Brian Hou: Week 4 - 3D Printed Model

The Caged Tree

Created by Brian

The Caged Tree features a Dodecahedron shell and a symmetrical spinning structure inside. My original intention was to create 3 smaller dodecahedrons, one within each other; however, I felt that the design would be too simple. As a result, I add something different to the original dodecahedron theme. I created a smooth and curved object that contrasted the edges and flat faces of the shell, and because of it's structure, I gave it the name "The Caged Tree".

To construct the dodecahedron, I first started with two 2d pentagons. Using the extrude tool, I created a basic pentagon that will be copied 12 times to make the shell. When making the walls of the shell, I rotated it roughly 36 degrees and used Polar Array. The process was trial-and-error, but eventually, I was satisfied. The tree consists of a cylinder at the base and a curving "branches" - which were made by sweeping 8 circles and a path, then duplicated 4 times using polar array.

The theme of the object is "Contrast" so the materials had to follow suit. The cage is made up of shinny, black plastic. It is reflective, so when viewed at the top the tree is reflected by the bottom plate. The tree is made up of red glass, which contrasts the hard black plastic that surrounds it. The lighting was set so that the reflection in the bottom plate would be clearly visible.