3D Printed Photography

Project Description:

The fascinating early imaging technique called lithophane originated in 18th Century France and were originally hand carved in porcelain. Thanks to the widespread availability of 3D printers, this art form is now more accessible than ever.

While lithophane art is interesting to general audiences, the technology makes also helps to make art more accessible to the visually impaired. Because the image is created by varying the depth of material, lithophane art can be “felt” as well as seen. Our research work has focused on this aspect.

Over the course of 8 months, we experimented with different material types, software applications and photo processing techniques to find the most cost effective and accessible way to create this type of artwork. Along the way, we encountered challenges with software and image quality.

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