SculptCAD Rapid Artists 3D Printed Sculpture

The SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project was organized by Nancy Hairston in 2010 as a way to showcase the versatility of rapid prototyping 3D printing. Each year she has asked artists to come to the  SculptCAD offices and learn how to use this technology, then make some art.

The SculptCAD Rapid Artists 3D Printed Sculpture show at the One Arts Plaza is a quick sampling of some of the artwork that has been produced over the years. This show was presented to dove tail with the Aurora Dallas event. Artist in the show are: Steven Hopwood Lewis, Shane Pennington, Heather Gorham, Patty Delarios, Shawn Smith, Mark Grote, Morehshan Allahyari, Dave Van Ness, Joshua Goode, Elliot Johnson, Shelle Carring, Joshua King, and myself, Brad Ford Smith.

Below are a few snaps from the exhibit.

Brad Ford Smith

Brad Ford Smith - Servings is a nod to the Balloon Dog sculpture by Jeff Koons.

Heather Gorham

Heather Gorham - Is it a circus trick or a view of the universe?

Elliot Johnson

Elliot Johnson - Hellbender, a salamander with self-esteem issues. 

Shane Pennington

Shane Pennington - Pushing the binderies between art , technology and nature with his living bonsai tree with spliced in resin print.

Putting a Name to the Photographs

I mentioned in the last post that TEDxSMU had a really good photographer at the TEDxSMU salon SculptCad Rapid Artists exhibit. I just found out it was Kim Ritzenthler. Here is the link to her website and the link to the TEDxSMU flickr page.

Thanks Kim for catching the moment.

TEDxSMU Salon and SculptCAD Rapid Artists Exhibit Opens tonight

As of last Saturday 140 people purchased tickets to the salon talk tonight. That's a pretty large group of people, and I must say more than I was expecting. It's 4 days later and the media has hit the wires, So now the event has changed from something fun to do, to something very serious. That means I now have to reconsider what I was going to wear as I give my portion of the art talk.  Of course when I start to think about it... what I am wearing is the least of my worries. I so hate the feeling I get just before I talk in public. But I know it's all going to be fun and I'll have a great time.

TEDxSMU SculptCAD Rapid Artists Salon + Exhibit Opening

The Press Release for the show is finished and is being sent out to, well the Press.

TEDxSMU is partnering with SculptCAD on the Dallas premier of the SculptCAD Rapid Artists sculpture exhibition. Twelve Dallas artists have diverged from their typical mediums to explore the boundaries between sculpture and the high tech world of 3D computer modeling. On display will be their final creations, each sculpture having been created and produced using ground-breaking 3D printing processes in materials ranging from bronze to plastic.


The exhibit will open at One Arts Plaza with an evening event co-produced by TEDxSMU and SculptCAD. Please join us for the exhibit and a TEDxSMU Salon with Nancy Hairston and a panel of artists involved in the SCRA project. Afterwards the artists will be available for one-on-one discussions about their sculptures, inspiration and the experience of working with 3D modeling technology.


Tuesday, September 14                                                                                   
6:00-8:00pm | presentations at 6:30
One Arts Plaza Lobby
1722 Routh Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Exhibition runs through October 16


Tickets: $15 in advance / $20 the week of or at the door  http://www.tedxsmu.org/events/

Participating Artists:

Heather Gorham, Ginger Fox, Shawn Smith, Dave VanNess, Mark Grote, Jay Sullivan, Tom Lauerman, Albert Scherbarth, Heather Ezell, Brad Ford Smith, Shane Pennington and Nancy Hairston

About the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Program

The idea was to expose artists to something new, something they had never worked with and then see what would happen. SculptCAD Rapid Artists is an experimental project launched by Nancy Hairston, President of  SculptCAD, a leading provider of product design and rapid prototyping services. Dedicated to the creation of fine art, the project’s mission is for artists to explore and expand on the use of computer technology to design and produce sculpture. Experiencing freedoms from the constraints of physical media that digital processes can offer and investigating how that freedom would effect their work. SculptCAD Rapid Artists was founded in October 2009 and is based in Dallas, Texas. For more information about how SculptCAD Rapid Artists is changing perceptions of art in the physical world, visit http://www.sculptcadrapidartists.com.

About TEDxSMU

In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxSMU, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxSMU, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project, After the Flocking

These are two finished rapid prototyped sculptures nestled together. They were created using a 3D computer sculpting program. That file was then sent to a rapid prototype company where they were printed in a clear resin.

Back in the studio, I painted them with black lacquer and then flocked them with black flock (see previous postings). Each sculpture stands 10" X 11" X 9".

This is the view front the top.

