Module 4 - Reflection Journal
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 1 - Ideation
- Panel & Fold: Measuring Space - Material Logic - Recreation of the Filter Paper Object - Personal Space - Initial Ideas
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Section View - Side
Plan View - Top
Module 1 - Ideation
Panel & Fold: Measuring Space
The panel and fold material system is one of the most common material systems utilised in the real world. This system relies on individual or tessellated panel components attached together to form objects.
Figure 1.0 Sectional view of the Filter Paper
Figure 1.1 Plan view of the Filter Paper
Elevation View - Front
To explore this material system, I was given a coffee filter. Using ‘300 years of Industrial design’ as a reference point, I determined that the main method for measuring the object relied on an assumption that the flattened 2D form of the object was equivalent to the sectional view of the filter paper. After tracing a 1:1 scale drawing of the side view, the side lengths could all be calculated using a ruler, protractor and some basic trigonometry (Figure 1.0). Using these rough measurements, the 3D measurements could be calculated by observing the ratio of height and length to horizontal displacement (Figure 1.1 & 1.2). Measuring the volume that the object creates had 3 main challenges. First, the object does not form a regular shape when pushed out, this meant that there was no mathematical way to determine the volume. Second, due to the shapes flexible nature, pushing the paper out creates different amounts of space depending on how far it was pushed out. This meant that the volume of the filter paper varied by a huge amount, depending on the shape it was made to fill. Last of all, due to the nature and purpose of the material, filling the object with water to measure volume wouldn’t work either as the water would slowly leak out of it. However, by using a finely granulated substitute (in this case, flour) for water, the volume was able to be calculated by adding measured amounts of flour into filter paper until it was full (Figure 1.3). by weighing how much 1 ml of flour weighs (0.7) grams, this ratio could be used to accurately measure how much flour the filter paper could hold, 142.86 cubic centimetres.
Figure 1.3 Testing volume of Filter Paper with flour Figure 1.2 Elevation view of the Filter Paper
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 1 - Ideation
Material Logic
Figure 1.4 Unfolded filter paper object
The reading ‘How to layout a croissant’ describes a more scientific approach to the design process. The interpretation I got from the reading, was that almost all objects created can be boiled down into a procedure of basic steps on how they are constructed, which makes sense considering that in todays world majority of our everyday goods are manufactured on a production line. Even
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
including the filter paper object studied under this module. By deconstruction the object, it is clear that it has a 2 stage assembly process. First, the net shape for the object (Figure 1.4) is cut from a larger sheet of filter paper. Then, the filter paper is folded along it’s central axis and the 2 straight sides are sealed through a crimping process so that the object doesn’t fall apart when wet.
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 1 - Ideation
Recreation of the Filter Paper Object
The way the filter paper object folds to produce a volume is quite unique in it’s own right. I decided to test the material system by adding more folds in order to see if the volumetric space created was different. I decided to stick with a simple alternating fold pattern such that the creases all lined so that they expanded outwards when pressure is applied to each end of the object(Figure 1.5). Figure 1.5 Template for sketch model
By adding another 6 creases I was able to transform the shape from a basic tear drop to a 4 pointed star (Figure 1.6)). Due to the outward facing seams at the midpoints of the object this adaptation helped overcome the opening outward issue of the original object.
Figure 1.6 Completed sketch model in Black & White photograph
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 1 - Ideation
Personal Space
Personal space is one of the major issues to address with this brief. The week 2 reading “Person Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design” says that personal space has no determinable measurement as it not only varies from person to person, based on previous experience, human nature, etc., But can also vary depending on mood. However, large areas such as to the back and sides of the body are usually more tense zones as well as chest and groin areas. The reading also highlight how personal space is layered, with the physical ‘keep out’ zone as well as the aural / sight zone where peoples gazes as well as noises cause discomfort. This is given through an analogy of a crowded metro subway (Figure 1.7) where people eye gazes, voices and loud music cause discomfort for people aboard. I really like the idea of looking not just at the physical side of personal space but also addressing this notion of the aural / sight region of personal space as well without actually removing the ability to see or hear, which might also have consequences for physical personal space.
