Daniel Throne ’27 never expected his 3D-printed creations to catch anyone’s attention beyond a few friends at brunch. Yet, Throne’s “Rockwell Rocks” series, a collection of 3D-printed interpretations of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has not only added a pop of color to the Dyer Center’s environment but has transformed the space into a miniature showcase of collaborative student innovation.
Throne’s project began last year when he brought his first 3D sculpture to a Lafayette Hillel Society Bagel Brunch, in a joking attempt to continue a friend’s high school hobby of creating 3D-printed The Rock sculptures. This first creation, “Rockmander,” a fusion of The Rock and Pokémon character “Charmander,” was what Throne calls “the one that started it all.”
“People seemed to really get a kick out of it, so I printed a couple more to continue the joke,” Throne said.
Now, the project has grown to a multi-colored collection of 3D-printed figures that blend The Rock with a variety of cartoon characters, pop culture personas and everyday items, all posted on the project’s dedicated Instagram account, @RockwellRockss.
Throne creates at least one sculpture a week, supported by Samuel Adgate ’26 and some other friends.
“They’re the peer reviewers for the project,” Throne said. “They sometimes help me when I’m deciding the size of it or if I make any mistakes while 3D printing.”
Throne’s favorite creation is the “Rock-well” — a cross between The Rock and a well — because of its intricate design and its literal realization of the “Rockwell” of the Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center.
“This is basically the mascot,” Throne said of the Rock-well.
Throne works regularly in the Dyer Center’s “Makerspace,” a hub built for students to indulge in hands-on innovation. His process involves garnering design ideas, digital modeling and careful consideration of 3D printing techniques.
“One of the things that Makerspace is here for is to spark wild, creative, innovative ideas,” said Rita Chesterton, the director of the Dyer Center. “To me, this is just one of them.”
For Throne and Adgate, both integrative engineering majors with robotics concentrations, the Makerspace is more than just a workshop.
“We wanted a place where we can have tools and materials to really create things,” Adgate said.
“The feeling of improving or creating something is a really good feeling, like an accomplishing feeling,” Throne said.
Throne’s social media outreach, along with his display in the Dyer Center, have drawn attention to the makerspace’s resources.
“A lot of people show up to the Dyer Center and have questions,” Adgate said. “‘Where were those 3D printed?’ or ‘I didn’t know we had 3D printers on campus. Where can I get access to those?’”
Thorne’s once-solo endeavor has transformed into a collaborative effort for the campus community to discover and engage with campus resources through humor.
“The main reason I do this now is for that humor,” Throne said. “It makes people’s days.”