3D-digitised beetles

Insects are extremely exciting creatures. Their delicate chitinous armour and exoskeleton leave the observer with an almost extraterrestrial impression. Not only entomologists but also visitors are fascinated by the variety of shapes, sizes and colours in insect collections.

Unfortunately, they are usually tiny and fragile and can therefore only reveal their beauty under magnifying glasses and microscopes.

One approach to bringing interested visitors closer to insects are 3D-digitised beetles with highly detailed 3D scans and prints. They make it possible to view the beetles from all perspectives, to touch them and to overcome any fear of them.

3D-digitised beetles

Four years ago, I was able to carry out just such scans and prints for Formwerk3d. Two species were to be digitised and then printed in enlarged form.

We used two beetles prepared in formaldehyde, which I photogrammetrically recorded, as a data basis. An automatic turntable was used to prevent the aservates from drying out due to the high imaging speed.

I was able to capture the basic structure of the insects well with the scan and create a clean basic body. Unfortunately, however, there was already some damage (holes in the carapace, missing leg …) on the bodies, so that some post-processing was still required.

Using anatomical drawings from various specialised literature, I was able to replace the missing parts, realign the legs and get the models ready for printing.

Printout and assembly

The insects were to be enlarged and printed at a scale of 10:1. Later, they had to be stable enough to be touched and passed around by groups of visitors. Therefore, the choice fell on a toughresin in the SLA process.

Resin printing makes it possible to create fine details and smooth surfaces that are easy to sand and prime. And as the crawlers were later to be painted in a naturalistic style, this material fitted the requirements perfectly.

Despite the stability and high print resolution of the resin, I adjusted and reduced some details in consultation with the customer so that no sharp edges and fragile rods were produced that could later break or scratch visitors.

For the print itself, the insects were disassembled into bodies and legs to save support material and rework, and then assembled. This also made it easier to re-sand each individual part before it was assembled.

The same resin that was used for the prints themselves was used as adhesive and filler.

Paintwork

The finished resin models were primed with PU paint and then painted in several layers with acrylic paints. An airbrush gun and a spray booth were used to ensure even colour application and fine colour transitions.

The colours and surfaces were then sealed with several layers of impact-resistant UV protective varnish so that even rough handling and the effects of light have no effect on the objects.

The models in use

Our giant crabs are still used on guided tours of the collections and fascinate young and old alike. When they are not being passed around, they stand in display cases next to their original models and enhance the experience of the exhibition.