3D Printers Bring a Digital Idea into the Physical World

With new technology arriving to The Banff Centre, Sasha Stanojevic and Tyler Jordan felt compelled to put the new 3D printer “The Replicator 2” to the test. Sasha is the Lead Animator in Media + Production and Tyler is the Digital Facilitator in Visual + Digital Arts and they couldn’t find a better prototype than the new Mountain Festival Award Logo. 

Originally designed by Sasha, and in use now for two full years, the much-coveted and beautiful award was the perfect testing ground for this Media + Production and Digital Visual Arts mash-up.

During this artistic experiment the two hoped to achieve a few new things: First, they wanted to try doing an extra-thin print. For most people, 3D printing still sounds futuristic, but seasoned printers know that creating simple and thick shapes is old news. The second part of the experiment consisted of using two separate files to print one body. 

It seems like the Replicator 2 stood up to the test! The thin and delicate antlers came out perfectly. 

While this was a relatively simple experiment, there are many complex plans in the works to bring these digital creations into the physical world, and beyond. One of the upcoming tests will attempt to 3D print an animation! Yes, that’s right. The correct term is a Zoetrope; a plate-like structure that holds figures in different steps of a motion, i.e. a bird’s wings in flight. As the plate moves our eye is tricked into thinking the bird is actually flying.

Because the 3D printer has so many possible applications, stay tuned for more intricate and creative projects in the future!