G-Whang's Digi-Fab Documentation
Magic Folding Cube
Initially, I thought that this project would be a lot easier than it ultimately turned out to be. Nevertheless, the solution ended up being far simpler than I expected. I started the process by looking at the folding cube 3-dimensionally. I took individually constructed paper cubes and put them together correctly to create a Magic Folding Cube. However, I initially tried to do too many things at once: I simultaneously worked with colors and numbers, and since the cubes themselves were too small, things got very confusing, very quickly. After a few simplifications, and by working at a larger scale, I unfolded the cube and managed to successfully derive a template that could fit onto an 8.5"x11" piece of paper.
Once the template was done, I printed it out and assembled the cube once more. Afterwards, I began to mark off where the graphics should go and finally compiled everything in a clean and organized manner onto Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The printed template (graphics emblazoned sucessfully) was simple to assemble with only an X-Acto and some clear tape. A word of advice: Use paper that is thicker than your average white printing paper, but thinner than bristol. I would recommend using a sheet of Matte or Glossy Photopaper to make the cube sturdy and aesthetically pleasing.
For the template itself (fully loaded with my personal graphics), click HERE. And for a blank template, click HERE.
For the template itself (fully loaded with my personal graphics), click HERE. And for a blank template, click HERE.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*In order to make your own customized "Magic Cube", download the blank cube template .pdf above.
*To add images, choose 2 images with a 2 x 4 dimensional ratio and 8 images with a 2 x 2 square dimensional ratio.
*Once these images are picked out and properly dimensionally ratioed, in Photoshop, divide the 2 x 4 images into 8 separate square files and the 2 x 2 images into 4 separate square files.
*With these 48 images, import them on top of the .pdf template in Illustrator and re-size/rotate/arrange them accordingly.
*Once completed, you can print out the document onto an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of matte or glossy photopaper.
*Follow the directions at the bottom of the original template and you can have your own magic cube.
*In order to make your own customized "Magic Cube", download the blank cube template .pdf above.
*To add images, choose 2 images with a 2 x 4 dimensional ratio and 8 images with a 2 x 2 square dimensional ratio.
*Once these images are picked out and properly dimensionally ratioed, in Photoshop, divide the 2 x 4 images into 8 separate square files and the 2 x 2 images into 4 separate square files.
*With these 48 images, import them on top of the .pdf template in Illustrator and re-size/rotate/arrange them accordingly.
*Once completed, you can print out the document onto an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of matte or glossy photopaper.
*Follow the directions at the bottom of the original template and you can have your own magic cube.
Typology:
The project called for us to create a "Magic Folding Cube" fabricated out of a single 8.5"x11" piece of paper, with images pre-loaded onto the template.
Software:
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
Machinery:
Inkjet Printer, X-Acto, Clear Tape
Assembly:
After completing the template in Illustrator and (images included) printing the document, the assembly was simply cut and folded, with tape holding the components togther.
Bugs:
Originally, I worked at too small a scale, which made it hard to work in 3-D. I also tried to solve too many problems at once (images, layout, orientation, conections), which was unrealistic.
Successes:
It helped to start out in 3-D. I created the folding cube with individually assembled cubes and unfolded it in such a way that it would fit (already connected) on one sheet.
I-Scream Cone
As the project called for an architecturally-representative gift and a corresponding package, I began to think about several unique things that I associated with the School of Architecture. Strangely enough, it was the I-Scream posters that had been plastered all over the Maggie Mo hallways that stuck in my brain the most. Therefore, the image of making a digitally fabricated ice-cream cone seemed like a fun way to package a gift (which I later decided should be a t-shirt, which would easily ball up into an ice-cream scoop). (To be fair, I also thought it would be pretty funny to see people walking around with giant ice-cream cones.)
My inspiration for the actual fabrication came from a 1/2-ply cardboard coffee cup holder. The way that the simple holder was derived out of one piece, had the ability to be store flat, and easily popped-open to become a cylindrical shape worked perfectly for my design. In Adobe Illustrator, I created a quick template that imitated the design of a waffle cone, while the hardware was fabricated as a derivation of the coffee cup holder. I imported the document from Illustrator into CorelDraw and lasercut the document. At first, the cutter had a hard time differentiating between cutting and scoring, and it was only later that I realized the color of the scores was on a red-orange color rather than the pure red setting. Fortunately, I had attempted to cut out a miniature "prototype" of the cone and saved lots of space and time and money and pain by doing so. Once I finished properly cutting the prototype, I went on to cut out the full-scale versions of the cone.
The cone was cut out of two materials: The first was cut out of chipboard, which cut out the cleanest. The bends and folds were simple and clean and the cone turned out beautifully. The 1-ply cardboard version was cut out cleanly as well, but was brittle and "crackly" on its surface. Nevertheless, passerby who saw both cones preferred the cardboard version because of this unique and waffle-coney texture. The letters that had to be lasercut came out easily and looked very cool by themselves. All that had to be done was to add two drops of hot glue to the edge and to "scoop" a t-shirt into the top. Ice-Cream for I-Scream!
