Man vs the laser machine.

[DiLeon]

This is just for soul conversation only. Or whatever... I was on a scout for background for deep relief ....trying to get ideas. What I was getting hit with was laser-cut carvings on sale cheaply. Darn things are getting better and better. CNC machines also. They say AI will take away man's abilities and jobs. The question is can man compete? Can you make it human vs. precision machined? What would be those factors? For myself it would be fun to get this work and try to copy it and make it more human....challenge would be man against machine perhaps??? It is very today... like...trying to say we are all the same, I believe? The entry of the space age and everything lately is very concerning. il_1588xN.4908419016_8t6s.jpg

[DiLeon]

il_1588xN.4250534460_azof.jpghere is another one ...man and his machines.

[Nebraska]

Got me wondering because of the new technology there was talk of extending copyright laws to sculptures. I wonder if Congress ever quit fighting long enough to get that passed?

And no I can’t out carve a 3D printer lost a commission to do a bust of a local beloved politician because the guy with the 3D printer could guarantee the accuracy of the depiction. That was a couple years ago.

I’m glad this is a just hobby that generates enough cash to pay its own way and I’m not trying to make a living off of it.

[Dark Lightning]

Interesting. I was in the carving club room at the Senior Center not long after I retired, and one of the facilitators came in and asked if anyone was interested in learning 3D printing. I was fairly new, and probably had the most up-to-date knowledge about that, since I had worked with some of that before I retired. I would design tooling or other items that the first article was 3D printed, as it is a ton cheaper. No takers, not even me. That sounded a little too much like entry back into a paying job...ew.

[Arthur C.]

Maybe I'm just projecting my feelings and not being objective, but it seems that CNC carvings lack soul...they are obviously CNC and easily spotted. They may be technically well executed, but lack "a certain something" that makes a carving uniquely attractive. It seems like the difference in looking into living eyes and dead eyes. Is it just me and my imagination?

[MikeW]

Those images are not wood..they are .stl files ( some 3D printed, some not ) "mocked up" to sort off ( if you look sideways at them ) look like wood. Not "laser" at all, they say that they can be used for CNC ( implying that a CNC machine could make them from wood ) , but natural wood is far too variable in density, texture and grain for them to be feasible as carved by CNC.Even multi axis CNC machines are only able to carve relatively shallow and simple designs from only certain very carefully chosen woods.Some doors etc ( with surface shallow "mouldings" and "panels" ) are carved via CNC, which is very fast. But wood sculptors and carvers working "in the round" , ( and even bas-relief ) in natural wood with all it's varying characteristics and "foibles" have nothing to fear.

[Randy]

The sad issue is the willingness of younger generations to surrender the developing of skills to make things to the ease of pushing a button. Or maybe my age is showing. I love the feel of a tool in my hand the creation process. For my self I see little satisfaction in scanning an object and printing a twin. But that is the new world. I have a younger friend that restores old furniture. He would ask me to carve replacement parts from time to time. Now he has a cnc and a 3d printer. I understand, it’s a money and time issue. But I see most AI as “ advancement of ignorance “ in many human endeavors. Just let the machine do it.

[DiLeon]

I understand in depth about undercuts and more....yes agree it is very flawed out this time. But we got a new issue called AI issues, undercuts, and more that can be quickly improved....just ask Elon Musk. I will add ...one thing I would say one thing. Only a person highly educated will be able to tell the difference between what is the real deal vs. the fake whatever it is made of. I would say clearly that is a highly super small part of the population who will know the difference. I know tons of people buy plastic and think it is real wood. Plus add that to the fact that man is losing critical thinking fast these days.

I agree with Authur who says it lacks soul...but I look around me... the soul is an ancient wisdom that is dead to the bone in the coming world. In art school we were told in the seventies ...modern art was telling of the chaos coming into the world. How true that one was. Was listening to the exploration of the Maya advanced civilization that came to zero existence...very interesting. Major art found, which had no tools yet perfect, same with the Eygptian...gone into non-existence. Man creates his history over and over again. Appears to me we are in a major cycle of destruction... perhaps or perhaps not....we will see if we live long enough...smile.

