Module four nan ma 611953

Module 4 Nan Ma Student Number: 611953 Semester 2 2013 Group 1

_M1 Ideation_ _Analysis of Umbrella and Material System (Skin and Bones)_ Generally, the structure of an umbrella is a handle, fabric and bones. The handle of umbrella is essential , which supports the whole umbrella. It mainly can be made of wood, bamboo and metal. The bones can support the whole fabric and also can be folded. The umbrella surface (also named fabric)is the most important part of the umbrella.

It takes the responsibility to give people a shelter and it can be made of plastic cloth, fabric, silk and the durable nylon cloth.

Because of these knots, the umbrella can be folded and easy to take. In my umbrella, these knots are made of metal and although they are stainless steel, it still can be rusted. Moreover, in order to make the lines and knots together, the producer uses small enough screws.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M1 Ideation_ _The Ideation Development_

01 ONLY BONES

PERSONAL SPACE Robert Sommer

02 WHIRLING

03 04 CUTTING FOLDING

At first, I played around the umbrella, I was very interested in the bones so I deleted all the skins. In Rhino I was surprised finding that only has bones’ umbrella looks like a spider. Why do not I make the umbrella into a fashionable and creative hat. And then, I rotated all bones. But I found that it may affect people’s horizon. At the result, I changed the shape which is three bones in front of person’s face and the remaining four bones are behind person. However, for the skin, it can be made of silk or muslin.

The most special feature of this hat is it is foldable. In this case, it makes the full use of umbrella’s feature. Therefore, when people do not want to use it and want to save the space, just fold it. But, there is a disadvantage that it may let people feel a little bit heavy.

According to Sommer, people prefer closer presence of a stranger at their sides rather than in front(1969).

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Module Two Design

_M2 Design_ _Surface Digitalisation_ TRUMPS DEVELOPMENT

TIMELINE

The key to my trumps development is to find an efficient way amplifying sound maximize. Due to the first design was five-pointed star, it was to hard to fabricate.

Back View

Horns drawing, Brian Siu, 2013

03 Front View

Subsequently, I beautified their shape and made them look flat. After all, they are second skin and people will wear them

01 First I digitalised the upper five-pointed star and then created smaller ones.

02 After analyzing the difficult level of making horns and based on some researches, I decided to change them into six-sided shape.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M2 Design_ _Prototype for Skin and Bones and Connection_

Prototypes photos, Brian Siu, 2013

The purpose of testing this prototype is trying to have skin and bones trail. Wooden sticks were used for making internal frames (also named as bones) and a sheet of plastic wrap was used for skin. Testing whether it does amplify sound or not is necessary. The result is although couple of sticks as frame maintain the shape, it is still fragile in conjunction.

Therefore, we decided to use card papers or other thicker materials.

The main reason for making this prototype is to test the connection whether it works between two horns, as our design focuses on sounds. Through making this prototype, it is believed that for the mouth horn, it is supposed to be small. In this condition, the sound from mouth can be directly transmitted into channel and amplify them successfully.

Prototypes photos, Yinjun Shi, 2013

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M2 Design_ _Paneling Development_

04 01 Default triangles.

02

Create grid: 3 by 2 Offset grid diameter: 1 Check Grids Choose Patterns

Default triangles in patterns with offset points to create though using paneling tools

03 Outer surface of horns are different from inside patterns.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M2 Design_ _Precedent Researches and pattern testing_

I focused on concert halls and recording studios, because in this buildings, protecting and amplifying the sounds is crucial. It is notable that most of these kinds of building, sound scattering shapes were often used.

Specifically, the design of Knowlton School of Architecture’s main space is a good example, which was experimented with by implementing a material with a certain shape to allow sound movement. After studying these precedent researches, the conclusion is similar patterns being sold as acoustics products, which scattered sound to create a passive surround sound effect and amplify efficiently.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M2 Design_ _Digital Model Performance_

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Module Three Fabrication

_M3 Fabrication_ _Unrolling and Nesting_

UNROLLING

The main patterns including both inside and outside are around a hundred. Tabs were created by using plug-in tool named Grasshopper.

I decided to use Ivory Paper and its gsm is 290. I believe at least we need 40 papers.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M3 Fabrication_ _Model Assembly Process_

01 CARD CUTTER

Model Assembly

TIMELINE

Using card cutter first to cut all of patterns and channels. Afterwards, I used UHU glue and double side tape to cling tabs. After finishing all the inside patterns, we stuck horn’s openings.

Patterns photos, Brian Siu, 2013

02 FOLD PATTERNS

03 FINISH ONE OF TRUMPS

04 HALF OF WORKS LEFT

Actually, during fabrication we met lots of difficulties.

