“Our goal for this project will be to transform our faces and heads into edible jello busts,” write the dudes at Eclectical Engineering, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
In their defense, it does seem simple and pretty fun. All you have to do is generate a 3D scan of your own face (which most of you have already done, I assume), 3D print it, and then use the kind of materials you can find easily at a Staples or OfficeMax to make a silicon mold. A mold that you can now fill with any Jello, ice, chocolate, butter, wax, cheese, soap, caramel, and maybe even cake.
I mean, the sky’s the limit when you have a mold of your own face.
It’s amazing to see that 3D technologies have come so far. In their post, the writers lay out the cost of the project. If you don’t already have a scanner, you can buy all the supplies you need for a paltry $36.98.
Key to that low cost, of course, is technologies like Autodesk’s 123D Catch, which enables you to capture objects in 3D simply by taking a bunch of photographs and then waiting for them to process. On the 3D printing side, they recommend just sending the file to Shapeways for a quick and cheap turnaround.
Added bonus: the authors describe photogrammetry, STL files, and a lot of other technical details in a way that anyone can understand. The next time your kids (or some guys at a party) ask you what you do, just send them here.