Maui fire looks like a nuke went off... the only thing that survived was a few statues in the ruins. The fire melted metal, car rims, glass, and cement dissolved and broke. A number of religious statues and the gift of Hawaiian lei of love...all symbols of soul and faith in the ash only remain. Rather haunting reminders of history and existence.
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[MikeW]

Musk talks a lot..as did his inherited money to get him started.He's no genius, just another rich kid who turned into a richer man child, via other people's skills and money. The people who actually do the work at his places, Tesla and SpaceX try to keep him as far away from the actual design and work process as possible as he is far from being an engineer.

He's better than Satchmo , Miles Davis and Coltrane ever were at blowing his own trumpet. He's no AI specialist, but he writes the checks ( when he actually pays his workers ) of those who do know about AI, they don't see AI as a threat to sculptors and carvers.Illustrators are going to be hit, they are already seeing AI take over ( after having been trained on their scraped work ) , CNC can make inroads into anything where the sculpted or carved medium is homogeneous, thinking also of sintered metals here.But most natural wood is just too variable, unless the pieces are really small.

Pulsed lasers can work stone, if it is regular , but stone with any irregularities and veins etc, nope.

Original handmade high quality Artworks, whilst considered a luxury by many, will always be sought after, by those with money, intelligence, taste, and sometimes only two out of those three, sometimes only one.

Those of us who work with head, hands, heart and soul will continue to have buyers, without needing to compete on price with AI generated ersatz copies etc.
Edited to add,I hope that "the Hawaiian lei of love" statue is left "as is" with the ash, burns sand etc intact, as a reminder.

[NoDNA]

IMHO, AI systems in our world is going to be a real headache, loss of jobs and will drive even more people to welfare.And it certainly isn't CNC or a 3D printer, it is a thing for the companies to cut out labor and rip off even more in profits. AND no price cuts due to no labor in the factories.
In @1967, I learned to program a large CNC unit for machining drive shaft systems for Caterpillar. along with all the programing it took., And that was about what I thought it was for. Whew this is a subject .

And about MikeW's statement about wood, that was our test piece after programming we would run the units through the program 4 times on 4x4 oak. and glad we had good guards on those machines.

Who started this anyway (8+)

[pallin]

More than 20 years ago, I was talking to a bird carver in Maine. There were some beautiful "carvings" in his shop, but they were all resin copies. Customers would not pay for his time creating the originals. As mentioned above, real wood is too variable. It takes a skilled carver to overcome some of the flaws. Likewise, it will take a skilled carver to produce an original to be copied on a CNC machine. It is more likely to be reproduced by 3-D printing.

If you want your carvings to be recognized as carvings, leave a few tool marks, visible grain, obvious flaws. In the Navajo tradition, perfect work in crafts or weaving meant you are ready to die!

[Nebraska]

Musk t ) ,

CNC can make inroads into anything where the sculpted or carved medium is homogeneous, thinking also of sintered metals here.But most natural wood is just too variable, unless the pieces are really small.
.

Well here is are examples of carvings done by CNC 3D carving in natural wood. The pirates manufactured in Moldova are sold on Etsy 12” tall selling for around $90.00 claiming they are handmade. They are also sold on eBay without the handmade claim. Soon with AI I believe they will be able to do this quality of anyone from a couple photos.

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[DiLeon]

If you watch videos...of CNC it is making 3D. I think China has the most advance machines. It will only be a matter of time before the machine can do the whole thing. Tech is double time these days. Never say never......going to happen. Here is a guy making a 3D carving.

[DiLeon]

Take this video give it to China and in one year of improvement it will carve whole statues.
As far as real art goes it has a history of being buried and moved in war, and destruction. It tells stories in the history of man for as long as man has lived. When man wars....art is stolen, moved, and hidden. It lasts often when man does not. But that is not my point.

[NoDNA]

If you watch videos...of CNC it is making 3D. I think China has the most advance machines. It will only be a matter of time before the machine can do the whole thing. Tech is double time these days. Never say never......going to happen. Here is a guy making a 3D carving.

Even for me that is way too much trouble, set up and such. too bad.