Figure 1.7 Crowded metro subway (Dat 2011)
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 1 - Ideation
Initial Ideas
Figure 1.9 Replicator from Star Gate SG1 (Randumo24 2009) & block component fro replicator (Your Props, No Date)
Figure 1.8 Initial idea 1. Basic helmet designed to minimise aural and visual violation factors of personal space
Figure 1.10 Design comprised of panel sections, able to be changed in order for individuals to customise their own second skin.
To address the idea of personal space, I have designed a basic helmet prosthetic that allows the wearer/ user to block out visual and aural factors that contribute to a violation of personal space. This simple design simply consists of a series of panels mounted to a basic helmet shape that can fold down over the ears and eyes to make scenarios like crowded trains more bearable.
This design addresses the nature of personal space being unique for individuals. This design was based off the ‘replicator’, an enemy from my favourite TV series, Star Gate SG1. These creatures (Figure 1.9) are made entirely of little panels that assemble like a jigsaw puzzle in order to form a wide range of different forms to accomplish different tasks. This idea I pinched directly in having a design consisting of multiple panels that can be exchanged in order to allow users to customise their second skin to their own personal space.
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
- Experimentation & Initial Prototyping - Preliminary Design 1 - Precedents & Design Brief - Preliminary Design 2 - New Panel System - Physical Prototype
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
(
Figure 2.1
Panel redesign for simplicity
Experimentation & Initial Prototyping
,
)≈(
, ) Inward Fold Outward Fold
From the start our group really liked the idea of following the panel and fold path throughout our design. This meant using a tessellation of a particular pattern to form our second skin. Our starting point was my initial re configured filter paper object (Figure 1.6) which was then recreated in rhino and copied along the straight fold seams to form a tessellation (Figure 2.0). The biggest problem we realised early on was going to be the number of these individual panels we would require to assemble our second skin. Using ‘Surfaces that can be built from paper’ as a basis, we started to look at how we could reconstruct the panel using a different ruling system to make it simpler to mass produce. We noticed the outer vertices from the original object form a basic cone shape. From this we were able to work out that a circular shape with 8 fold lines through the centre would form a similar shape to the original (Figure 2.1). Once this new panel design was established the rest of the workshop was spent exploring how the panels behave in different configurations (Figure 2.2). We were especially interested on the effect of using spikes to threaten off invaders of the wearer / users personal space.
Figure 2.2 Initial Prototyping in week 4 Prototyping workshop - Jacinda Antonia 2013 Figure 2.0 Experimentation of tessellating shapes created through my initial filter paper recreation (Figure 1.6)
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
Preliminary Design 1
As mentioned back in Module 1, although personal space varies from person to person and situation to situation, most people find that the back of their body is the most vulnerable to personal space intrusion. This is primarily due to the lack of senses able to detect threats behind them. This first major design is an application of tessellating 767 of the same panels, in different ways, to form 2 main components. The first component is the centre spine (Figures 2.3 & 2.5 ). The spine consists of 115 panels and is the main support structure for the shield component. The spine consists of 4 12cm long spikes to protect the back region of the body by scarring off potential threats like a porcupine. The second component is the shield comprised of 652 panels, 1/2 the size of those on the spine. The shield (Figures 2.4 - 2.8) stretches across the entire width of the back to give the user / wearer piece of mind that they are safe from personal space intrusions from the back. Figure 2.3
Figure 2.4
Sketch drawing of Preliminary Design 1 - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Rhino model of Preliminary Design 1
Figure 2.5 Main spine sub-structure
Figure 2.6
Figure 2.7
Figure 2.8
Side view of preliminary design 1
Top view of preliminary design 1
Close up view of preliminary design 1
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
Precedents & Design Brief
The snail shell provided our group with lots of inspiration for defining personal space, primarily because the shell on the back of the snail represents the organisms personal space, the minimum proximity that it will tolerate potential threats, through a physical barrier between it and the encroaching threat. The snail shell conveys a sense of ‘home’ through the portability of the shell as well as the familiar environment it offers the creature when threatened, creating a zone in which it feels safe, like a house is to us. Figure 2.9 Snail in neutral position (No Name, No Date)
Origami is a Japanese art form based entirely upon folding paper. Even though in it’s natural state, paper is flimsy, origami creations usually sharp, modular and rigid. By tessellating these modular shapes interesting curve shape geometries can be created. This idea has already been explored in wearable forms, through fashion (Figure 2.10) and could be used to demonstrate the considerable volume required to address personal space. Figure 2.10 Wearable Geometry (Hrustic 2010)
Instead of having a shell that the user / wearer can retract into another idea explored in fashion is the idea of a retractable / foldable shell that expands out around you (Figure 2.11).
