Printing Articulated Figures: Constructing flexible and extendible artificial figures using mixed filament 3D printing for use in stop frame animation

劳拉-贝丝计划开发和探索灵活和可扩展的木偶制作过程，使用柔韧和坚硬的细丝3D打印来创建定格动画人物。在她的研究项目中，她将调查不同纤维材料的潜力，以及它们如何用于动画和物理特效行业的身体和肢体构造。混合长丝印花的使用本质上是将两种或两种以上的可打印材料，如刚性和柔性橡胶材料，并将其中一种包装在另一种材料中。停止帧动画是一种动画技术，在该技术中，物理图形以小的增量移动，以赋予生命和运动的外观。她计划在研究期间解决的一些问题如下：在使用3D打印时，如何利用不同的可打印材料创造新的美学风格？为了回答这个问题，行动研究将遵循迭代周期来试验和测试不同的细丝，以寻找它们的不同特性，如外观、强度、柔韧性、表面光洁度/质地以及相互之间的使用，以帮助建立用于开发木偶结构元素的知识。利用前面的研究/章节中发展的研究，如何应用不同的材料和技术来处理基于风格的木偶设计的各种方法？这将是一个可能导致一个更大的以实践为基础的项目的问题，最终将是一部使用某种风格和技术的电影，这种风格和技术最终只有通过在该项目期间开发的研究和方法才能实现。有没有可能开发出一系列美学风格，以适合新媒体的方式利用3D打印的功能和特点？(也许类似于阿德曼围绕粘土的美学机会建立了强大的视觉风格，以及鲍勃·戈德弗雷使用标记笔的便利)。为定格工艺开发3D打印管道的文化和工业影响是什么？我论文的一节或一章将考察将3D打印作为数字过程添加到这个以手持媒体为主的领域的行动，对行业内工作人员的影响，以及这项研究的新面貌/美学方面。总部位于美国的莱卡数码公司以使用3D打印技术制作面部动画而闻名，长期以来一直是该行业使用这项技术的先驱。Aardman是英国最大的动画制片厂之一，以定格动画电影、短片和商业广告而闻名，最近在他们的故事片《海盗！》中使用了快速原型制作，在与科学家麦金农和桑德斯的冒险中，曼彻斯特的定格木偶专家最近参与了塞恩斯伯里的圣诞广告《最伟大的礼物》(2016)。拟议中的研究将与这些案例研究有很大不同，因为劳拉-贝丝将研究全身，而不仅仅是面部替换动画，尽管如此，他们的工作将有助于确定她自己研究中的陷阱和潜在的改进领域。她将使用实证行动研究和案例研究相结合的方法，考察那些利用传统和数字模型制作技术，通过使用快速原型技术进行复制和简化的从业者。大量研究将以实际工作为基础，重点是提出想法、设计、建模、印刷、测试、改进和审查未来发展或行动的潜力。

Laura-Beth plans to develop and explore flexible and extendable puppet building processes using pliable and rigid filament 3D printing to create figures for stop-motion animation. During her research project she will investigate the potential for different filament materials and how they could be used within body and limb construction for the animation and physical special effects industry. The use of mixed filament printing is in essence the ability to take two or more types of printable material such as rigid and flexible rubberised materials and encase one inside the other. Stop frame animation is the technique of animation in which a physical figure is moved in small increments to give the appearance of life and movement. Some of the questions she plans to address during the research are as follows:How can utilising different printable materials create new aesthetic styles when using 3D printing? In order to answer the question, action research would follow iterative cycles to trial and test different filaments to seek out their variable qualities such as appearance, strength, flexibility, surface finish/texture and use against one another, to help establish knowledge for use within the development of elements of a puppet's construction. Using the research developed in previous research/chapters, how can applying different materials and techniques aid to tackle various approaches to style-based puppet design? This would be a question that could lead to a larger practice-based project that would culminate in a film that uses a style and technique that would ultimately only be achievable through the research and methods developed during this project. Is it possible to develop a range of aesthetic styles that exploit the capabilities, and character of 3D printing in ways that are appropriate to the new medium? (Perhaps similar to the way Aardman have built a strong visual style around the aesthetic opportunities of clay, and Bob Godfrey using the expediency of marker pens). What are the cultural and industrial implications of developing a 3D printing pipeline for the stop frame process? A section or chapter of my thesis will examine the action of adding 3D printing as a digital process to this predominantly hands on medium, the effects on people working within the industry, as well as the new look/aesthetic aspects of the research. Laika Digital, based in the USA most well known for their use of 3D printing for facial animation and have long been the pioneers for the use of this technology in the industry. Aardman; One of the UK's largest animation studios known for stop-frame animation films, shorts and commercials, who have most recently utilised rapid prototyping on their feature film 'Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientist' Mackinnon and Saunders, Manchester-based stop motion puppet specialists who were recently involved with the Sainsbury's Christmas commercial 'The Greatest Gift' (2016). The proposed research will be significantly different to these case studies as Laura-Beth will be looking at the full body rather than just facial replacement animation, nevertheless their work would help in identifying pitfalls and potential areas for improvement in her own research. She will use a mix of empirical action research and case studies to look at practitioners who utilise traditional and digital model making techniques both to replicate and streamline with the use of rapid prototyping. A large amount of the study will be based around practical work, with an emphasis placed on developing an idea, designing, modelling, printing, testing, refining and reviewing the potential for future development or action.