How LSC brought 'Game of Thrones' to life using 3D printers
When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. And on Nov. 16, we played the game!
Our latest LSC After Dark event for guests 21 and over, “Whiskey & Winter Are Coming,” was a party devoted to Game of Thrones. The building was filled with activities, experiments, cocktails, and contests inspired by the hit series.
Many guests asked about how we built two of our most popular attractions at the event, the Iron Throne and the Hall of Faces, even wanting to know how they could make their own.
Both the Iron Throne and Hall of Faces were custom-made here at the Science Center using 3D printers, vacuformers, and other cutting-edge programming tools from our MakerLab.
The Iron Throne – inspired by, of course, the iconic seat of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms – was made using a laser cutter, specifically the “Epilog 60wt Laser Printer.”
The uses for laser cutting are nearly limitless. It works by directing a high-power laser from a computer at the material to be cut. The material is singed away while a small jet of air blows away any particulates, like dust or smoke. This allows for a smooth edge for high quality.
In the series, the Iron Throne was constructed with steel. Our Iron Throne has no steel, but rather EPS and EVA foam. Using these materials, and the assistance of the laser cutter, we built our swords for the throne.
Guests had a blast taking photos with it, posing like a king or queen and showing off that they’re the true heir to the kingdom.
For the Hall of Faces – inspired by the spooky wall of dead, doomed faces of which Arya Stark was a recurring visitor – our MakerLab masters used a device called an “Artec-Scanner,” a hand-held body scanner that can be used to scan the entire body.
For our purposes, we just needed to scan faces. So we grabbed some LSC employees and got to work. From there, the scans were created into a file. With that file, a 3D printer was used to turn the scans into lifelike silhouettes.
With some mild airbrushing, we recreated the faces from the wall, and made a hole for guests to insert their own faces!
All of these tools and more can be found right here in our LSC MakerLab – and you’re invited to try them out yourself! If you’re a Star Wars fan, you might be especially excited about our upcoming saber construction course. Use these above-mentioned devices to create your own glowing saber, just in time for The Last Jedi.
Click here to learn more about the 3-course saber series (Dec. 2, 9, and 16) plus information on how to register.
