Bryan Ceramics

For the very last class we were assigned another set of partners to hybrid our hybrids. The objective was to create a design for continuous flow printing on the ceramic printer. Due to a mix up with me checking emails, I missed the designing process with our group. However Ashlyn sent me the final object they had come up with and it looked super cool.

The ceramic printer was by far my favourite part of the semester. There was something so mesmerizing about the actually printing process. Due to our sharp corners the printer created a overhang as a result of the medium. Bryan explained that you can use a paintbrush to fix that issue but it would require sitting there the entire time the object prints, fixing each layer as it went. Needless to say we didn't do that, however the object still turned out extremely similar to our render. 

This has been my favourite class I've taken between both art schools I have attended, I am so interested in this area and will definitely be taking more OBDF classes. Thank you for such an awesome semester Bryan!!!

3D Printing - A Tribute to Jin

This assignment was focused on creating a hollow form 3D hybrid object using Rhino, Meshmixer and/or Tinkercad. The vessel was to be self supporting and close surfaced in order to print it on the FDM printer.

When Ashlyn and I first sat down together we wanted to create a really unique object, as most of the examples were quite similar in nature. This led us to come up with our first concept which I explained here. It was a hybrid of designs that we pushed a bit, resulting in an object made up of skewed text that had a hidden message when held at a certain height. Although we were totally in love with the design and concept, we had a few set backs which resulted in us picking a plan B. Previously we had discussed using one of Ashlyn's designs to place our text on, but we re-thought it and came up with a completely separate object. 

This second design used Ashlyn's geometric form which was made up of an alternating pattern on all sides (which I was obsessed with and could not shut up about for the life of me) in combination with the fluidity and organic characteristics of my designs. This resulted in a super funky form, which was almost an optical illusion as the pattern was inverted on certain sides of the organic shape. 

After refining our final design we booked time to print, which turned out to be frustrating when we showed up and found Harrison and Mark who had decided to re-print their design at that time. So we had to come back a different day, which turned out to be a blessing in itself. Jin is a blessing from the printing gods. Jin thank you for saving us. (I will get back to this but I have to take every opportunity to thank him)

When we loaded our design in NetFabb we ran into our first problem - it lit up like a bright red Christmas tree. We tried to repair the model but it didn't do anything, so we had to go back to Rhino (and Jin) to find out it wasn't a closed poly-surface. We couldn't find the source of the issue, exhausting "boolean union" "explode" and "join". Bryan helped us fix the issue in a separate program, and it ended up loading a friendly green colour after this. The rest of the steps went fairly smoothly aside from a few hiccups of stupidity on our part. When it came to actually printing we had to have Jin babysit us because we were so nervous - Jin, thank you. For some reason the program crashed just after completing the bottom layer of the print, which forced us to start again. 

Side Note- I had ended up booking time over Jin and Ty, who were extremely kind and let us go first. But with all of our technical issues we ended up printing through two time slots. Jin was extremely patient and helpful, and wouldn't even take food as repayment. The closest thing I could get to repaying him was dedicating this post to him. Jin you are our saviour, seriously thank you. 

The second try at printing went way better, and aside from some construction issues we could have tweaked before hand, we successfully printed our first 3D object. Our object had an angle on the top piece that capped it. When the printer went to print this part some of the filament fell through leaving a few open spaces. But overall I was very pleased with our finished object. The texture ended up being one of the most interesting elements of the print, both me and Ashlyn had commented on how it was very intriguing and made you want to touch it. Although I am disappointed our first concept failed I think this object speaks well to a hybrid as well as being a successful closed poly-surface, hollow form object. 

Hybrid Object & A Super Cool New Pal

For this assignment we were assigned partners, Ashlyn whats up. Me and my new pal were tasked with creating a hybrid hollow form 3D model to ultimately be sent to the printer. Now I just want to add that Ashlyn is a super whiz at everything computer and her skills blow my mind, watching her problem solve in rhino gives me a headache and a slight twinge of jealousy.

After talking for a bit we came up with the idea for an object that employed the "tilt your phone" method. AKA knowing you're about to orient your phone level to your face, only to read something stupid like "Send Nudes".  These ALWAYS pop up on my Facebook news feed, and for whatever reason I find a lot of humour in them. Therefore, how cool would it be to have a real life 3D one to piss people off with. 

This concept fit nicely as a hybrid, as Ashlyn had incorporated text in her previous forms. We tried to combine the organic shapes of my objects with the phrase "SEND NUDES", which would be distorted in a way that it was only readable from a certain angle. We twisted the letters after lofting them to be 3D, again incorporating my element of organic shape. 

