(Case Studies in) Rapid Prototyping
From ADG Art Direction Wiki
by Harald Belker, Vehicle Designer & Illustrator
The right technology to produce perfect results every time I work mainly on high-budget, visual-effects heavy movies, and everything I create doesn’t actually exist nor function, and it is later enhanced by post-production visual effects. I deliver designs for objects that would cost millions of dollars to develop if they needed to work properly in real world scenarios. I can create anything a Production Designer can envision without worrying about its manufacturability, due, in large part, to the processes of 3D modeling and rapid prototyping.
In the past, a model maker would take my drawings and painstakingly produce each part by hand. It’s a detailed art, and it doesn’t provide a guarantee that any two parts would be modeled alike. In today’s world, I transfer my ideas into 3D with the help of an alias modeler. This way, I can make the changes quickly, print out frequent updates for presentations, and utilize rapid prototyping to achieve a finished product. The term rapid prototyping actually stands for a variety of different processes. Let me list just a few that are the most efficient and practical:
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) This process uses a laser and powdered materials to produce functional prototypes, presentation models and production parts of durable plastic and metal.
Stereo Lithography (SLA) Here a laser is used to solidify liquid resin to produce presentation models, light duty prototypes and casting patterns.
3D Printing In this, the most reasonable process, molten material is deposited layer upon layer through an extrusion or inkjet nozzle to produce plastic and wax concept models, limited functional prototypes and casting patterns.
Rapid prototyping models are commonly used to create a 3D object for concept reviews and early presentations to marketing teams or toy makers, and to show the director and/or producers what the finished design could look like. Many times, these models are scaled down to save time and money.
To present the model with a high-end finish, painted and detailed, it will actually take a high level of postprocessing and finishing (primer, sanding and lacquer). Once approved, the 3D prototype can be scaled up to the desired size to use directly or as a pattern for short-run tooling in order to kick out several designs, all suited to their final use.
It does take an Art Department and Production Designer who is open to this kind of process. Working with Alex McDowell on Minority Report (2002), I designed vehicles for the future using cutting edge technology to build the interiors and exteriors of each. I took full advantage of the 3D and rapid prototyping processes that are available, so that the entire process, from design to finish, including the creation of working models, became incredibly easy.
