technology

workshop

living

food

play

outside

Turn almost any 3d shape into a real object

by propart on February 4, 2012

Table of Contents
Turn almost any 3d shape into a real object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Intro: Turn almost any 3d shape into a real object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 1: Cut your 3d shape to make it fit in your hot wire cnc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 2: Rotate and render the 3d object using only paralel projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 3: Convert your images to vector hot wire path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 4: Making a turning table for your hot wire cnc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 5: Cutting and peeling off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 6: Sanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Step 7: Here they are!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Intro: Turn almost any 3d shape into a real object

I'm going to show you guys how to turn almost any 3d shape you have into a real object. I used a regular hot wire cnc. The hot wire cnc is that computer controlled
machine that cuts letters out of eps or xps foam. I actually saw an instructable on this site about making a cheap hot wire cnc. Adding a turning table to a foam cutter cnc
allows you to make any round shape like columns, vases, spheres, eggs. I'm going to show you how you can create complexe shapes using a turning table. My goal was
to make two pieces of 3 meters Anubis. Anubis was a god in egiptian culture with human body and jackal head. I didn't make the 3d figure, I actually found it for free on
the internet so I'm only showing you the technique I used to convert a 3d shape into a real life object.
Please vote my instructable in the "Make it real challange"... Thanks

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 1: Cut your 3d shape to make it fit in your hot wire cnc
The first thing I did was to cut the 3d object in smaller pieces for two reasons: 1. it had to fit in my foam cutter cnc (that is 60 cm high); 2. I only needed the left half of the
body for the next process, because, you'll see in a minute that I easily mirrored it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 2: Rotate and render the 3d object using only paralel projection
Very important in this next process is to use "paralel projection" instead of regular "perspective" camera. The next step was to take each and every object piece, rotate it,
and render it after each rotation. The program I used had a rotation tool that allowed me to rotate it by 15 degrees. So I rotate every piece 12 times clockwise and made
images of it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 3: Convert your images to vector hot wire path

Then I had to convert the outline of every object in every image into a vector tipe. When I converted my patterns to vectors I made sure that, at all times, the hot wire path
doesn't go under my foam. You have to make the path of your hot wire to go around like in my picture (my hot wire cnc starts from the right side of the machine).

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 4: Making a turning table for your hot wire cnc

Now I had my patterns prepared. What I didn't have was a turning table for my foam cutter cnc, so I had to make one. That wasn't so hard. I just cut a circle out of a
polywood and made a hole in the middle of it. I also made a similar hole in the middle of my foam cutter cnc table, then I joined them with an appropriate screw for it to
spin smoothly. The only things missing from that turning table were the marks for the degrees so I printed a circle with the right pattern.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 5: Cutting and peeling off

Now I only had to cut out my shapes one by one. One other thing: I early told you that you only need the left half of the body and you will easily be able to mirror it. You
don't actually need to mirror the patterns because you'll go crazy. You will need to use the same patterns, in the same order, but, the only thing you have to do is to rotate
clockwise if you wat to make, for example, the left leg or rotate counter clockwise if you want to make the right leg. It's that easy! After you finished cutting one object 12
times you peel off the unnecessary remains of foam and you reveal your object.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 6: Sanding
Of course it will need a little sanding. You will only need to smooth the edges a little. For less sanding you can use this technique I've shown you, but rotating your object
by 10 degrees or less. Of course you will also have alot more vectors to make. It's up to you.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Step 7: Here they are!!!

I know it looks like alot of work but once you have your shapes in a vector format you will be able to make your 3d object as many times as you want and as large as you
want. I was able to make 2 pieces of 3 meters Anubis in like...10 days. So that's it. This is one way to convert your 3d object into a real life object and it's quite accurate. I
know there are at least two other methods to do it, using the hot wire cnc, but I didn't make a tutorial about them... yet