Design Brief - Materials System - Panel and Fold - Possibly Profile and Section - Physical Materials - Must be paper, cardboard or similar - Function - Creates a mobile shell - Creates an internal personal space isolated From the rest of the world - Is protective (in the figurative and emotional sense) - Dynamic (moving) form - Changes in response to the user’s context and Needs - Aesthetics - Occupies the majority of the body when in full use - Clean lines and forms - Conveys a sense of purity
Instead of just retracting into a shell by having it form around you consciously makes it clear that you are feeling threatened through the dynamic way it expands out to cover vulnerable the body, areas with the largest personal space requirements. Figure 2.11 Foldable Paper Shell (Veasyble 2010)
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
Preliminary Design 2
Inspired by the snail shell idea, this design creates a space for the user / wearer to hide in the event that they feel threatened. This design is designed to fold up over the back (Figure 2.14) as well to offer similar protective capabilities of the snail shell whilst the snail is not inside it. Despite the flexible nature of the material, once the shell has been deployed it offers a very rigid / solid aesthetic feel to it (Figure 2.12), demonstrating an impermeable shield to protect the user / wearer’s personal space. This design was created using panelling tools and looking at how different sized and different tessellation densities affect the overall effect of the shell. We noticed with the less dense patterns (Figure 2.15) that much larger gaps are present in the structure, allowing much of what the user / wearer is trying to avoid to penetrate the sanctuary created by the shell.
Figure 2.12 Rhino Model of Preliminary Design 2
Figure 2.13
Figure 2.14
Figure 2.15
Sketch drawing of Preliminary Design 2 - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Sketch drawing of Preliminary Design 2 folded back - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Less dense shell design.
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
New Panel System
Figure 2.16
Figure 2.17
Figure 2.18
Individual ‘Rosette’ Pattern prototype made from newspaper - Mitchell Su 2013
Individual ‘Circle’ Pattern made from newspaper - Mitchell Su 2013
Theoretical Tessellation (original pattern in red)
After completing the second preliminary design, we started to look at ways in which we could improve the aesthetic complexity of the shell, still using the same panels, without making it so complex that assembly would be next to impossible. Mitchell came up with an ingenious answer that involved specific arrangements of the original panel to form a more complex geometry.
so that the centre shape forms a hexagon and there is a square shape between each of the triangular shapes formed from the initial ‘rosette’. This pattern is formed in such a way that all of the side lengths (triangles, squares and hexagon) are all the same (30 mm). This means that the circle patterns can overlap perfectly to form a tessellated pattern (Figure 2.18)
The first step in creating this new panel system is to attach 3 panels together so that the gap between them forms a triangular shape , known as a ‘rosette’ (Figure 2.16). From here the circular shape (Figure 2.17) is formed. This circle requires gluing the tabs of 6 ‘rosettes’ together
From this grid of tessellations, a rectangle (cyan in Figure 2.18) can be drawn from the centroid of the 4 square shapes surrounding a central circle (red in Figure 2.18) to create a rectangular tessellated pattern which can be used in Rhino.
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 2 - Design
Physical Prototype
Due to the unstable nature of newspaper regular 80 GSM paper was used in the physical prototype. Due to the large time requirement to build each segment, only a small component of the shell was able to be build prior to submission. Like preliminary design 2 (Figure 2.12 - 2.15) the overall shape of this design is a sphere as well, directly relating it back to the idea of a snail shell and the fixed boundary of personal space defined by the walls of the shell. Also like the previous design, the inherent flexibility in the object means that it would be possible to fold it up on the user / wearers back for easy deployment when the need arises.