The cone was cut out of two materials: The first was cut out of chipboard, which cut out the cleanest. The bends and folds were simple and clean and the cone turned out beautifully. The 1-ply cardboard version was cut out cleanly as well, but was brittle and "crackly" on its surface. Nevertheless, passerby who saw both cones preferred the cardboard version because of this unique and waffle-coney texture. The letters that had to be lasercut came out easily and looked very cool by themselves. All that had to be done was to add two drops of hot glue to the edge and to "scoop" a t-shirt into the top. Ice-Cream for I-Scream!
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*To make a cone from scratch, open Illustrator and create two arcs of the same central angle.
*Make one considerably smaller than the other and arrange them so the larger arc is parallel (placed on the same central vertical axis) above the smaller one.
*To make a longer cone, space the two arcs far apart, and vice versa.
*Connect the ends of the ars together with straight lines.
*To make the bend of the cone easier to assemble, run two dashed lines through the "fan"-looking shape to separate the shape into almost equal thirds (make one of the thirds slightly larger than the other two to allow for an overlap later on).
*Once this is complete, group the lines together and set them to be a blue color so the laser cuts through the said lines.
*For the waffle cone texture, run a series of parallel lines throughout the shape.
*These lines do not have to meet exactly tangent to the shape's outline, as they will be scored and therefore not affect the resultant cone.
*Arrange the waffle lines into a red-colored group to be scored.
*To insert personalized text, merely enter the words with the TextEditor onto the central "third" of the shape and set it to a blue color to be cut through.
*Once you are finished, scale the cone on CorelDraw to your desired size (depending on what kind of clothing you intend on putting into the cone) and set the laser to cut at 1000 frequency, 40% speed and 50% power and score at 1000 frequency, 70% speed and 20% power.
*You can use either cardboard, chipboard, or matboard for this project.
*Once the entire project is cut out, you can use the dashed lines and waffle-texture to bend the shape into a conic shape.
*You can then use glue to connect the cone with the overlap.
*By bunching up your article of clothing or twisting it into a swirl, you can put it into the cone to make an "ice-cream" gift!
*To make a cone from scratch, open Illustrator and create two arcs of the same central angle.
*Make one considerably smaller than the other and arrange them so the larger arc is parallel (placed on the same central vertical axis) above the smaller one.
*To make a longer cone, space the two arcs far apart, and vice versa.
*Connect the ends of the ars together with straight lines.
*To make the bend of the cone easier to assemble, run two dashed lines through the "fan"-looking shape to separate the shape into almost equal thirds (make one of the thirds slightly larger than the other two to allow for an overlap later on).
*Once this is complete, group the lines together and set them to be a blue color so the laser cuts through the said lines.
*For the waffle cone texture, run a series of parallel lines throughout the shape.
*These lines do not have to meet exactly tangent to the shape's outline, as they will be scored and therefore not affect the resultant cone.
*Arrange the waffle lines into a red-colored group to be scored.
*To insert personalized text, merely enter the words with the TextEditor onto the central "third" of the shape and set it to a blue color to be cut through.
*Once you are finished, scale the cone on CorelDraw to your desired size (depending on what kind of clothing you intend on putting into the cone) and set the laser to cut at 1000 frequency, 40% speed and 50% power and score at 1000 frequency, 70% speed and 20% power.
*You can use either cardboard, chipboard, or matboard for this project.
*Once the entire project is cut out, you can use the dashed lines and waffle-texture to bend the shape into a conic shape.
*You can then use glue to connect the cone with the overlap.
*By bunching up your article of clothing or twisting it into a swirl, you can put it into the cone to make an "ice-cream" gift!
Typology:
The project called for us to choose a gift that would well-represent the school of architecture for a perspective student and to design an appropriate package to hold the gift.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
Machinery:
LaserCutter
Assembly:
The cone was lasercut, hand-bent into a conic shape, and held together with hot glue. Later on, a rolled and folded t-shirt was inserted into the top of the cone.
Bugs:
There were very little problems during this process. The only issue I had was accidentally making the score lines a red-orange color instead of a pure red color in CorelDraw.
Successes:
Experimenting with different materials allowed for me to see what kinds of effects appealed to people most. The conic shape was easily cut out and easy to store and assemble.
Color-Changing LED Lamp
When I approached the project, I had a hard time breaking away from the generic, egg-crate-like slice form. I had a light I wanted to use (a color-changing, battery-operated LED) and a material I wanted to cut (clear/sanded acrylic), but I still did not have a form that I was pleased with. Finally, as I held the glowing LED in my hand, I found the curves of my fingers over the light resting on the flat of my palm to be a gesture I wanted to imitate. After several iterations, I settled on a simple form that was a rythmic repetition of the same form, circling around a central axis.
