PDA

View Full Version : A Head



wunderkind
12-17-2006, 07:13 AM
Hi.
Ok, picture a sculpted human head in 3D. Is it possible to carve more then 1"? If not then is it possible to slice into 1" thick slices and then carving each slice to accomplish all the slices - carved. Then glue the sandwich together to produce a carved head (normal size)? Just an idea I was wondering if it would work. Thanks.
Jim

Greybeard
12-17-2006, 09:01 AM
Hi Jim.
The traditional way of making carved rocking horses was to make the body up as a hollow box.
Could you adapt this idea for the head ?

John

wunderkind
12-17-2006, 10:13 AM
Hi John.
I was thinking more along the line of the 3D puzzles that they have out now. But not the puzzle aspect, with using the limitations of the machine which has a few but what machine does not. Maybe if you could explain the rocking horse concept a bit better. Thanks.
Jim

Greybeard
12-17-2006, 01:01 PM
Jim - rather than spend a couple of hours trying to draw a 3d diagram in my 2d drawing software, I hope I can do it in text !

I'm assuming of course that you have a 3d program that enables you to draw up the head, then slice off the surfaces.
The box construction is both to save wood (it's hollow) and to enable you to have six flat surfaces to carve on the machine.

For your head, this might need two layers to create enough depth for the face, and possibly two for the back to allow for the way the skull sticks out behind the vertical plane of the neck. But I would expect you could get away with only a single side piece for each side of the head, as it's pretty flat.

You're going to have to import something into Designer at the last stage to get the machine to carve it, so each of the surfaces is going to have to be rendered to an appropriate greycale image.
The more I think about it, the more obvious it is to me that your main problem is going to be creating the images, rather than the constructional method you choose.

Unlike the sculptor who sees the final piece within the confines of the block of stone in front of him, you'll have to reverse the process and design the way you put together your "block" in terms of the depth of each surface you can carve on the machine.
Good luck, and please post up any rough sketches , as seeing the way your thinking may throw up ideas from other contributors.
John

Dennik
01-10-2007, 09:20 AM
As a 3D artist i'd say that its possible and its the first thing i'm going to try once i buy CarveWright.

They say in the FAQ section that the machine is accurate enough to carve on both sides and match them without seams. If thats the case then its possible to carve on 2 pieces of wood of exactly the same dimensions and then glue them together.

To me the biggest issue would be to explain the procedure to someone who hasn't used a 3D program before. It sure takes a lot of experimentation even if you know what you are doing.
There are tools (depending on your 3d program of choice) for slicing a model in many layers and ways to surface them (perpendicular towards the viewer) with a gradient greyscale texture, and adjust it so that you get the maximum contrast appropriate to show up the facial features nice on a wood carving.

Hopefully the future releases of the software will allow importing 3d models and slicing them into 2 or more 1" continuous pieces. That would make the procedure quite easier. Until then, have fun experimenting with it! :wink:

mobident
01-13-2007, 05:39 PM
I don't have a solution, but a direction to try.

one thing that may help is the pattern height variable. The pattern height is considered a limitless (and unitless, i.e. a percentage) variable that defines how high the pattern extends above the depth of cut.

For example, if your pattern depth is .5 inch and your pattern height is 100 then the top of the board is at the same level as the highest part of the pattern. BUT you can set the pattern height as any number - including say 200 - which would put the top of the pattern 0.5 inch ABOVE the board. (big assumption) Onlythe bottom vertical half would be carved. This would give you a way to carve middle section slices.

Of course, this doesn't give you top end slices...Could you mege with a flat region (I forget if this would be positive or negative) at board height? I think you could obliterate the middle slice of the above paragraph. You would then have a pattern that extends above the board only- a truely virtual carve.

If you then decreased height to 100, you would get a top slice. might be compressed vertically, though. Or you may expose the rest of the pattern again?

I'm running this on a virtual wetware runtime environment simulation. I downloaded the software at work and don't have it to try at home.

Probably, I misunderstand the variable definition...
Bruce