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Related Instructables

How to Cast a
Life Size Bronze
Bull from Digital
Model by Tany
Foundry

CNC Milled
Reaction
Diffusion
Sculpture by
syedrezaali

Creating a
University
Monument and
Replica Bronzes
by precisionart

T-rex (Turn
almost any 3d
shape into a
real object)
(Photos) by
propart

Sculpture Robot
(Part 5 of 9):
Making a
Robotic Arm
with Chainsaw
& Sawzall Axe
(video) by
morganrauscher

Sculpture Robot
(Part 9 of 9):
Haptic Tactile
Sculpting
Robotic
Feedback
Controller
(video) by
morganrauscher

Advertisements

Comments
50 comments Add Comment

view all 60 comments

grey_starr says:

Feb 9, 2012. 1:14 PM REPLY

Wow - those are so Sweet! That still takes a lot of artistic skill... I DO play with foam, and I know for a fact what I do is not anthing close to that quality.

Edgar says:

Feb 9, 2012. 10:11 AM REPLY

Great idea, voted on it, and it's on my Portuguese Blog, so a lot of Portuguese an Brazilians can make their Carnaval and other kinds of artwork, that way:
http://faz-voce-mesmo.blogspot.com/2012/02/carnaval.html

mr.frob says:

Feb 9, 2012. 7:14 AM REPLY

Very cool, great job!

grundisimo says:

Feb 6, 2012. 6:18 PM REPLY

THE coolest thing I've ever seen. nice job! :)

WineSoaked says:

Feb 5, 2012. 10:26 AM REPLY

Freaking awesome mod to a CNC. Simple, but man, the options it opens up for construction are huge! Well done!

buteomont says:

Feb 5, 2012. 3:26 AM REPLY

This is cool times ten. Now what are you going to do with them?

davidandora says:

Feb 4, 2012. 6:19 PM REPLY

Fantastic Instructable, and a great example to showcase. Thanks!

rimar2000 says:

Feb 4, 2012. 5:21 PM REPLY

Beautiful

Edgar says:

May 10, 2014. 10:21 AM REPLY

Hello, there, long time no see! :)

Here's a small Ponoko laser cut jig I've made, based on this Method:
http://www.ponoko.com/design-your-own/products/3d-styro-cutter-7420

akagoldminer says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:24 AM REPLY

Those stautes would be great covered iwith plaster cast strips or stucco cdment to make them more durable. Do you do this as a professional business or
just as a hobby? Either way outstanding results. I wish I had the room and devices to make such creations for myself.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:44 AM REPLY

My wife and I are both sculptors and we always search for professional challenges. I don't know if that goes in the "professional business" criteria but we
try to be professional about it :))) It's more like a hobby that pays itself sometimes. Thanks. Oh and we did covered them with white stucco cement, you
can see in the last photos I think.

mbonciu says:

Oct 7, 2013. 12:07 PM REPLY

Hello,
First I want to congrat you for this well done project. Amazing!
I have few question...Where from did you buy your CNC and what size is it? (max. load size), how much did cost?
Can you tell me what brand of white stucco cement did you buy?
Thank you and keep up the good work!

propart says:

Dec 11, 2013. 1:45 PM REPLY

One friend made it for me. It cost me 1500 euro, but I know you'll find great tutorials here to make one yourself. The size I have is 65/65/1400 cm.
I used decorative plaster Oskar Ceramic. thanks

spider87 says:

Aug 19, 2013. 9:29 AM REPLY

These are awesome! I don't have a hot wire cutter but I've always wanted huge statues around my house so I just might have to make one... This is
awesome!!!

clax says:

Jul 22, 2012. 4:48 PM REPLY

How convert the 3d image to profile path ? ( in other words How to export the parallel view in sketchup?) Thanks

propart says:

Jul 22, 2012. 10:12 PM REPLY

The free sketchup doesn't export vector. I make it this way: I make the whole object black in sketchup, and the enviroment white. Also make sure you
don't see edges, shadows, fog or axes in the view menu. Print screen, paste in corel, edit bitmap to crop the object you need and then trace bitmap in
corel. Make sure that in the end, after you finish all 12 views they all have the same height. In sketcup, if you make the object group, then it will be
surrounded by a blue line. You can use that for your cutting path (because you need the wire to cut the shape and not go under the shape, so it goes,
cuts the shape and come back on the ex-blueline) Let me know how it goes. If you need more help send me a private mesage

imBobertRobert says:

Jun 8, 2012. 7:46 PM REPLY

time to make a life-size earth! now all we need it the materials...

