OBDF110

  My object is an apple / apple slices filled with teeth. Aside from being a creepy concept, it reminds me of one of a childhood memory of the first tooth I remember losing, which came out after I tried to eat an apple. I was never a big fan of apples after that.  The initial prototypes for my object were a lot smaller and a little more complex. I had to abandon one aspect of the original idea: the leaf. Between prototypes, even though I tried to make it work by modelling it differently in rhino, I couldn’t figure out a way to attach the leaf, so it lost a little detail but I think that the stem alone works. As I progressed my models got a larger and more stable. My final model had me split the top and bottom halves of the apple in two, because it was that much larger when unwrapped than my original.  Final Object Unwrapped Templates: Final Object Renders:

Above are the final renders of my model made in Rhino.  As for the physical object, I am working on improving my craft and assembling an appealing-looking object this week.  Another step in my papercraft process. This time I scaled up my model, removed the troublesome leaf, separated the main apple exterior into upper and lower halves to fit an eight-and-a-half by eleven sheet of cardstock, and laser-cut my apple with added tabs to see if it was functioning yet. This current draft lacks a few final details, like the teeth. I'll be introducing these final touches to the model when I have improved the craft of the object as a whole by using hidden applications of glue instead of tape. 

  First I scaled up my apple in Rhino to what I felt was an appropriate size. I’ve decided now that I want to try something larger, but the size I set it to for this prototype was about two inches in diameter.  I bought colored card stock and separated each unwrapped layer in order to print. Then I discovered that my printer would not print on card stock and a trip to Staples was just as unsuccessful. So, I didn’t know how to proceed. I decided to just make an accurately scaled prototype of this type, having to try again in color on the next one. I’m still unsure how to approach the differently colored sections. I tried to trace the patterns from plain card stock onto the different colors, but my tracing paper didn’t leave much of a mark and was imprecise. I have to experiment with cutting out individual sections of the apple to attach to the rolled and taped version or finding some way to print on colored card stock.   So far I’m mostly satisfied with this prototype...

 To begin my process of modeling an apple I traced out the shape I wanted and then mirrored it for symmetry. Then I copied and rotated the wireframe at the center until I had a 3D wireframe. From there I traced the veritcal lines horitzonally and had an even more detailed wireframe. The image above was my attempt to create an apple with curved lines and using the loft function, then switching between mesh and NURBs to create foldable sections. This resulted in too many pieces for my liking when it unrolled.  Above you can see the more successful more geometric apple, better suited for papercraft. Though there were fewer planes using this approach, I needed to individually create each plane using sweep1 and sweep2 . Once I had this outer shell I needed to do even more work to cut into it.  To create this cross section I deleted a quater of the visible planes and drew new lines connecting the top and bottom halves of the apple. When I print it, this section doesnt bend anyw...

 In the above images, I practiced using the Trace and Unroll functions to create simple geometric shapes. I used as many basic shapes as I could think of, but the objects highlighted in red are examples of ones that did not unwrap cleanly. This was a good exercise in finding out when unwrapping will and won't work easily. 

  Papercraft is an inexpensive yet detailed form of 3D art. This widely varying craft can easily function as a cheaper method to translate ideas as well as a pristine final project.  In the case of the Installation of the duo Zim and Zou (Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann), their sculptures are fantastically colorful and intricately detailed. The medium allows for flat adornments of color and texture, as well as sculpted 3D elements. The style of their work is particularly geometric and bustling with life, their paper cities populated with tiny characters and detail at their scale. Organic textures and shapes are created on 2D surfaces and the 3D structure of the sculpture. In the piece above, the round tiles of the roof create a texture unlike the flat application of different colored stripes of wood below. Also, the roof tiles converge in a cluttered yet organized manner. Every aspect of these sculptures is finely planned, even while they look organic.  Symmetry bala...

 

I loved the exploration of this exercise. I struggled to pick just ten I like so I included 15 of my experiments for this project, even though not all 15 "can hold water". What I struggled with the most was definitely sweeping rail. While I got the hand of the Loft function fairly quickly, sweep1 and sweep2 were a struggle for me. My most successful attempt can be seen below, but I am going to continue experimenting with these functions until I am comfortable with them!  

 

       During my critique session, the feedback I received on this model was that it could be a little more interesting. The initial object only included the computer and the hand, so when I was creating the final and slightly rearranging the hand, I added the computer mouse to imply more of a scene. I am happiest that I chose a glass material for the hand. I chose glass instead of an organic or opaque texture because it creates an immaterial and otherworldly appearance. I wanted to create the appearance of something part of the digital world or bending out of the computer screen itself. So the glass was a healthy middle ground when the idea of a “digital” texture as I imagined it was not an option.      Otherwise, I hadn't received much feedback on this object, because I planned to do another one. When my initial plan fell through (the object wouldn’t explode in the way I had hoped, so I couldn’t separate many of the materials as I had hoped) I switch...

Remix culture can encourage innovation through deriving ideas from one another. By borrowing ideas or materials from previous work, great depth can be added to a piece of art or design. The additional context of the previous work can make an art piece more effective. In this exercise, I experiment with the use of contrasting ideas to create juxtaposition in my "mashups." For my first mashup, I chose this hand and computer. My reason behind combining these two objects was their contrast in organic and inorganic shapes and textures, and the conceptual difference between natural and artificial. Put together, these objects bring to mind horror media or something unnerving as a hand emerges from the screen. Thing files for iPhone hand by John-010 - Thingiverse Thing files for FWW RobCo computer by SebTheis - Thingiverse I chose these objects (a cat head and an entire dog body) to combine into something slightly creepy. On their own, these models are a little cute, but being com...