The goal of this lamp was to not only imitate a "holding" gesture, but to also be used in a couple of orientations. The design I ended up using looked a bit like a jellyfish on one side and a flower on the other. I sanded both disks to help diffuse the light more and lasercut holes on one disk to make for an interesting perforation pattern on one side. I made the model by hand at first, and then scanned a piece of it into Illustrator. In Illustrator, I traced the piece and measured notches into the unit. The only problem was, when I went to lasercut the pieces, the notches got cut too large. The acrylic was .100" thick, and in order to create a good-sized notch, I bumped the notch size to .08" and that worked out great. For acrylic, I found that using a power level of 100% and a speed of 5 (with a 3400 frequency) works best to cut all the way through in one shot.
The end result turned out clean and beautiful, with only a little bit of a "jiggle" after assembly. To get rid of that jiggle, I added drops of glue here and there to seal it together tightly. I found that I could put the LED anywhere on the tiny lightholder and create different refractions and patterns. The template can be found HERE and all that needs to be done is for one to print it out and glue it together. You can add or subtract "fingers" on the holder if wanted.
The end result turned out clean and beautiful, with only a little bit of a "jiggle" after assembly. To get rid of that jiggle, I added drops of glue here and there to seal it together tightly. I found that I could put the LED anywhere on the tiny lightholder and create different refractions and patterns. The template can be found HERE and all that needs to be done is for one to print it out and glue it together. You can add or subtract "fingers" on the holder if wanted.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*To make a personalized radial slice-form LED lamp similar to the one above, open Illustrator and draw a circle.
*You can put any kinds of shapes within the circle (I chose to use smaller circles) that will be cut out later to give the disk light apetures.
*Draw another circle (I chose to leave this one without any holes in it, but you put shapes in it if desired).
*Once these circles are completed, make sure you remember what their respective diameters are, as those will determine how deep the tabs will go into the "fingers."
*The fingers can be of any shape and means, as long as they are all of the same size.
*Take two copies of your finger and reflect one so they appear to be facing another on the screen.
*Taking the two measurements of the circles' diameters, draw two .08" high rectangles with those diameter dimensions as their widths.
*Center and overlap the rectangles on top of the facing fingers.
*Where ever the rectangles intersect the fingers is where the tabs are going to be.
*Take one of the fingers and shorten the rectangles to meet near the finger's outer edge.
*Copy and paste the finger as many times as you want (I would recommend 8 fingers at the most).
*Once your template is done, import the file into CorelDraw and set the laser cutter to cut the entire job at a 3400 frequency, 100% power, and 5% speed.
*Once the pieces are cut out, you can arrange the fingers in a radial fashion around the circles.
*Use acrylic glue sparingly (I would advice using a small paintbrush or piece of balsa to drip small amounts of the glue into the tabs) to connect the lamp together.
*Place your LED into the lamp, and enjoy the glow!
*To make a personalized radial slice-form LED lamp similar to the one above, open Illustrator and draw a circle.
*You can put any kinds of shapes within the circle (I chose to use smaller circles) that will be cut out later to give the disk light apetures.
*Draw another circle (I chose to leave this one without any holes in it, but you put shapes in it if desired).
*Once these circles are completed, make sure you remember what their respective diameters are, as those will determine how deep the tabs will go into the "fingers."
*The fingers can be of any shape and means, as long as they are all of the same size.
*Take two copies of your finger and reflect one so they appear to be facing another on the screen.
*Taking the two measurements of the circles' diameters, draw two .08" high rectangles with those diameter dimensions as their widths.
*Center and overlap the rectangles on top of the facing fingers.
*Where ever the rectangles intersect the fingers is where the tabs are going to be.
*Take one of the fingers and shorten the rectangles to meet near the finger's outer edge.
*Copy and paste the finger as many times as you want (I would recommend 8 fingers at the most).
*Once your template is done, import the file into CorelDraw and set the laser cutter to cut the entire job at a 3400 frequency, 100% power, and 5% speed.
*Once the pieces are cut out, you can arrange the fingers in a radial fashion around the circles.
*Use acrylic glue sparingly (I would advice using a small paintbrush or piece of balsa to drip small amounts of the glue into the tabs) to connect the lamp together.
*Place your LED into the lamp, and enjoy the glow!
Typology:
This project required us to explore the method of slice forms (in this case, a centrally radial slice form) in order to create a holder for a light source.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
Machinery:
LaserCutter
Assembly:
The acrylic was cut out by the laser cutter and manually slid together (locked with drops of glue).
Bugs:
The only difficulty that I had was finding the proper thickness of the slice form slots, as the laser cutter made the slots a little bit too large.
Successes:
Things were easy once I figured out the proper settings on the cutter for acrylic (Power=100%, Speed=5) and the proper sizes for the slots (.08" for a .10" thick piece of acrylic).
