Doctor Who 5.5" and 12" Cybermen action figures have been digitally sculpted by designworks using Sensable Technologies’ “Freeform” system. The Haptic technology-based Freeform system provides the interface between the user and the computer, applying a tactile sensation to human interaction with computers by using a jointed arm with a stylus attached to its end Freeform allowed Designworks to create digital objects with a more organic feel than conventional CAD systems, making it the perfect choice for the mechanical humanoids.
Digital sculpting also provided a clear advantage as two sizes of the figure were required. The sculpt could be scaled up or down to any size without any loss in surface detail. Changes can them be made to the new figure size such as reducing detail, improving manufacturability or changing articulation simply and efficiently.
Once the digital sculpt was complete a physical model was created using a Objet 3D printer. Each Cyberman bust was constructed in five parts, all of which fitted together, cleaned to a production finish by spraying a light coating of sand-able primer over the sculpture’s surface and sanding it back with a 3M flexible sanding pad. Another coat of primer finished the model beautifully, making it ready for silicon molding for the creation of the final tooling pattern and decorated samples. All model preparation, clean up, silicon moulding and painting decoration was completed in-house in the designworks windsor studio.
To read more about the 3D printing and model making process click here.