Business Profile: My Mini 3D Me, Yorktown
By Janine Bowen
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a new business lets clients freeze time on more than just a glossy 4×6.
My Mini 3D Me allows people to capture a person in a figurine with exquisite detail. The business was started only two months ago by William La Pierre, who has owned the Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown since 1996.
After his success in the funeral business, La Pierre wanted to start a separate side venture that could combine his love of technology with his desire to put a smile on the faces of local residents.
“Since the funeral home business has a lot of heartache in it, he really wanted to bring a positive impact into the community with the business,” said Chelsea Waller, Executive Director of Public Relations for the company.
La Pierre took a risk when he started the company, investing his money in a Pro Jet 660 3D printer. There are only four of these printers in existence around the world, and La Pierre is the only person in New York to own one. Waller explained that, although there are other 3D printers in the state, they are not able to pick up the specific detail that the Pro Jet 660 can.
“It’s just amazing, the detail that comes out. It’s unimaginable that you can get that from a printer,” said Waller. She explained that even small details like wrinkles, clothing logos, or jewelry are able to be captured and reproduced with this printer.
In order to create the mini 3D model, La Pierre must scan the person from all sides to produce multiple images that are digitally compiled on a computer. Those digital images are then sent to a special program, called Mud Box, which transforms the image into a digital clay formation that can be sculpted and molded on a touchscreen computer. Once the image is ready, it is sent to the Pro Jet, where it takes eight hours to print.
The printing process may take less than a day, but Waller advises that any customer interested in purchasing a Mini 3D Me place their order a few weeks in advance. The whole process, from the scan to the final product, can take up to two weeks. That time increases for purchases of multiple figurines.
She also explained that, although they can create a Mini 3D Me from a photograph, it is not advisable because the final product will not be as impressive.
“[La Pierre] is really keen on getting a quality product with those unimaginable details and you just can’t get it from a photo,” she said.
Currently, the company has been doing a lot of work with kids, creating 3D Me’s, and shadow boxes of camps and sports teams in their uniforms. In addition, they have received attention for their wedding cake toppers, which were recently displayed at the Bridal Show at the Westchester County Center.
“People were amazed about how it looked just like the face [of the actual person] and all of the details of the clothing,” she said.
Despite being a new business, My Mini 3D Me is already working on permanent contracts with several local sports teams and camps to create more shadow boxes, which are essentially group portraits, but comprised of the unique figurines. They also create trophies for teams, who can put a figure of the actual player on top.
The company is also in the process of finding a store location. Currently, La Pierre travels to the homes of people who want to purchase a 3D figure, so they hope to find a central location for customers to come. In the meantime, My Mini 3D Me is just focusing on helping people capture a moment of time in a unique and creative way.
“It’s like you freeze a moment of time. You can’t stay a certain age forever, so it’s really neat to capture that,” said Waller.
To learn more about My Mini 3D Me, visit www.mini-3d-me.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
