As part of my grande tour of digital fabrication, I 3D printed my face. The first step was to "scan" my face using photo telemetry.
In the Duderstadt Visualization Lab, 3 digital cameras are set up to take sixty-six photos in a minute as the model stands on a motorized lazy susan, completing a 360 turn in that minute. All the image files are then stitched together (AutoDesk Recap Photo & Metashape are two possible programs that do this). Once all the images are merged into one file, there's a certain amount of "noise" that needs to be cleaned up before saving it as an stl file. The jpgs (below) look pretty creepy, if you ask me. Stephanie, the staff support in the lab processed the images; knowing I was going to 3D print it for the purposes of modeling and mask making, she formatted the center one with the back of the skull removed.
In the Fabrication Studio, it was recommended to use the Artemis printer. There was some tinkering in Rhino needed to remove a little of the neck so that it fit on the bed. The staff there also worked on the file creating an interior structure to keep it light, but strong, and not waste print time or material on areas that are hidden. There was also a bit of a case of "design by committee" to get it to the correct proportion. We tried measuring the space between my corneas and then from the crown on my head to chin. Because of the topography of the human face, neither of these are ideal. Next time, the distance between the pupils is the most accurate way. So, with this print, it looks a bit small but that is easily adjusted using the same file. It took about 18 hours to print with an estimate of under $10 in material (PLA-polylactic acid). Once the file is ready, the printer can run on its own overnight. The resolution is just fine for making masks or to use as a base to establish bone structure and modeling in clay on top of it, but it does not capture super fine detail. I needed quite a bit of hand holding at every step of the process, so that constraint, along with the time factor does not yet make this tech a viable substitution for face casting in class (when I typically have around ten students). But, it was fun to see what's possible and with continued staff support as my facility develops, absolutely viable for one face if needed for production work.
By way of comparison, casting a face using traditional methods ( dental alginate, plaster bandages, plaster mold, etc...) costs about $35 per head plus two people casting one model. It is very messy, time consuming, and claustrophobic. The detail is perfect, but the resulting plaster mold can chip and break easily. So, as is the case with many things, priorities should be weighed to decide on the best method.
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