The craft of the potter, with its rich manual tradition, finds in 3D technology an ally for precision and experimentation. From creating complex molds to the exact replication of pieces, digital design allows the artisan to correct errors before touching the clay, saving time and material.
3D Modeling and Printing for Ceramic Prototypes 🏺
A practical example is creating a mold for a piece with a geometry impossible to achieve on a potter's wheel. The potter models the piece in Blender or Rhinoceros 3D, exports it to an STL file, and prints it on an FDM printer with PLA filament. Then, they use that positive to generate a plaster mold. Programs like ZBrush are useful for organic textures, while Slic3r prepares the file for the printer.
The wheel doesn't spin alone; now it also renders 🖥️
Of course, all of this assumes the artisan hasn't thrown the computer out the window after the third software update. Because, let's be honest, modeling a vase in 3D sometimes requires more patience than centering a kilo of wet clay on the wheel. In the end, clay is still more forgiving than a program that crashes just before saving the file.