Sowmya Rajendran: Project 5: Waffle Structures

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Week 10:

For this project, I was planning to use my form model, but then I decided to create something new. In Rhino, I began to experiment with different primitive solids and the Boolean union command to create some interesting shapes. I was aiming to create a flower shape, similar to a lotus flower. I wanted the design to be functional as well, possibly translating into a table or chair piece (plexiglass or some sort of transparent material would be used for the top/seat , so that the overall form can still be visible from afar).

Design Inspiration: Lotus Flower

I started with a basic sphere and used the ArrayPolar command to create smaller spheres around the base and Boolean Unioned those out. I also used a couple of tori around the bottom and used the Boolean Difference command to carve out the rings. I made several different iterations and finally decided to use the model below.

Final Model

I would say translating the model into a waffle structure and creating the layout was the most tedious process. It took me a couple of tries to get it perfect. Like others, I kept receiving an error message when I tried executing the cut my ribs plug-in, but the issue was remedied by simply downloading & reloading the plug-in again. 

The model was flipped.

After cutting the ribs and unrolling the individual pieces, I began grouping the text layer with the outercut layer. I also had to use the extend and CurveBoolean tool to trim off the "un-ribbed" areas. Most of my time was spent creating the layout and making sure everything was properly labelled.

Finished! Time to celebrate with some actual waffles.

I will be adding more renders soon that better conceptualize how this piece would look in an interior environment, specifically as a furniture piece. The material I will be using is plywood with a thickness of 0.178 inches. Hopefully, it can be laser cut this week!

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Week 11:

Before I started the rendering process, I had to create a table top for my waffle table piece. In Rhino, I create a circle curve, converted it into a surface, and extruded it straight down. I then began experimenting in Keyshot with different environments, trying to find a background that would work well with the design I had in mind. I finally found a Public Domain image that I thought fit well with my table piece. I imported the image into Keyshot and started playing around with the lighting and the materials on the model itself. Finally, I decided to use a dark wood material for the lotus structure and a simple glass material for the table top. I also wanted to get an idea of how the structure would look with a metal material; therefore, I made a few more renders in which the copper material was utilized.

This week, I finally received my cut waffle sections! I had a little trouble putting together the structure since the ribs were a little too tight and I had forgotten to extend and trim two ribs, but the lab tech helped me out by sanding down those areas (Thanks Ron!). 

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