In terms of time and money, what is best practice for development of original pieces? I farm-out to 3d modelers. If I scan a clay model then pass them this file, will I normally reduce the time needed to develop the piece?
Depends entirely on the nature of the piece you’re trying to make. Some organic shapes can be easily created within a modeling program such as Blender or a sculpting program such as Sculptris. Other organic shapes may look more “natural” if modeled in clay and scanned, but you do have to keep in mind: 3D scanners don’t capture a perfect likeness, just an approximation, so you’ll still likely be missing some of the finer details. Mechanical or functional parts would be much better off being designed in a CAD program rather than being modeled or sculpted from clay.
I agree, it depends on the piece you are trying to make. But I would say, with the scanner I have, it is capable of capturing detail far greater than can be printed on the highest resolution 3d printer, again depending on the complexity of the part.
Another way consideration could be Vacuum Casting, another service we offer, where the parts supplied would be used as a master to create a silicone mould, where a number of high quality models and prototypes could be produced from the single mould.
Happy to discuss this further, if you had any photos of the parts you had in mind.
Send me an enquiry, via my hub if you would like to work with me.
