{"id":29648,"date":"2017-03-06T11:07:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T16:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=29648"},"modified":"2017-06-26T21:25:54","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T01:25:54","slug":"out-of-shape-2-kill-it-with-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/out-of-shape-2-kill-it-with-fire","title":{"rendered":"Out of Shape 2: Kill It With Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Second Out of Shape<\/em><\/a> column, you guys! Get excited \u2013 this one\u2019s a fun\/disturbing one.<\/p>\n

After hearing lots about Tinkercad<\/a>, it was the program I used for my very first official foray into 3D design (aside from my sassy pendant project<\/a>).<\/p>\n

As predicted, a lack of inspiration\/purpose proved to be kind of a design roadblock so I was just aimlessly creating \u2014 which led to this weird bird (rocket?) thing.<\/p>\n

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The 3-axis trickiness really challenged my brain when trying to move the beak onto the body, and I couldn\u2019t figure out why it would end up completely off the body while looking like it was attached from certain angles. Remember when I said I\u2019d only ask for help if I \u201creally, really, reaaaally\u201d needed it? This felt like one of those times, so my colleague Seth came to the rescue, basically reminding me that I was 3D designing instead of just designing on a flat plane. This led to the creation of BirdRocket, which I shared with my best friend (hi, Leigh!) because she\u2019s my #3 cheerleader (my mom and dad are #1 and #2, but they\u2019re not really online much). Her reaction was favorable because she\u2019s a wonderful human.<\/p>\n

Feeling like I wanted to explore my other 3D modeling options, I downloaded Sculptris<\/a> because Chandler Rowland from Things You Want To Buy<\/a> had recommended it. It\u2019s like virtually sculpting clay. Chandler\u2019s shop is a collection of hilarious creatures with brilliant names like Vjorm Loh the Tunabear<\/a> and Lobgoblin<\/a> so naturally had to ask how they were inspired. Chandler said, \u201cI get ideas from everywhere and sometimes nowhere. I\u2019ve been inspired by an alternate meaning of a common phrase, the name of a podcast I listen to, and random ideas that just pop into my head. I also often get ideas from nature, mythology, and other forms of fiction, which I try to combine in new ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because I didn\u2019t have any ideas in mind, I pulled inspiration from the Omnom Paperclip Holder<\/a> I\u2019ve had on my desk for ages. It\u2019s from Wondercat<\/a>, a shop full of figurines that are full of personality and cheekiness (like Soul of a Burnt Marshmallow<\/a>, OMG). In my attempt to recreate this cute \u2018lil\u2019 bunny, something went horribly, horribly wrong \u2014 leading to the creation of BearPig (model screenshot below). It\u2019s probably an indication of some deep, undiscovered inner darkness of my psyche but that\u2019s okay \u2014 especially because Morgan, the designer behind Wondercat, said, \u201cPeople tell me my toys terrify them all the time, so don’t let that stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Upon showing them, my colleagues were on Team Terrified and Seth has petitioned to \u201ckill it with fire\u201d (stay tuned for this Facebook Live). I printed BearPig in white nylon. It was the first design of my own that I\u2019ve ever brought to life (again, not counting my Pitch, Please pendant<\/a> adventure). The resulting print was a pretty solid ball of nylon (I guess I should have hollowed him out a bit more) with tiny, razor-sharp teeth. Here\u2019s a photo of PigBear hanging out with the source of his inspiration; Wondercat<\/a>\u2019s rabbit looks aptly upset to be doing so. I think I may paint him at a later time, but that\u2019s a whole different skill that needs mastering if it\u2019ll look halfway cool \u2014 anyone wanna tackle that with me?<\/p>\n

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So, onwards and upwards from BearPig. Per all of the great advice I got on my last blog (thank you all for the awesome comments!), I wanted to earnestly find some design inspiration that would guide the next step in my journey \u2014 while also hopefully discovering some less sinister designs. So, I reached out to Alex, the creative genius behind WebComicName<\/a>, a bunch of comics featuring human (and animal) blobs in awkward, hilarious, and often relatable situations. Alex<\/a> has given me his blessing to 3D model the characters gracing the panels of his comics, like this one:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/webcomicname.com\/post\/157782364124<\/a><\/div>\n