MODULE 4 Jessie (Jie Wen) Wen Annotation Century Gothic 6 pt
Student Number: 586655
Group 8
Semester 1/2012
1. IDEATION Natural Process: Whilst looking out my window on a sunny day sadly wondering what I should do as my natural process, I spotted wild mushrooms scattered across the neighbouring park. Lightbulb lit up: WHAT PROCESS DRIVES MUSHROOMS TO GROW EVERYWHERE? Looking deeper into it, I researched what is to be my chosen natural process -
SPORE DISPERSAL OF MUSHROOMS
Crux of the process: Spores
Ideas: DISPERSAL: Mushrooms are immobile so require a way to extend their range.
- Passive:
spore producing surfaces on the underside- ‘Buller’s drop’ ->drops into air current -> wind FLUID, FUSE, FAST, BALANCE, SYMMETRICAL
-Active: compressed air, pressure builds FAST, VIOLENT, DENSITY
Print screens of a video of a mushroom dispersing spores at night
- Passive: releasing of spores and the movement by air. ‘Much like smoke’- David Attenborough. FLUID, GRACEFUL, SMOOTH, CURVE, ‘RIBBONING’
EXPERIMENTATION - trying to replicate a mushroom sporing, trying to encourage an abstract idea that has been emphasized in tutorials and lectures Trial 1: Blowing a pile of flour off my palm. It made a cloudlike structure. Th particles are very fine and the motion appears very smooth, looping and melding around each other.
Trial 2: Repeat Another cloudlike puff. The little clumped particles are much denser closer to the hand because of gravity. It appears quite intriciate and flowy.
Trial 3: Using a paper tube to blow out flour. Created a much more elongated curvy shape. Very wispy with the heavier particles at the bottom.
Trial 4: Blowing a pile fo breadcrumbs out of palm. Tried to test if it made a basic shape but it turns out a messy shape.
Trial 5: Using a paper tube to blow out breadcrumbs. This one was much more effective than blowing out of hand because the heavier breadcrumsb required more force. Again, it gives a similar puffy shape as the flour but it is more obvoius in the trumpet shape it creates.
Trial 6: Using a paper tube to blow out a mixture of breadcrumbs and flour. This trial showed the density very well. It is quite obvious that the particles slowly dissapate as it gets further away. The whole process appears very connected and a layering of waves that I hadn’t noticed before.
CHOSEN MODEL
Clay Modelling The model was quite difficult to make becuase of the layering of the swirls. Also, it didn’t turn out exactly like the picture I drew but I’m still really happy with the outcome. Sadly, it was hard to keep standing and to keep the round central shape as it kept collapsing a bit. Hopefully, this can be relatered and fixed when using the actual paper, instead of clay which has limitations.
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Q: How do forms and contexts (of use and resources) influence each other? Form and context can easily be seen as interlinked as one without the other would be meaningless. Without a form, there can be no context as it has no goal or purpose and context without a form cannot exist. As introduced in the first few lectures, the way we percieve an object or event is all subjective as we are the ones who put meaning to the things around us. By changing the perspective we look at a form will inadvertedly change its context. As introduced in the readings by Ball (2011), the patterns and shapes we recognize the world that we see, defines the context we place on the world, the tree with its pattern of branching functions as a tree, the movement of tides defines it as a tide. In regards to our project, our goal is to create a lantern to a natural process. This in itself is very vague and as emphasized in tutorials and lectures, we need to see something beyond what the eye can see, things that our mind cannot capture but it is happening. This form of an abstract idea is to be put in context as a lantern but how, and why, are the questions we ask ourselves over the period of designing. The designer is the one that gets to put into context what the form is, how the lantern functions, where it’s meant to be put into place are to name a few questions we must ask ourselves during the process. It can impact on the context on the for we choose, perhaps it will be a hand piece to be used as a torchlight or a standing form to be used as a table lamp. Through these aspects, it can easily be seen that form and context, it’s use and resources, have an impact on one another.
Digitization: I found sweep2 as the easiest method to create my desired outcome of digitization for my clay model as it is composed of many curves. It used the two curves with an intersection, and followed the flow of the curves. The outcome looked more simliar to my model than any previous trials. This method relied heavily on trial and error as it was difficult to draw the curves in perspective with each other. By slowly altering the curves, I was able to get a more fluid and in proportional digitizatized model. I also used AddSlash to make the left hand side smoother. By rebuilding with less points and manipulation I was then able to get a much smoother and flowing surface, to achieve my final digistized model.