Figure 2.19 Top down view of small scale prototype - Mitchell Su 2013
Figure 2.20
Figure 2.20
Top down view of pattern detail - Mitchell Su 2013
Perspective view of small scale prototype - Mitchell Su 2013
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
- Module 2 Feedback & New Precedents - The Inflatable: Initial Ideas - The Inflatable: Initial Prototypes - The Inflatable: Physical Prototype 1 - The Inflatable: Final Prototype - Shell / Membrane: Re-design - Shell / Membrane: Complications - Shell / Membrane: Final Prototype - Final Fabrication
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
Module 2 Feedback & New Precedents Like the snail, the scorpion fish uses components of it’s body to demonstrate personal space. Unlike the snail however, the scorpion fish pushes spines out from it’s body (Figure 3.0) to demonstrate it’s personal space and threaten off potential threats. We think that this is an interesting concept that could potentially be combined with our membrane structure to occupy a desired space.
Module 2 Feedback After the Module 2 presentation, the tutors suggested that we look more at the less rigid nature of the paper we were using to make it more like a veil rather than a shell. The also suggested that we look at possibly making it change shape when the user / wearer feels threatened, rather than just folding a shell out over the top of them. A number of ideas were thrown around, however the tutors felt that the exploration of an inflatable component, attached to the body underneath the paper veil / membrane, could be very effective at expanding it out to occupy the space normally associated with personal space in order to prevent others from doing the same.
Figure 3.0 Scorpion Fish (Best Recipes Collection, No Date)
Figure 3.1 Mimosa Pudica Idle State (Vincentz 2008)
Considering what the tutors said, our inspiration came from the ‘Mimosa Pudica’ or sensitive plant. When threatened this plant closes it’s leaves up (Figure 3.2). Instead of closing up, when threatened the membrane structure will start closed up and expand outward. However like the plant, the expansion will be a direct response to the situation at hand. At this stage, we are looking at trying to design a rapid inflate inflatable component with powerful air pump to give it the instant lift we need to achieve this idea.
Figure 3.2 Mimosa Pudica Provoked State (Porse 2007)
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
The Inflatable: Initial Ideas
Figure 3.3
Figure 3.4
Figure 3.5
Life jacket commonly used on aircraft (No Name, No Date)
Paintball gun air tank (No Name, No Date)
Paper Balloon
The first idea for incorporating an inflatable structure to support our panel system was to use the rapid fill principle, similar to that in an aircraft life jacket. These life jackets work by puncturing a canister filled with co2. The gas expands to fill a bladder inside the jacket making it buoyant. We liked this idea as the bladder inflates almost instantly, this could work quite well in or shell/ shield idea to inflate very quickly during times when feeling threatened. Co2 cylinders are quite cheap, however they would have to be replaced after each use which would make the user less inclined to use the feature due to the setup requirements for them to use it.
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The second idea we had was to use a portable air tank, similar to one used to power a paintball gun. Storing more air at a higher pressure means not only will the user be able to get more uses per tank than a small pressurised co2 tank but will inflate even quicker. The biggest problem with this idea is the added weight of carrying around a tank weighing a couple of kilos and the fact that paintball gun air tanks are very difficult to source in this country as private ownership of these weapons is illegal.
The third idea we had was to use a paper balloon, made using origami. This has several advantages over the previous two ideas. Firstly, this idea is much closely related to our main material system (panel and fold), this means the design will look more harmonised rather than having 2 completely different elements conflicting with each other. Secondly, these balloons do not require air pressure to keep them inflated due to the nature of the structure once unfolded. These balloons require a bit of effort to deflate however this gets easy as the paper wears.
