The Humpback whale sculpture needed to be anatomically accurate so trawling the web for images was the first port of call, alongside contacting the Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF).
There is very little information about Humpback musculature and in discussion with the PWF it was agreed good available reference of tail anatomy is the dolphin tail of which there is an abundance of reference. |
Because the whale would be installed outside at Sky HQ, structural engineers Conisbee and designers Urbanavitcha were brought on board to design structural steels to give the correct strength and support all the way to the very end of the sail-like flukes (fins or flippers) with each fluke measuring more than 3x2m.
We can seamlessly work between 3D mesh and 3D CAD. In this instance we supplied CAD of the internal cavities for Urbanavitcha to design the structure within and it meant we would be able to encapsulate it with our SuperHuge 3D print. |
Stage 4. The SuperHuge 3D Print
The high density polystyrene layers were fused together using our proprietary H-OLM system, then hand smoothed and assembled around the purpose-built steel structure.
The polystyrene is light and fragile at this stage which makes for quick processing. Once the hard-coat is applied it adds an incredibly durable, impenetrable surface ready for any environment. |
Polyurea Coating
Polyurea spray coating is 1-2mm of super-tough, durable resin which creates a class1 fire-rating and adding strength and longevity to the model. The coated elements are subsequently filled and sanded smooth ready for the creative paint FX.
It was crucial during the sanding process that all detail including scratches and dents were retained, keeping the integrity of the digital sculpture. |
The Barnacle Army
Researching the Humpback brought to light an amazing fact: there is one type of barnacle that is indiginous only to Humpback whales - Coronula Diadema. So we researched their size and shape and created a digital sculpture in three different sizes then 3D printed them.
The 3D prints were silicone moulded and over 200x copies were cast in resin, then applied to the finished sculpture by hand using marine adhesive. |
Paint Finish
Once the whale was fully assembled, the realistic paint surface was applied, looking to create depth to the 'black' skin, and realism to the scratches and dents that cover the surface of the whale body. A combination of acrylic paint and finally a specialist clear resin was used to give the wet look to the surface of the skin.
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Jez Clarke - Beautiful Wonder
"Chinchilla’s SuperHuge 3D Production system is the dream ticket on a number of levels and for the whale project it was priceless for four key reasons: 1. High quality digital sculpture was created, in this instance to impeccable anatomical accuracy. We’re talking feature film quality which is astounding. 2. Sky and myself felt massive reassurance knowing the accuracy of the SuperHuge system would ensure the internal steel structure fitted perfectly inside the available cavity. Designing and evolving the cavity simultaneously alongside the specification of the steels increased efficiency by at least 40% and also meant no loss of |
realism on the sculpture and in particular on the thickness of the flukes where internal space was extremely tight.
3. Production of the steel structure and SuperHuge 3D print started simultaneously saving enormous amounts of time. 4. SuperHuge is a one-of-its-kind technical system. But this is complemented with a fastidious design ethos by the entire Chinchilla team to make each and every sculpture exceptional. In my experience they design and produce above and beyond what is delivered anywhere industry-wide. The photos speak for themselves. The whale looks 100% real. What more could anyone ask for?" |