Like most moms I am super sentimental, especially when it comes to little baby things. I want to keep every tiny outfit and adorable shoe, but I don't want these things to be packed away taking up valuable storage space and never really being enjoyed.
I've been pretty good about only saving the most special items, because let's be honest, some things are just too special to part with. The little leather shoes I made for Ronan are one such thing. I worked hard to create them with my own hands and he took his very first steps with his feet inside them. So when I got the chance to work with Sprout again on their 3D scanner, I knew just what I wanted to scan first. I love the idea of making sentimental items extra special and the Sprout makes it easy.
With the Sprout by HP I was able to get a full 3D scan of the shoe. I used the 3D Capture platform to get a digital version of that special little shoe, it's so cool to watch it materialize on screen. From there you can manipulate your scan and turn it back into something physical.
This all in one desktop was designed with the maker in mind. There are design capabilities within the Sprout workspace and you can also use 3D Builder and Autodesk Meshmixer to further edit your scan. I even could have turned the 3D capture into a 2D image and exported it to Adobe Illustrator or Autodesk Sketchbook. I can't tell you how exciting it is to have my beloved Illustrator on the Sprout, but for this project I couldn't resist the magic of 3D printing.
So after a little clean up and resizing, it was off to the 3D printer. I worked with a local printer to create a tiny version of the little leather shoe. (Side note: Andy is awesome! He is super nice, affordable, and extremely knowledgable. If you are local I highly recommend having him print your 3D items.)
With my tiny shoe in hand I got back to what I do best, making. A little copper paint and jump ring later, I had my self a very special charm, a wearable piece of nostalgia.
I love how I was able to take an old-fashioned idea, the bronzed baby shoe, and create something throughly modern.
A big thank you to Sprout for sponsoring this post. It is posts like these that make this blog possible. As always all words and images are my own.