3D printing has become the hot new thing in popular culture in India. No longer is it primarily used in the industrial sector but, as an indicator of its more widespread acceptance, 3D technology is reaching the public, who is welcoming it with open arms–and smiles. Those smiles can be seen in the 3D printed selfie trend. Creating a miniature likeness of yourself is all the rage in India and one company, Next2future, is capitalizing on their growing popularity.
Next2future says the hot new 3D printing service based in New Delhi, India, “is an imaging studio specializing in designing, creating and 3D printing services…A team of young, energetic design and engineering specialists deliver the best output of [the] most realistic products.”
TwinMe offers customers the option of creating realistic miniature selfies or ones with more whimsy like this caricature selfie.
The company opened its doors in December 2014 and then, only a few months later, launched its own version of the 3D printed selfie, TwinMe, which met with almost immediate success. While TwinMe responds to the cultural phenomenon of the selfie, including providing fairly quick turnaround so that clients can get that relatively instant gratification the smartphone facilitates, Next2future’s TwinMe lends the 3D selfie a sense of permanence that simply isn’t possible with a hundred or a thousand photographic self-portraits. Customers have the satisfaction of preserving a moment in time in a way that’s lasting. Next2future uses Artec 3D scanners to perfectly capture the likeness of their customers.
Indeed, there’s nothing new about memorializing one’s image in 3D. 3D portraits in stone, clay, marble, bronze and more have been produced for thousands of years–essentially for as long as humans have been compelled to create visual documents of themselves, their surroundings and their experiences. After you’re 3D scanned, you have the option of instructing Next2future to create your TwinMe tiny double with some adjustments. You aren’t happy with that bit of extra weight you added to your waist over the holidays? TwinMe can trim your waist, bulk up your pecs, and otherwise perfect your avatar. And why not? As old as the sculpted portrait is the human impulse to let art make life appear more visually pleasant!
Not only does Next2future provide the 3D printed selfie service, they also provide parents with an opportunity to preserve their children’s artwork with Crayon 3D. Crayon 3D is a delightful concept, based on the idea of “Think anything, print anything.”
Basically, you take a photo of your child’s latest or favorite drawing, send it to Next2future, and they’ll create a full-color, 3D printed version of it. They note that the process will take a maximum of 10 days as their artist works to convert your image into a 3D rendering, with the final figure being a 4-inch standard size.
Next2future’s other area of specialization, Printify, preserves the link to industry by providing 3D printing services to architectural firms, the field of medicine, more generally and varied for rapid prototyping, and also to archaeology via the production of replicas of artifacts. Next2future’s website is well-constructed and user-friendly.
Check out examples of their 3D printing output, all quite expertly produced and inquire about their comprehensive 3D scanning, modeling, and printing services.
Next2future was founded in 2014 by Kanika Chahal. Her background in engineering and marketing includes more than a decade of experience in engineering and technology. The company certainly aims to go beyond the simple selfie, noting that “The name of the company itself predicts their aim, which is way beyond future.” Are you in India? What are your thoughts on this company? Let us know in the Next2future forum thread on 3DPB.com.
