Singer 15K "Sphinx" Sewing Machine

I'd been seeing this vintage sewing machine since I was kid. Those summers in the village, in the corner of a room in a very old house. Even so, that old machine, well-used and damaged, fascinated me with its Egyptian decor. I only knew it belonged to a great-aunt I'd never met, and she was an embroiderer. The signs of wear from her hands and repetitive movements are very visible and clearly demonstrate its continued use.

From a very young age, I demanded that no one throw away or sell that Singer sewing machine, because I wanted it with me. Now it is converted into a small lamp and side table in my living room, and I love looking at it every day.

I turned this sewing manchine into a 3D model with several objectives:

- Practice hard surface. I feel more comfortable with organic modeling and sculpture in general, but I also enjoy creating objects.
- Encourage myself to model with Maya and Blender (I prefer 3Ds Max, but I want to master all three software programs to a similar level).
- Reviewing workflows. Use photogrametry or just photos.
- Improve my skills of Unreal Engine and practicing lighting and rendering a simple scene using free models from Fab.

I've also enjoyed trying to date and research as much as possible. Because I believe that accurate references and information are vital to creating a work that is faithful and respectful of the original piece, especially if the model's purpose is for educational purposes or for museums and exhibitions.

Based on its serial number F6166940, this model could be, due to its mechanism, the 15K from 1915. Manufactured in Kilbowie factory, Clydebank (Scotland).
Singer Manufacturing Company was founded in the mid-19th century in the United States, but due to high demand, it expanded its production to Europe, specifically the United Kingdom.

This model became so popular and distinctive that the Egyptian decorations gave it the name "Memphis" or "Sphinx" sewing machine. Although the decals appeared in the 1890s, they continued using it until the 1950s!

In the 3D model, both the reliefs and the decals were taken from my own sewing machine, except for the ones at the bottom, which are badly damaged. They were created by editing photos and polarizing the relief to achieve more detail when creating alphas in Photoshop and Illustrator.

The brand's relief was also extracted using cross-polarization and projection to obtain the most realistic volume possible.

Finally, I would like to thank to Javi Durán (https://www.artstation.com/javierduran) for his mentorship throughout the process, especially in the use of Unreal Engine and image capture.

I hope you like this project! See you in the next one!