DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2016 M4 Journal - Reflection Tristan Octaviano
681058 MIchelle James - Group #5
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1.0 IDEATION 1.1 Measured Drawings
PLAN
SECTION
The umbrella was measured using standard methods. Each component of the umbrella was measured using measuring tape and a ruler. Although it is a straightforward object to measure, there was some difficulty in measuring the components inside the umbrella as it was hard to place a large ruler against the small components due to it being a tight space. In order to resolve the issue, the measuring tape was used to measure the smaller metal members of the umbrella.
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It was initially a challenge to draw the entire object at the scale of 1:5 as it due to the length at which the arms of the umbrella can stretch, but drawing at any smaller scale would make it difficult to represent the finer details in the arms.
The drawing process for the umbrella using Rhino involves separating all the individual pieces of the umbrella, sketching each piece then putting it all together manually, as if it was being assembled physically. Most of the components are basic geometries and does not require any special knowledge to draw. The arm of the umbrella is the most challenging part and the arrangement is difficult to do precisely, but once one arm is completed it can easily be copied and repeated to complete the object. The entire drawing required basic knowledge of drawing shapes, extrusion, capping, some of the boolean commands and array. After the structure of the object was completed the object was rendered by applying material textures and color to the components
01. Model the tube and the bottom cap of the umbrella using the cylinder tool and extend each member to the measured lengths and measured diameters 02. Repeat the same process with the plastic piece, drawing variations in widths and lengths of cylinders 03. Model one arm using the rectangle tool and extrusion command to draw the main steel members and the cylinder tool to draw the small wires 04. Select the arm and use the polar array tool to copy the arm 6 times in a 360 degree angle to complete the structure of the umbrella 05. Draw a surface to model the membrane and use the polar array tool to copy the surface all around the umbrella
06. Add material texture to each of the components
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1.2 Object + System Analysis
The concept of the umbrella is interesting in the way that it was designed to be large enough to provide shelter/cover for one or even two people while also being mobile and portable enough to fit in a small bag. This is achieved through the extension and retraction mechanism used for every single component of the umbrella. The arms of the umbrella are connected to a central piece that can run up and down the main tube which causes the arms to either stretch out or retract. The arms of the umbrella consist of 3 small steel members and when fully extended become rigid in order to fully stretch out the membrane of the umbrella. The extension of the arms stretch out the membrane and give it enough strength to withstand raindrops without collapsing. The first steel member that make up the arms is the most rigid piece and it is supported by a smaller steel member underneath it. It is orientated in a way that provides triangulation, which effectively makes this part a small truss. The truss system is what provides enough strength for the arms to remain fully extended. When retracted, the members fold in an interesting way that creates interesting geometries The main tube of the umbrella also uses a retraction and extension mechanism through different means. The tube when pulled out and fully extended is kept rigid by spring mechanisms present at different lengths of the tube.
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1.3 Volume
My sketch model is a prototype for this concept of a neck brace structure that encloses the entire head area. The arms or tentacles that extend from the neck brace can be used to hold a fabric or membrane that will surround the head area and provide enclosure and privacy Ideally the model will be made out of steel and will also use the same mechanism as the umbrella which will allow it to retract and expand depending on the user’s preference in order to address any changes in personal space
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1.4 Sketch Design Proposals Sketch Design #1
COVER/ SURROUND/ HIDE/ ENCAPSULATE/ MASK
What is your idea? [Maximum 5 key words]
The size of one’s personal space changes depends on who or what is around and this based largely upon what the person can see or hear around them. By covering the person’s face (which is also a very vulnerable part regarding personal space) it deprives the senses and blocks out the outside world. This idea removes any concerns of the proximity of the people around them if they cannot be seen or heard.
