3D scanning trainers, Ursae Ltd

    

Rupert Todd and Ben Ryan, Ursae Ltd

Our trainers Rupert Todd and Ben Ryan are both award winning designers and craftsmen who specialise in creating unique items, using a mixture of cutting edge technology and traditional making skills. With over 30 years combined experience in Computer Aided Design (CAD), engineering and manufacture, the duo have helped create and deliver projects for a vast range of clients from individuals and Trusts to Royalty. They have produced everything from pieces of jewellery and homeware, to interior design projects and public art installations.

Their work has been exhibited internationally and at the V&A, and examples can be found on permanent display in the National Museum of Wales, and on the site of William Shakespeare’s family home ‘New Place’ in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Since setting up their companies Ursae Ltd and Wax-Masters Ltd in 2013, the pair has also helped train a wide cross section of students and apprentices in both industrial and academic environments; tutoring mainly for Simply Rhino UK and The Goldsmiths’ Company apprenticeship programme. With expert knowledge of software such as Rhino 3D (versions 3,4,5 & 6), Rhino Gold, Rhino CAM, Blender, ZBrush, V-Ray, Arion Render and Grasshopper, they have helped newcomers to these packages feel at ease when learning and developing their skills.

Working with 3D printers, 3D scanners and Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milling machines educationally and within their CAD bureau service, they have helped others acquire the necessary skill set to create high quality files for use within this technological field.

Ben Ryan:

After creating a replica of the first Paralympic medal, for the Guttmann Centres Heritage Museum, it became apparent that some of our technical knowledge and skills set could be usefully for the new Digital Explorations Project.

Rupert Todd:

Being used to delivering industry standard training for both novice and advanced software users we felt we could help give people with mixed abilities some new skills that they may wish to pursue further into a career.

Being able to help capture pieces of sporting history and art is an exciting prospect. Many of the objects we will help the participants of the digital exploration programme scan and capture will be important and iconic items.

Ben Ryan:

To be involved with a project focused around giving people a creative or technical skill/outlet is really important to us. My brother Chris Ryan captains the GB Wheelchair Rugby Squad, and has been fortunate to find his calling through sport. However not everyone is wired in the same way or fortunate enough to be able to do this. The Guttmann centre and the staff at Stoke Mandeville were crucial in his development as an athlete, and for us to be able to give a little something back and help others with perhaps a more creative or technical passion is a great thing to be a part of.

Examples of some of Ryan & Todd’s creations can be found on their company website: www.ursae.com

Photogrammetry trainer, Dr Li Sou

Dr Li Sou is an Illustrator at Cotswold Archaeology, who specialises in the digital documentation and visualisation of archaeological sites, structures and artefacts using 3D image capture and traditional drawing techniques. Her PhD research utilised terrestrial laser scanning, Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry and archive data to examine three well-known Iron Age brochs on Shetland. Having worked with national heritage bodies across the United Kingdom in geospatial imaging, she is well-versed in 3D processing software, including; Agisoft Metashape, RealityCapture, Leica Cyclone, FARO Scene, CloudCompare and Blender, and in delivering 3D digital content and training to a wide range of audiences.

Cotswold Archaeology is one of the top archaeology service providers in the UK, and an educational outreach charity. 3D modelling has been widely adopted within the company as a means of creating accurate geospatial datasets and outreach products for a range of clients and the public. You can visit their virtual museum here: https://cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/museum/

Training workshops

April 2022 Update

  

A third cohort of participants have joined the project and in February received training from our professional 3D digital model makers. This takes the total to 16 people who have been involved in the project and been trained in these new skills.

We have reached our project target, of scanning nearly 50 objects from the museum collection and are very grateful for the loan of some objects too.  Recently, we scanned some items loaned from a volunteer 'Gamesmakers’ at the London 2012 Games. 

We are now working on editing the models so that they can be published on the website, completing historical research and writing museum labels. Our participants have completed some excellent research and well-written labels for the objects.  Plans are being made with exhibition designers to incorporate the 3D models, research and photographs into a co-curated virtual exhibition.