MakieLab has developed a system of creating objects using game technologies – 3D Studio Max, Unity, 3D objects – and transmogrifying them into 3D-printable toys complete with internal working joints.I went through the process of designing a doll.
Which means = we can model toys then manufacture toys, overnight.
There are some limitations to this emerging tech, like the plastic is only available in porcelain white (although we can dye it), and it costs more to print objects in 3D than running off vinyl in the billions in China. BUT! The upsides are amazing: completely customisable toys. Toys that can be modified overnight. Toys made in Britain (ours are currently printed in London). Toys where you, the user, get to fiddle about and make something that suits you.
Check out their website for more products. https://shop.makie.me/
3D printing is going to enable a lot of folks to get wildly creative, I think :) But the material, from what I understand, could still use some improvements.
ReplyDeleteA while ago I was checking out a seller on Etsy who sells little printed BJDs and ball-jointed "My Little Pony"-like ponies: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Silverbeam
-andi (been lurking here a little while; hello!)
Hi Andi!
DeleteThank you for your input. It's appreciated. I'll go look at Etsy now.
Terri
Hello! I find these dolls very interesting, have you seen The Toy Box Philosopher review of them? is very in-depht and very entertaining, i just love her reviews: http://www.toyboxphilosopher.com/2013/09/my-makie-doll-glythia-from-makie-lab.html
ReplyDeleteIt seems they have made some upgrades to the dolls since this review ( prettier facemolds for example) but overall is still very accurate to the dolls.
Cheers,
LuiZ
Thank you for the link. I will take a look.
DeleteTerri
I would like to stay anonymous for this comment, I hope you do not mind.
ReplyDeleteWhat I dislike about 3D printed dolls is the fact that they rarely come out as good as you would expect - It all depends on the "printer" and the materials used to make these dolls. The ones commonly used do not bring good results, in my honest opinion.
Most of the 3D printed dolls are made at Shapeways I assume, and I guess they want to keep the cost down by choosing the cheapest material, "White and Flexible" which basically is nylon. They need to choose Sandstone or another rich material for a smoother feel and finish.
Most of the 3D printed dolls I saw looked fuzzy, like they were made by felt or were flocked. An example of this would be the Mary Magpie dolls. I love the creator, but the dolls do not look appealing mainly due to the fuzziness.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/marymagpiedolls
I have purchased from SilverBeam on Etsy - while they do look good from afar, the quality is not there. It looks fuzzy in person and is surprisingly, super light. It did not take well to sanding.
The doll has no eye wells. Ill fitting head cap that keeps falling off because the head is attached to the neck by a smaller bead.The paint/blushing would not stick properly. The only way I could describe the feeling of this doll is styrofoam. The posing is horrible, joints did not fit right/had no articulation and it felt very fragile to me. In all honesty, it felt less than a McDonalds happy meal toy, more like a dollar store toy infact.
Sorry for my rant, but I keep seeing people excited over 3D printed dolls and I worry people purchasing the items thinking it is all high quality only to be disappointed.
I do love 3D printing when done right. I found this article very interesting, NSFW since the doll is anatomical and nude.
http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/26835/3D+Printing+in+Japan.html
-A
Thank you for your post. Surely, as the technology advances, things will improve. I would like to see and touch one of these for myself.
DeleteTerri
I really love what you said Terri about technology advancing. I remember when the early resins came out and were brittle or yellowed so quickly. While they tragic compared to today's dolls, they still hold a charm and even a nuanced beauty to that moment in time. I think the same will ring true for these 3D printed dolls. What I do love most, is that here is another hand made doll, not be mass produced and art is living on in a way that is accessible and creative at various price points, and I think that is really cool.
ReplyDeleteI love it! It's opening a wonderful, customizing method of creating dolls for us collectors.
DeleteThanks for your comments, as always, Erick. Merry Christmas!
Terri
I looked at the makies a while back. I don't own one. Not my style.
ReplyDeleteI have my own 3d printer, a solidoodle. It will print in either ABS or PLA plastic.
"3d printing" as a term has been hot for a couple of years now, but the technology is not new. It just came off patent so that it's now more accessible. It's been known longer as "rapid prototyping"...and therein lies the issue that most people find at the moment. it's most like a handmade prototype, and thus reflects the handwork done to finish the piece.
It's great for small runs, for hobbyists...to create small runs of something. So if say I want a particular thing...and I want to pay for mine by making 2 extra to sell, then it's great. but it's not pushbutton. and it can't compete with factory production in terms of cheap finishing, so it has to be "special" to be worthwhile to produce. it's also a great tool to produce something as a one off...like say...dress forms. hangers, etc.
the issues with quality are what has kept me from selling anything so far. people have offered, but as a collector, I know what I get when I open a JamieShow box..or a sybarite box...or a Valia box....and if people are giving me their money, I have to deliver something that I can face people at events and stand by.
that being said, i did show people several of my prototypes at the most recent IT event. they were well received. however, for me, it works because i generally want to make "art dolls" .... it's semantics.... but the labor involved in hand finishing a one-off to quality i myself would not reject is more in line with the art doll market rather than the fashion doll market at this time. i expect that to change over time though.
We're looking forward to seeing what you come up with in the future, Rob. Thank you for your post.
DeleteTerri
Thanks, Terri. I thought of you today because I was photographing Valia in a proper light set up,
ReplyDeletehttp://i43.tinypic.com/2iw6zc.jpg
rather than my normal method of throwing a doll on fabric on my bed with one light above the head which results in very nice, but amateurish, film noir shadows. Anyway, I have a blog that I created to share my progress, but I literally just moved servers this week and have not restored my posts. so there's nothing there
http://my3ddolls.com/
I don't really expect people to go there, I posted my content on the various forums and have gotten great feedback. I had to move hosts to get a service that would allow me to develop SQL server logic I can show/sell (dayjob stuff). There's the thing. Just like every other collector, I'm spending money I have to trade my time for....and since dolls are a luxury (they are not break pads, where you might go cheap if nothing better was available)...I'm just sharing what my process for now.
It definitely makes me appreciate the era of cheap chinese factory labor that created the "golden era" of very high quality at cheap prices. Who is going to make an embroidered dress with a zipper, lined and accessorized on a doll for 30 bucks these days?
When your new site is ready, if you want, let me know and I will do a little feature on my Fcebook blog page.
DeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteJust recently I saw a film about a small Berlin enterprise who offer 3D printed "mini-mes".
You'll be photographed by a battery of cameras surrounding you and the outcome is a 1/6 figure in bright colours. According to the interviewer, who had herself reproduced, the makers use a kind of "gypsum" for printing.
As far as I could see on my TV screen the quality was actually quite fine.
There's one comfort for sculptors though: they still need a 3D original. Not for human lookalikes, obviously, but at least for imagined creatures. Which hopefully will keep the originality in desings alive.
Best regards
Petra
Hi! I'm just looking foward to have a 3D printer to make accesories for my dolls, such as shoes (well, Monster High shoes, basically) mugs etc...I think this technology will give an interesting turnaround to doll collecting.
ReplyDeleteDollycheers