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Can you 3D model an Elephant Skull

L

LERsince1991

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
1,245
37
UK
Hi,

I'm looking for someone to model me a pretty detailed 3d elephant skull with tusks so I can 3D print it and then maybe plate it in silver at a later date (i.e. when I can afford it)

Would anyone be able to do this at all?

I'm probably willing to pay a little bit but nothing serious so I'm really looking for someone who's up for it for the fun !

I've looked around and I can't find it anywhere on any 3d modelling shop or anything!

Thanks,
Luke
 
haha dividina :p

I'm a 3rd year arch student and use 3ds max when I need to do something more advanced than sketchup but only know the basics, I could probably do it a bit but would be really rubbish and I haven't got the time to learn the more advanced features yet - Will do though!

It's just that since I wanted to 3d Print it I'm not going to be good enough any time soon to make it worth 3D printing :(

I looked on all though sites and couldn't find an elephant skull model
 
Personally I'd check with Creative Cow (sorry they may be an ad to click to get into the site), someone there might be able to direct you to a resources site.

+1 for radug's advice, it would be worth it for you to actually do it because as a 3rd year student I'd really be working on upskilling and adding some cool stuff for your folio. (Seriously take the advice, you'll learn a skill and have a great unique piece for your folio).
 
I would suggest trying google images or something for reference material. Skulls aren't really a single bone, but rather a group of plates. To get that level of realism, you want to plan the appropriate sutures into your topology. You could probably make the base shape and then cut it up to make the ridges.

Now here's the issue. You understand modeling something for a 3d printer is different from just building a simple mesh right? Nurbs modelers are typically used for this to construct data that can actually be fed to a machine which will make these cuts. You have a lot of things there that don't really exist in max (zebra shaders, curvature combs, etc). Doing it in a typical 3d modeling program could be a start, but you couldn't take that data straight to a 3d printer, unless that technology has significantly improved beyond my understanding of it.
 
thekev said:
I would suggest trying google images or something for reference material. Skulls aren't really a single bone, but rather a group of plates. To get that level of realism, you want to plan the appropriate sutures into your topology. You could probably make the base shape and then cut it up to make the ridges.

Now here's the issue. You understand modeling something for a 3d printer is different from just building a simple mesh right? Nurbs modelers are typically used for this to construct data that can actually be fed to a machine which will make these cuts. You have a lot of things there that don't really exist in max (zebra shaders, curvature combs, etc). Doing it in a typical 3d modeling program could be a start, but you couldn't take that data straight to a 3d printer, unless that technology has significantly improved beyond my understanding of it.
Click to expand...

To build upon what thekev said, if you know ZBrush, they have a plugin that can export from ZBrush to a 3D printer format. I don't know all the details but I do remember seeing it on Pixologics website.
 
thekev said:
Doing it in a typical 3d modeling program could be a start, but you couldn't take that data straight to a 3d printer, unless that technology has significantly improved beyond my understanding of it.
Click to expand...

as long as the 3d model is water-tight and can be exported to STL from your chosen software (Zbrush,Max,Maya,Cinema4D,Rhino,etc), it can be 3d printed. Newer 3D printers don't even require the model to be self-supportive as they use a special material to infill the empty spaces, and then dissolve that material by bathing it in a special liquid.
 
with a little work...

LERsince1991 said:
I looked on all though sites and couldn't find an elephant skull model
Click to expand...

this guy already did it, maybe get in contact with him.
http://www.santiorozco.com/2011/07/museu-zoologia/

LERsince1991 said:
I haven't got the time to learn the more advanced features yet
Click to expand...

sacrifice some of the pub/sitcoms/etc time and it can be done + as i said before, these skills increase your employability considerably and in this climate, you need to use any edge you might have over others.

To get you started, here's how i would do it in Max :
(method borrowed from car modelling)

1. find good, high-res reference images of skull from different sides , also known as blueprints (front/back/top/side). If you can't find them on the internet, take a trip to the library or ask some people in the uni's biology department :)
ex :
blue-print.gif


2. align textures in photoshop, create 3dMax materials and assign them to planes
ex :
17317d1141264882-3ds-max-blueprint-setup-q_renda.jpg


3. model using primitives : Boxes+Edit Poly modifier. When volume is done, apply mesh smoothing.
ex :
05.jpg

tip : when modelling, separate different parts by smoothing groups. this could provide for quick&easy separation of sutures.
ex :
SmoothingGroups.jpg


4. check water tightness with STLcheck modifier, export to STL file and 3d print.

keep us posted on your process :)
 
nothing is impossible

post the reference image i dont no i can do it but i will try my best to complete
:cool:
 
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