Sculpting Archives

Try Digital Sculpting with Taran3D

We are excited to announce that in partnership with STEAMhouse our very own Taran Singh will be leading a digital sculpting workshop in December.

A talented and experienced digital and clay sculptor, Taran has trained with some of the UKs leading experts in sculptors and has a special interest in the human form.

The ‘Introduction to Digital Sculpting’ is a two-part online workshop taking place on 8^th and 15^thDecember 2020.

The workshop is as an introduction to digital sculpting using the free software Zbrush Core Mini. It’s been designed to help participants develop an understanding of the software and build new digital skills that can be integrated into their own projects and business ventures.

Open to SMEs only (self-employed or with your own business) this workshop is a fantastic opportunity to work with a talented sculptor like Taran, develop your skills and learn new techniques.

This workshop is fully funded but places are limited. For full details on how you can try digital sculpting with Taran3D (including how to book) visit STEAMhouse.

Sri Hazur Sahib Frame Digital Design

In early 2018 I was contacted by Inderjit Singh Mann from Abu Dhabi regarding an old frame from Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib which is situated in the main complex. The frame houses the main painting depicting the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The painting of Guru Gobind Singh ji was painted by Hari Singh from Amritsar (circa 1900) who created many masterpieces including a painting of Rabindranath Tagore which presently resides at the Parliment House. The ornate frame was carved out of wood and had become worn and warped over the years due to excessive heat and wear. Inderjit Singh expressed a desire to take on this seva(service) and enlisted my expertise in creating an accurate replica of the frame.

The frame houses the main painting of the 10th Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the main complex

As the original frame was severely warped and damaged we decided that the best way forward would be to replace the frame in its entirety whilst maintaining the original features.

Stage one of the process was to 3D scan the original frame, which was carried out by a local company in India. Once it was scanned and I received the 3D model it became apparent that there was extensive damage to the details due to wear and tear.

My role involved taking accurate measurements from the scan and recreating a base frame that matched the original with the warp corrected. I then remodelled the beading and linear pattern details using the non damaged parts of the scan as a reference.

Thereafter I focused on the ornate flower detail work of the frame. I carefully extracted each detail section and projected them back onto the new base that I had built. It became apparent that the initial scan failed to extract the sharper details of the carving. I brought back the detail by digitally re-sculpting the detail back into each section. This part of the process was extremely time consuming and difficult.

Additional details were requested by Inderjit Singh and Baba Kulwant Singh ji. Primarily some weapons and the hawk of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. in addition to this, semi precious stones were embedded to represent individual sacrifices of martyrs from Sikh History.

The Forty semi precious stones on all the corners of the frame symbolise the bravery of the 40 Muktas. The stones used are all 13 mm in diameter and ar agate, amber, coral, coralina, lapis, malachite, quartz and torquoise. A 54 carat freshly mined and cut stone fixed at bottom is in the memory of Mata Bhago Ji.

It has Four Lioness on each inner corner showcasing the power and strength of Mata Gujri Ji , Mata Jeeto Ji , Mata Sundri Ji and Mata Sahib Devan Ji. In each of the lioness’ mouths are placed four precious 52 carat stones in memory of the 4 sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the sahibzadey – Baba Ajit Singh Ji , Baba Jujhar Singh Ji , Baba Zorawar Singh Ji , Baba Fateh Singh Ji. To represent the Panj Pyarey we have two chaur sahibs, a spear (barshi), a sword (sri sahib) and an arrow.

The frame also has a hawk and horse on the each side both of which were very close to guru Gobind Singh jis heart. The mother pearls around the frame are like a Blanket of Protection “Hind Di Chadar” calm and pious and represents the bravery and sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji

Once the Digital Model was approved it was sent to a manufacturer in Italy who then produced the frame from a composite of brass and copper with a gold plated finish. the final Frame weighed in at 140kg. It was installed in the shrine during the Guru Nanak Gurpurb celebrations in November 2018.

The project was a fascinating insight into how 3D technologies can be used to restore and recreate historic relics. I am thankful to Bhai Inderjit Singh ji from Abu Dhabi and Jathedar Baba Kulwant Singh Ji under whose supervision the seva was undertaken. The frame was paid for by the kind donations of Bibi Maninder Kaur Bedi. Additional thanks to the Sachkhand Board and special Thanks to the efforts put in by Bhai Jatinder Singh Ji.

