Printing People. Heterogeneous Multi-Property Printing of Humanoid Anatomics
Film and television (TV) have been a way to view unthinkable worlds for many years. Physical props are a fundamental part of many films as they help to portray the story in the real world, which results in a more believable experience for the audience. The technology used in the production of props and creatures has evolved with the changes in the manufacturing process to allow for more computer-controlled designs. This begs the question; what could multi-property, 3D/4D printing bring to the way the film prop manufacturing industry creates physical props? Printing in the fourth dimension (dynamic) is a relatively new concept and is being researched by leading 3D printing companies. This area of study has yet to apply the four-dimensional (4D) capabilities of multi-property printing to the creation of heterogeneous humanoid anatomic’s. Heterogeneous 3D printing is the combination of multiple elements and material qualities in one print, which is possible by using the Stratasys J750 Polyjet printer. This printer allows for both hard and soft components to be incorporated into one design by blending the full-colour hard Vero material with soft, translucent Agilus material. The final humanoid objects have varying material hardness throughout the design, representing the different densities and materiality that is found in the finger joint. By taking the basic parameters of a section of human anatomy, the ability to create a creature by merely changing the size, colour, or the number of joints is achievable. With this technology, the ability to rapidly produce and easily edited final on-screen props is possible.