Layered Heart Vase
Conceptually, the idea of a Valentine's gift immediately brought to mind the imagery of a heart. Rather than having the heart as a decoration to the gift, the heart became the material for the gift, and in essence, the gift itself. The heart shape had an organic shape (no pun intended) to it, and seemed appropriate to hold something similarly organic: in this case, a flower. By using a "hollow" heart, the flower can fit inside of the curves of the heart shape and grow out of the hearts. The hearts are not obvious once layered together, but create a gracefully ebbing shape when assembled into the vase. Having worked with acrylic before, I had a good idea of what needed to be done in order to successfully cut out small pieces without causing the material to burn or warp. The best setting I have found to work is to use a 3400 Frequency, 5 Speed, and 100% Power setting. In Illustrator, I used my drawing tablet to draw out a heart shape that I copied and pasted in different sizes. Importing that into CorelDraw, I set up the proper laser cut settings and watched the material to get cut. As expected, it took a long time to cut out (about 1 hour and 10 minutes), but the material did cut out successfully in one run. After the pieces fell out of the sheet, I gathered the leftover pieces and am keeping them on my desk. So many hearts!
In order to create a vase, I hand-glued the pieces together (using a brand of superglue I swear by: Liquid Nails Perfect Glue 2) alternating in size to make a "bubbling" form. The end result surprised me, as it began to curve forwards. I really liked the way it naturally moved, so I kept going. The only problem I had was that the flowers made the vase too top-heavy. I needed to find a heavier base of some sort in order to keep the entire form standing. Other than that, the vase was a success!
For a template of many many hearts, click HERE. A fellow DigiFabber even went ahead and made Acrylic earrings by using the template.
For a template of many many hearts, click HERE. A fellow DigiFabber even went ahead and made Acrylic earrings by using the template.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*This vase is very simple to make, as it requires one shape that merely repeats in several different sizes.
*In Illustrator, draw a simple heart.
*Copy and paste the heart and shrink it down to a smaller size.
*Put the smaller heart directly center of the larger heart and you have your standard "hollow" heart to use.
*Copy and paste the heart at least 24 times in 3-6 different sizes (any more, and the vase may become too heavy/imbalanced, any less and the undulation is unnoticable).
*Finally, create a base of any shape, as long as it has a ellipse-like disposition (one dimension is lengthier than the other) to allow for the vase to balance despite the vase's eventual nature to curve forwards.
*Cut out the hearts and base out of acrylic using a 3400 frequency, 5% speed, and 100% power.
*With the hearts, glue them together face-to-face, alternating in size to create the wavy texture.
*Allow ample time to dry before putting any flowers in the vase.
*If you want to put water in the vase, I would advise waterproofing the vase with a clear waterproofer.
*You can use the leftover hearts for whatever you like.
*This vase is very simple to make, as it requires one shape that merely repeats in several different sizes.
*In Illustrator, draw a simple heart.
*Copy and paste the heart and shrink it down to a smaller size.
*Put the smaller heart directly center of the larger heart and you have your standard "hollow" heart to use.
*Copy and paste the heart at least 24 times in 3-6 different sizes (any more, and the vase may become too heavy/imbalanced, any less and the undulation is unnoticable).
*Finally, create a base of any shape, as long as it has a ellipse-like disposition (one dimension is lengthier than the other) to allow for the vase to balance despite the vase's eventual nature to curve forwards.
*Cut out the hearts and base out of acrylic using a 3400 frequency, 5% speed, and 100% power.
*With the hearts, glue them together face-to-face, alternating in size to create the wavy texture.
*Allow ample time to dry before putting any flowers in the vase.
*If you want to put water in the vase, I would advise waterproofing the vase with a clear waterproofer.
*You can use the leftover hearts for whatever you like.
Typology:
The assignment asked for us to create a Valentine's Day gift container using the method of layered forms.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
Machinery:
LaserCutter and Liquid Nails Perfect Glue 2
Assembly:
I created the template in Illustrator, lasercut the shapes out of acrylic, hand-glued the pieces together, and stuck flowers in the top.
Bugs:
The hearts were too small and brittle, which made it difficult to support itself at the top. The flowers made the form too top heavy.
Successes:
The best settings I've found (to cut through in one shot without burning) is to cut at a 3400 frequency, 5 speed, and 100% power.
Heat-Welded Shower Curtain
The project had a lot of leeway in that it merely required us to experiment in creating different textiles with accompanying functions. I had a vision in mind of recycling shopping bags and turning the resulting textile into a sun-sheilding screen. By using a heat gun, I mananged to create a series of differing designs, including one in which I dripped hot glue and allowed the surrounding plastic to mold around the droplets. Unfortunately, I could not make a piece of this textile any larger than 5 inches square, and abandoned my attempts of using the plastic bags.
I searched for other kinds of bags and found two types that were strong enough to not burn (as the plastic shopping bags had) under intense heat, and yet wrinkle and melt in the same way as I had wanted it to. The best bags to use were the black trash bags (industrial strength) and the clear/transluscent bags used in the blue recycling bins around campus. I began to experiment with putting different materials within the bag (confetti, paperclips, more paperclips, acrylic hearts) and sealing the material within it with the heat gun. The best effect that I found was through the use of reflective disks that I cut out on the laser cutter.
