3D People Help In Creation Of Geometrically Complex Head-Mounted POV Camera

(27^th April 2026, London, U.K.) Cyclops is a head-mounted POV camera system designed to capture footage exactly as the operator sees it. Developed by cinematographer James Medcraft, it sits at the intersection of filmmaking and 3D design. From the outset, additive manufacturing wasn’t just used during development, it became the foundation for how the product was built and produced.

That decision shaped everything that followed.

The idea behind Cyclops is simple, but the execution isn’t. As James Medcraft, Founder of Cyclops POV says. “Having shot many projects in the past that required a point of view solution, I was never satisfied with the on-set experience or the resulting footage.” 

Traditional POV rigs tend to introduce compromises. Either the camera setup gets in the way of the operator, or the resulting footage doesn’t quite match what the human eye sees. In many cases, both. Cyclops was developed to remove those compromises entirely. The system uses custom optics to reflect the wearer’s view directly into the camera, capturing a natural field of view and depth of field, while still allowing the operator to interact freely with the scene.

Solving all of that in one system meant dealing with tight packaging, unusual geometries, and a constant balancing act between weight, strength, and usability.

From a manufacturing point of view, Cyclops doesn’t fit neatly into traditional processes. The parts are relatively low volume, geometrically complex, and closely tied to an evolving design.

Additive manufacturing removes those constraints entirely. Parts can be produced directly from CAD without tooling, without minimum order quantities, and without redesigning around manufacturing limitations. This allowed Cyclops to remain a tightly integrated system rather than becoming an assembly of simplified parts.

A big part of getting Cyclops right came down to iteration. Medcraft continues, “The primary challenges were iterative testing at speed, which was where 3D People gave me some great support.” Instead of waiting weeks between iterations, changes could be made and tested within days. “I worked with 3D People through the prototyping stages of Cyclops and now use them for manufacturing the final parts.”

Medcraft’s background in 3D design played a big role in how Cyclops came together. As he explains, “PA12 has become the material of choice for Cyclops due to its inherent isotropic strengths and design freedom.” 

As the project moved into production, consistency became just as important as flexibility. “The best 3D printing service provider isn’t just a company with lots of machines but a team that understands their customers’ products.” Medcraft concludes.

Cyclops is a good example of additive manufacturing being used where it genuinely fits. The volumes are low enough that tooling doesn’t make sense. The design is complex enough that traditional manufacturing would introduce compromise. In that context, additive manufacturing isn’t just convenient, it’s enabling.

Projects like Cyclops show what happens when the process is used deliberately, in the right conditions, and with a clear understanding of where it adds value.

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