I love your Treefrog Design! Can I use it as a logo for my store?
No, my designs are not intended to be associated with any other store in particular.
Can You license me to sell your designs?
I may license privately my designs for commercial purposes on a per ask basis. Feel free to contact me for further info.
Can I distribute for Free your design at a public event (of commercial nature)?
No, but you may be able to use Super Treefrog with a special license tailored for your event. Feel free to contact me for further info.
Can I feature my 3D prints of your art work on my website/ blog?
You can post a photo or video of my 3D printed designs, as long as it’s not misleading people to think that is your own design. To do so, add the attribution and a link to the page where you found that design.
For instance, if it’s the Treefrog, add a the attribution Treefrog by MorenaP, (if you have to specify who’s the photographer, then you can add Artwork © 2012 Morena Protti) with link to Morena’s Thingiverse page . Then send me the link to your post! I may feature you as well. You can contact me for more info.
Where can I buy your stuffs?
I currently have a store on Shapeways where you can chose from a variety of colours and materials, including metals like silver or steel.
I also have a store on Etsy (with already printed designs) and Pinshape (if you already have a 3d printer).
Are 3D prints all the same?
No, the process is “print on demand” so, as it’s not a mold, there are variables that take places, like kind of material, temperature of print, temperature of the room, humidity levels, tension on the printing belts, printing speed etc. Even with industrial printing there are little variables that end up producing pieces on different angles, cooling shrinkage etc…. So at the end every piece, even if produced through a machine, is one of a kind.
Can you do a commissioned model for me?
You can get your own design into a 3D printed cookie cutter! See this post for details and links.
I’m also interested in sculpting comic style figurines from your original design. See Teeko’s sculpture for an example.
Furthermore, because of time restrains, I’ll consider mainly ideas based on my previous designs, i.e. a new Country for my pendants, or a personalized nana style cookie cutter, but feel free to ask.
Can you print my model? How does it work? How much does it cost?
I get all my prototypes and some final done by Kym in PLA with an Ultimaker 1. If you’re in Toronto you can contact him, otherwise you can find somebody near you through Hubs.
I print with Shapeways for all the other materials, once I’m happy with my prototypes.
What kind of material do you use?
Mainly PLA, Bronze fill, Glow in the Dark PLA, nylon, bronze, brass, steel and silver. For materials details I wrote this post.
Do you do 3D modeling just for fun?
No, I’m a professional character 3d modeler for cartoons TV series. Lately I model characters and facial expressions for Paw Patrol.
Most of my work, even personal, is targeted for either commercial use, or personal learning or improvement for my professional skills. For instance, when I did Treefrog, I wanted to learn about modeling for 3D printing, in order to became a professional 3D modeler for 3D printing.
What softwares do you use?
I don’t consider myself a software savvy person, or particularly technical, although I can adapt to new softwares when needed.
In the last 14 years I went through a wide variety of softwares, because of school, work, or the kind of models I had to do. Photoshop, 3DS Max, XSI, Maya, Blender, Sculptris, Zbrush, Tinkercad, Openscad, Netfabb and others, including some for video editing and graphic design. When creating models for 3D printing I most likely use a variety of softwares combined, in order to get my end results.
The computer does everything for you, right?
No, a 3d modeling softwares works exactly like a text edit software (just way more complex). It doesn’t type for you, or make your essay.
I don’t model procedurally, nor I’m a coder. I do sketches, study the shape, take measurement, prototype.
My main skill is in my general artistic abilities, dedication and precision. I have a inner talent about figurative reproduction, 8+ years of art studies and 12+ years of work in cartoon production. The quality of my models reflect my skills, experience and standards. Modeling is my passion and I spend lots of my free time learning new tools and pushing my skills.
Does your 3D printing learning help your daily job or vice-versa?
I’d say half and half. 3D printing is a constant learning, and therefore I bring to my daily work new techniques, through new softwares, tools and different model subjects.
Although my eye, artistic abilities and critical sense has been refined through the constant art direction I receive at work, and the expectation of my work quality gets higher with every new title I work on. Those characteristics are naturally transferred on my 3D printing designs and workflow.
How can I start to model?
If you never modeled anything in 3D, I advice Sculptris for organic shapes, and Tinkercad for hard surface models. If you want to use more complex softwares (here a good list), the learning curve may be quite steep, so if you cannot be self taught I’d go with a course, or video tutorials. (Although, there are designers available to create your idea).
Do you have some trick for do good modeling and designing?
I find comfortable using a wacom tablet. It’s also always good ask people to criticize your work, so you can improve it.
I spend lots of my free time doing sketching or life drawing, and experiment with personal projects in order to keep myself versatile and prepared, therefore talent needs to be fuel by dedication, passion, willing to learn and ability to adapt. I find that down times are great for updating my skills with new challenges and learning new softwares.