Laser cutting aside, the main time-consumer was in arranging the disks inside the plastic, heat gunning the material on both sides, then layering the sheets, one on top of the other, and heat gunning the layered sheets on both sides. Once the mock-up of this textile was completed, what remained was finding a function for it. Ultimately, after interrogating several classmates on the matter, I settled on creating a shower curtain out of the textile. The end result looks great with light flowing through it, and retains a sense of depth, despite its thinness and foldable nature.
Laser cutting aside, the main time-consumer was in arranging the disks inside the plastic, heat gunning the material on both sides, then layering the sheets, one on top of the other, and heat gunning the layered sheets on both sides. Once the mock-up of this textile was completed, what remained was finding a function for it. Ultimately, after interrogating several classmates on the matter, I settled on creating a shower curtain out of the textile. The end result looks great with light flowing through it, and retains a sense of depth, despite its thinness and foldable nature.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*This shower curtain textile is very versatile, as you can put any flat objects between the bags: I chose the reflective disks merely for their aesthetically pleasing appearance (I would recommend using a material you have a huge amount of).
*Lay out the clear recycling bin bag on a large, flat, clean surface.
*Using the opening in the bag, begin arranging the pieces (in my case, the disks) in a dispersed manner between the two layers of the bag.
*Once the pieces are in their desired locations, hand-press any excess air out of the bag and make the plastic as flat as possible.
*Once the material is flat against the table, take the heat gun and, starting from the edge of the bag, run the gun up and down the bag's length until the material is visibly flattening against itself.
*Once the entire bag is completly melded together, flip the material upside-down and repeat the same process.
*Once the bag is completed, use a single hole puncher to create holes for the rings.
*Repeat this process over again with as many sheets as needed.
*Meld the edge of the sheets together with the heat gun by subtly and slightly overlapping the sheets.
*Hang up your completed curtain, and enjoy.
*This shower curtain textile is very versatile, as you can put any flat objects between the bags: I chose the reflective disks merely for their aesthetically pleasing appearance (I would recommend using a material you have a huge amount of).
*Lay out the clear recycling bin bag on a large, flat, clean surface.
*Using the opening in the bag, begin arranging the pieces (in my case, the disks) in a dispersed manner between the two layers of the bag.
*Once the pieces are in their desired locations, hand-press any excess air out of the bag and make the plastic as flat as possible.
*Once the material is flat against the table, take the heat gun and, starting from the edge of the bag, run the gun up and down the bag's length until the material is visibly flattening against itself.
*Once the entire bag is completly melded together, flip the material upside-down and repeat the same process.
*Once the bag is completed, use a single hole puncher to create holes for the rings.
*Repeat this process over again with as many sheets as needed.
*Meld the edge of the sheets together with the heat gun by subtly and slightly overlapping the sheets.
*Hang up your completed curtain, and enjoy.
Typology:
This project called for us to create and give a function to a textile using any means available to us.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
Machinery:
LaserCutter and Heat Gun
Assembly:
The shiny disks were lasercut, hand-placed into the plastic bags, then heat gunned together.
Bugs:
Intially, the biggest problem was how the shopping bags would burn and tear apart after getting a little bit hot. Once I found the right material, though, the process was quite simple.
Successes:
I had a great time putting all sorts of materials within the plastic before heat gunning it together. You have to find the right kind of plastic bag for it to work, though, and the material can not be too thick.
Cam-Powered Martial Arts Master
With a gift in mind, I set out to create a moving puppet of my brother Peter, who teaches Tae Kwon Do back at home. The puppet would be controlled by a crank which would then set off the cams and cause the arms and leg of the puppet to move. I looked onto the flying-pig website and researched different kinds of cams that would work for the kicking and punching motions of the Peter Puppet. The bumpy square cam ideally worked for the arms, as they caused a jagged up and down motion, which worked for the punching arms. I had a harder time choosing which cam to use for the kicking leg, however. The tape dispenser-shaped cam was the most ideal, but the push rod I used got stuck when I turned the crank the wrong way. The egg-shaped cam was smoother in its motion, but not as "snappy" as I would have liked it to have been.
Laser cutting the pieces was very tedious, as I had to run the job through at least ten times before it cut through all the way without burning the basswood sheets. For a template of the cams I used, click HERE.
For a first trial run for this kinetics machine, the puppet worked the way I intended for it to: however, the kicking and punching motions were not dramatic in the slightest. The cams were too small to make any real kicking or punching motions, so I set out to re-do the project, this time with bigger cams. By using bigger cams, the movements were more obvious, though still not as big as I would have liked. Nevertheless, the use of the two cams were a success. (In the end, I ended up changing the figure: Instead of kicking through a board, I made the figure swing a pair of nunchukus around instead to accentuate the movement of the arms).
For a martial arts master template, click HERE. To see the figure in action, click HERE. Finally, to see the cams close-up in action, click HERE.