2. DESIGN
Final Nurb Surface: The final Nurb surface orientation has been changed slightly from the clay model orientation as I have altered it’s form slightly for it to be able to stand on it’s own.
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2D Panelling Panelling with 2D patterns proved to be very insightful. I was able to learn how patterns etch onto and interact with the nurb surface. It was fun to experiment and gain a better understanding of different panelling commands, such as offset edges, extrude, changing the measurements and customizing with variables. However, I found 2D panellings to be a bit plain for my model and it didn’t give it as much depth as 3D panels. Also, there wouldn’t be as much chance for varying lighting effects by employing 2D panels. Many of the custom panellings had holes, making the structure very weak which would not be sufficient for my final product.
Top row: 2D diamond panel, Basic 2D box panel, 2D Box variable Bottom row: Basic 2Dbox Fin edges, 2D Fin edges, Customized offset 2D panels
3D Panelling I then decided to experiment with 3D panelling which was both more interesting and successful. 3D panelling requires the grid points to be offset to a cetain heigh, which was a small problem because of the close proximity of the crossed over curve. To counter this, I moved my curve a little further away and tested out different offset point distances. Using the basic 3D panels and then customizing patterns, I could see some were more structurely stable than others such as the columned customized one compared to the customized curved solid panels. Also, testing out different density, attractor points, curve attractors, I was able to add another aspect to my model.
Top: Extruded basic 3D pyramid 1, 3D Box Offset edges, Basic 3D Box Bottom: Customized 3D ‘column’, Customized 3D ‘curved’, Customized 3D ‘Pyramid’
Further Development From panelling experimentation, I decided to explore the pyramid panelling tool. Pyramid Panelling with fixed offset faces border: I decided the Pyramid panelling was able to project a wavelike motion in varying paths. Employing offset faces border, it added another dimension. The idea of light shining through something less dense compared to more dense was able to be realized through the use of attractor points instead of fixed points. The triangular offset faces get larger the further from the start, indicating the density of spores lessening as more light is able to shine through. Thinking further, I added extruded spikes to show the flying away of spores into different directions by the flow of swift wind.
Top: Basic 3D Pyramid with different offset points and density, customized 3D ‘pyramiad’ Bottom: Customized 3D ‘pyramid’ with fixed offset faces border, spikes
Final Panelled Model
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Orthographic Images
Precedents and Prototype A space frame is a truss-like rigid structure constructed from interlockign stuts in a geometric pattern and can be used to span large areas. It is strong because of the inherent rigidity of the triangle An example of work related to space frame is the Space Frame by Davide Del Guidice and Andrea Graziano. It is composed of three dimensional triangles wtih parametric triangular holes in the interior faces, following attractor points with larger holes at the top and smaller at the bottom which I employ onto my model to signify density of the sporing. The panels can be unrolled and realized with lasercut technologies, very much identical to our process. The precision of lasercut can be seen, as the pyramids are very rigid and exact.
Left: Space Frame by Davide Del Guidice and Andrea Graziano Middle, Bottom: Prototype experiments
With the simple prototyping excericise, I firstly learnt that cutting straight and scoring the edgs makes a big difference to the aesthetic and ease of construction. THE LARGER THE OFFSET BORDER FACES, THE BRIGHTER THE LIGHT
Q: How do different media support different kinds of design inquiries and refinement? With the vast choice of media, the one or many we decide to use effects the form and context, and in turn the design and refinement process we choose to undertake. It is important to experiment and trial and error to make the best decisiosn as choosing the right one to communicate our design across to the audience. During lectures, with guest speakers who introduced their concepts and ideas and their choice of media and the refinement that they went through emphazes that this relationship. For the lantern, a 3D shape is very fitting as the form because not only do lights need to be placed inside, but it also allows for students such as ourselves, to be able to easiy refine our designs and experiment. By utilizing Rhino instead of clay as we had first used, it is more effective in terms of time and effort. Different media can support different kinds of desing inquiries and refinement, however, it depends soley on the designer as to what they are trying to communicate.