Edgar says:

Feb 23, 2012. 11:11 AM REPLY

Liked this idea so much, I've made a Ponoko Plan out of a Destop version of this:
http://www.ponoko.com/design-your-own/products/3d-styro-cutter-7420

lordduckx says:

Feb 11, 2012. 1:55 PM REPLY

Hey, Awesome 'ible!

Three questions, what kind of foam did you use to cut out of, how much did it cost, and where did you get it from? I'm really interested in replicating this!

propart says:

Feb 12, 2012. 12:52 AM REPLY

Thx,
Three answers: I used expanded polystyrene and I found it in big blocks, I used 2 square meters but I actually bought more, the store I got it from doesn't
have a website but the prices they had were similar to this: http://www.scaonline.co.uk/eps-single-blocks---white-99-c.asp , so according to this site it
would cost you about 142,78. You don't have to make it 3 meters, you can make it smaller or bigger ;) . I can't wait to see the result. Keep me posted.

MrPTrog says:

Feb 11, 2012. 10:43 AM REPLY

Couldn't you cut both pieces at the same time with 2 turntables by counter rotating them after each cut? Assuming your cut area was wide enough to fit 2
turn tables of course.

propart says:

Feb 11, 2012. 11:38 AM REPLY

You answered your own question. Sure you can, if you have a wide cut area. I didn't considered speeding up the process because making 2 giant 3
meters staues in 10 days was fast enough for me...

sakkidra says:

Feb 11, 2012. 2:08 AM REPLY

Love the carvings! I have been a foam carver for about 15yrs, doing stuff for amusement parks, malls, movies, etc. I never got to use a CNC, that sure would
have made my job easier. I had to do it the old fashioned way, like marble sculpting. Here's a tip: Go buy a Curry Comb, they are used to groom horses.
Remove some of the outer rings for the best performance. These are awesome for sanding your large areas fast. One thing I will warn you about. I
developed a sensitivity to the foam after about 10yrs of fine sanding and cutting with a hot wire. Even with a respirator. Darn stuff makes me itch like crazy
for weeks any time I carve now. I pretty much stopped doing it because of that. I can't even use petroleum based products anymore. So don't let people tell
you it's inert and won't harm you, because it can over time. Cover your skin as much as you can to slow down the chance of it happening. I really miss
carving, and only do it a little now. If you ever need any tips let me know.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

tinker234 says:

Feb 4, 2012. 9:21 PM REPLY

wow do you mind telling me a way to make the cnc you used
you know for his hand is he supposed to be holding something

propart says:

Feb 5, 2012. 12:46 AM REPLY

I didn't built my hot wire cnc, I just added the turning table, but here is a link to the instructable on this site that teaches you how to make a cheap hot wire
cnc http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-CNC-Hot-Wire-Foam-Cutter-from-parts-availab/ . Make that cnc (my cnc is not much different, it just cuts
foam with a hot wire. Adding the turning table makes it special)
I modified his hands. Yes he would supose to hold a scepter in one hand and a key in his other hand

tinker234 says:

Feb 5, 2012. 3:40 AM REPLY

thanks what program do you use for the model

propart says:

Feb 5, 2012. 4:47 AM REPLY

I used sketchup. But I think you can use any 3d program like 123D or Rhino 3D or even Max. They all have similar commands that you can use
for what I've done.

tinker234 says:

Feb 7, 2012. 6:31 PM REPLY

wow thanks sketchup suprised most models i have are not that good

propart says:

Feb 8, 2012. 12:28 AM REPLY

Go on google sketchup warehouse. You'll be amazed

tinker234 says:

Feb 10, 2012. 12:40 PM REPLY

thanks

batman96 says:
Anubis is also a half ascended Goauld off of sg-1!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Feb 5, 2012. 12:01 PM REPLY

Cambenora says:

Feb 5, 2012. 3:11 PM REPLY

Indeed.