And this view demonstrates how the black flocking absorbs the light, causing the sculpture to loose depth and become an abstract flat graphic. I really find this to be intriguing, and will probably explore this in more in other sculptures. You can see more photos on my Flicker site.

Spending Time with the Flocker

As stated in a previous posting, my sculpture for the SculptCAD Rapid Artist project had some issues with the surface clarity. So after considering various options I decided on black flocking. This of course changes the visual impact, but it still retains some of the depth distortion that a clear plastic would have. It also changes it from a feel of blown glass to soft and fleshy. 

I did a small project using flock a few weeks ago, but this is the first time I have done anything this big.  I first tried using the adhesive that Fowl Flocker sent me, which turned out to be a low quality acrylic paint that dried so quickly it was not usable on anything larger than a duck head. So I switched to Don Jer Suede-Tex adhesive. This worked much better.  Thankfully I have 3 sculptures to work with. By the time I got to the last one I was getting pretty good results. I was also covered in flocking.

Curing the Surfaces

I now have three rapid prototype prints of my sculpture for the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project. Even though they are printed, they are far from finished.

To start with, there are a few issues with the material they are printed with. The surfaces are sticky, and the sculptures which should be hollow, are filled with uncured liquid printing resin. I think the drain holes were not large enough, so the liquid could not run out before it started to congeal. The original design was counter balanced to allow for the extended neck, but since they are now more or less solid I have had to cut into the heads and remove the congealed printing resin and then patch them.

After clearing the surfaces with denatured alcohol, the sculptures spent 24 hours under UV lamps to speed up the curing of the resin inside and out (see photo). Unfortunately this process cause the resin to change color. When combined with the bubbles and patches, I don't think I have any option other than to paint them. I am thinking black flock.

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot

Fresh From The Printers

SculptCAD held an impromptu open house to display the first round of artwork to come back from the printers. On the wall are 3D computer images by (L-R) Bert Scherarth - Buildings, and Column, Shane Pennington - Tree Top, Brad Ford Smith - Chicken Neck Johnson, 2 more by Bert - Column, Wreath, and Heather Gorham - Rabbit.


The sculptures for the most part were just unpacked, so the artists have not had the opportunity to physically work on them yet. What you are seeing is the equivalent of a cake that has just been pulled out of the oven. They still need to be frosted. (L-R B-F): Erica Larkin - Figurative Busts, Brad Ford Smith - Chicken Neck Johnson, David VanNess - Bull Elk, Katherine Batiste - Robotic Boy, Nancy Hairston - Organic Form, Heather Groham - the 2 Rabbits, Shawn Smith - French Horn Bees, Bert Scherbarth - buildings. 

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot

David Kirkpatrick finds One Massive 3D Printer

On David Kirkpatrick's wonderful Word Press blog he has been posting a lot about the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project and about rapid prototyping in general. In his resent post he links to a large scale 3D printer that is used to print buildings.

The Ink is Still Wet

One of the two parts of my 3D computer sculpture has been printed. It is still a bit sticky because the resin hasn't cured yet. It stands 10" X 10" X 6". The two parts will intertwine. 

Over all I am surprised how much it looks like the 3D computer model. It is in no way a finished  sculpture yet. There are some issues to work on, for one, it is suppose to be hollow but I made the drain holes on the bottom to small so the liquid resin stared to set up before it could all drain out.

As you can see in this detailed photo there are air bubbles in the front legs. To solve this we are going to reprint them as solid clear resin. This will remove the blown glass quality of the sculpture, but the dead line for the SculptCAD Rapid Artists project is to close to reengineer it. 

SculptCAd Rapid Artists hit the Media

Ginger Fox Bird on a Branch

Last week Jerome Weeks from KERA Art & Seek stopped by SculptCAD to see what the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program was all about. He talked with the director Nancy Hairston and 5 of the artists; Heather Gorham, Shane Pennington, David VanNess, Ginger Fox, and myself. A few days later he meet up with Nancy and Ginger Fox at the Rapid Prototyping Lab at SMU to see what it looks to print something using the 3D rapid prototyping process.

All of Jerome's work has resulted in a report broad cast on KERA's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Plus a posting on the KERA Art & Seek website, plus a Youtube video of the Rapid Prototype Lab.

Sending My Sculpture to the Printers

With a little help from the staff at SculptCAD, I shelled (hollowed out) my sculpture, sized it (10" X 12" X 8") and sent it of to be printed at a rapid prototype lab. The clear plastic sculpture should be printed and back at SculptCAD by Tuesday of next week. A pretty quick turn around on a sculpture that has taken me months to learn how to build.

I am expecting it will look a little bit different in the real world from the 3 D computer model. That is always the case when you convert one material into another: Wax to bronze, clay to ceramic, digital imaging into clear plastic.

