Trail Camera 3D Skin Making

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Nov 6, 2008

Do you know trail cameras ? People hang them to the woods and photograph the visiting animals with the 100 year expectation of photographing yeti.
Now I love their three dimensional skins.
I read somewhere about mixing two paints very careful and applying on to the camera. You dont have to mix too much.
Do you know a expert on them ? Or a book to craft these wood like skins , special paints , tricks etc ?

Best ,

Mustafa Umut Sarac

johnnywalker · Nov 6, 2008

After the first sentence, you lost me. What is a three dimensional skin? Are you talking about painting the camera to resemble its background? camouflage?

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Nov 6, 2008

Hi Johnnywalker , yes , it is sculpture , very very thick , looks like a tree surface.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Nov 6, 2008

yes , three dimensional camouflage

johnnywalker · Nov 7, 2008

I have no expertise in this, but if it's animals you're trying to photograph I doubt if it would be necessary to camouflage the camera for their sake. I'd be more worried about moisture and dust getting at the camera.

Ole · Nov 7, 2008

Camouflage is mostly for people; animals aren't so easily fooled.

The main problem with paint is that it smells, and that matters to animals.

Look up "marbling".

Pupfish · Nov 7, 2008

He's perhaps asking about a technique of adding texture that looks like tree bark (uncannily like the real thing) to the surface of a Pelican case, most likely this:
http://www.easy3dcamo.com/

I believe they're talking about using construction adhesive that comes in caulk gun cartridges to be used for the final 3D skin on the trailcam box, and about using a silicon rubber mold to make it. Last I'd checked, the molds were no longer offered by the website above but it might give the OP inspiration to make his own.

Yes, it's mostly for people that you need to hide a trail cam but that's not insignificant. Trail cams get stolen all the time, unfortunately it's the flash that'll give them away regardless of camo unless you use IR-only filtered flash with IR film/ digicam sensor. Dope growers and poachers don't like to leave evidence behind. (They're also likely wearing night vision goggles that will see the flash, nowadays.)

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Nov 7, 2008

Pupfish , Thank you very much. Best way is to mold a tree surface with silicon.

Pupfish · Nov 7, 2008

I must have been in a hurry this morning. Revise that to say silicone rubber, the kind with a consistency to be is used in mask and mold-making. Here in California movie prop supply houses would be a good source; I don't know what to tell you about how to find it in Turkey, though.

domaz · Nov 26, 2008

An old climber I met once posted a sign at a parking area that was frequented by car prowlers. It said something like "Don't leave valuables in car", the thieves didn't like this sign so they kept stealing it. He found a simple solution to this problem (for him)- he found a tree with a tall bare trunk and no low hanging branches and used his climbing gear to go up about 30 feet and put the sign there. No one stole the sign after that. My point is this is probably the easiest way to make sure no one steals the camera and it will be high enough up that animals won't be bothered by it either.

Trail Camera 3D Skin Making

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