Impressive! I wondered when 3d printing might get involved in this sort of thing.

And presuming this hasn't been discussed previously, do you not find that this sort of puppet building where things are more or less perfectly symmetrical decreases a puppets uniqueness? For example, I'd wager that all the hand made puppets in the world don't look right mirrored and having a 3d model that can be perfectly symmetrical, does it decrease the character in that character?

What are your thoughts? Others are welcome!

The finished heads are not perfectly symmetrical. The sides of the 3d-model were not mirrored - I place the points without measuring. Also, the fake-fur is trimmed by hand.


A neural expression makes it easier to use a puppet for more when one role.

So does the lighter skeleton make the overall puppet lighter and easier to move or about the same weight?

So does the lighter skeleton make the overall puppet lighter and easier to move or about the same weight?

The weight of the 3d-printed heads is not much different to the heads that I made with other materials. I managed to make them about 20-40g lighter - not much, but it does make a difference in a 2 hour live show.

2 hours! ouch!  I guess every little bit would help, you must have great muscles on your arms.  Maybe you can print out some sort of arm support system to help you go longer or a way to displace some of the weight to other parts of your body. That would be awesome.  I love your work, thanks for showing us.

I have been wondering how light a puppet can be made with 3d printing. I'd imagine eventually we'll get materials so light that we'll only need the strength to hold a hand in the air.

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I have been wondering how light a puppet can be made with 3d printing. I'd imagine eventually we'll get materials so light that we'll only need the strength to hold a hand in the air.
...

A friend of mine tried making some models with two component foam (you can buy the chemicals to make extremely light foam) and used 3d-printed molds to make the parts. The downside is that the chemicals are expensive, cannot be stored for a long time and are extremely toxic while working with them. I do not have a workshop - so I have never tried that myself.

Another friend tried to make a very light 3d-model and used Shapeways to print it (it's a mesh-like structure - super light and flexible) - expensive, but far beyond what my 3d-printer can make. The structure was a bit too thin and did break.

I have not found very light filaments for my 3d-printer and the models require at least 2mm wall thickness to be strong enough. Good fake fur or anthron fleece does also add a lot to the weight.

I have been thinking of light structures. Would open up options or decorating, also full body puppets.

I will look into those chemicals. The place I'm joining might be able to handle them, if i get the chance to acquire them.

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I released a new 3d-model for a canine nose:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1131844

It is also available on Shapeways: http://shpws.me/KMBY

A friend of mine tried making some models with two component foam (you can buy the chemicals to make extremely light foam) and used 3d-printed molds to make the parts. The downside is that the chemicals are expensive, cannot be stored for a long time and are extremely toxic while working with them. I do not have a workshop - so I have never tried that myself.

Another friend tried to make a very light 3d-model and used Shapeways to print it (it's a mesh-like structure - super light and flexible) - expensive, but far beyond what my 3d-printer can make. The structure was a bit too thin and did break.

I have not found very light filaments for my 3d-printer and the models require at least 2mm wall thickness to be strong enough. Good fake fur or anthron fleece does also add a lot to the weight.

The makerspace I just joined has a printer that sculpts out of paper. It's not technically 3d printing, since it deducts material rather than adds it - but I think it's gonna be a great solution. Paper is super cheap, and the end product both looks good and is very light-weight.

The makerspace I just joined has a printer that sculpts out of paper. It's not technically 3d printing, since it deducts material rather than adds it - but I think it's gonna be a great solution. Paper is super cheap, and the end product both looks good and is very light-weight.

Most layered paper 3D printers are very slow and do not produce water-/sweat-proof models. I know someone that uses paper-models for vacuum forming - that produces really lightweight shells.