3D printing revolutionizes Hollywood
The movie industry is beginning to see how much value 3D printing offers, especially on effects-heavy films that are made with huge numbers of 3D digital models.
This glove, used in Iron Man 2, was made using a 3D printer, and is part of a full-body suit used in some of the film’s live-action scenes.
Rather than build models by hand, as was long the practice in Hollywood, the filmmakers turned to 3D printing.
Indeed, in the film’s scenes that were done in live action — as opposed to CGI (computer-generated imagery) — its star, Robert Downey, Jr, can be seen wearing a suit that was digitally modelled and then produced in pieces on a sophisticated 3D printer, and then painted.
In the past, that meant creating new handcrafted foam models each step of the way. But now, because they’re starting with 3D reference art provided by the client, Lopes and his team can simply print out, say, a one-quarter-sized model, and present it to the client for approvals. Then, based on the feedback they get, they can go back to the reference design, make any necessary changes and print a larger version.
