US Mint Videos: Sculpting

US Mint - After a design is approved, a United States Mint's sculptor-engraver can create a model using either traditional methods or newer digital methods. With traditional tools, the drawing is sculpted in clay and refined using plaster, and the resulting three-dimensional bas-relief sculpt is then digitally scanned. Using digital methods, the relief is directly modeled using a variety of software tools. Either method produces a digital database that is measured and verified to confirm adherence to all design and manufacturing guidelines.