Andrew Rowan: Week 10 Laser Cutting

Rhino ghosted image

Rhino layered image

Concept: My original inspiration for this piece was a crown conch shell. I thought the shape would work well with slicing and it was very dynamic. I wanted to transform a slice of the upper part of the shell and it's protrusions into the flatter, smaller sections, that are present on the lower portion of the shell. I initially only made the sections flatter, but I realized I could also activate the vertical axis if I made them smaller as well. To add another dynamic I decided to exaggerate this transformation by pushing it all the way to rectilinear shapes, with the main rectilinear slice being opposite the crown conch slice. I wanted this sculpture to be in the round so that people could see all the transitions and how each piece flows into the next.

Rhino laser cut file 1

Rhino laser cut file 2

Technique: In FlatFab I first formed my base circle. I then input the abstract slice of the crown conch shell on the circle. On the opposite side I drew the exaggerated rectilinear shape. I then drew the two intermediary transitions that activate the vertical axis. I then used a blend between adjacent sections. Due to the concave nature of the shapes I had a lot of issues with the shapes being only an outline. I was able to resolve by flipping the curve handles on nodes within the shape. Generally only one node per shape had a "normal flip." After a lot of experimentation with this I was able to pin point the problem node in each shape that had this issue. One of the more extreme shapes required two nodes to be flipped. After this I exported the file as a DXF, used Illustrator as a pass through for an obj file, and finally opened it in Rhino. In Rhino I exploded everything and created the layers. I then assigned everything to the proper layer and forced all lines to the correct color. Finally I laid out all the pieces in the most efficient way I could and sent the files to the machine shop to be cut.

Close up render

Gallery render

Materials: For my materials I decided that the round sectional makeup worked really nicely with the two tone cardboard. I used polished metal for one side of each section as well as the section width. I used chrome on the outer edge to highlight the contours of each piece which helps to show the transition from section to section. I used blue textured metal for the remaining side of each section. I used a blue that was not too bright so as to not take away from the polished metal while still adding emphasis to the contours of the shape. For the retaining ring I used gloss orange paint as a complimentary color to the blue. This helped to activate the horizontal axis and adds another layer of visual interest. I also did not want to hide the construction of this piece. This is because it is, as a whole, very dynamic, but the construction itself is very simple. This will also be more prominent once I add two more smaller rings for stability.

Public display render