3D Printing Basics for Entertainment Design

by Anne E. McMills

Affordable 3D printers are rapidly becoming everyday additions to the desktops and worktables of entertainment design practitioners – whether working in theatre, theme parks, television and film, museum design, window displays, animatronics, or… you name it! We are beginning to ask important questions about these emerging · How can we use 3D fabrication to make the design and production process more efficient? · How can it be used to create useful and creative items? · Can it save us from digging endlessly through thrift store shelves or from yet another late-night build? · And when budgets are tight, will it save us money? This quick start guide will help you navigate the alphabet soup that is 3D printing and begin to answer these questions for yourself. It outlines the basics of the technology, and its many uses in entertainment design. With straightforward and easy-to-follow information, you will learn ways to acquire printable 3D models, basic methods of creating your own, and tips along the way to produce successful prints. Over 70 professionals contributed images, guidance, and never-before-seen case studies filled with insider secrets to this book, including tutorials by designer and pioneer, Owen M. Collins.

416 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2017

Reviews

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: my graduate students and I are quoted extensively in this book, particularly in the costume production chapter. That said, this is an excellent resource for getting a handle on what 3D printing technology can be in the wide range of entertainment design applications. The book explains the technology, discusses the merits of various models of printers, talks through the process of creating/obtaining a printable file, and troubleshoots issues with substandard results. It then goes on to document a wide range of applications for all areas of design and production, from the obvious areas of costumes/sets/props/puppets to uses in lights/sound/projections as well as exhibit design, maquettes, and more! Accessible language, extensive sources and contributors, copious full-color photography. A great overall reference book for even the technophobe!