The final frame was installed during the Nov 2018 Gurpurb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

The final frame above the door to the inner sanctum which holds the relics of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

no images were found

Takht SachKhand Sri Hazur Sahib

Hazur Sahib, also known as Abchal Nagar, is one of the five takhts (“thrones”, seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. It is located on the banks of the River Godavari at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, Western India. The gurudwara within the complex is known as Sach-Khand (Realm of Truth).

The structure is built at the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru’s encampment was. The inner room of the gurdwara is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Guru Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708 and holds ancient relics belonging to the tenth master. The gurdwara was built between 1832 and 1837 by order of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji (1780–1839)

3D Printing Workshop at ASW Exhibition

As part of the Anglo Sikh Wars exhibition project in 2017, we offered three days of creative craft activities and workshops. We thought that the final workshop would be a great opportunity to share some of the 3D technology that we had been utilising as part of our in-house artefact digitisation project. The aim was to get children interested in emerging 3D technologies like rapid prototyping and 3D printing.

3D model of 18th Century arrowheads and resulting 3D print

3D printing is opening up inconceivable possibilities to design and build all kinds of imaginative objects directly from a desktop 3D printer. We explained via demonstration how a 3D printer works and what types of materials can be used. The children were very curious and asked loads of great questions like “how much do they cost?” and “what is the largest item you can print?”. We decided to create some commemorative medals

thought it would be great opportunity to showcase to the children how 3D printers can be used to produce original objects or recreate lost relics. The SMI team also wanted to give the children something they could take away with them. I designed and printed two keyring medal designs for the Anglo Sikh Wars exhibition that children could paint and take away with them as a souvenir.

It would have taken too long to 3D print 100 medals, so I decided to create the copies of the medal using casting techniques. I immersed the 3D printed medal in a liquid silicone rubber which solidified over 24 hours. The silicone mould could then be used to pour in Liquid polyurethane resin which sets within 15-20 minutes and turns into a solid plastic . The resin cast copies were then cleaned up and primed ready to be painted by the children attending the workshop.

During the workshop the children were able to see the 3D printer in action. They learnt about the different types of 3D printers and different materials that can be used. They also learnt how the technology is currently being used by enthusiasts and professionals in various industries. The children really enjoyed the workshop and were fascinated by the 3D printer.

In addition to the 3D printing, the children present had a chance to try out some paper craft activities by creating 3D paper models of the Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar and the first letter of the Punjabi alphabet which is available to download here and here. The children really enjoyed the workshop and were fascinated by the 3D printer. Here are some of the comments we received from families who participated in the event.

Bhai Fauja Singh Sculpture

A 3D Printed sculpture of shaheed Bhai Fauja Singh ji who was martyred alongside 12 other Singh’s in 1978 while peacefully protesting against corrupt Nirankari cult leaders, who were inciting religious hatred against Sikhs. When reaching the protest area Bhai Fauja Singh’s Jatha was attacked by cult followers who had prepared stones and bottles of acid. Bhai Fauja Singh and his band of brothers saw no other option but to fight back. They fought bravely and on receiving a gunshot wound to the eye Bhai Fauja Singh tied his turban around his eye and carried on fighting to the end

Digital Sculpt

3D Print

I wanted to create a sculpture that would show his strength and show him in his gatka pose as he was an avid practitioner of Sikh Martial Arts. A true saint soldier – respect and love to Bhai Fauja Singh !

FREE WALLPAPER

I have also created these two rendered wallpapers for download – feel free to share and use them on your computers, laptops or mobile phones. Click on the following links to open the wallpaper in your browser and then you can download.

Bhai Fauja Singh Photos

Skull sculpt and 3D print

A skull I was sculpting to practice anatomy and head proportions and the resulting 3D print in PLA filament. #3dprint #3d #skull #anatomy #terminator #fdm #sculpt #pla
A post shared by Taran3d (@taran3d) on May 8, 2017 at 4:52am PDT

Vaisakhi Sculpture

A new sculpture I have been working on for vaisakhi. It is meant to represent “Ek Oangkaar – satgur prasad” = “All from one – realised with the grace of the Guru”. #ekonkar #amrit #satguru #kirpa #parshad #grace #spirituality #panjpyare #amritdhari #digitalsculpt #3dprint #3dprinting #sculpture #artsikh
A post shared by Taran3d (@taran3d) on Apr 15, 2017 at 6:20am PDT

Khalsa Action Figure Toy

This is a prototype i have been working on for a while and i just had to share it. Next project in the works khalsa action figure toy for DADS… I mean for the kids – yeaaaahhhhhh !