Madrigorne says:

Feb 10, 2012. 2:19 AM REPLY

You win. :)

Microbe says:

Feb 10, 2012. 12:58 AM REPLY

The middle one is the most realistic

scenicruzer says:

Feb 9, 2012. 9:48 AM REPLY

Why not use a stepper motor for the turntable?

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:50 PM REPLY

Well, I'm just showing a way to easily improve a hot wire cnc. I don't know if it really needs a motor because it's a slow process anyway. I think a motor is
good when you want to rotate and cut at the same time, for making a screw-shaped column for example

docree says:

Feb 9, 2012. 10:42 AM REPLY

I see almost everyone sanding their foam with the normal sanding tools. Could someone use a small handheld "hot knife" or a heat gun for this part?

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:29 AM REPLY

Yeah, I know it's messy, but I think sanding it's the best way to finish the shape. You could use the hot knife to make nice textures like bark texture or
wooden texture. The heat gun is good for cleaning the surface and melting the fluffy powder left by the sanding (the paint sticks even better then).

docree says:

Feb 9, 2012. 5:29 PM REPLY

Thanks, for the tips! I'm going to be working with Styrofoam in the near future. Trying to find out as much as I can.

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:42 PM REPLY

Ok, if you have other questions just ask.

123tim says:

Feb 9, 2012. 6:36 PM REPLY

Thank you for one awesome instructable!

You have me intrigued, and I shopped around a little on the internet for foam blocks. I'll admit that I was a little taken back by the prices.
Would you happen to have any link (or links) that you might be willing to share for the cheapest places to find the proper materials? (The foam, that is.)
Thank you.
I really appreciated your instructable.

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 11:15 PM REPLY

http://www.scaonline.co.uk/eps-single-blocks---white-99-c.asp these prices seem ok. If you seen hobby polystyrene blocks they were more expensive for
sure. You can also try with insulation polystyrene sheets also, but you have to glue them together after you cut them. I often use insulation polystyrene,
but for this project it would've been a bit hard because of the dimensions, but not imposible.

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 10:41 PM REPLY

Make sure you search for the right thing. Expanded polystyrene block is what you want to search for and I know for a fact that it's the cheapest material
by volume. A tip - the bigger the bead size, the lower the price.

Ninzerbean says:

Feb 9, 2012. 2:14 PM REPLY

When you write "When I converted my patterns to vectors I made sure that, at all times, the hot wire path doesn't go under my foam" - how did you make
sure of this? What would happen if the hot wire went under your foam? How do you stop it from doing so? Is that controlled in the design or the width of the
foam?

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 10:14 PM REPLY

Ok, I'll explain using the "leg" example.
When you make a cutting vector(plt) you are actually making a contour. You should have not the countour of the leg but a contour made by the outline of
the leg (minus the part that touches the turning table) plus a bigger rectangle. Why not going under the leg? Because we will cut this leg about 12 times
and if the hot wire goes under it 12 times we will end up having a shorter and shorter leg each time, affecting the fallowing cuts.

thebluearcher says:
what do you use to glue your foam together?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Feb 9, 2012. 2:05 PM REPLY

propart says:

Feb 9, 2012. 9:58 PM REPLY

I used polyurethane foam, but you can use hot glue as well, but make sure is noy too hot and doesn't melt the polystyrene.

gmoon says:

Feb 5, 2012. 5:27 AM REPLY

Hey, very cool!

One small suggestion--it would be nice to see images of the foam block while the CNC cutting was in progress (step 5), rather than jumping straight to
finished roughed-out shapes...

propart says:

Feb 5, 2012. 6:40 AM REPLY

Yes, you are right. Unfortunately I didnt thought about making pictures when the cnc was cutting. I was to excited and rushed to get the shapes out of the
block as soon as posible. Maybe I'll make a leg one more time just for filming that.

-A-N-D-Y- says:
A video of the cutting would be cool :)

view all 60 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-almost-any-3d-shape-into-a-real-object/

Feb 9, 2012. 10:53 AM REPLY