Remodelling From my original model, I needed to change the offset height because through the testing, it was very difficult and frail. I decided to change the offset borders to 2cm after experimenting with different heights. Building the structure would now be easier and less frail. Also, as the offset borders are lower, it would increase the wave-like motion, a gentler flow on the surface, which coincided with my initial concept of a wavelike structure representing the dispersing of spores through wind. Whilst reviewing my model, I also realized that the spikes at the end weren’t part of my initial concept of a flowing form. Instead, it was a very dynamic change from smaller pyramids to giant spikes. Thus, I decided to get rid of these spikes.
3. FABRICATION
Labelling and Unrolling I decided to use different colours for each strip to make it quicker to identify each strip. Also used Dot to label strips. To make constructing the model more easily, I decided to section my model into three parts. Laying out systematically was very important, as this would inadvertedly affect the buliding process. Now it was ready to be prepared for fablab preparations.
Final Model Process 1. Cut out panels from fablab ivory card sheets using metal ruler and stanley knife. 2. Assemble and use PVA glue and clippers to hold the tabs from both panels in place for them to dry. 3. Join strips together into bigger modules. 4. Join modules together
Problems faced: - PVA glue drying too slowly and clipping when too wet - Weak at turning points and collapsing due to pressure - Use of masking tape making it look less aesthetically pleasing - Joining confusion
Final Model Process- Rebuild 1. Cut out panels from thicker ivory card using metal ruler and stanley knife. 2. Assemble and use super glue on one panel for more sharing of weight. 3. Build the middle module first by sticking one after the other for less confusion. 4. Use middle module and use it as a base to connect the start and end strips.
Problems fixed: - Super glue much faster and fixed - More rigid and the original curve is supported by using thicker card and change of the way of joining tabs - No use of masking tape - Easer process
Lighting Experimentation - 6 white LED lights - one switch - electric tape - wires I decided to use 6 LED lights so as to get a brighter lighting than just the 3 provided, Also, it would give a more evenly dispersal of light and allow me to experiment more to create affects that coincided with my concept of spore dispersal, already shown through the offset borders.
Lights dispersed evenly to create a flowing movement of light density as the offset border faces realizes my inital concept of lighting shining through more brightly and with more intensity as the spores flow away.
Precedent
The Angelin Lamp: Contemporary light by talented Paris designer, Constance Guisset. It is made of a metallic structure containing a neon and also a few rolls of paper. It allows for the user to creates his own luminous atmosphere as desired. By changing the density of paper in one spot or the length, it allows for the light to change in warmth and transparency. I find it relates to our project very closely because whilst the computer component has been a main focus, I think the lighting is also an important aspect which is why experimenting with lights is essential. From The Angelin Lamp, it is able to clearly show why lighting is important, as it can change the dynamic, mood of the audience and user. Also, the material of paper is much like our project and allows for many choices and variations in this one simple piece of material.
Final Product
Q: How do different kinds of fabrication technologies make possible as well as constrain what can be constructed? As shown through the reading of Gershfield (2005), through the advancement of fabrication technologies have made so limitless desings of our imagination to be realized, whether this be card cutters, laser cutters, 3D printers. All these technologies allow for more possibilites than ever before and the numbers keep growing as the technology keeps on advancing. The technology appears as something sci-fi to me when first introduced and was suprising to find out through the readings and lectures that they have actually been around for awhile. However, constraints are apparant. One of the main points is money and is not as readily avaible to the public. Creating something big would cost alot and this is not accessible to many. An obvious constraint in our lantern project is the only choices of card cutter and laser cutter. The only way for us to make these lanterns was to convert our 3D shape into 2D panels so they could be processed by these technology we could choose. The need to once again make these ‘flat packs’ is time constraining and strenous. If the choice could be made, a 3D printer would be much more viable. But compared to a ink printer at home, the use of the card cutter or laser cutter saves time and effort.
