As part of the Autodesk Vision series at SIGGRAPH 2016, Michael Laubach gave a presentation on how animation studio Laika used 3D printing to create the stunningly detailed facial animations for the upcoming feature film Kubo and the Two Strings.
Using machines such as the Z650 (Full Color Sandstone) and the new Connex Color Printer from Stratasys, Laubach explained how his team combines art and engineering. Focusing on each of the characters faces, the team creates and animates a huge range (over a million combinations!) of facial emotions by separating the features of the face into parts and making the frames into separate, interchangeable pieces. The parts are then printed and then handed over to the stop motion team to put on the character and move in the frame.
It’s incredible to see how 3D printing is being used by the film industry to revive styles like stop-motion animation. Have you ever used 3D printing for a film? Tell us about it in the comments below!
connex 3 material… CMYK photopolymer. that’s impressive.