MODULE 3: VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
Kim Nguyen
FABRICATION
REFINING THE BASE MODEL The base shape that I chose to use to apply my panel is shown here. The main focus was on exploring the way curves alter the panels and how the panels have a capability to create a ‘double curve’. Just as how the base pattern is formed around the pattern of a turtle shell, the idea of a double curved surface can also be credited to the turtle. When looking at the form of a turtle shell it is noticable that there are more curves than the one dome which creates the main shape. Shells have a tendency to gently curve outwards right as they reach the edge and this element of gentle curving is reflected in the base shape. After the grid is placed onto the sirface, they are offset by a distance of 5. The outer grid acts as the front face of the panel and the inner grid dictates the back of the panels.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING: 1 For the first sectional prototype, the materials used were the standard ivory card, glue sticks and masking tape. Surprisingly, glue sticks worked well to hold together the panels with very little masking tape required (only small amounts were used to fix together some panels). The ivory card was thick but the thickness also meant that the section was able to support itself easily. A big problem that arose during this prototype was that many of the panels had missing sides where there was no duplicate face on the 3D model. Although tabs kept the pieces adequately in place, some areas had difficulty joining together and felt a lot less rigid than other areas. There were also far too many tabs on the panels and most of them ended up being cut off. Grasshopper was originally used to create the tabs but because of the large amount of unnecessary tabs, manually drawing them in would prove to be faster and easier.
There were also very few shadows that were cast. Some areas has a completely black shadow but under some panels, light leaked out and spilled across the surface with a bursting quality. Shadows on the paper are visible from the tabs and other overlapping surfaces. A white light was used and when this was cast onto the paper, the paper had a purple hue.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING 1: LIGHT EFFECTS
To test the lighting, a standard lamp desk was placed below the curve and resulting effects documented. The first and most notable feature was the paper’s opacity - as the card was so thick it blocked out much of the light that was being transmitted. This isn’t to say that the ambience it emitted was unpleasant, the paper produced a subtle glow - a lighting effect I feel works well the the gentle curves of the form.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING 1: LIGHT EFFECTS In this test, the same light and the same form was used except now the light was on top of the curve (rather than underneath). Again, the shadows were very flat and the form was able to cast shadows upon itself. The latter noted shadows are much less noticable in this set up than the previous one so a close light source, underneath the curve, seems most effective.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING: 2 This second prototype used the same paper and the same unrolled faces but this time, a PVA Hobby glue was used instead of a standard gluestick. Surprisingly, the hobby glue worked much less effectively than the glue stick. The PVA glue was hard to apply, slow to dry and if not dried properly would prevent further applications of the glue from working (as PVA glue has a shiny feel when dry). Unlike this, gluesticks are cohesive as soon as they are applied and dry with a matte finish, meaning that further applications of glue will still stick.
For this section, the same piece as used for the first prototype was used again but this time with the front of one panel replaced with a sheet of standard tracing paper. The tracing paper was much more difficult to handle than the ivory card as it was much more fragile but was able to stay glued down with ease. Ivory card has a tendency to try and spring back into its original shape but the tracing paper was much more adaptable to change and readily accepted deformations.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING: 3
However, while tracing paper worked very well as medium which captures and distributes light within itself, it was unable to emit light from within and shadows which emerged were very hazy and unclear. Even with the light source at a close range, it was difficult to create any shadow at all from the form.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING 3: LIGHT EFFECTS
Reflecting back to Module 1, my initial ideal lighting effect included multiple areas of contrast between the dark and light as well as areas where light was able to escape from the lantern. When looking at how light is manipulated with this third test, I can see that it reflects what I had originally hoped for in my initial ideation. The panel of tracing paper was able to create that contrast between the light and dark and glowed much like the rest of the form.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING: 4
For this final test, I wanted to see what the outcome would be like if there was no paper at all of any kind in the panel. The resulting shadow was very clear and defined - even shadow on the form cast by itself were contrasting. The difficulty is in that using no panel leaves the area open, meaning that more care will need to be taken in constructing areas which seen. Using tracing paper means that the view inside is blocked so imperfections can remain unnoticed.
SECTIONAL PROTOTYPING: 5 For this section, I decided to used the first unrolled strip from my already panelled base model. The shape was sturdy and held together quite well despite only using gluesticks. However, a massive flaw was noticed from doing this test: the faces on my model were unaligned, meaning that of all the strips I had already unrolled, a large number of them would be unrolled inversely. For example, this first strip had been unrolled back to front so that all outer surfaces were now on the inside. As these panels make up the entire curved surface, this would mean some panels would be facing inwards rather than outwards. Because there was no fast and definitive way of knowing which panels were insideout or not, I changed all the line types from score to dashed - so that if I were to come across inverse panels, the sides could just be folded in the other direction.
READING RESPONSES Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing /Branko Kolarevic. Spon Press, London, c2003 “Architects built what they could draw and drew what they could build.� This statement captures the essence of the architectural world before the introduction of 3D modelling. However, after this, many different types of design and fabrication emerged which led to an endless possibilities of building design. Some forms of fabrication include; 2D fabrication, subtractive fabrication, additive fabrication, and formative fabrication. These different methods allow for different materials to be created in a precise and exact manner - additive fabrication adds layers on top of one another in a particular way so that when fully stacked, they create a 3D model. This method is generally used for complex geometry and is sometimes used to creates certain components in construction. As well as this, digital programs are available which allow for the perfect positioning of different fabricated pieces. For our lanterns, we used 2D fabrication in the form of a card cutter. Although it was very handy in that it could cut a piece of card more precisely than any human, limitations such as material thickness still applied. As well as this, when the blade becomes blunt it no longer cuts as effiiciently and then requires maintenance.
Digital fabrications: architectural and material techniques / Lisa Iwamoto. New York : Princeton Architectural Press, c2009. This reading focused on the way digitisation in the modern world has shifted the way artists work, as well as design. Following the introduction of CAD systems, the lives of many were made more simple in that architects and designers no longer needed to hand draw all their building plans and countless hours had been saved. However, despite the massive change between mediums there was still no change in building design - they remained as rigid and structured as they always had been. It was not until 3D modelling was introduced that architects began to push the boundaries of construction and began to change the way that buildings were perceived. All conventions of architecture and construction that had previously been formed were now challenged. This advance in technology also meant that it was very easy to change small elements within a design to test out; doing, design, fabrication, prototyping and final design are not a linear path, but rather are blurred and interactive. Just as we have seen through the development of the lantern, designing and fabrication of a model is most definitely not a linear sequence. Initially there ware many thoughts and ideas one could have which, after being designed and tested, may not work as effectively as anticipated. Therefore a step backwards needs to be taken and different processes repeated. In terms of my model, I had to repeat the unrolling process many times because of flaws and errors that appeared after my design had been fabricated.
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