How to model pottery with a lathe tool on your iPad

Using the Lathe tool in Nomad Sculpt to make pottery
(Image credit: Glen Southern)

Ask a carpenter about a lathe and you may well be there for a while discussing different headstocks, faceplate or even swarf. And I thought 3D modelling had a lot of jargon! If you ask a 3D modeller the same question, you’ll get a whole different answer.

Lathing in the real world is taking raw material, usually wood or metal, and spinning it while you use tools to carve the surface. It’s used for creating engine parts, furniture, and a whole raft of other things. The 3D equivalent is based on that and it’s used in a similar way. Most 3D software has the tool and a good one for the iPad is Nomad Sculpt.

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Glen Southern

Glen runs SouthernGFX, a small Cheshire-based studio specialising in character and creature design, which creates assets for TV and film. Clients include SKY, Wacom and Oculus Medium and the studio has an impressive project list that features 3D models for Game of Thrones' house sigils. He's been using and training ZBrush for over 15 years and is a Wacom Ambassador for the UK and Ireland. 

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