01.05 3D Scan Reconstruction and Remix Assignment

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Assignment Deliverables

Raw Photogrammetry Capture
- Exported 3D file of a photogrammetry capture of a room, object, or physical environment.
- Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firstname Photogrammetry Capture (.usd, .obj, .blend)
Raw 3D Scan Capture
- Exported 3D scan of a human head, human body
- A partial-body or full-body scan may also be created and used.
- Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firstname 3D Scan Capture (.usd, .obj, .blend)
3D Scan Remix Blender File
- Clean, modify, distort, duplicate, combine, and/or sculpt human scan data into an original humanoid sculpture.
- Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firstname Humanoid Sculpture (.blend)

Assignment Overview

3D capture brings information from the physical world into a digital 3D environment. This project explores different methods of 3D capture including photogrammetry, 3D scanning.

Rather than treating a 3D scan as a finished object, you will use captured human geometry as raw material for a new sculpture. Explore repetition, distortion, scale, proportion, combination, or other transformations rather than simply printing an unchanged scan.

After scanning a human head and potentially additional parts of the body, bring the scan into Blender , briefly clean the geometry, and transform it into an original humanoid form. Stretch proportions, duplicate limbs, combine multiple body parts, enlarge or shrink features, remove sections, merge forms together, or sculpt directly into the scan.

Your final sculpture should clearly move beyond simply reproducing the scanned person. Use the strange possibilities of digital modeling to make a body that would be difficult or impossible to construct in the physical world and then return that altered digital body to the physical world through 3D Printing.

Possible approaches include:

Multiple arms, hands, heads, faces, or legs
Extremely long or compressed proportions
Oversized or miniature body parts
Repeated or mirrored anatomy
Limbs emerging from unexpected locations
Combined scans from different people
Intersecting or merged bodies
Missing or simplified anatomy
Distorted facial features
Stretched, twisted, inflated, or flattened forms
Boolean cuts and additions
Sculpted transitions between scanned parts
Abstract forms that still retain evidence of the human body

The goal is not to create a perfectly realistic digital human. The goal is to learn how captured geometry can be cleaned, manipulated, assembled, and fabricated as a new sculptural form.

Successfully demonstrate the required 3D capture workflows.
Preserve usable human scan geometry while removing unnecessary scanning artifacts.
Make substantial and intentional changes to the original scanned body.
Consider the sculpture as a three-dimensional form from multiple viewpoints.
Use Blender tools purposefully rather than applying effects randomly.
Produce geometry that is appropriate for physical 3D printing.
Submit clearly labeled and organized digital files.

Process

Photogrammetry Capture

Select an interior room, object, or physical environment to capture.
Capture many overlapping views from different positions, heights, and angles. You may use photographs or an appropriate video capture workflow.
Import the photographs or video into a photogrammetry application and process the capture into a 3D reconstruction.
If needed, briefly clean up the captured mesh.
- How to Clean Up Photogrammetry Mesh in Blender
Export the completed mesh with textures.

Humanoid Sculpture in Blender

1. Import and Inspect

Import your human 3D scan into Blender.

Before making major changes:

Inspect the mesh from all sides.
Delete obvious unwanted scanning debris.
Remove large disconnected fragments.
Fill or repair major holes when necessary.
Check the overall scale.
Save a copy of the original scan before modifying it.

Do not spend excessive time attempting to make the scan perfect. Small scanning errors can become part of the sculpture.

2. Remix the 3D Scan Data

Use the scan as raw material for a new sculpture. You may duplicate entire scans or separate parts of the mesh into different objects before modifying them.

Experiment with basic Blender tools including:

Move
Rotate
Scale
Duplicate
Mirror
Proportional Editing
Separate
Join
Extrude
Sculpt Mode
Grab
Smooth
Inflate
Boolean Union
Boolean Difference
Remesh
Decimate

You do not need to use every tool but your sculpture should use multiple intentional transformations that substantially change the original scan.

For example, you could duplicate both arms several times, stretch the torso vertically, enlarge the head, compress the legs, and sculpt the intersections between the parts into a continuous form.

3. Consider the Sculpture From All Sides

This is a three-dimensional sculpture rather than a single rendered image.

Rotate around the model frequently and consider:

Silhouette
Balance
Proportion
Repetition
Symmetry and asymmetry
Negative space
Relationship between body parts
Where the sculpture touches the ground
How the form changes when viewed from different angles

Avoid making modifications that are only noticeable from the front. A highly detailed texture is not required for the final 3D print. At this stage, the geometry of the sculpture is the primary concern.

Assignment Resources

3D Capture Resources

Photogrammetry

3D Scanning

Gaussian Splatting

3D Mesh Cleanup and Modeling

Useful Blender techniques for this assignment include:

Object transforms
Edit Mode
Proportional Editing
Sculpt Mode
Remesh
Decimate
Mirror Modifier
Boolean Modifier
Joining and separating meshes

Grading Rubric

Objective	Points
Photogrammetry Capture	20
Human 3D Scan Capture	25
3D Scan Mesh Cleanup and Preparation	20
Humanoid Sculpture Transformation and Modeling	35
Render Image	25
File Management and Labeling	10

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