Dec 10, 2015 | By Tess
For those who were charmed by Chappie, the South African robot-cop turned gangster who starred in the eponymous film that was released last March, you’ll be excited to know that his memorable robot face and ears are now immortalized as a 3D printed bust.
Though the 3D printed Chappie does not exclaim “I am Chappie” or blurt out vulgarities alongside Die Antwoord like he does in the film, which was directed by District 9 filmmaker Neil Blomkamp, the bust is an unmistakeable likeness of the character and is an impressive feat of 3D design and printing.
The 3D printed Chappie bust was created by Brazilian industrial designer Pedro Augusto Coelho using 3D design software Rhinoceros, and consists of six pieces: the robot’s head, upper body, two shield arms, and two arms. The bust measures 21cm height wise and was 3D printed at a resolution of 0.2mm to get as much detail as possible for the final product. The project took about 24 hours to print using regular supports. The current 3D design files for the Chappie bust are available on Coelho’s Pinshape page, though he tells 3Ders that he is still working on improving it by making it bigger, as well as by adding some lights and adding moveable parts such as the ears and head.
Pedro Augusto Coelho, who has been working in the 3D design and printing industry for some time and who founded his own 3D printing service ImprimaLAB, has also made other 3D prints that movie buffs are sure to appreciate. An impressive 3D printed model of Immortan Joe’s facemask from Mad Max: Fury Road is featured on Coelho’s website, as is a 3D printed model of Mace Windu’s light saber, and a 3D printed and hand-painted Zombie Hulk.
Coelho told us in detail the process of designing and 3D printing the Zombie Hulk figurine. First, the design was based off of a 3D scan of a Hulk action figure that Coelho found through Thingiverse, which he modified and worked on through Zbrush and Sculptris. When the modifications were made and the 3D Hulk resembled a Zombie Hulk, Coelho 3D printed the model in two separate pieces (the legs and the torso) on a Makerbot Replicator 2x using Black ABS plastic. The pieces, which were printed at a resolution of 0.1mm and at a 15% infill took 24 and 22 hours of printing respectively.
When the pieces were 3D printed, Coelho glued them together using a mix of acetone and ABS, and sanded the final model down to prepare it for painting. The painting was done using airbrush and hand brushing techniques, and the paint scheme was based off of a Sculptris model that Coelho followed closely.
Pedro Augusto Coelho graduated from the Universidade do Vale do Itajaí in Brazil in industrial design but has also had experience with 3D design and printing technologies from his time spent abroad in Canada, at animation studio Igloo VFX, and in Ireland at the Dublin Institute of Technology. His 3D printing service, ImprimaLAB, which he founded in 2014, focuses on FDM 3D printers and offers services making prototypes, maquettes, and various other 3D printed designs.
This isn't the first time Chappie has been mentioned alongside 3D printing--in fact, the technology played a crucial role in the original film's production. Director Blomkamp worked with Imagine Engine and Weta Workshop not only to create 3D models of the complex droids, but to actually 3D print 19 separate Chappie robots that were used during filming.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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The Hulk model can be found on 3DWP's Thingiverse page: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:993933
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