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
The Inflatable: Initial Prototypes
large ball cut 8
cut 2
Figure 3.7
Figure 3.6 Paper balloon attempts. Top: A4 190 GSM paper, Bottom: A3 regular (80 GSM) paper
After having trouble with regular paper not being able to cope with either rain or humidity we looked at assembling a balloon out of thicker paper (190 GSM). The thicker paper ought to fair better against bad weather however there were also a few problems with this. Firstly, the paper is incredibly hard to fold making it hard to neatly crease the paper when approaching the finished product. Secondly, the paper is rather weak along the crease lines (evident by the masking tape on the top of the balloon) and with repeated use the balloon would wear very quickly in comparison to regular paper. After a successful A4 prototype, we decided to up size to determine whether the structural integrity of the object would hold at larger scales, the A3 prototype worked quite well however the A1 prototype had the complication of being very hard to inflate.
Popped Seam
Left: Beach ball template (Purl, No Date), Middle: Wooden template used for welding seams, Right: Beach ball design prototype
The idea here was to create a spherical shape inflatable to support our paper tessellation skin. For this we looked at the idea behind the construction of a beach ball and tried to replicate it using plastic welding techniques. We used free beach ball templates from the internet and tweaked them slightly to get what we wanted (Figure 3.7). These balls had 2 major flaws. First, The construction of these balls was quite a complex exercise and because of which smalls screw ups in the welding of the seams wrote off the entire prototype. Second, the seams created were not strong enough to support any form of air pressure without popping.
large ball cut 8
cut 2
Figure 3.8 Left: Beach ball template MK II (Purl, No Date), Middle - left: Beach ball design prototype MK II, Middle - right: ‘Weld stitch’ seam close up, right: Final Beach ball Prototype
For added strength the MK II template had extra little seams we call ‘weld stitches’ (Figure 3.8) on the inside of the air tight seam to take most of the forces during inflation and whilst the inflatable is being folded inside out. Unlike the previous prototype these seams stayed together. However it was evident that these seams had small air leaks in them, but as this is suppose to be a constant inflate inflatable small leaks are acceptable. Despite the success with the thin orange plastic, the clear thicker plastic, we aimed to build our inflatables out of, did not melt properly during the weld process and as result fell apart during the unfolding phase.
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
The Inflatable: Physical Prototype 1
Due to the failure of previous attempts, this prototype was constructed out of sail cloth. Not only is the material designed to withstand huge pressures caused by wind, but the material is a similar colour to the outer membrane layer meaning that there will be less contrast between the 2 layers of our second skin design. To create a unique shape 5 unique air bags are attached together in such a way that air is allowed to flow between the bags to inflate them (Figure 3.9). Due to the fact that this inflatable was to lift a relatively heavy object the air pump from a commercial paint sprayer had to be used in order to inflate it. However this prototype had a number of issues. First, only half of the maximum inflate volume was actually usable due to the straps being attached at the midpoint of the air bags. This meant that the other half was pressed against the user / wearer making it very uncomfortable for them to wear. Second, the bags were not actually big enough to get the sort of inflation required to generate shape in the membrane and third, the connector for the air pump was very poorly located on the design.
Figure 3.9 Inflatable Physical Prototype 1 - Mitchell Su 2013
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
The Inflatable: Final Prototype As the dress code for the choreographed video performance was black clothing underneath the second skin, we decided to use this to our advantage and make our inflatable blend in with the under clothes as to not spoil the aesthetic effect created by the membrane. For that we used inflatables made from garbage and clear packaging tape (Figure 3.11). For the main connection to the air supply we used an old vacuum cleaner hose as it would not kink when wrapped around the body (Figure 3.12). This hose was actually built into the inflatable so that simple holes in the hose would provide an inlet for the air to fill the bags (Figures 3.13). This also meant that we had one end of the hose free as an exhaust to vent the unnecessary pressure from the inflatable to avoid it bursting. The desired effect was to have different sized inflatables in different locations in order to push the membrane out in different ways to create a unique shape to represent personal space, evident by Figure 3.10.
