I wanted to create a combination of polygonal shapes for my root module for the slots project. My inspiration was two-fold, one from pop culture and the other from classic architectural design. I love the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and have always been inspired by the beauty in his creations. I chose to use elements of his stained glass work, "The Tree of Life" for a portion of my module. The long narrow pieces coupled with the rectangular aspects of the stained glass definitely played a huge part of my modular design.
The basic shapes and angles by Wright also compliment my choice of a pop culture inspiration, the "Gallifreyan" language from Doctor Who. I love the inner working of watches, clocks, and all things steampunk. I am also a huge fan of the show, Dr. Who, whose narrative centers around time and space travel. The symbols below are the language of the main character of the show, the Doctor. The reason I chose to use the symbols from the show is that they represent time and space. The imagery of the language is very akin to the movements within clocks and watches with which I am fascinated with.
The website for the above referenced image to the Frank Lloyd Wright's "The Tree of Life" image can be found here. The website for the above referenced Dr. Who "Gallifreyan" language is located here.
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I began my design by using the geometric shapes of circles and rectangles. I combined and rotated the geometry to achieve the look that best represented the modern "pop deco" feel I was going for. Following the tutorial, I mirrored many of the shapes to ensure seamless design and functionality. I created multiple variations of the original module all coinciding with the design of the original piece. I created circular variations on each of my modules to keep consistent with the time theme of my inspiration. I liked how the rectangular shapes combined with the circular elements created a key-like structure in the module.
Once the outer cuts were created, I added the inner cuts which were achieved using the curve boolean tool. Ensuring each element was on the proper object layer, I began to design the engraving for each module. I kept with my design decision and artistic choices using simplistic lines that both represented components of watches and craftsman architecture.
I originally followed the notch thickness described in the tutorial for plywood underlayment, but decided to use hardboard for my material. It was necessary to adjust my modules' notches to provide a proper fit for the material. I purchased the hardboard of 5/32" thickness at Home Depot, and was already cut to the laser bed size of 48" by 24."
After finishing my variations and root module, I created an array of 7 on the x axis, 3 on the y axis and 1 on the z. I created the array multiple times to achieve the proper spacing for my modules, and to provide additional room for the additional components and drop pieces on the sheet. Ensuring that all the modules and components of my sheet were laid out correctly I saved my files for laser cutting. I really like how the final modules and sheet turned out achieving the look I wanted, and the spacing I needed.
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I have updated my slots layout according to the new laser bed dimensions of 24"x 24" I have included the new screenshot of the slot sheet for printing.
The final result of the slots turned out predominately well. I am not sure why, but some of the pieces were not cut completely through by the laser. I decided to create my sculpture from the slots to form a church. I had fun using the unit form to make something interesting and unique.
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