obama is first president to be 3D printed for national portrait gallery bust

obama is first president to be 3D printed for national portrait gallery bust
all images courtesy of smithsonian

for the first time in history, a sitting US president has been 3D scanned and printed for his official bust, as part of the collection of the national portrait gallery. led by the smithsonian institution, the project has seen president barack obama scanned using two documentation processes: a ‘light stage’, which captured the president’s face from ear to ear in high resolution, and traditional SLR cameras, which recorded peripheral data to create an accurate bust.

the data captured was post-processed by autodesk to create the final high-resolution models, and a life mask and bust were then printed using 3d systems’ selective laser sintering printers. both were on display at the first-ever white house maker faire, which aims to celebrate americans who are using technology to make new things.

for the first time in history, a sitting US president has been 3D scanned and printed

the life mask has been printed using 3d systems’ selective laser sintering printers