I learned about 3D sculpting a little while ago and thought that it was a very interesting concept. 3D sculpting is essentially a digital equivalent of traditional clay sculpting. Creators can mimic the details of real life by using tools that can push, pull, pinch, and generally manipulate objects. I decided that I would try to sculpt a hand and see if it could be 3D printed. I found a tutorial online and decided to follow along.
First, I created a sphere
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/AutoSave_2022-06-15-04-02-55-1024x576.png)
Next, I flattened the sphere so it could become the base of my hand. I achieved this by grabbing the sphere and pressing the blue button. This brought me into edit mode. I then pulled down the green axis (z axis) so that the sphere flattened.
Now that I had a base, I could start sculpting. I sculpted with the stroke tool. I selected stroke using the tools menu (purple button) and selected square stroke.
From here, I began sculpting my hand. Starting from the base, I sculpted upwards. I tried my best to formulate a hand as I sculpted. (Disclaimer: I am NOT an artist). I made sure that there were no gaps between my sculpture and the base so that I would not have trouble 3D printing my object.
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/AutoSave_2022-06-15-04-13-16-1024x576.png)
I continued sculpting until I was satisfied (or at least as satisfied as a thoroughly unartistic person can be with their art haha). It ended up looking like this.
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/AutoSave_2022-06-15-04-13-59-1024x576.png)
I exported my object and brought it into PrusaSlicer for slicing.
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-27-at-1.28.00-PM-1024x550.png)
It sliced properly and I was able to 3D print it:
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/IMG_8283-768x1024.jpg)
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/collabvr/files/2022/06/IMG_8286-768x1024.jpg)
This project went really well! I think that 3D sculpting is a really great technique for kids to use in the classroom. My objects looked almost exactly like their virtual renditions despite a couple of stray threads that need to be plied off. Very pleased with the success of this project.
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