3D

3D My hobbies include industrial design. I like to build and 3D print my own models! I'm currently using Blender and Sculptris to model organic, human-like shapes. Eventually, I hope to make action figures and a functional jointed hand! It will stay on my desk, in case someone needs one. :)

Most recently, I created a head sculpt with eye and neck holes:

I made the base mesh in Sculptris.

First version of the head!

Then I imported the mesh into Blender, for retopology. During the retopology stage, I added a neckhole and eyeholes. The eyeholes in this design are functional: they are real holes, not in-lays. Since the basic version of Sculptris does not allow users to make holes, I designed the eyeholes in Blender as I completed the retopology.

Unlike other industrial design and CAD software I've played with, Blender does not have a good boolean (i.e. "hole punching") feature. Its basic boolean modifier punches holes, and its knife tool can "cut" holes. Both are okay options if you clean up the topology afterward. Neither of them yield a clean result on their own. I prefer to build holes, not break them in.

Editing topology in Blender. Changing aesthetics, preparing for 3D print, and adding functionality.

After completing the holes, I made some aesthetic changes to the face by using Blender's inbuilt sculpt features.

Ready to print!

Finally, I prepared the design for 3D printing by removing overlapping vertices and non-manifold edges. I used NetFabb to check my design for any flaws, and to ensure that it would print.

The printed head.

Next, I plan to add a bust for the head to swivel on!