After the Wednesday delivery, I think there will only be 3 other artist's sculptures left to print, making a total of 15. I can't wait to see them all together.

Posted on Brad Ford Smith Blogspot.

David Kirkpatrick is blogging about the SculptCAD Rapid Artists Project

The freelance writer and journalist David Kirkpatrick has been posting about the SculptCAD Rapid Artists project on his WordPress blog. His blog is very well developed with posts going back to Jan.2008. Topics include Arts, Business, Politics, and Technology. Some of the recent posting are on the topics of Invisibility Cloaks, Google in China, and iPads. There is also a nice list of other blogs and web sites of interest.

Art & Seek drops in to talk with the ScultpCAD Rapid Artists

Shane Pennington talking with Jerome Weeks from KERA/Art & Seek

Reporter Jerome Weeks from KERA/Art & Seek dropped by the SculptCAD studio to talk with some of the artists involved in the SculptCAD Rapid Artists project. He was there for over 2 hours patiently recording the techno geek terminology and the arty babble. Hopefully he got enough intelligent, understanable dialoge to post something on Art & Seek.

On a side note, I think all the artists benefited from having to put into words what they have been doing in the world of 3D computer modeling.

The Twisted world of 3D sculpting

This opportunity to work with the SculptCAD Radip Artists has been great. I am really getting comfortable using the few tools that I have chosen to focus on, and not hitting myself over the head for not knowing more about ALL the tools at hand. When I see people like Nancy Hairston or Heather Gorham work with this program, they just pull out tools, whip them around and wallah! It makes me yearn to have more time to play, but the Drop Dead due date for sending our sculptures to the printer is April 14th.

Developing a feel for the 3D world

In the real world, your clay never just disappears. But in the 3 D computer world, your hard work can just simply vanish, which is what happened today. Of the 3 hours I put into my project, I only have about 15 minutes of work to show for it. GRRR!

On the other hand my feel for using the sculpting tool is starting to feel much more like reallish sculpting.

A few days working at SculptCAD

I have been working with the Free Form program for a couple of days now, mostly focusing on making the duck that is part of the tutorial, but I have learned enough to generate this first 3 D model of my sculpture "Chicken Neck Johnson" for the SculptCAD Rapid Artists project. It still needs a lot of work before it is ready to be put through the 3 D printer.

Art Statement for SculpCAD Rapid Artists program

With access to the Rapid Cad technology and its incredible array of tools and casting mediums, I instantly had visions of producing my very own version of the “Homer”, a car designed by Homer Simpson that was so outlandishly stuffed with add-ons that it caused the finial collapse of Powell Motors.

So, with that in mind, I have tried to focus on learning how the Rapid Cad program works, and how to blind this technology with my own artistic direction, resulting in a sculpture that breaks new ground and makes historical sense. I have of course spent a lot of time just playing; this program seems to encourage that sort of “what if I do this” activity. In the end I have slipped the Rapid Cad into my normal creative process, which begins with lots of drawing on paper, those are then reprocessed and reprocessed to create a composite drawing “Chicken Neck Johnson”. This drawing is scanned onto the Rapid Cad desktop, where it is fleshed out, manipulated, and reprocessed. The resulting 18” X 18” X 6” sculpture is a composite of shapes that I love working with, plus a humorous animal reference, which I credit to the playful, toy making aspects of the Rapid Cad program.

The sculpture is made from an almost transparent red plastic. The Rapid Cad program has allowed me to shell the sculpture so that it is hollow and very light. The walls vary in thickness, which causes the red color to become more intense in the areas where the plastic is thicker and almost water clear where the walls are thinner. The shelling process has also allowed me to create a bottom heavy counter balance, which allows the neck and head to be extend in an giraffe like appearance with an almost transparent head.

SculptCAD Rapid Artists role call

Here are the links to the artists that are involved in the SculpCAD Rapid Artist Program being sponsored by SculpCAD. Nancy selected a group of artists that work in a wide range of styles, mediums and disciplines to see what artists would do with a 3-D computer sculpting tool that is normally used by draftsmen to design medical implants and consumer good like tennis shoes.

• Brad Ford Smith
  
• Dave VanNess
  
• Jay Sullivan
  
• Erica Larkin
  
• Heather Ezell
  
• Ginger Fox
  
• Heather Gorham
  
• Katherine Batiste
  
• Mark Grote
  
• Shawn Smith
  
• Tom Lauerman
  
• Bert Scherbarth
  
• Nancy Hairston
  
• Shane Pennington

A Duck made in the world of SculptCad

We had our first SculptCad Rapid Artists meeting today. We all introduced ourselves and commented on how our first tutorial projects were going, Note the duck pictured above. I'll post the links to all the participating artists in the next post.