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Sketch Design #2 EMBRACE/ PROTECTION/WARMTH/COCOON
If the entire body is considered when approaching the problem of personal space, this solution provides a way to cover the entirety of the human body. The design considers the feeling of vulnerability when around others and provides a solution by giving total cover for the front of the body. It addresses the varying size of personal space by allowing easy retraction and adjustment, in case the user is surrounded by people they are comfortable with
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Sketch Design #3 SHELL/ NET/ MOBILE/ RETREAT/ DEFENSE/
This solution eliminates the problem of personal space completely by providing full cover, acting almost like a personal mobile shelter and closes off the outside world completely
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IDEATION - Critical Analysis My object did not require any complex measurement tactics as it was very simple and only required a ruler and measuring tape. This task seemed simple but had taught me a lot about how and what important parts to measure and how important it is to ensure precision in measurements and drawings. In regards to personal space, I had attempted to come up with sketch designs that had a variety of aggressive and defensive aesthetics in order to address the problem of keeping presonal space and privacy from “invasion”. My sketch designs are attempts at different approaches to keeping this security - either a complete enclosure of a body, much like a shell that takes a defensive approach or having these spikes or large wings that give the user a more aggressive appearance in order to explicitly communicate a user’s needs for privacy to other people. I also understand that the size of someone’s personal space varies depending on their mood or their relationship to those who are around them and I have tried to make each design either portable or easily detachable/ adjustable so that they can be adjusted accordingly to fit the user’s needs of personal space. Overall this task was not easy but enjoyable since there were quite a lot of parameters that I had to consider regarding personal space, but also having to incorporate the skin
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2.0 DESIGN Team Members: Brydie Anderson, Mesut Latifoglu
2.1 Design - Introduction
Moving from the Ideation phase, the ideas I generated in the first module had to be adapted as I joined into a group that had already developed a design. Throughout this stage, we reconfigured our ideas as a group and came up with a range of ideas that focused on creating a portable system that enclosed the parts of the body that we thought were important to cover when sleeping. During the design stage, our group’s main focus was to move away from the idea of a stationary “pod” and develop a design that is wearable and portable as well as comfortable and provided enough cover for sleep.
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2.2 Digitization and Design Proposals
The first of our two design proposals was a type of helmet inspired by the concept of headphones. The headphones implemented the skin and bone system with rigid members to form the support system that keeps the helmet seated on the head comfortably and fabric to provide enclosure and shade so that the user can sleep comfortably. To add to the comfort aspect of the helmet, cushioning is placed on the ears and the area in front of the mouth is left open to allow the user to breathe easier.
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The idea for the second design proposal was generated from brainstorming session. This design took inspiration from my second sketch design, implementing a rigid bone structure to create a system that can provide enclosure for the upper body combined with fabric.
As you can see from the sketches above and to the right, the design is made up of a series of tear drops combined together to create an arch like covering of the upper half of the body. This design, like the other designs creates a portable space for sleeping, that provides all the essential requirements needed when trying to get some needed sleep. The design is composed of a cage like structure that surrounds the whole body and then fabric covering the holes, much like the concept of the umbrella. The cage like structure is a rigid structure that serves as the main protection whilst sleeping and fabric acts as a comfort layer. The chest is an important part of the body vthat requires protection at all times when in a state of rest, hence why it is covered by the rigid bone structure. The face is also protected, as well as the neck. This design is both practical, as it can be folded up and moved around, it is also quite suitable for sleeping as it provides comfort in all the required areas.
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Below is the detailed measurements for the bone structure and hinges. The hinges act as adjustments. This is to allow for resizing of the helmet to suit different people and also to allow for more personal space if required.
The image above represents the detailed measurements of the second design work. As you can see, the helmet design is not a great deal larger than the head itself. It provides just enough breathing room. It also has a fabric covering the neck area which provides necassary warmth.
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The drawings above provide accurate measurements of the design and its features. As you can see the design is just the right size to cover the width of the body and cover to top half of the body. It is big enough to cover the required elements but not too big that it becomes bulky and uncomfortable. It is also a good size for folding and transporting.