Figure 3.10 Final inflatable inflate test. Left: un-inflated, Right: inflated - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Figure 3.11
Figure 3.12
Figure 3.13
Figure 3.14
Back to simplicity - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Old vacuum cleaner hose as base structure - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Drilling holes in hose for inflation - Jacinda Antonia 2013
Completed inflatable (inflated) - Jacinda Antonia 2013
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Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
Shell / Membrane: Re-design
We noticed, after the module 2 presentation, that normal 80 GSM paper was easily damaged by humidity and rain. To combat this we decided to use much denser paper, 290 GSM ivory card (Figures 3.15 & 3.16). However as this material is a lot thicker and harder to cut with scissors and / or knives, we decided to utilise Fablab for cutting the 1458 individual panels we required for assembly (Figure 3.17). Being much thicker, the ivory card was much more difficult to work with yet produced a structure that was a lot more stable and resistant to water. Figure 3.15 290 GSM ivory card prototype - Mitchell Su 2013
Figure 3.17 FabLab submission template. Black lines = cut lines, Red lines = score lines.
Figure 3.16 290 GSM ivory card panel components - Mitchell Su 2013
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
Shell / Membrane: Complications
Figure 3.18 150 GSM prototype - Mitchell Su 2013
Despite it’s strength and weather resistance, the 290 GSM ivory card prototype had 2 major flaws. First, as the panels were much thicker the structure itself had become very rigid, losing the flexible nature the tutors wanted us to explore. Second, as the ivory card is so much more dense than regular paper, the structure had a lot of weight, putting lots of strain on joints, primarily at the central circle, where all of the load is transferred. Because of this, the glue has a tendency to fail and the structure falls apart.
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For our next attempt we tried 150 GSM paper (Figure 3.18). Like the regular (80 GSM) prototype, the 150 GSM one had plenty of flexibility, to the extent that it could be folded over itself without failing. This prototype also shared several characteristics with the 290 GSM prototype as well. This prototype was very resistant to water and didn’t warp or disfigure despite being carried all the way from the 757 Building to Baldwin Spencer. However also like the 290 GSM version, this prototype had a lot of weight which resulted in a very similar method of failure to that of the 290 GSM prototype.
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
Shell / Membrane: Final Prototype For the final prototype we decided to use what we had learnt to make a multistage structured. As our membrane needed a bit more rigidity near the top the first ring is constructed out of panels from the 290 GSM paper (Figure 3.20). For the next 3 rings after that, the 150 GSM paper is used primarily due to it’s resilience to water followed by 2 rings of regular 80 GSM paper in order to save enough weight so that the structure doesn’t fail (Figure 3.21)
Figure 3.19 Completed Paper Membrane - Mitchell Su 2013
Figure 3.20
Figure 3.21
Figure 3.22
Transition between 150 GSM to 290 GSM paper (Bottom-left to Top-right) - Mitchell Su 2013
Transition between 150 GSM to 80 GSM paper (Left to Right) - Mitchell Su 2013
Rhino model of membrane structure
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Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 3 - Fabrication
Final Fabrication
Figure 3.24 Close up of 150 GSM panels
Figure 3.25 Close up of 80 GSM panels
Figure 3.23 Completed second skin project
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 4 - Reflection
Reflection
Figure 4.0 Rhino model imperfections
Unlike other design based subjects I’ve done in the past, I found it very useful having access to things like Rhino and Fablab within this subject. The whole idea of a second skin was a very difficult concept for me to understand, at first, but being able to put my ideas into rhino I was able to get a much more real sense of what it should look like as a finished project. However as we went further through the project and our ideas and designs got far more complicated Rhino struggled with creating a realistic representation (Figure 4.0). As highlighted by the week 4 reading ‘Lost in Parameter Space’, CAD programs like Rhino 5 merely take an abstraction from reality and utilise the minimum amount of data possible to recreate the object in 3 dimensions. This means that real life phenomena like gravity and structural weaknesses in materials aren’t carried over into the program. We had this problem primarily as the weight of the material exceeded the structural limits of the glue holding the paper panels in the membrane together in all of our prototypes. Even our final fabricated model failed in the same way, however with a quick modification, changing the design from a veil to a poncho, we were able to overcome this. Craft, as highlighted in the reading ‘Building the Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture’, was another useful tool in our design. As previously mentioned, 3D models on a computer don’t necessarily carry the characteristics and real life properties that would be prevalent in the real world. This meant that lots of risk was taken in the design process for both the membrane and the inflatable. The membrane caused us the most grief throughout the entire project. Due to the complexity of the object, our group decided to go into full scale prototyping straight away with 290 GSM paper (Figures 3.15 & 3.16). This paper cost us a little under $100 and after cutting out all of the panels and constructing only a small portion of the prototype it was evident that the effect we wanted was not present in the material. For the inflatable, as we had no idea how the inflatable component was going to behave under the membrane, CAD software was equally useless in this part of the design. Jumping straight into the design about 8 different prototypes were constructed prior to the final fabricated design. 5 of these prototypes were full scale (Figures 3.6 - 3.9) prototypes that all failed in some way or another. However these setbacks were quite useful in constructing the final model as knowing what didn’t work gave us a basis for what would work as a substitute to overcome the problems associated with each of the individual prototypes up to that point. Over the course of the entire project, our group worked quite well together. We all had similar visions as to where we wanted the final design to go. However there was a bit of tension between one of our group members and myself during weeks 10 and 11 as this was the stage were all we had was about 10 failed prototypes with no idea where to go from there. Despite this once we got our bearings back we were back on track to having a finished full scale working project by week 12.
