character I have created, use a 3d scanning app to convert it to a 3d model, then, using a 3d printer, create a scaled-down miniature which I will then paint and add terrain to, similar to miniatures used in tabletop games like Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons.

Process

Step 1: I sculpted out my piece using aluminum foil, polymer clay, and wire. Since it's the holiday season, and I like horror movies, I decided to make a monstrous version of Frosty the Snowman titled "Frosty the Devourer".

Step 2: After sculpting the figure, I scanned it using KIRI Engine.

This is where I ran into a problem. Since the free version of KIRI only allows up to 150 images for a scan, a lot of the detail in my figure ended up being lost. 

Step 3: I then sent the model to the makerspace to have it printed using Ultimaker Cura.

Step 4: Priming and Painting

Reflection: Overall, I'd consider the process a moderate success. Although I didn't produce a miniature with quality on par with those of Warhammer or DnD, I was able to produce a miniature for a relatively low price of a block of clay. If this process were to be repeated, I would attempt to improve my skills in 3d sculpting programs like Blender to forgo the process of scanning and allow the full detail of a sculpt to come through in a print. I'd also try to find a space with access to, or invest in, a decent resin-based 3-D printer over a filament type, as that can create structures with more detail and is considered the standard method of printing for many in the miniature printing community. However, I find that this process does prove something. Players don't have to resort to buying expensive miniatures from companies, or be excluded from games simply because they can't afford them. 3-D printing and access to makerspaces can allow these products to become accessible to a wider range of people.