DESIGN MIAMI 2011
TOKYO DESIGN WEEK 2011
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK 2011
VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2011
In addition to offering some hints at Toyota's endless rise to world-dominating automaker, last week's Calty Design Research visit offered another sort of draw -- the opportunity to see some fun, expensive toys in action. Pictured above, top to bottom:
- The 3D CAD review set-up in action (see video here)
- Programming and running the "small" 3-axis CNC mill
- Vacuu-forming and painting a hubcap for a full-scale concept model
- One of several palette walls used to aid in color and finish selection
- Using a Leica 3D scanner to read a small hand-carved model into digital point-cloud data
- The room-sized 5-axis CNC where entire quarter scale (and larger) models are carved from blocks of REN. We weren't actually allowed to photograph inside the mill, but if you're curious...it was a car.
After the jump: bloggers in the clay studio.
Calty's clay studio, where the first full-scale 3D representation of a car concept is created. As mentioned before, the sculptors are some serious artisans: it takes four to five years to train one, they build all their own tools, and taking two months to complete a model is not unheard of. As part of the tour, the seven online journalists in attendance were given a few minutes to try it out, under the gentle (and probably bemused) tutelage of Mike the Master Sculptor -- it's both harder and more enjoyable than expected.
Considerably more difficult was the small scale sculpting, shown in the bottom two photographs. Hard clay blanks were laid down on the table next to a range of carving tools, including IKEA kitchen knives -- aftermath was messy and a little humbling. This type of 3D exploration is apparently standard practice though, as evidenced by the ample supply of blanks arrayed near the wall, and the deft skills of the Calty sculptors.
Comments
Thank you guys! I liked the way you say the small scale sculpting was the hardest thing. Now you know how I feel!!
Try doing what I do if you want to see hard.
Great article, Thanks. Let's all us clay sculptors stick together!
Peter
Wow thanks for the studio tour. The clay looks fun and so does using those Wacom pads. I am quite proficient with my mouse in PS but this guy is just freakin awesome. The speed, the accuracy and the quality of the render was just stunning. This gives me more motivation to become a car designer myself.