Making a Tiny, 3D-Scanned Sculpture Larger Than Life

Visitors to NextFab’s Washington Avenue 3D room may have noticed an enormous head of Poseidon, just above the entry,  presiding over the 3D printers and lasers.  The sculpture is the work of NextFab’s own Brandon Boulden, Manager of Laser Processes, 3D Imaging & 3D Printing.

It may be hard to imagine, but the 7.5′ tall, 70lbs sculpture was first a 15″ clay model, sculpted by Brandon and Eric Wagner, both members of the Disorient art collective.

Their clay model was then digitized on our NextEngine 3D scanner which allowed the team to scale up the model and prep it for serious enlargement using the ShopBot CNC Router.

Four sheets of 4’x8’x6″ polystyrene foam, stacked and glued together, were then cut on the ShopBot. Following that, Poseidon’s visage was sanded to a finer finish and coated with a fiber reinforced gypsum plaster.

When the project was complete, it was time for the big unveiling. Poseidon was the big man at several parties, making himself known at DJ booths with fellow Disorient member DJ Elixir and others in Philadelphia, New York and DC.

“I had a blast,” said Brandon. “Not only was it entertaining, but it pushed me to learn new things. I was able to practice my ShopBot skills, and had to learn fiberglass and gypsum. Everybody loved this thing. I had several people come up to me, flabbergasted that this was actually made by me and not some big company.”

Brandon’s advice for others? “You have to have fun, that’s the most important thing. We started with a very small idea, and asked ourselves ‘hey, what would be cool?'” A 7-foot-plus Poseidon seemed to fit the bill.

The project is a great example of what’s possible when combining multiple machines and disciplines at NextFab.

Are you interested in making your own super-sized project? Learn about how to become a NextFab member: Become a Member

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