So we ended with a project that took about two weeks. I knew it had to be something that was
able to work so I chose one of the devices I had made (the four b@r link@ge) and scaled it down
to make it. Even then, there were challenges. For example, the first time I scaled it down,
I also scaled down the thickness. Turns out, with my measurements, the scaled down thickness
would have meant that only two strands of plastic would be printed, so that it would break too
easily. So I scaled it up x5. But I made a mistake and the first device didn't work (because of
my carelessness), fully (the crank and tolerances were fine). The second time it worked,
and mine was one of the few that actually had movement and tolerances that worked (hurray!)
If you don't use the right tolerances when printing, the printer can default between (say you picked .01) one and round it to a zero (meaning the tolerance would now be 0) and then fuse your parts together. So some people had parts that didn't move because they were fused together.
Also, drainage is important. Our printer printed a part with a base, and then had to sit in a bath
where the support pieces and base would wash away. So depending on how you built your
model, there wouldn't be enough drainage and therefore not all the support pieces would wash
away, leaving parts that wouldn't work/ turn. Also, the direction in which you decided
to print the model is important. Printing side ways is not as great for printing circles/circular objects
as it was from the bottom to top position. It's quite interesting stuff. After mine took about 3 hours
to print, it still had to sit in a bath for about 8 hours to get out the support material/base it printed, along with the model.
In the video, you can hear a classmate talking about some of the difficulties she had in making her model.
A great learning experience, a lot of work and one in which it was worthwhile to keep things simple.
Two weeks is NOT a lot of time and some people BARELY finished. One guy had a great little device, but it was STILL printing, so he had NO model to present for his final, and took a photo of
the computer screen file that was printing as he gave his presentation :)
It may be worthwhile in the future for me to buy my own 3D printer. The process is actually not
that complicated and it's great for design. And it's not too expensive (depending on your budget). There are also ones that do metal, which is interesting; a classmate who works in aerospace was telling me about it.
My project is of course, inspired by motion, and the four b@r link@ge system, and ratios used in Computational models which translate into mechanical models to create different characteristics. Oh, and you should check out B0B P0tt's work! It's BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Well done K! This is really amazing. I love that your pieces moves, freely. Sort of reminds me of a crank shaft! I would really love to see what you could do if you had a 3d printer at home. The metal one sounds badarse.The prices have come down a lot , I even saw them selling one at office max, lol! Solid presentation, I bet you picked up a lot from this project!
ReplyDeletethanks for the encouragement! Yeah, I'm thinking of the 3D printer pretty soon. I think it will be a good investment! But I definitely want to make sure my skills are solid and continue with the hands on stuff, as it def makes me think through things a lot more and makes the work more solid.
DeleteGah, I was checking some of the concepty stuff today around the web, and I think it's really true; that you can tell that a lot of it is just stuck on, and really shows a lot of ppl lacking in a real understanding of 1. the human form (for characters) 2. perspective (in environments) and understanding of and history/ styles and culture in things like architecture 3. an understanding of how things are actually built. It's crazy how big of a difference that stuff makes to design. Plus the ppl building it love you more (I think so anyways) when they know you understand how things are actually built/constructed, if even just in a superficial way.
Its true. I was talking to an aerospace engineer that works at a company in Glendale. He said the design office was in Arizona, and sometimes the designers would send him designs that straight up didn't make sense, and that it was because they lacked an engineering background. he also said there wasn't a lot of room for error. (Once you launch a satellite into space..emm there's no getting it back...) So he would often have to get in touch with the designer to clarify their design etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool about that engineer. I'm taking a few classes on my own with engineers, also (I took a class on Programmable Logic today) and they definitely are trained to think in a particular way that is very methodical, and works for the purposes of what they do. I think it's important for designers to understand that because it helps everyone in understanding how the whole works.
ReplyDeleteI feel like in a lot of ways, the word "design" tends to represent the antithesis of any sort of logic or planning. It's treated as this artsy fartsy thing that is bereft of consequences, when that's not true at all. I remember in a lot of concepty digital classes, people would not think things through AT ALL. I mean, seriously, how can you design a car and you haven't thought out at all (eventually; maybe you don't necessarily think of it from the beginning, but you have to address it sometime) where the person enters or leaves the vehicle? Kind of sad. Then they wonder why the market is saturated with 'designers' who are of no use and basically unable to be hired in any capacity.
Oh, don't worry; of course, they call go back to 'teach', and perpetuate the cycle, when they should really send them on a strict diet of "go build things and learn from people who build things so you understand how your 'design' has repercussions down the line". Just my opinion, of course, but backed by a LOT of people I know who have designed for events as the 0lympics and C!rque and whatnot. A lot of those guys started as designers who had to build their own stuff. When they promised a client a design, they couldn't just show them a hot mess digital model and expect the client to 'just figure it out'.
That's also a big difference today with some costume design people. The best still have had some sewing experience. They may not be the best illustrators, but they can sketch well enough to communicate their idea, and are heavily influenced by real sewing and fashion/theatre/opera design skills. Making real period style dresses, etc.Just because someone can pick up a Wac0m and load Ph0t0shop does NOT make them a costume designer.