Selfies get a 3D twist

Next dimension

Ever thought of sharing a hot cuppa with your guests and a 3D replica of yourself in your drawing room? That’s exactly what Devbrat Katiyar and his family do.

“Whenever someone visits us at home, they always ask us about our miniatures, which are hard to miss. It feels fantastic. People have their statues made, we have 3D selfies,” he laughs.

Much like Katiyar, a growing number of people are getting 3D figurines made — which are being touted as the best way to freeze memories in 3D, and keep loved ones near, forever.

“People were introduced to the concept of selfies with the launch of the first front camera phone, and it soon started trending with the launch of applications like Snapchat. We wanted to set the bar higher by introducing the concept of 3D selfies. People are fascinated by this new concept and want a clone for themselves or their loved ones,” says Siddharth Rathod, founder of Bengaluru-based CloneMe – a 3D printing brand.

The process of getting a 3D ‘twin’ created hardly takes a few seconds, and one can also get alterations made to look picture perfect. “An individual, a couple or a family can come to our studio for the 3D scan, which is just a few seconds’ job. Then, after some mesh and texture correction, the model is sent for 3D printing. After 3D printing, a few hours of post-processing is done on the printed figurine and your TwinMe (3D figurines) is ready for dispatch,” Kanika Chahal, founder, Next2future, tells Metrolife.

“The advantage of 3D technology is customisation. A person can have his exact replica or can even ask for any alterations. We did lot of such figurines, where we have done alterations to a fat tummy, extra bulges, or hair,” she adds.

Agrees, Rathod who says that customisation cannot be taken any further. “CloneMe is capable of delivering 100 per cent accurate figurines or make any sort of modification based on the customer’s requirement. A person’s head can be interchanged with any body, the face can be tweaked to your liking, and any kind of accessory can be added,” he says.

Usually made of powder-based ceramic, Gypsum composite or a sandstone-like material, the price for such figurines ranges anywhere between Rs 699 to Rs 60,000 - depending on the size of the product. The delivery time can also range from five to seven working days to two to three weeks. These companies, they say have serviced clients as young as 14 months and gone up till 88 years, and also newly married couples, mothers and wives.

“3D selfie is one of the greatest concepts in customised gifting. However, it is expensive and the customer has to visit the studio to get this done. Many people who approach us want this as a surprise gift for someone. In order to tackle these problems we have started making figurines by just taking images from clients, and have also introduced a slightly lower quality range,” says Anant Haldia, founder of Gurgaon-based Innovate-Create-Exist (I-C-E) Studios.

But how popular is the concept in India? “3D selfies is yet not a trend in India, or anywhere else in the world. It may seem like it has drawn a lot of attention, but very few people know that such a service exists.

People are aware of 3D printing but not many are familiar with the concept of 3D selfies. But in the years to come, it will become a popular and a premium way of capturing memories,” he says.