For a first trial run for this kinetics machine, the puppet worked the way I intended for it to: however, the kicking and punching motions were not dramatic in the slightest. The cams were too small to make any real kicking or punching motions, so I set out to re-do the project, this time with bigger cams. By using bigger cams, the movements were more obvious, though still not as big as I would have liked. Nevertheless, the use of the two cams were a success. (In the end, I ended up changing the figure: Instead of kicking through a board, I made the figure swing a pair of nunchukus around instead to accentuate the movement of the arms).
For a martial arts master template, click HERE. To see the figure in action, click HERE. Finally, to see the cams close-up in action, click HERE.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*To assemble the cam-powered Martial Arts Master, download the template above in Illustrator and print the pieces out on the laser cutter onto 3/32"-1/8" thick basswood dimensioned at 3 x 24" (I would advise 2-3 runs through a 1000 frequency 70% power, 40% speed).
*Once the pieces are cut out, glue and layer similar pieces together to solidify the figure and use 1/4" brads to hold the joints together.
*Now that the figure is assembled, create the box by sandwiching the vertical sides with holes with the horizontal, longer planes (the one with holes on top): The smaller rectangles with stars are used for secondary support.
*Glue the box together and slide a 3/8" dowel through the holes.
*Slide and glue the cams in place and hold the dowel in place with the star end pieces (one of which is the handle: attatch a short dowel into the outer hole on the bigger stars and your handle is complete!).
*Using 3/16" dowels, prop the arms and leg up in the desired heights and secure the tops of the dowels with the brads and glue.
*Secure the bottoms of the dowels with the smaller rings for the bumpy cam and the larger ring for the egg-shaped cam.
*Glue the figure's foot onto the top of the box and your machine is complete.
*To assemble the cam-powered Martial Arts Master, download the template above in Illustrator and print the pieces out on the laser cutter onto 3/32"-1/8" thick basswood dimensioned at 3 x 24" (I would advise 2-3 runs through a 1000 frequency 70% power, 40% speed).
*Once the pieces are cut out, glue and layer similar pieces together to solidify the figure and use 1/4" brads to hold the joints together.
*Now that the figure is assembled, create the box by sandwiching the vertical sides with holes with the horizontal, longer planes (the one with holes on top): The smaller rectangles with stars are used for secondary support.
*Glue the box together and slide a 3/8" dowel through the holes.
*Slide and glue the cams in place and hold the dowel in place with the star end pieces (one of which is the handle: attatch a short dowel into the outer hole on the bigger stars and your handle is complete!).
*Using 3/16" dowels, prop the arms and leg up in the desired heights and secure the tops of the dowels with the brads and glue.
*Secure the bottoms of the dowels with the smaller rings for the bumpy cam and the larger ring for the egg-shaped cam.
*Glue the figure's foot onto the top of the box and your machine is complete.
Typology:
This project required us to create a mechanized gadget that can reactively move in different ways from a single action from the user.
Software:
Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw
Machinery:
LaserCutter
Assembly:
The puppet and cam gears were cut out by the laser cutter and manually glued together.
Bugs:
The main difficulty that I had was making the peg (that was to slide up and down the cam) glide without getting caught and locked.
Successes:
Once things were manually put together, things were easy: the only advice I have is to keep the file of your gears and cams on hand to make minor adjustments easy.
Bubbles
The initial concept that I came up with for a modular unit was derived from an idea I came up with at the beginning of the year. The concept in itself was focused on the visual idea of bubbles joining together. However, instead of having the material stick together with adhesive surfaces, the use of magnets would suffice instead to accommodate connection points. Furthermore, by doing so, there was an opportunity to attach magnetic LED lights to the resulting structures. The 3-D modeling of the spheres was a simple process of creating spherical volumes and subtracting cylindrical shapes that were dimensioned the same as the magnets that were to be used. After importing the file into the 3-D printer and printing three sizes (small, medium, large) of units, I had my positives completed. Making a mold of the positives was difficult, but by having one person hold the dowels that submerge the positives under the rubber liquid while another person secures the dowels in place with hot glue, the molds were easily completed. By taking the completed molds (small, medium, large) and cutting them horizontally with an X-Acto (and removing the positives), I was able to line up the molds accurately enough without having to use any clamps or weights. Furthermore, by using aluminum "straws", I was able to pour in the plastics with ease. Every 10-15 minutes, I was able to take out a plastic cast. There were ugly pieces casted now and again, but ultimately, the pieces came out with accurate voids and dimensions. Once the pieces hardened and dried, by using LiquidNails Perfect Glue 2, I was able to place the magnets securely into the voids. The end result was success in that the magnets were strong enough to suspend large spheres with one connection point. The addition of LEDs added to the dramatic effect of the sculptures.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*Using either Rhino or Maya, create a spherical shape
*Create cylindrical volumes at the same dimensions as the magnets that are to be used
*After placing the cylindrical shapes at the desired locations of the spheres, use the subtraction bullion tool to create the voids where the magnets will be placed
