3d Oscar

It seems that almost every year I bid on an Oscar project or 2. I've never landed one though. It's true what they say, the Oscar is illusive. The issues have always been more about time frame than budget. The Oscar is a deceivingly complicated sculpt in that, beyond the figure it's self, all of the shapes and surfaces are highly developed and polished. As it's so well know, there is no room for interpretation. It has to be spot on, which is never cheap and speedy. 

         

                                                                             

In my quest to become proficient in 3d modeling I often choose subject mater that is either based on past analog projects or something with a marketable potential. Now that this model exists, the next time an Oscar job arises, time will be a much lesser issue in that all of the most difficult work has already been done. Over sized copies can be milled out of foam in various densities by carving robots. Actual size versions could be rapid prototyped in a number of material from plastics to bronze. Miniature could be printed in silver or gold. An Oscar could even be carved out of marble, remarkably, all from this one model.

As I pondered how many ways Oscar could be reproduced, I considered how many times he actually has. It must be thousands. 

10.5" tall Oscar 3d print from Shapeways just came in. There are some faint print lines but, over all, it's pretty damned close to the art work.

When I first posted the renderings for this piece, I promised that the print would be coming with a twist... This is it. The statue screws on to the base. It seems like such a simple thing that we all take for granted with every bottle cap that we've ever encountered but, let me tell you, there are a lot of steps and consideration to the single winding thread that must be impressed into 3 different surfaces, each with varying spaces and minute tolerances between them. Not only did it work perfectly but it transformed the Oscar from merely being a decorative object to being a useful container with a screw on lid.