Spotted Lanternfly Models

The goal of this project was to produce an accurate model of each of the three life stages of the spotted lanternfly that could be distributed to local farmers and educators to spread the word about the then new invasive species.

The preserved specimens of the Spotted Lanternfly were both preserved in alcohol and too small to reliably scan, we instead turned to faithfully modeling them by eye, using a microscope. Each of the three stages were modeled and colored in Z brush and then scaled to the appropriate size in Rhino. Because the bugs would be too small to reliably stay intact after printing, we chose to “encase” them in resin, as would have been traditionally done. We were lucky to have just purchased a Stratasys J735 Polyjet Printer, which gave us the ability to print the models, fully encased and in color. After printing the models were additionally heat cured, hand sanded and polished, to better see the “specimen” inside. Since creating this model we have provided over 500 prints that have been distributed across the tristate area as well as parts of Ohio.