Things went slightly downhill after this part, the blonde dream team crashed and burned, brains failing us - mostly just me. We thought it would be clever to place the message on the negative shape of your palm, as if you were holding something. The thinking behind this was to get the viewer to hold the object to eye level, fooling them into reading the message just like the Facebook pictures. We used Tinkercad to creative the negative shape, then Meshmixer to fix the object. (Ashlyn, I'm not sure how you have sanity after Meshmixer crashed on you so many times, but I have enough anger for both of us from just watching) 

Low and behold, user problem number one. Hey guys, how are you gonna print this object if it doesn't have a flat bottom? Duh. Flip it upside down so the letters are on the bottom. Oh wait. That's not going to print at all. 

We are currently still problem solving on what to do, as turfing the concept would suck. HOwever, being the gem she is, Ashlyn came up with a back up object that also works as a pretty wicked hybrid. She combined one of her (my fav) previous objects that is covered in this really interesting geometric texture with the unique shapes and curves of my objects to create an alternatively pretty sweet object. 

Self-supporting Models

For this assignment we were to create renders of single perimeter, self-supporting models. The purpose was to start thinking about how structures can support themselves, which is important when 3D printing. Designing self-supporting structures requires close attention to the way curves and edges are constructed as they can cause the structure to collapse when printed. Contrasting previous assignments, we were to use commands to create a curved hollow form. While creating my structures I used the commands to manipulate the angles and curves, aiming for an aesthetically interesting self-supporting structure.  I found that creating a structure that supports itself is a lot more difficult, as you really have to analyze what could out your design at risk. A few of my designs could potentially be disastrous due to angles or curves.

The (super uncool) Paper Iphone 8 PLUS

My original Papercraft idea was to create an everyday object and give it movement. I chose my iPhone, representing text and conversation through a moveable section. The prototype had a inside section that opened accordion style. The accordion was constructed of letters, which created a single phrase when completely expanded. During the class crit, a lot of the feedback that I received was around the prototype being too 2D. It was suggested I try to make an accordion or bellow style section that allowed the model to move while keeping a truly three-dimensional form.

My final Papercraft model turned out to be severe let down, as I ran into way too many poor construction (good job Danielle) fails. My end model has a paper bellow in the middle, which turned out to be not even close to the size of the phone. Although it ended up being more 3D that previously, the phone itself remains slightly 2D. Also the size of the phone was blown out of proportion because creating a small enough bellow proved to be impossible for my brain.

I rendered three different versions of the moveable portion, and through trial and error learned that tabs can prevent to collapsable quality that I was seeking. Along with tabs, the angle and size of the trapezoid also effected the mobility of the bellow.  There are three screenshots of some of my fails. 

I watched a youtube video after much frustration and figured out paper bellows are quite simple to make. I created a 2D sheet that didn't require tabs to create the bellow. You just scored along the edges and it folded into itself.

The phone itself was originally made to scale, but was blown up to fit the bellow properly.

I used pink cardstock for the outer section to mimic my rose gold iPhone. The frontal portion I cut paper to resemble the screen as well as the home button and speaker. On the back I added the apple logo and the camera. 

When unfolded, the inside bellow is green. I used this colour to represent the green text message blurb that comes up in iMessage. I then glued on random messages from different conversations I had, instead of cutting out letters to create one single message.

I had tried previously using regular printer paper for the moveable section, but it was so flimsy I chose cardstock instead. However, the cardstock ended up being so firm that the top section doesn't sit flat on the base.

Overall I had higher hopes for the end result, but I think with more trouble shooting I could have figured out how to create a truly 3D model with more movement then this one. That being said, a lot of the peer feedback I received truly helped me get somewhere slightly more interesting than my prototype model.

Papercraft Prototypes

For the Papercraft project I had been toying with the idea of text and movement. I was heavily inspired by Li Hongbo's moveable sculptures as previously mentioned, but also Ben Skinner. Ben is a Vancouver based artist who is well known for his bizarre use of materials and witty, thought-evoking text pieces. I have been working on some of my own pieces involving text and I thought the application of this concept to paper craft would have an interesting outcome.

My idea for this project was to apply movement and text to an object I use everyday. I prototyped an  iPhone which expands and contracts. The centre part, which allows this model to move, is folded text. When you open the phone you can read the message, and when you close it, it sits flat like a regular iPhone. I protoyped two models, the first was a basic cutout to form the idea physically. The second I crafted in Rhino, then cut out. I changed my text to be shorter so I could focus on the design of the model and perfecting the method of movement.

Even though I got close, the letters still didn't fold perfectly to sit inside the shape of the phone. I also didn't use the make2D command in Rhino, so I have lines across my design. However, I believe that if I was to tweak the way the letters folded down, my design would perform as envisioned.