3D Perspective Signature Model. I Will Design a Custom Model for the First Three People Who Comment!! (include Your Email Address)

I remember seeing a sculpture in an album that I was browsing through, and it was a man playing a piano from one view and a man playing the violin from another view. I was fascinated by the concept and decided to create one of my own.

I played around in Solidworks, a CAD package, and created my own "perspective" sculpture of my signature. I then produced it with a 3D printer.

For those interested, comment with your email address, and I will create a custom model of your name, which you can 3d print. If you don't have a 3D printer, I can upload it to shapeways.com where you can get it printed. I said I would do this for the first three, but if I have time, I will try to do this for as many of you as possible. Just comment :)

Step 1: Pick 2 or 3 Views or Images for Each Perpective.

First, you need to decide what you want each side of your model to look like. For my signature, I naturally selected my first name from one perspective and my last name for the other. For the UCLA one, I decide to project a third image from the top-down view of the model.

Step 2: Extrude First View

Then we extrude the first sketch. Make you extrude to the right depth. The length of your second sketch on the side view will determine  how far you should extrude the first.

Step 3: Sketch Your Second Image Onto the Plane Perpendicular to the First

Now, you sketch your second view on the plane perpendicular to the first. This is when you check that your first extrusion is long enough to fit your second image. Your second image needs to fit within the solid area through which the first sketch was extruded.

Step 4: Extrude the Negative of the Second Sketch As a Cut and You're Done!

Now extrude the second image as a cut. Unlike the first sketch, where we boss extruded the image, we now extrude the negative of the image as a cut into the first extrusion.

There you have it! Now you have a solid model that can be 3D printed. 

I still remember how mind-blown the first time I saw one of these. Now with easier access to 3D printing and some basic CAD skills, I can now create my own, personally customized, multidimensional models, and so can you!

Have fun and don't forget if you don't have CAD software and want your own sculpture, comment below and I will try to create some models for the first couple of comments.