Sculpture
Case Study

The Sculpture Brief

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For SKY Ocean Rescue: To design and create a beautiful 6.5m Humpback whale tail sculpture

The sculpture also needed to be 95% recyclable, robust and durable for a 3-5year exterior installation.

Initial Scamp (courtesy of SKY)

Stage 1. Research

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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.

Stage 2. Digital Sculpture / Concept

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Using the Humpback skeletal reference available and the dolphin musculature, along with hundreds of reference images, the sculpture took shape and the PWF were ecstatic with the resulting digital sculpture, of which they were delighted to confirm was anatomically accurate.

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Once the sculpture was complete, it was important to get an idea of how it could look with barnacles and a painted finish. We wanted to create a realistic look and finish to the Humpback tail so tested the scratches and dents until we had a look we were happy with.

Stage 3. Fitting Internal Structure within a sculpted shape

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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.

Main internal structure WIP design

"Working directly with Chinchilla and sharing each other's sculptural mesh and structural steel models meant that both elements of the CAD phase progressed in harmony to provide an almost seamless assembly of parts both in the workshop and for the final install on site.
It has proved a big step forward in the design and production of complex, sculptural forms"
Phill Banks - Urbanavitcha

Stage 4. The  SuperHuge 3D Print

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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.

SuperHuge 3D Print fitted around steel structure

Finished SuperHuge 3D Print of the tail stem. Filled and ready for coating

Stage 5. Coating & Finishing the whale tail

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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.

Humpback fluke coated and primed.

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.

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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.

The Finished Sculpture

Finally the finished Humpback sculpture

Ten weeks from order to delivery. SuperHuge 3D printing saves time and gives peace of mind: The simplicity of working from a 3D file that builds around internal structure and fits the final location.

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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?"

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Credo is 95% recyclable.
SuperHuge 3D printing uses up to 80% less material than traditional processes.
Our print waste is 100% recyclable.
#passonplastic  •  https://skyoceanrescue.com

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