Norman Hoberman Digital Sculpture

What the Giclee is to the Painting - is this the Giclee of Sculpture?

In an innovative, computerized technique developed during the past four years, sculptor Norman Hoberman has been creating wood portrait heads and busts that have a unique character relating to both traditional hand carved heads and also to photographic likeness.

A series of 3d scans are made of the subject going circling the entire head. The scans are made at the sculptor's studio in Greenwich Ct. using a 3d laser scanner. Each scan consists of a cloud of points defining the subject from each viewpoint. The scans are then processed in a computer program which registers the scans and produces a single 3d (computer) model of the subject. This 3d model may then be modified as necessary using other 3d modeling programs. When the model is satisfactory, it is entered into a machining program which generates the code that will operate the routing machine (a CNC router).

Based on the dimensions of the model, a wood block is laminated to the requisite size to produce the head. Most of the heads have been life-size and made out of ash, a wood with a pronounced grain which contrasts with the modeling of the subject.

The block is fastened to the bed of the CNC router which controls the movements of the router bit in three dimensions. The block is first roughed out to eliminate all unwanted wood and at this stage looks similar to an architect's contour model. It is then finished with a variety of smooth bits, depending upon the amount of detail desired.