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3D RENDERS
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2.3 Precedent Research
Burnham Pavilion, Zaha Hadid Architects
FLUIDITY NATURAL SKIN BONE SPACE
Description of precedent The design of the Burnham Pavilion explores in depth the idea of having a skin and bone strucin the design that in turn establishes an intriguing composition that has a natural manner to it. A more organic form, that would be seen with strict structural members only.
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WINDE RIENSTRA’S “11:11” COLLECTION
Winde Rienstra’s collection (11:11), emphasises on the skin and bone structure and how it provides protection to the body, however it is used in this case in a fashion sense. The idea being utilised could very easily be formed into a more suitable design that provides suitable support and protection to the body/head when in a sleeping state. The material used in these designs shown above is perhaps a little bit too soft. Air and coldness would be able to seep through which is not the purpose of our designs. The wood used as the bone structure although rigid, could be painful to sleep against so that could be further explored also. However the all over concept can be explored in more depth.
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PRECEDENT APPLIED TO DESIGN
Applying the idea of the precedent to our sleeping pod design encouraged us to think outside of the box. The idea of extruding parts to the helmet was created and we were able to expand on the ideas we already had with how we arranged the skin and bone concept in our helmet.
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2.4 Design Proposal V.2
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2.5 Prototype V1 + Testing Effects
For the prototype we used a red fabric material. After some colour research we will most likely go down the track of employing a more softer colour. Also we will most likely make use of a thicker fabric to provide more comfort and extra protection.
For the bone structure we required a material that is rigid but also capable of being bent into the required shape. For the prototype we decided to use 200mm rigid risers, bought from Bunnings. The rigid risers are modular polyurethane plastic tubes (used normally for irrigation). While the material is fairly rigid, it can also be bent and curved. However we found that it was quite strong rigid wire next time.
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There are many different types of effects that could be adopted in our design. We aimed at demonstrating a transition effect through out the design. This was done by created a smooth natural appearance, by making the ellipses bigger for every section. This was vto create an interesting effect.
We could develop further on this effect by having the colour get darker as it gets higher. This would create almost a sun shield for the places where the sun could penetrate and cause an uncomfortable experience. Another effect that could be used would be by having the material/fabric get thicker as it gets higher. This would again assist in blocking out the sun and offering extra protection, but will also bring about a transperancy effect in the design.
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For the prototype of our design, we decided to model two of the hoops joined together to get a fairly good idea of what the design will look like all together.
several rigid risers together using the screw at the end of each piece, and was then bent into a teardrop shape. After this, another hoop was made using the same process, but using more rigid risers to create a bigger hoop than the previous one. The fabric was then cut to shape and attached to the bone structure using a staple gun. For the prototype, the two hoops were held together using a binder clip
As seen above, a red top pop poplin fabric was used for the membrane, bought from Spotlight. The fabric is a polyester and cotton blend that is keep the structure of the prototype more rigid, but requires greater precision in cutting it to the proper size
The bone structure (or the hoop), as seen above, was built using 200mm rigid risers, bought from Bunnings. The rigid risers are modular polyurethane plastic tubes (used normally for irrigation). While the material is fairly rigid, it can also be bent and curved. There is a screw and hole at either end of each member, allowing it to be attached to other members. The hoop is created through attaching several rigid risers together and bending them into a teardrop shape.
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look a little bit different in its entirety. There were a few limitations in terms of the design and model making process. For instance, although it is possible to bend the rigid risers, the material is still quite stiff and slightly hard to bend to the exact shape needed. The whole bending process required multiple surements in order to have the right amount of fabric covering the space between the two hoops. The mations regarding where to cut and how much to cut was made.ttaching the fabric with the staple improve, we should try cutting fabric to the exact size. The amount of fabric needs to be measured more carefully and the correct shape needs to be perfectly outlined so that it can easily be cut.
