www.3ders.org

Nov.3, 2014

Thanks to 3D printing, animal lovers will have a new way to celebrate and immortalize their best friends. The graphic artists at PetPrints 3D has launched a 3D printing service to create custom, full-colour 3D-printed replicas of your dog, cat, iguana, or even horse, and will do it all in time for holiday giving.

Hamlet, the guinea pig with rhythm, could move his ears in time with the beat of a song!

Ashley Saunders, the brand manager for PetPrints 3D, said, "We all love animals, unique art pieces, and cool tech. It started in our shop with a few of our personal pets and gifts for friends. We realized right away that we had something special going on because we started getting emails and calls from pet people all over the place."

What's special about PetPrints 3D is the 3D model itself. This is not like going into a store to buy a figurine of a Boston Terrier or Arabian. This is a reproduction of your dog -- her unique markings, her way of sitting, her floppy ear.

Oscar's owner was pleased to see that PetPrints 3D captured his unique smile, as well as the dusty belly he gets from rooting around under the deck.

"Our goal is to have people gasp when they see it," Saunders says. "If you don't laugh or cry or call your friends over, we haven't done our job."

The process works like this: on the PetPrints 3D website, you submit photos and a description of your favourite animal, whether hound, hare, or horse, either living or passed away. Graphic artists use special software, created in-house, to work up the best possible model of your animal. The design file is sent to the 3D printer, where a gypsum-like material is laid down, layer by layer, to slowly form a unique sculpture. When that's done, finishers work to perfect the detail on the final model.

A unique look, a moment in time. Ozzy is easily spooked, and his personality shines through in his model.

Ordering is all handled online at PetPrints3D and models are shipped to you (or available for pick up in Toronto's west end).

Pricing is based on size and complexity. Single-pet models (for example, a sitting dog about four inches tall) begin at $250 + tax. Horse and rider models are sized from about 7.5 inches tall and up, and are priced from $750 + tax.

PetPrints 3D graphic artists were asked to show curiosity in Snowball's eyes. They say the models need to be so much like your pet that you want to cuddle them.

Using 3D printing technology to make unique fine art pieces marks a shift in the industry. "We're in fantastic new territory here, moving people emotionally," says Saunders. "We're creating pieces that mean a great deal to people. They're all telling us how well we captured the personality of their pets and how happy they are to have a lasting keepsake. This is nothing like printing machine parts."

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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