Ekaterina Gamova – Artec scans international volleyball star

Summers are best spent at the seaside. While most of us are dizzily lying at the beach, others prefer a friendly game of Volleyball. Ekaterina Gamova, Russia’s Volleyball national team member, has turned this sport into her profession. As a part of the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) marketing campaign this summer, Ekaterina was captured with an Artec MH scanner with the aim of creating a 4 m statue of the sportswoman.

Katya, as fans lovingly call the 2,02 m tall athlete, is FIVB’s Most Valuable Player and World Championship Gold Medal Winner 2010. Artec met Ekaterina to get her full body scan earlier this year. Due to her height, the process had to be split in two: capturing her from the shoulders down to her feet took about five minutes.

Her hair, which is always difficult to scan, was sprayed with baby powder and her head fully captured in just under a minute. Ekaterina was excited: “The scanning process was really interesting! I hope these statues help boost people’s interest in Volleyball.” The two scans were merged and edited in Artec Studio. A German company called 3D Culture then created a 4-meter sculpture out of fiberglass – an impressive true copy of the Russian Volleyball star.

The statues were first erected this July at the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Rome and are supposed to be displayed near major FIVB tournaments to attract attention and help promote the sport. Watch the video below to see how Artec helped create big idols this summer: