Alpha_1 has a direct lineage from the development of the teapot and was the basis of Featurecam

Incidentally, I've been following the incredible Interactive Graphics course on YouTube by Cem Yuksel (mentioned in TFA for his improved teapot): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVCuWQV_-Es&list=PLplnkTzzqs...

Seems to have been part of a bigger collection:

> The sculpture, titled Smithfield Utah, was created by artist Alan Butler. It was formally unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland. It is the second of six new sculptures being created as part of Dublin City Council’s Sculpture Dublin initiative. The work was inspired by the shape of the Utah Teapot, a ‘virtual’ teapot form designed by mathematician Martin Newell in Utah in 1975. https://www.thejournal.ie/teapot-sculpture-smithfield-square...

Personally, it seems less like "Inspired by the shape of the Utah Teapot" and more something I'd create myself when I was a beginner with 3DS Max 9 back in the day. Most people will just see a normal teapot, a very small selection of niche visitors will recognize it as the Utah Teapot, available as a default object in 3DS Max since forever.

Almost any 3D artist doing objects, especially a new category of objects they haven't done before, will do so with 3 or more reference images from every angle and model based on those, pretty tightly initially at least. But even with that, you add your own style and taste into the modeled object, and almost never will say that what you referenced from is the "original object" in that manner.

"Inspired by" works well though and doesn't remove anyone's agency or lessen their "creation" of it :)

- Ed Catmull

- Raphael Rom

- Henri Gouraud

- Jim Blinn

- Bui Ton Phong

I think they “made their mark” when they essentially invented 3D graphics.

I'd say the Utah teapot is much better known in CG circles than the Stanford dragon.