Corrina Spurlin: Week 8 3D Print

Ghosted black

Ghosted with Keyshot assignment

Concept

For my 3D model I wanted to create a simple polygonal build that looked like a type of flower. I was intrigued at the idea of representing something from nature that is normally made of curves and smooth edges, such as a rose. My main goal was to have this representation be recognizable, but still allow room for varying interpretation. 

Hinga dinga dergen

Modeling Techniques

I created my model using the program TopMod and Rhinoceros. I mainly used triangular extrusion within TopMod to create the petal-like extremities. I then imported my model into Rhino to create a mesh and adjust any points I felt necessary. 

Materials

The materials used within this project included the 3D printing materials and paint necessary to create external design desired. The paints used were acrylic and were not watered down to achieve a completely solid look. 

Travis Fowler: Castle

Concept:

The foundation for my design comes from the gears on a bicycle. Concentric gears with sharp edges and protruding spikes at regular intervals mimics that of a set of gears. The gears are linked together by a flat surface with a circle removed from the middle, resembling a chain. I didn't the entire piece to be free-floating so I added a triangular case around the main structure to soften the silhouette.

Technique:

This was my first exposure to rhino and I began the modeling tutorials with a bit of hesitancy but quickly started to see the possibilities that the Boolean functions can offer. Everything was very easy to control because I could break down the design into patterns of numbers. I stumbled across the fillet tool at the time and used that to soften the edges of the capsule.

Materials

My first inclination was to make the entire inner section out of metal, as gears and chains are so often seen, but Keyshot proved to provide some absolutely fantastic glass materials. I might have gotten a bit carried away by making everything different colors of glass but the consistency in material helps unify the piece and still gives predictably sharp-looking edges.

Victoria Mayfield: USB

Concept: When I began looking for other reference images for my USB I didn't really find any I liked more than the one that the tutorial referenced, so I decided to use that. I did find some USB drives that had lights on them so I wanted to find some way to incorporate that idea into my model. I eventually decided on adding an ornamental piece to the top of the USB that would shine an LED light through from the inside. I chose to change edges of the USB to be a little bit different than the ones pictured. I also decided that I did not want to have the actual USB symbol on the piece like the reference image does.

Modeling: To create the body of the USB I used the rectangle tool the arc tool. I was then able to create another smaller rectangle inside of the larger one in order to cut out the divots on each side. I used the project tool to project the shape of a rounded rectangle to get the original cutout for each divot. I then used the sweep 2 tool and the fillet tool in order to create smoothed cut outs in each side of the USB. This gave me some trouble when I began filleting the edges, some of them rails I made did not line up, and I didn't realize it until after I had already swept the rails. I was able to correct this by creating new rails, sweeping the edges, and filleting again. I then used an oval shape to ornament the top of the USB. 

Materials: For the materials I decided to stick with simple colors. I used a shiny blue plastic for the body of the USB because I liked the sheen and how clean it made the body look. For the oval LED ornament on top, I used a clear blue plastic as I wanted it to flow with the body of the USB. I also chose the clear blue color because I imagined a light would appear from within this ornament when the USB was in use. For the head of the USB, I used a shiny aluminum metal. I wanted this part of the model to also appear clean, and I believe these materials reflect that.  

Victoria Mayfield: Hammer

Concept: When I first started modeling this hammer, I thought I was just going to go with a classic hammer. When I was looking online for different reference ideas, nothing was really sparking my interest. I ended up going with the idea of a toy hammer after playing with the helix tool and imagining it as a spring for my hammer. I wanted the body of the hammer to be more rounded and slim, like something a child would be able to use. I also liked the idea of the embellishments being rounded and simple, like a child's toy would be. 

Modeling: The modeling process was pretty straightforward for the most part. I was having some difficulties with the fillet tool for the claw section of the hammer, but eventually was able to get it to work properly. I used tools like curves, helix, revolve and Boolean union. I used Boolean two objects in order to get the open section of the claw, which was really easy and a tool that I had never used before. As I mentioned before, I did have some issues at first with the filleting tool, but after I understood how it worked I was able to use it to finish off the edges of my model for a more polished look. 

Materials: I chose the materials I did because I wanted the materials to match that of a toy hammer. The head of the hammer and the body are made from a clear blue plastic, as I imagine any toy to be. I made the claw section of the hammer and the embellishments the same just to keep the color scheme matching on the piece. The material was technically a purple metal, but in the render I think it comes off more as a shiny plastic, which I liked in contrast with the clear blue plastic. Then I made the spring a shiny silver metal to appear as if when the hammer was shaken the head would wobble back and forth.