Resources • Courses
Advanced Techniques for Custom Thumb Spica Design
Take your Nomad Sculpt workflow beyond the basics. Nomad Secrets for Hand Splints builds on the Foundations course with more advanced techniques for designing a custom thumb spica splint from a 3D scan.
Across five step-by-step lessons, you’ll learn how to correct anatomy, create localized offsets, perform Boolean operations, integrate functional components, and create clean, uniform perforation patterns. The course culminates in a 10-step master workflow that brings these techniques together to create a refined, professional finished splint.
5 Lessons | Approximately 1 Hour 50 Minutes
A look at the advanced workflow you’ll learn.
$249
Instant access after purchase
Build on the Foundations workflow and learn advanced techniques for designing a custom thumb spica splint in Nomad Sculpt.
Five lessons, approximately 1 hour 50 minutes.
Learn how to correct wrist position and modify anatomy within a 3D scan before beginning your splint design. This lesson also provides a brief overview of important bony landmarks to consider when designing a custom thumb spica.
Learn a more advanced Facegroup-based workflow while creating a solid thumb spica splint. You’ll learn how to divide and independently manipulate different regions of the design to create localized offsets and gain greater control over splint fit.
Learn how to use Boolean operations in Nomad Sculpt to add, subtract, and combine geometry, an essential technique for modifying and building more complex designs.
Learn how to integrate functional components directly into your splint design, including a Velcro anchor and rivet holes. The component STL files demonstrated in this lesson are included with the course.
Bring everything together in the most advanced workflow of the course. This lesson introduces a 10-step process for creating a professionally finished thumb spica with a clean, uniform perforation pattern. You’ll learn how to create a high-density quad mesh, isolate and UV map a Facegroup, apply a black-and-white pattern, project the pattern onto the model as a mask, create the perforations, and combine the different components into the final splint.
This workflow brings together techniques from throughout the course to demonstrate the complete process from prepared model to finished design.
Included With The Course
The course includes downloadable resources so students can follow along with the demonstrated workflows.
The Diamond Pattern image file is used for the uniform perforation workflow in Lesson 5.
What you’ll need:
Lessons 1 to 4 do not require Quad Remesher and are less computationally demanding. However, 16 GB of RAM is recommended for the course, particularly for Lesson 5.
Lesson 5 uses a high-density quad mesh and is significantly more memory intensive. For the best experience, we recommend:
Students using devices with less memory may still be able to complete Lessons 1 to 4, but performance with the high-density mesh used in Lesson 5 may vary.
Lesson 5 requires the Quad Remesher plug-in by Exoside. Quad Remesher is a separate purchase and is not included with the course. It is not required for Lessons 1 to 4.
Learn More About Quad RemesherPrevious experience with Nomad Sculpt is strongly recommended. This course builds on fundamental Nomad Sculpt tools and concepts and is not intended as an introduction to the Nomad Sculpt interface.
New to Nomad Sculpt?
If you’re new to Nomad Sculpt or have never designed a custom splint from a 3D scan, we recommend starting with Nomad Sculpt Foundations for Custom Hand Splints.
The Foundations course introduces the Nomad Sculpt interface and teaches a complete introductory workflow for transforming a 3D scan into a custom, printable hand splint.
Once you’re comfortable with the Foundations workflow, Nomad Secrets for Hand Splints takes those skills further with more advanced control over anatomy, fit, components, and surface design.
View the Foundations CourseZachary Schluger, MS, OTR/L, CHT
Zachary Schluger is a Certified Hand Therapist and the founder of Splintech, where he explores the intersection of hand therapy, digital design, and additive manufacturing.
His work focuses on developing practical workflows that allow clinicians to use 3D scanning, digital sculpting, and 3D printing to create highly customized upper-extremity orthoses.
My goal is to make advanced digital splint design approachable for clinicians, without requiring a traditional CAD background.
Learn the advanced Nomad Sculpt techniques behind a fully customized thumb spica, from correcting anatomy and controlling localized offsets to adding functional components and creating uniform perforations.
5 Lessons | ~1 Hour 50 Minutes | Downloadable Design Resources Included
$249
Instant access after purchase
Precision-crafted splints designed by a Certified Hand Therapist.
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