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3
Module 4 - Reflection
References
Images • Dat. 2011. Crowded. Image. Viewed September 4 2013. < http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2769/4438368580_22f5d82b7b_o.jpg > • Hrustic. Amile. 2010. Platonic Geometry. Image. Viewed August 27 2013. < http://www.likecool.com/Style/Design/Wearable%20geometry/ Wearablegeometry_2.jpg > • No Name. No Date. Untitled. Image. Viewed August 27 2013. < http://www.vanderlee.com/plugins/filteroptix/speeding_snail_-_before.jpg > • No name. N.D. untitled Image. Viewed September 10 2013. < https://www.sportys.com/source/images/jQzoom/12071.jpg > • No name. N.D. untitled Image. Viewed September 10 2013. < http://www.actioncenterpaintball.com/images/products/2643.jpg > • Porce. 2007. Mimosa Pudica. Image. Viewed October 9 2013. < http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Mimosa-pudica-post.jpg > • Purl, No Date. Beach ball template Image. Viewed September 24 2013. < http://www.purlbee.com/storage/largeball.pdf > • Randumo24 2009. Replicators vs Borg. Image. Viewed: August 13 2013. < http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/replicators-vs-borg-412962/ > • Tasty Dishes. No Date. Untitled. Image. Viewed October 9 2013. < http://tasty-dishes.com/data_images/encyclopedia/scorpion-fish/scorpion-fish-02.jpg > • Veasyble. 2010. Untitled. Image. Viewed August 27 2013. < http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/veasyble-vert.jpg > • Vincentz. 2008. Mimosa Pudica. Image. Viewed October 9 2013. < http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Mimosa_pudica_02_ies.jpg > • Your Props No Date. STARGATE SG1 REPLICATOR BLOCKS. Image.Viewed August 13 2013. < http://www.yourprops.com/STARGATE-SG1REPLICATOR-BLOCKS-original-movie-prop-Stargate-SG-1-TV-1997-YP63342.html > Readings • Building the Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture/ Philip Bernstein, Peggy Deamer. Princeton Architectural Press. c2008. pp 38-42 • Enric Miralles,Carme Pinos, “How to lay out a croissant” El Croquis 49/50 Enric Miralles, Carme Pinos 1988/1991, En Construccion pp. 240-241 • Heath, A., Heath, D., & Jensen, A. (2000). 300 years of industrial design : function, form, technique, 1700-2000 / Adrian Heath, Ditte Heath, Aage Lund Jensen. New York : Watson-Guptill, 2000. • Scheurer, F. and Stehling, H. _2011_: Lost in Parameter Space? IAD: Architectural Design, Wiley, 81 _4_, July, pp. 70-79 • Sommer, R. (1969). Personal space : the behavioral basis of design / Robert Sommer. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, c1969. • Surfaces that can be built from paper / In H.Pottmann,A.Asperl,M.Hofer, A.Kilian (eds) Architectural Geometry, p534-561, Bentley Institute Press, 2007
ENVS10008 - Virtual Environments
Daniel Forrester Student no. 640358 | Semester: 2/2013 | Group: 3