Module 1
4. REFLECTION
It was a very fast paced three weeks. Trying to understand new concepts such as patterns, geometry, and ways to analyze information was confusing but also exciting I really enjoyed researching and analyzing the process of spore dispersal in mushrooms because not only was it interesting but it was an eye opener that there are so many intricate details and amazing processes that the naked eye can’t see, introduced during our first lecture. Whilst, the researching was an important core part of the process, the hardest part for me during module 1 was that it had to be abstract and to not represent the idea directly, but rather the ‘rule’ behind it. It was difficult to let go of preconceptions of the process and I believe this hindered my ability to see beyong what was there as I focused more on the end product rather than the process and I kept questioning myself whether it was actually abstract. By going through trials, analyzing precendents and exploring ideas and the readings, I was soon able to understand the concept adn come up with new ideas to create something original. The main points of the process I wanted to convey through my model was balance and merging of the first step of the process which leads to the flow of the spores. By keeping in mind the characteristics of the process, I suprised myself with what I had made because it looked nothing to what I had imagined at the beginning. I was also pessimistic towards Rhino, because I enjoy freehand, but soon realizd the many new potentials (but also limitations) in using technology, such as the amazing models made by Henry Segerman.
Module 2
By the end of this module, I could already see the large difference between designing with analogue and digital techniques. One thing that stood out was the ease of experimenting and iterating quickly and accurately using the computer program. It was a matter of copying and pasting, trying out different commands that were already all inbuilt with a few clicks of the button. It’s obvious with why there is a shift towards the parametric design in architecture; the consistency, ease, effectiveness, cost and time. However, I still found that using a computer program felt unnatural, that there wasn’t as much spontantiy and free flow as I would like. This may have been due to my lack of ability but I felt that analogue techniques gave much more freedom to designing and the random sketches in notebooks which can prove to be the most useful and creative. There was a lot of choice with the computer program, and it was able to give a much more realistic view of the model, to be able to see the structure and function all on one screen and instead of construction at the end of designing, it was very much the same process when using the software. I had to refine my model many times to get it looking how I wanted it to. However, through Module 3, Rhino use was much more easier and felt accessible when I needed to reiterate some parts, and making it into a fablab file. I think that as I used Rhino more and more, it grew on me as something I required and could make the most out of for my design.
Module 3
Module 3 was the toughest. Not only did it require a lot of time, but also effort and concentration, and this was especially hard as we had to work to a time limit. It was a clear process of testing, doing it again, retesting and so on. Whilst this is the best method for achieving the best result, it would have been better with more time given. However, as in the real world, not only do architects and designers have to work to constraining time scedules but in any profession. Even though the 3D computerized designs on the screen appear to be functioning, I felt that there were many unexpected differences from on screen to real life. The material, construction process, precision of the machine or whether the construction will actually work in real life. I still find that the designer gets to choose what goes on the model and what gets left out and discarded, however, as said in the Week 10 lecture, sometimes the final product can exceed the design. The stresses of it having so many panels to unroll and fold, problems with the fablab really got to me and I was wondering if I would ever have a final product. I think with only the sheer determination to remake my model to the best it could be and to my ability really paid off in the end as I walked down the fashion parade knowing I had done my best and proud of what I was presenting.
How do representations and their material realisations (or insights) may be mutually dependent ? The reperesentation is solely dependant on everything that has been used, refined, and chosen throughout the whole design process. This has been drilled into us in tutorials and lectures, the reason as to why we must critically assess our choices, and linking it to our representations. With regards to our project, over the whole course, we’ve been faced with various choices and split paths. We could’ve made our lanterns out of anything, wood, or brick but were constrained to card. Even though this sounded like a definite representation on card, we had the choice of black or white, or both, the thickness, the flexibility, the way it is cut and put together. By considering all these aspects into the design, it is obvious that we have to make sound judgement as to the material used for the representations.
What are the learning outcomes of this subject and its relevance to your further studies and future? This subject has been both stressful but very rewarding. This subject has given me a taste of what it is to be a designerthe heartaches, the headaches, the fustration, the sleepless nights, the stress, the times I just want to cry but then the joy, the appreciation, the suprise, the satisfaction that the whole process and final product brings. I think the focus of this subject is to learn the skills and frame mind to be able to focus on the process of the design rather than the final product, and not to follow a linear path.. Instead, to be a sponge and asborb all sorts of knowledge around us, finding ideas and following them whether this may lead to failure of success, the ability to justify choices we make whether this be the idea or material and how to communicate or ideas and represenations. Also, it introduced to us the idea of using technology as a means of design, and this has been eye opening because I am no longer wary or afraid of learning new technological skills to further my designs. As I aim to be an innovative architect in the future, I’ve come to reflect on this process throughout Module 4, I’ve grown to really appreciate all these new skills as they are necessary in design related fields and ready to be used in the future.