*Import the document into the 3-D printer and print out the positive as a hollow shape
*Placed the positives in containers using pushpins to "float" the positives
*Fill the containers with a rubber mold and use dowels to keep the hollow pieces submerged
*Once the molds are done, cut the mold in half horizontally, remove the positives, and use the dowel holes as a means to pour the plastic into the mold
*Pour the plastic into the mold (don't forget to spray the mold with a non-stick aeresol) and remove the casts every 15 minutes
*Using LiquidNails Glue, firmly place the magnets into the voids
*Enjoy your modular bubble units, and add lights to highlight the sculptural masterpiece you create
*Using either Rhino or Maya, create a spherical shape
*Create cylindrical volumes at the same dimensions as the magnets that are to be used
*After placing the cylindrical shapes at the desired locations of the spheres, use the subtraction bullion tool to create the voids where the magnets will be placed
*Import the document into the 3-D printer and print out the positive as a hollow shape
*Placed the positives in containers using pushpins to "float" the positives
*Fill the containers with a rubber mold and use dowels to keep the hollow pieces submerged
*Once the molds are done, cut the mold in half horizontally, remove the positives, and use the dowel holes as a means to pour the plastic into the mold
*Pour the plastic into the mold (don't forget to spray the mold with a non-stick aeresol) and remove the casts every 15 minutes
*Using LiquidNails Glue, firmly place the magnets into the voids
*Enjoy your modular bubble units, and add lights to highlight the sculptural masterpiece you create
Typology:
This project required us to create a modular construction kit through the use of the 3-D printer, as well as physical casting and molding.
Software:
Rhino
Machinery:
3-D Printer
Assembly:
The 3-D printer took the Rhino models and printed the positives of the modular units. The positive pieces were casted into rubber molds and used to mold plastic pieces. Magnets were set in the piece's printed insets.
Bugs:
I had to cast the positives using the help of other people as I needed more than two hands to hold things in place. The other difficulty I had was getting the magnets to fit well without falling out.
Successes:
If modeled correctly in Rhino, the positives were simple to print out. If you have other people around to help, making casts are easy. Pouring and molding the plastic was fast and easy.
Final Project Proposal
As a final project, I propose to utilize the laser cutter as a tool to manipulate a single piece of material in such a way that can be used to create light forms that dramatize and celebrate the idea of positive and negative space (whether implied or a literal arrangement of cut-out positives and negatives).
Final 1: RAIN
For the first of the three lamp projects, the Rain lamp was designed to appear as though it was literally dripping off of the paper. By merely folding over the raindroplets over the bottom edge of the lamp, the cutouts become a part of the lamp's positive space. The negatives left behind become portals for the light to seep through. Fortunately, the process of making the Rain lamp was relatively painless. The cuts came out well in one shot (500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15). However, the problem with the vertical lines holding the raindrops were due to their thinness. For the first four iterations, I had to tweak the thicknesses of each raindrop's vertical lines, because the lines that were too thin merely burned into nothing. Once the thicknesses of the lines were finally fixed, the folding took very little time, and soon, the Rain lamp was completed!
I purposely used a two-sided sheet of paper to exaggerate the fact that the droplets were folded over from the same sheet of paper. The adding of subltle vertical score lines increased the bendability of the lampshade without warping the form. I highly reccommend utilizing those extra score lines for any curved paper structure. For the Rain lamp's laser cutting EPS document, click HERE.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the raindrops by drawing upside-down droplets and by extending vertical lines near the bottom edge of the template.
*Import the document into Illustrator and warp the edges of the template using the nudge tool (to make the bottom edge appear to be dripping as well)
*Add in score lines vertically throughout the template and lines to connect the vertical lines that drop down from the rain.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*Fold over the rain droplets and (optional) add a drop of glue to secure the droplets to vertically stay in place.
*Attach the Rain lamp to a light source and enjoy.
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the raindrops by drawing upside-down droplets and by extending vertical lines near the bottom edge of the template.
*Import the document into Illustrator and warp the edges of the template using the nudge tool (to make the bottom edge appear to be dripping as well)
*Add in score lines vertically throughout the template and lines to connect the vertical lines that drop down from the rain.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*Fold over the rain droplets and (optional) add a drop of glue to secure the droplets to vertically stay in place.
*Attach the Rain lamp to a light source and enjoy.
Typology:
Part 1/3 of the final light sculpture project: A wrap-around shade.
Software:
AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator
Machinery:
Laser Cutter
Assembly:
The document was drawn in AutoCAD, imported into CorelDraw, cut out on the laer cutter, folded by hand, and attached to the light source.
Bugs:
The vertical lines were too thin at first, and had to be constantly widened.
Successes:
Once cut out (which was simple), the folding and assembly was very simple. Use 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15 as the settings for the laser cutter.
