I have a couple projects on the back burner which require the construction of miniature sets and props.  The projects are a stop motion short film and a series of still photography using miniatures.  The big obstical to moving from planning to production has been the daunting prospect of time required to carve out sets and props by hand.   Added to that, I’m not overly confident about my ability to wood carve the objects I need to the quality that I’m envisioning.

Looking for a better and faster solution than doing this all by hand, I’ve discovered a couple digital wood working products which might provide the solution I’m looking for.  They have hefty price tags, but it’s doable with the right number of months putting aside some savings for the undertaking.

http://www.digitalwoodcarver.com/

Of course even with one of these tools, I’ll have to dedicate time for design and file formatting/importing through the software system.  I don’t mind that so much if the finished quality can be predictably high.   I’m not afraid of putting in time.  I’m more concerned with sinking a lot of time into something with an outcome of poor or substandard quality which causes me to ditch the whole thing altogether.

I have a sort of addiction to tools which has developed over the past couple of years.  I’m not crazy about it.  It’s not like I keep multiple sets of the same tool, but I do like having them on hand to accomplish what I need to without calling in a professional (if at all possible).  I’ve been buying them one at a time, as projects come up, but I’m trying to pull myself back from large purchases unless there is a long-term definitive need for them.

Stiiiiiiill weighing whether or not a digital wood carver qualifies.