Clinton Hatcher did the unthinkable. He sold a thriving dock-building business and an island at Beaver Dam to invest in uncharted territory at Smith Mountain Lake.

After about a year of research, Hatcher opened 4DD Studios in Goodview, a company that creates three-dimensional Styrofoam sculptures like those commonly seen at amusement parks and casinos.

"My original thought was that this could be handy with theme restaurants -- the stuff that you would expect to see in a foyer entrance area, the stuff you would expect to see in Las Vegas," said Hatcher, who lives in Goodview.

But 4DD's first big project wasn't for a restaurant. It was for Mill Mountain Zoo. The company was commissioned to create a life-size replica of Ruby, a tiger who lived at the zoo from 1988 until her death in December.

"We had artists throughout Roanoke come in ... it took six to seven weeks to make Ruby," said Ehab Salem, general manager of 4DD.

He said it took longer to make the tiger than usual, because the team had to ensure the sculpture would be as close to Ruby's likeness as possible.

"The hardest part wasn't making the tiger," Salem said. "It was making Ruby."

Now that Ruby is complete and in place at the Mill Mountain Zoo, the team at 4DD is working on several other projects for customers along the East Coast and as far away as California.

"We're doing a life-sized sculpture of General Eisenhower for a Bedford artist," said Hatcher. "He makes small ones -- about six inches. We're making a life-sized one. We're piecing it together and he'll take over."

The team also is working with a variety of military museums to make soldiers, a water park that commissioned it to create an alligator and a pet company that wants a 3-D business sign.

All these projects begin with a large brick of Styrofoam -- 4 feet by 8 feet. The Styrofoam bricks range in weight from 100 to 300 pounds.

The team uses scanning equipment to create a 3-D drawing of the object it's commissioned to make. The Styrofoam block is then cut to approximate size and shape using a hot wire machine.

Next, the Styrofoam is moved to a milling machine that cuts out the basic detail for the sculpture. One of the artists then sands and shapes it to accentuate the fine details.

The sculpture is pieced together and coated with thick plastic to prevent wear and tear. Finally, the artists paint the sculpture, which is then covered with industrial clear coating to make it scratch- and weather-resistant.

Because the sculptures are made out of Styrofoam, they are lightweight and easy to transport.

"We consider this Disney and Hollywood technology," Salem said. "It's never really been available in Virginia."

Salem came to 4DD from New York, where he worked for a kitchen design company. Jake Smith, a professor at Virginia Western Community College, serves as the company's art director. Machinist Noel Walker; Travis Burke, sales and marketing; Kendall Woodard, artist; and Jodi Michaels, office manager; round out the staff.

"We've got a great team and a great product," Hatcher said. "This is one of a kind. You can't get this commercially."

Hatcher said he hopes to make contacts with local artists who may be interested in working on future projects.

"We want to develop a list of commissioned artists," he said, adding that artists can offer assistance through their specialties, such as plants, animals and people. "When we get a certain job, we'd have other artists help our artists to get the best job possible."

Salem said the work they do is always new and exciting, with the staff getting better with every new project.

Because of the joy involved at 4DD Studios, Hatcher said he doesn't regret selling his dock-building business or his island.

"This is way more fun," he said of his fifth business. "I had the luxury of taking my time and researching and designing this. The other businesses were created out of necessity. ... You only live once. You need to enjoy what you're doing."

For more information, contact 4DD Studios at (540) 890-2070 or visit www.4ddstudios.com.