Final 2: TREES
For the second of the three light sculptures, the idea of creating a bottom-lit shade came to mind. By drawing a series of trees with AutoCAD and mirroring them over a ground plane line, I was able to derive a form for a lamp structure that uniquely highlighted the positive and negative space that appears when light passes through a forest landscape. At first, I did not reflect the trees over, and merely made it a elevation of a forest. The problem with this is that the design appeared too flat and undynamic. Once the document was cut out, there was another problem with the design: The paper I used was a one-sided reflective piece of paper that the laser cutter could not cut through all the way (more specifically, the laser would not cut through the foil). I had to go through the cut lines with an X-Acto later to make sure the lines came out cleanly. When I had tried to just tear the piece out the first time, the foil peeled off unfortunately at the edges. All that was left was the folding, which was simply done.
Once the piece was cut out all the way, a few drops of carefully placed hot glue held the cylindrical form form. Putting a light beneath the shade illumitated the form just right, and the end result came out better than expected. For the Trees lamp's laser cutting EPS document, click HERE.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the trees by drawing a series of differently-sized overlapping trees (I get my tree templates from cben.net) and mirroring the said trees over a "groundplane" line.
*Trim any overlapping lines.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*If you are using the reflective paper, use an X-Acto blade to cleanly separate the lamp from the sheet of paper
*Fold over the middle elements (the spaces between the trees) and connect the two ends of the lamp in a cylindrical shape.
*Illuminate the Trees lamp from below with a light source and enjoy.
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the trees by drawing a series of differently-sized overlapping trees (I get my tree templates from cben.net) and mirroring the said trees over a "groundplane" line.
*Trim any overlapping lines.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*If you are using the reflective paper, use an X-Acto blade to cleanly separate the lamp from the sheet of paper
*Fold over the middle elements (the spaces between the trees) and connect the two ends of the lamp in a cylindrical shape.
*Illuminate the Trees lamp from below with a light source and enjoy.
Typology:
Part 2/3 of the final light sculpture project: A bottom-lit shade.
Software:
AutoCad and Adobe Illustrator
Machinery:
Laser Cutter
Assembly:
The document was drawn in AutoCAD, imported into CorelDraw, cut out on the laer cutter, folded by hand, and illumated from below by a light source.
Bugs:
Unlike the previous lamp structure, this shade used a shiny/reflective paper (on one side), which peeled apart when I tried to just "pop" out the piece. In the end, I had to run through the cuts with an X-Acto to make a clean split.
Successes:
Even though the lamp designs are delicate, the cutouts came out accurately and kept the final result strong.
Final 3: STARS
As a final design for the light scuplture series, the Stars lamp was designed to be lit from above like a lantern. The star pattern is designed to appear as though they are falling off of the paper and down with the light. The template was drawn on AutoCAD and the overlapping lines were trimmed out. Once the template was completed, the design was cut on the laser cutter. Yet again, the use of a one-sided reflective paper caused trouble, post-cut. A quick X-Acto runthrough allowed the lantern to come out nice and clean, but it was a little bit of extra work.
The cut out design had several score lines that allowed for simple bending. After the folding, the Stars are hung on a lamp. I used two different colors to see how the red and the gold would differently affect the light and shadows. The red had a more mysterious, ephemeral glow, whereas the gold had a more lighthearted, airy aura to it. All in all, the shadows that are cast and the light that is revealed and concealed successfully demonstrates the positive and negative spaces that are highlighted by this lamp. For the Stars lamp's laser cutting EPS document, click HERE.
***Do-It-Yourself Directions***
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the lamp by drawing a series of differently-sized overlapping stars.
*Trim any overlapping lines and add several vertical score lines for easy bending.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*If you are using the reflective paper, use an X-Acto blade to cleanly separate the lamp from the sheet of paper
Connect the two ends of the lamp in a cylindrical shape.
*Illuminate the Stars lamp from above with a light source and enjoy.
*Using AutoCAD, create the template for the lamp by drawing a series of differently-sized overlapping stars.
*Trim any overlapping lines and add several vertical score lines for easy bending.
*Import the document into the laser cutter and print out the document with the following settings: 500 frequency: Cut Speed 40, Power 75: Score Speed 80, Power 15.
*If you are using the reflective paper, use an X-Acto blade to cleanly separate the lamp from the sheet of paper
Connect the two ends of the lamp in a cylindrical shape.
*Illuminate the Stars lamp from above with a light source and enjoy.
Typology:
Part 3/3 of the final light sculpture project: A hanging shade.
Software:
AutoCAD and Adobe Illustrator/span>
Machinery:
Laser Cutter
Assembly:
The document was drawn in AutoCAD, imported into CorelDraw, cut out on the laer cutter, folded by hand, and illumated from above by a light source.
Bugs:
Like the previous lamp structure, this shade used a shiny/reflective paper (on one side), which peeled apart when I tried to just "pop" out the piece. In the end, I had to run through the cuts with an X-Acto to make a clean split.
Successes:
Even though the lamp designs are delicate, the cutouts came out accurately and kept the final result strong.