Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/739236
2 cgw s e p t e m b e r . o c t o b e r 2 0 1 6 3D PRINTING EVOLVES nce the explicit domain of high-end manufacturing, 3D printing has found a home in many industries, extending its roots into art and entertainment, and beyond. Several years ago, lower-cost 3D printing started taking the world by storm. It became an outlet for artists looking to blend their knowledge of 3D computer graphics with their talent for crasmanship, whether for jewelry creation, clothing design, or toy manufacturing. Soon, hobbyists and entrepreneurs began of- fering their services. Want a unique necklace? No problem. What about a figurine of your favorite game character? Sure thing. With scanning equipment, 3D soware, and, of course, 3D printers, the maker community was in business. Today, 3D printing is still big (and small) business. We can print food (among the more delicious options is the Hershey/3D Systems' CocoJet). We can 3D print spare parts for cars, appliances… just about anything, even those that are rare and hard to find. We are even 3D printing body parts, such as ears, in a process called bioprinting. Indeed, the key to all these is the material. Kathleen Maher examines the growth of today's 3D printer market in her feature titled "Sliding Down the Curve and Rising to Opportunity" on page 28. Of course, one cannot talk about 3D printing right now without mentioning Kubo and the Two Strings, the latest stop-motion animated film from Laika. For the past 10 years, Laika has been pushing the envelope in this genre by pioneering a blend of rapid prototyping, puppetry, and CGI, resulting in emotive performances from the range of characters starring in its feature films. Kubo, though, sets the bar higher than ever. It is an epic, borrowing from the styles of famed visionaries. According to director Travis Knight, underlying its epic narrative are the films of David Lean, with their intimate stories set against sweep- ing landscapes; the samurai epics of Akira Kurosawa, with every frame drenched in thrashing rain, wind, and fire; and the untrammeled visions of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, JRR Tolkien, and Hayao Miyazaki. This being a film steeped in Japanese tradition, Kurosawa and Miyazaki's touches figure prominently into the look and feel. "Every frame in a Kurosawa film is like a painting: His composition, cutting, movement, and lighting were an aesthetic muse on Kubo. But it's not just how he made movies; it's what he made movies about," says Knight. "[Meanwhile, Miyazaki's] work is an interpretation, like an impressionist painting of the place, capturing the feeling and experience of it." Furthermore, the design of the miniatures and CG elements reflect the artistry of Kiyoshi Saito, who used woodcarvings to create impressions on paper. He used a minimalist, impressionistic approach, embracing the Japanese concept of wabi sabi, or imperfect beauty, to transform the world through reductive beauty of simple, rough-hewn shapes and patterns that suggest rather than meticulously reproduce, according to Martin McEachern, who documented the process used to create Kubo in the feature "Myth in Miniature" on page 18. The director's vision and style that were followed by the production designers are complex, requiring Laika to add to its 3D printing repertoire, as it once again ups the ante in this genre and shows the range of possibilities when art com- bines with 3D printing technology. ■ O R E C E N T A W A R D S THE MAGAZINE FOR DIGITAL CONTENT PROFESSIONALS E D I T O R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karen Moltenbrey e: karen@cgw.com t: 603.432.7568 DIRECTOR OF WEB CONTENT Marc Loftus e: mloftus@postmagazine.com t: 516.376.1087 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, Kathleen Maher, George Maestri, Martin McEachern, Barbara Robertson PUBLISHER / PRESIDENT / CEO William R. Rittwage COP Communications A D V E R T I S I N G S A L E S DIRECTOR OF SALES—NATIONAL Mari Kohn e: mkohn@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1153 c: 818.472.1491 DIRECTOR OF SALES—WEST COAST Jeff Victor e: jvictor@cgw.com t: 224.436.8044 CORPORATE SALES EXECUTIVE— EVENTS, CUSTOM AND INTEGRATED PRINT/ PUBLISHING SERVICES Lisa Neely e: lneely@copcomm.com t: 818.660-5828 EDITORIAL OFFICE / LA SALES OFFICE 620 West Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 t: 800.280.6446 A R T / P R O D U C T I O N ART DIRECTOR Angela Akers e: angela@moontidemedia.com DESIGNER Elena Lacey ONLINE AND NEW MEDIA Elvis Isagholi e: eisagholi@copcomm.com S U B S C R I P T I O N S 818.291.1158 C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E e: csr@cgw.com t: 800.280.6446, OPT. 3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD, A COP COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY. Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. Computer Graphics World cannot be held responsible for the safe- keeping or return of unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials. Address all subscription correspon- dence to: Computer Graphics World, 620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204. Subscriptions are available free to qualified individuals within the United States. Non-qualified subscription rates: USA—$68 for 1 year, $98 for 2 years; Canadian subscriptions —$98 for 1 year and $136 for 2 years; all other countries—$150 for 1 year and $208 for 2 years. Digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year. Subscribers can also contact customer service by calling 818-291-1158, or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer Graphics World, 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 C O M P U T E R G R A P H I C S W O R L D CGW Karen Moltenbrey, Editor-in-Chief karen@CGW.com