Because sounds are spreading in these channels, every opening should be closed definitely. Because some of horns are small, the suitable inside patterns are small as well so that it was too hard to fold. Moreover, I had to get a hole from one channel for inserting another one.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Module Four Adjustment & Reflection

_M4 Adjustment & Reflection_ _Getting lessons from last fail model and creating a new one_

Back speaker: its function is avoiding to damage ears and assuring sounds can be amplified successfully.

The channel cannot be too curved, because it would be difficult to make physical model. It is supposed to put one more trump.

This opening is for mouth. It is supposed to make small so that sounds can directly go to channel without any remnants.

First and foremost, we discussed the rails such as how it looks like, how Vicki can hold it, how lose weight to make it lighter and how could sound spread from mouth to each horns.

After finishing late design fabrication, I found that it was unstable , including clinging openings , horns are too heavy that main channel cannot suffer that weight so that it was fragile. After discussing with my group members, we decided to create a simple model and this time our model only around neck.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M4 Adjustment & Reflection_ _Model Assembly Process_

01 PATTERNS ON SURFACE

02 CLING THE OPENING

03 CLING EACH TABS

After doing previous fabrication, I got experience how to make model stable. In this case, I found that the connection between channel and back horn is vital, otherwise it will fall down. Therefore, I added to layers to connect them assuring they are safe and stable.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M4 Adjustment & Reflection_ _Model Performance in Rhino_

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_M4 Adjustment & Reflection_ _Model Performance_

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

REFLECTION

After going through all the designing processes and twice fabrication, I found that I really enjoy weekly reading and lectures, working with group members and attending technical sessions. All of these experiences helped me to use digital tools such as Rhino, InDesign, Illustrator and some plug-in tools and understand the function of design principles. Working with other students lets me know how big strength that group members can give. Especially for Module 3, everyone worked hard and met everyday at university to make model. We almost lost our confidences and felt so frustrated when we saw our physical model, but our tutor cheered us up, she gave us inspiration and brainstorm. Therefore, we worked together again with full of confidences. Consequently, we finished our model on time and it worked. We were so excited and clapped after filming our model.

In one of the first few lecture, lecturer introduced to us some designs were created by Bryan Chee, the most impressive design is an enclosed volume is formed by folding techniques, no beam and column within the structure. It is very useful to design our inside and outside patterns in the aspect of stability. Bryan Chee also got another design, he folded a piece of paper and this structure stands itself without any supporting things. Moreover, during the fabricating process, it is really important to know some constructing methods.

The article named Architecture in the Digital Age written by Branko Kolarevic is a good example to understand the context. In this article, the author mentions several ways to make 2D and 3D models successfully. It also talks about the model-making machines, I think the most useful more is card cutter since the most of cutting shapes that we had was made by ourselves. For the Card Cutter, it will not damage any colour of paper and it absolutely shorten our time to translate out digital model to physical one. Most importantly, in order to get high-quality cutting results, we are supposed to clean the blade regularly.

Besides, I have to admit Daniel Charny’s Thinking through Making giving me some brand-new perspectives and knowledge. Mostly makers would like to say that making is a continuum and will always be a part of people’s lives. Certainly, well made or finely crafted objects will always draw a particular audience. Most of people refer to making or fixing to buy new. According to Charny, the making skills are supposed to be practiced and otherwise, it would be deteriorated quickly. Charny also mentioned that today, there is a great amount of producing things are low quality, poor materials, bad engineering, crude creft and thoughtless design. Charny argued that thinking through making—holds social, economical and cultural values that are particularly suited to our times and to shaping our future. He found that if people use craft as the forefront of these activities, it is easy to find out that people embrace new applications—mutations that happen at the junction of craft, technology and human ingenuity that make the artform relevant again.

Later, he also mentioned three types of making and they are adding techniques connect, layer or combine materials, subtracting techniques remove materials and Transforming techniques alter materials.

All in all, I am really proud of myself in the end of this semester, because any difficulties that I have met I have already overcome.

Although sometimes I questioned about myself that should I keep pursuing this design, I finally go through Virtual Environments successfully. Now, I have a much better understanding of ideation, design, digitalisation and fabrication which I totally have no idea before.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

_Reference List_

Acoustics First N/A, QuadraPyramid Diffuser, photograph, viewed 25 August 2013, <http://www.acousticsfirst.com/diffusors-quadrapyramid/QuadraPyramid1.png> Bassetti, F 2013, Arkwhat-Ark Canary-iPhone Speaker-iPhone Sound Amplifier-Tech Gadget, photograph, viewed 21 August 2013, <http://blog.blomming.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/arkwhat-ark-canaryiPhone-speaker-iPhone-sound-amplifier-tech-gadget.png> Charny, D n.d, Thinking though Making, n.d, Australia.

Kolarevic, B 2003, Architectural in the Digital: Design and Manufacturing, Spon Press, London.

Sommer, R 1969, Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, Prentice-Hall Press, Australia

Welker, A 2010, Indivboard, 3D render, viewed 27 October 2013, <http://www.adamwelker.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/12/indivboard.jpg>.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS