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From SculptGL, SculptFab to Freestyle: 3D Sculpting Web Apps for Making All the Blobs You Want
Maybe I'm just bitter that my hopes for immediate 3D-sculpting artistic genius were dashed (see above), but there is something really strange about sculpting through a computer, even more so than just about any other method of 3D modeling. In an attempt not to delve too far into the pencil-vs-mouse debate (although really how can we avoid it?), the new 3D-sculpting web apps SculptGL and counterpart Sculptfab (essentially updated with a nicer UI) have the faint scent of nostalgia for a generations of hand crafters given the ol' middle finger by technology.
The SculptGL app was developed by French student Stephane Ginier, drawing inspiration from the research on self-adaptive topologies done by Lician Stanculescu. With no word on the availability of Stanculescu's 3D sculpting app 'Freestyle' for general consumption, we've been playing around with Grinier's version. The application—while super fun—is perhaps more interesting in concept than in actual use.
User Interface of SculptGL (top) and Sculptfab (bottom)Even with user interface hacks by Sketchfab to create Sculptfab, both apps don't do much as-is. In just a few minutes of fiddling around, however, it's easy to see the immense potential of this type of software once it gets to the point of being able to actually interface with fabrication technology. Similar to the Computational Couture of Continuum Fashion, once some of the players in the digital fabrication game figure out how to actually make things, it's going to get very interesting.
Demo of Lucian Stanculescu's app FreestyleEven with user interface hacks by Sketchfab to create Sculptfab, both apps don't do much as-is. In just a few minutes of fiddling around, however, it's easy to see the immense potential of this type of software once it gets to the point of being able to actually interface with fabrication technology. Similar to the Computational Couture of Continuum Fashion, once some of the players in the digital fabrication game figure out how to actually make things, it's going to get very interesting.
For the moment, though, much like Microsoft Paint is to Adobe Illustrator, we are beginning to see the threads of evolution in design software. This time around, it appears the new apps will not only improve on the tech but also flatten the learning curve to give even greater access for people to engage in 3D printing and create dynamic and complex designs. Those of us who do it for a living need not worry—the tools aren't nearly as powerful as NURBS and Bezier—but they certainly open the door for the novice.
You can check out a version of SculptGL and Sculptfab to compare interface design and fiddle around. Perhaps you will have more luck than I did creating your own scary fish monster.
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For those who are interested, Freestyle has evolved into Neobarok : http://facebook.com/neobarok3d and it will be released as a free sculpt-assembly application by the end of 2015.
Neobarok is a much more advanced and complex software, with features beyond mere sculpting, but at the same time it is more intuitive to use than Freestyle. Be sure to check the videos on the facebook page or here: http://vimeo.com/album/3160938
i sometimes use it for some quick shape studies when i don't have any clay around