In the circuslike atmosphere of trade shows, Russ Ogi, chief operating officer of Rapid Technology LLC, found it difficult to stand out when showing prototypes as small and pedestrian as a shampoo bottle, computer mouse or automobile mirror.

What was amazing was not the objects themselves, but the way they were created, using 3-D printers that are not only quickening the pace of product development, but altering the way architects, engineers, doctors and dentists work.

Ogi knew the company, which sells 3-D printers, needed something as fantastic and futuristic as the technology itself. So he went to work, first crafting masklike helmets based on the “tokusatsu,” or Japanese TV superheroes, of his youth, among them characters from the live-action series “Kikaida” and “Kamen Rider.”

That did the trick. Potential customers started doing double takes when they saw his creations. Ogi could have stopped there but kept going, drawing on a childhood fascination with samurai armor to imagine and create armor as it might appear if the shogunate existed today.

His work is also leading him full circle, back to the world of 3-D modeling and animation for film. One of the first projects to use his costumes is Sam Campos’ TV superhero series, “Dragonfly.” More projects are in the works.

It’s taken a while for the local industry to catch up with Ogi’s capabilities. He initially set out studying photography at the University of Hawaii but switched when the school started its digital technology program, hoping to do the kind of computer-generated work associated with such films as “Spider-Man” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

In 1997, when he enrolled in the program, the technology was so new that he found himself learning side by side with instructors who were trying to stay one step ahead of students.

“There was a lot of trial and error and self-learning,” he said.

Once he graduated, he found the market lagged behind his abilities. “CG tends to be a very niche market, and there wasn’t much opportunity for 3-D artists in Hawaii,” he said.

Born and raised in Hilo, Ogi decided to stay in Hawaii and wait for the marketplace to catch up. When he started working for Rapid Technology and saw the work being produced via 3-D printers, which build objects with layer upon layer of plastic or eco-friendly, biodegradable plaster material, he saw its potential as an outlet for bringing his 3-D fantasies out into the real world. He justified his work to his bosses by suggesting they needed to create objects that would grab attention and show off their machines’ capabilities.

With the 3-D printers, computer-aided design is giving product designers the capability to generate product prototypes immediately instead of undergoing the time-consuming process of having them built, sculpted, molded, carved or otherwise created by hand to gauge their usability.

Ogi said the printers are able to build objects at a rate of 1 inch per hour. Ogi’s helmets and body armor, which he recently donned for Camera Obscura’s “Taken: Aliens & Sci-Fi Fashion Show,” are created in pieces, with some of the largest pieces taking two days to “print.” Prototype objects created for clients can cost anywhere from $50 to more than $10,000.

For all his efforts, Ogi said he’s sometimes told that his work can’t be considered art “because the computer does all the work — anybody can do that,” but that kind of thinking discounts the conceptualizing and skill that goes into the design, as well as the handwork that goes into finishing a piece.

“The software doesn’t make decisions. You still need an operator to do the work. The only difference is you’re creating something in the virtual world versus the real world,” Ogi said. “It takes a lot of work and skill to make them look like they do when they’re finished.”

Ogi’s work caught the eye of Hawaii-raised Hollywood stuntman Vernon Rieta, and the two have done art shows together and might collaborate on future projects.

Some of Rapid Technology’s biggest clients are hospitals and public schools, but fashion designers can also use 3-D printers to customize jewelry and headpieces for their collections.

Ogi’s thrilled that technology has enabled him to merge his traditional art abilities with his analytical side, and from the creative side it seems like play, as he envisions the modern samurai in superhero mode.