Hands and Bones Pot

thingiverse

This remarkably authentic prehistoric Native American pot is ornately embellished with stylized depictions of human hands and bones. Based on a meticulously detailed scan obtainable from http://hampson.cast.uark.edu/, this model is painstakingly crafted. The Arkansas museum has scanned its extensive collection of prehistoric native american pottery, rendering the scans freely available for download. These scans exhibit beautifully rendered detail, albeit unfortunately they lack print-ready quality. Since the scanner is capable only of capturing the outer surface of the vessel, it generates a non-manifold exterior that can usually not be printed accurately. Bringing the original scan into 3Dcoat's powerful software, I transformed the model into a three-dimensional solid form by consolidating its shape and structure. Next, using voxel editing tools within the same software, I meticulously carved out the inner recesses of the vessel, giving it depth and substance. It is essential for anyone engaged in scholarly analysis or academic study of this artifact to bear in mind that while the exterior surface accurately reflects the scan from which it originated, its interior is entirely my own creation, free from influence by the actual ancient pot. Any comparisons between this 3D model's inner surfaces and historical analogs must take this fact into consideration. Our conversations on 3D printing, centered around projects like this pot, have also been the subject of a fascinating episode of our 3D Printing Today podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed from iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or directly at http://threedprintingtoday.libsyn.com/.