14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing and its usage in cinema is not news, especially when we’re talking animation. So it’s pretty cool to see the technique has been taken up more and more in the industry.
Today’s story brings up another use of the technique to be applied to the film making industry. A company called DeeThree Limited, which specializes in 3D creation, has hired to do some 3D printing for a commercial produced by advertising firm Framestore.
3D snails are actors in new video ad
And you won’t believe what exactly they ended up 3D printing. The company created a bunch of cute snail replicas which were used as doubles for the real deal.
The small clip’s main actor is Sheldon, a snail that loves watching TV, but the problem is he has a hard time making it to his shows on time because, let’s face it, he’s a snail.
While Sheldon has been computer generated, most of viewers won’t realize the video includes several other snails, which are 3D printed and were supplied by DeeThree Limited.
The little animals were created using an iPro 8000 and ProJet 3500, both provided by 3D Systems (as seen at 3DPrint). And as you might as well see in the images, the snails enjoy quite an advanced level of detail.
True, the 3D printed snails didn’t take the main role in the production, but they were super useful in making the whole production process advance a lot faster.
Creating the CG models for Sheldon the snail did take up quite a lot of time, and the team had to work about 2 weeks to get the project done. You can check out the results in the video embedded below.
DeeThree Limited is currently involved in several other projects including 3D prints for several commercials.
3D printing is extending into the world of movies
In related news, we’re taking the opportunity to remind you that “Guardians of the Galaxy” is one blockbuster that heavily relied on 3D printing.
FBX Ltd., a costume specialist that makes outfits and other props for films, has been in charge of designing and printing some items used in the movie, such as Peter Quill’s space helmet or Korath the Pursuer’s costume.
For this purpose, a Stratasys Objet500 Connex 3D printer has been used for the most complex items, which allows for the creation of several objects from different materials and colors.
The use of 3D printing helped make objects that would normally take weeks to be completed. So it’s not a big surprise that 90% of FBFX’s projects now have something to do with 3D printing.
