utah variations

utah variations is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Utah Teapot by Martin Newell. Many consider this humble teapot to be the most important object in the history of computer graphics. As a graduate student, Newell created the original coordinates by hand on graph paper. He later said that if he’d known it would become so popular, he would have done a more careful job on the dataset. He half-jokingly lamented that despite all the things he has done for digital graphics, the only thing he will be remembered for is “that damned teapot.“

These variations combine a “more careful” dataset with various projection methodologies. I took the measurements from a vintage Melitta teapot of the same era. From this data, I developed a Bezier model, which I later converted to high-resolution polygons for manufacturing purposes. I then distorted the basic reference model using a lattice deformer, creating an isometric, axonometric, and 2-point perspective version. I used other methods to create a parallel projection, section, rotation, and scale version.

Except for the scale variation, each was 3D printed using selective laser sintering technology to generate a sculpture in stainless steel. The scale sculpture was printed in PETG using standard techniques on a large-scale Prusa XL FDM printer.

Reference

Isometric

Axonometric

2-point perspective

Parallel projection

Section

Rotation

Scale