The current invention provides a device that produces a three-dimensional object with custom art work from an electronic signal. More particularly, the preferred implementation is a device for making masquerade-type masks, and includes a digital camera that captures a front-on image of an individual's face and converts the captured image to an electronic signal that is downloaded into a personal computer. The computer is utilized to select an image, process that image to remove background, scale the image to correspond to the dimensions and features of a facial die that will be used to mold the mask, and to provide for special effects processing of the selected image. An ink jet plotter is then directed to print the processed image upon thin, flat plastic, which is aligned with the facial features of the die and deformed to skin tight conformance with the die by a vacuum-forming process. The finished mask bears art work, upon its convex exterior, that realistically imitates the face of the individual which served as the model for the mask.
A method of making a mask representing a photographic subject includes the steps of: simultaneously capturing a front and two side face views of the subject using a single camera and a pair of mirrors, one mirror on each side of the subject's head; forming a digital image of the captured front and side views; digitally processing the digital image by mirroring the two side views and blending the two side views with the front view to form a blended image; and transferring the blended image to a head sock.
A three-dimensional photographic technique comprises scanning the outside surface of the three-dimensional surface such as a human subject using a color digitizer which generates spatial and color data relating to the outside surface. The spatial data is used to generate a mold having a concave surface corresponding to the outside surface of the subject. A thin hollow shell of transparent plastics material is molded in the mold to define an outer surface of the shell which corresponds to the outer surface of the subject. The photographic material is applied on the inside surface of the hollow shell and is exposed using an image manipulation system and fiber optic transportation system which extracts the light from a screen and transmit it to a position adjacent the outside surface of the hollow shell to provide the required colored image on the photographic material for display through the transparent material of the hollow shell.
The process involves rotating the person on a first rotatable support and scanning the rotating head with respect to both topography and color. The scanning output is digitized and fed to a computer with custom software. On a second rotatable support are forming means driven by the computer and used to fashion a partly finished doll's head based on the topography input. The partly finished head is then transferred to a third rotatable support and as it rotates, ink jets also driven by the computer software, colors the doll's head correspondingly.
Ejection nozzles (152a-152g) are located in a nozzle surface (153) of an ejection head (150). A distance (H: Ha-Hg) between each of the ejection nozzles (152a-152g) and a printing object (109) is obtained and compared with a permissible distance (H0) which is determined by the required level of print quality. The ejection nozzles (152a-152d) whose distances (H) from the printing object (109) are not more than the permissible distance (H0) are enabled for ink ejection, while the ejection nozzles (152e-152g) whose distances (H) are greater than the permissible distance (H0) are disabled for ink ejection. The surface of a printing object (228) is divided into a plurality of target areas (205), each of which is then approximated by a projective plane (206). Then, image data about a projected image (208) which is obtained by orthogonal projection of a print image (207) onto the projective planes (206), is obtained from print image data about an image to be printed on the surface of the printing object (228). According to the projected image data obtained, printing is performed on the target area (205) while moving a ink-jet printhead (210) in parallel with the projective planes (206). This inhibits image degradation during printing on a three-dimensional printing object and also facilitates control of the inclination and position of the ejection head relative to the printing object, thereby permitting high-speed printing.
An object of the present invention is to build a simulated image in which a subject's hair is changed to a desired color, and to accurately suggest the hair dye needed to dye the subject's hair from its existing color to the desired color. To achieve this object, the hair color advice system according to the present invention includes (i) an image memory into which image data regarding the subject is input and stored, (ii) a processor that finds the hair area in the input image of the subject and builds a simulated image in which the color of the hair area is changed to any color, and (iii) a monitor 4 on which the input image of the subject and/or the simulated image are displayed.