This one’s for all them dads who watched He-Man and ThunderCats (proper cartoons) back in the day and wished for a Sardar Khalsa action toy.

It’s still a long way off yet, in prototyping stages at the moment but will get there, be ready for a pangah !

Ichthyosaur Interactive at Thinktank

skull part of the fossil

I was commissioned to create a 3D interactive for the opening of a major new gallery at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum for their Marine worlds Gallery. The exhibition would see the skeleton of the UK’s largest example of Ichthyosaurus laid out in full for the first time ever.

interactive hardware with 4 screens, roller ball and function button

Ichthyosaurs were marine predators that looked a lot like dolphins but they were actually reptiles. The skeleton had just been the focus of a two year conservation and research project, revealing that it was the largest Ichthyosaurus in the UK and potentially a new species.

The existing hardware that the interactive was to run on was hooked upto 4 monitors and was being repurposed from an older exhibit. The system was quite old so the interactive had to run at a lower resolution and utilise limited graphics and memory resources. after a few tests on the existing machinery we decided to opt for an animated virtual model with key hotspots, which when clicked gave details about findings from the skeletal renovation.

textured version of the Ichthyosaur 3D model

We first created a 3D model from a conceptual drawing produced for the exhbition. The model was then rigged to a virtual skeleton and then animated and then animated to swim through an underwater scene that we had created in a realtime engine.

raw 3d model of the ichthyosaur

The kiosk only had a rollerball for moving the mouse and one button for functions so we had to make the interactive work within these parameters. We allowed users to rotate the 3D model using the rollerball and select key points that would pop up when the camera was near them. An information sheet would display on the screen allowing the user to learn more about the ichthyosaur and the fossil.

info sheets for hotspots around the 3D model

The hardest part of the project was making the project look decent on old hardware but we managed to get good performance and an engaging experience for visitors despite the limitations.

3D Interactive Design : Taran Singh
Graphic Design: Kam Samra
Programming support: Divkaran Singh
Special Thanks : Dave Rowan & Luanne Meehitya

Garja Singh Statues ready to post out to backers

So its taken almost a year of development and all the kickstarter support that was raised to develop these statues and it is finally time to send them out to backers. I have made 17 iterations of this model to get it production ready and sometimes it felt like it would never happen. 99 backers on kickstarter helped to make this happen so really grateful for their support.

I have been getting a lot of people contacting me to purchase models of Garja Singh but unfortunately I only have enough for Kickstarter backers. I should have more stock after Vaisakhi time so if you want to be kept up-to-date on new stock availability then please subscribe to our email list below.

[mc4wp_form id=”869″]

Human Rights Exhibition

My submission for an art exhibition that will be held soon for Bapu Surat Singh a Human Rights Campaigner who is campaigning for Sikh political prisoners in punjab. It is a digital sculpture that will be 3D printed.

Bapu In Defiance
Digital Sculpt 3D Print Resin, January 2016
Size – 500mm

The name Bapu Surat Singh evokes an image of a frail and emaciated old man. But he is more than his body. This sculpture is a tribute to the warrior spirit of Bapu Surat Singh, who despite his physical condition, remains steadfast and stoic in his fight for justice.

While his body may be frail and weak, his spirit is strong and will not be conquered

An art exhibition inspired by Bapu Surat Singh’s campaign for the human rights of Sikh political prisoners

Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, an 83 year old grandfather, left the comforts and luxuries of his life in the USA, to free Sikh political prisoners in India who have served their sentences but still imprisoned. With God’s blessings we have witnessed the release of 2 prisoners, thanks to Bapu Surat Singh’s campaign.

To mark these testing 365 days, an art exhibition inspired by Bapu Surat Singh’s campaign to free political prisoners will be held

Sat 16th January 2016 – 1pm-8pm
Sun 17th January 2016 – 11am-8pm

Room 5, Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
128-130 High Street, B66 3AP Smethwick