3D Printing

Shapify uses a Kinect to let users create a 3D Mini-Me from home

Shapify uses a Kinect to let users create a 3D Mini-Me from home
Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
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A group of friends in the backyard (Photo: Shapify.me)
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A group of friends in the backyard (Photo: Shapify.me)
Friends in the garden using a leaf as a rug (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Friends in the garden using a leaf as a rug (Photo: Shapify.me)
I'm not quite sure why a mini-Darth Vader is holding a micro-Spotify statue (Photo: Shapify.me)
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I'm not quite sure why a mini-Darth Vader is holding a micro-Spotify statue (Photo: Shapify.me)
Short people are not handicapped (Photo; Shapify.me
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Short people are not handicapped (Photo; Shapify.me
Contemplating the Internet (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Contemplating the Internet (Photo: Shapify.me)
Friends in the backyard (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Friends in the backyard (Photo: Shapify.me)
Be she moth or be she bee, she's the cutest lil' statue I ever did see (apologies to Walt Kelly) (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Be she moth or be she bee, she's the cutest lil' statue I ever did see (apologies to Walt Kelly) (Photo: Shapify.me)
"Who you lookin' at?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
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"Who you lookin' at?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
Aloe apparently makes good cover (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Aloe apparently makes good cover (Photo: Shapify.me)
Just waiting for a cuppa (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Just waiting for a cuppa (Photo: Shapify.me)
Hanging out in the garden (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Hanging out in the garden (Photo: Shapify.me)
Hanging out in the garden (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Hanging out in the garden (Photo: Shapify.me)
"You call that a gun?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
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"You call that a gun?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
"Think the squash is big enough to harvest?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
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"Think the squash is big enough to harvest?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
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Shapify statues are made from 3D Kinect scans at 1/20 full scale (Photo: Shapify.me)
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To make a three-dimensional color statue of yourself, you could grab a chunk of marble and enlist the services of a sculptor and a painter, or you could take the simple approach and use a 3D scanner and a 3D full-spectrum multicolor printer. Since the first option is expensive and time-consuming and very few of us have access to the equipment for the second, Shapify has launched a service that lets users scan themselves at home, using a Kinect.

There are already a number of companies that offer to print 3D figurines in your likeness, however they require a visit to their location for a scan – not a simple thing when the scanning studio isn't just down the block, but requires a trip to Spain, Germany, or Japan.

"Who you lookin' at?" (Photo: Shapify.me)
"Who you lookin' at?" (Photo: Shapify.me)

Shapify instead lets customers create their own Mini-Me in the comfort of their own homes. The process works like this. You take a series of eight 3D photographs of yourself from all sides using the Shapify app and a Kinect motion capture unit. The software, which is currently only compatible with PC, then stitches the individual 3D photos together into one 360-degree 3D model. Once you are happy with the 3D image, push a button to place an order and a Shapify Mini-Me will be delivered within a couple of weeks.

The scale on your Mini-Me is 1/20 full scale, making most of our pint-sized doppelgangers around 3-4 in (7-10 cm) in height. Cost? US$59. Value? Well, not priceless, but it is pretty nifty. The video below takes explains the process.

Source: Shapify

Introducing Shapify.me

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3 comments
3 comments
Tracy Cutts
How cool would that be...
Bryan Paschke
This would be a neat thing to do with a kid...one figurine every year starting from the first time they can stand on their own.
Paul Adams
I like Bryan's idea that would be lovely what stops anyone with the Tec trying their own version ? Little pricey at minute.