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DESIGN - Critical Analysis This stage of the project was also quite challenging but provided us with a lot of insight into what we need in order to create a satisfactory final product. Being able to explore and develop two design ideas allowed us as a group to evaluate each option more carefully and allowed us to make more informed design decisions. The digital drawing on Rhino was quite an intensive process but after completing the drawings and the rendering allowed us to get a somewhat accurate visualization of what our final product will look like. Although it took a lot of time and effort, the digital drawing was basic but was made much easier by the fact that the design did not contain any nondevelopable surfaces after tweaking it. At the end we were able to come up with a reasonably accurate visualization for what aesthetic and effects we wanted to achieve for the shell. The prototyping process was also difficult but very helpful. It opened our eyes to all sorts of complications and other problems we may run into that wasnt very evident when drawing the design. After the prototype was created, we learned that there were quite a lot of improvements to be made but we knew what adjustments we could make in order to make those improvements.
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3.0 FABRICATION
Team Members: Brydie Anderson, Mesut Latifoglu
3.1 Introduction - Fabrication Looking back at the outcome of the Design phase, our group has created an acceptable prototype that allowed us to visualize what we had envisioned for the final outcome. The prototype we had developed could be greatly improved through changes to certain parts that we would attempt to rectify during the final fabrication phase. The main problems we had encountered during the creation of the prototype was the measurement and the cutting of the fabric and developing a mechanism where all the hoops will be attached as well as to keep the entire structure open. The type and color of the fabric will also need to be researched more thouroughly in order to achieve our intended effects.
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3.2 Design Development & Fabrication of Prototype V2
An important aspect we needed to consider was the colour we would design our sleeping pod with. Firstly we were struck with the idea that working with bright clours such as reds, would act as a detterent for people passing by the sleeping pod. It would encourage the sleepiing pod to be noticable and therefore hopefully not disturbed. However with further research we considered the sleepers comfort in deciding which colours to go with. We added different shades of blue and purple to our list of possibilties. This decision was based upon the idea of creating a calm and soothing space to promote relaxation. After a serious analysis of which colour would be most suitable for our concept, we chose to use and develop on the colours of blue.
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In terms of effects, we wanted our sleeping pod to produce a feeling of relaxation whilst wearing it. It was decided to use the different sized tear drops as an advantage when thinking of what effects we could use. The main one being, that as the tear drops get bigger and higher, the fabric gets darker and less transparent. This is good in allowing a little light to enter at the bottom but almost no light is able to enter at the top. This allows maximum comfort for the sleeper and less chance of being awoken by the sunlight. In addition to this, we deciding on adding small holes to the top layer to allow only a tiny bit of light into the sleeping pod. The aim of this was to create the illusion of the night sky above.
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The second prototype we worked on, took into consideration, the colours, the effects and sewing it instead of stapling it. The process continued on from the use of the rigid irragtion pipe as the bone structure. We used the previously made bone structure as it proved to be a suitable and sturdy strucneeded to cut the fabric to the exact shape needed which proved to be quite a difficult task due to the curvature of the pipe. After cutting the fabric, we pinned it to the pipe and sewed along to create the shape we wanted. We had to use masking tape to ensure that we kept the height we wanted for each of the sections. Sewing it by hand proved to be not only difficult but also turned out still quite messy even though it was alot neater than previous versions. We agreed to stick with the same colours as they proved to be effective in this prototype. To improve, we need a sewing machine to ensure it as neat as possible. Also need to mesaure even more accurately.
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3.4 Final Prototype Development + Optimisation
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3.5 Final Digital Model
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3.6 Fabrication Sequence
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3.7 Assembly Drawing
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3.8 Completed Second Skin
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FABRICATION - Critical Analysis This module was by far the most difficult and most work intensive in the subject. In terms of researching what kind of effects we want to achieve, it was a straightforward process, but in the end what we had wanted to implement into the design could not be done due to how difficult it was to translate into the physical product. The manual labor involved in the fabrication process was certainly very time consuming and the complications we faced certainly limited our time which prevented us from achieving our intended effects. The creation of the rods and the “skeleton� of the shell was quite straightforward and was done immediately. Measuring and cutting the fabric was a very difficult task and required a variety of sewing techniques in order to be attached to the skeleton without compromising the shape of the structure. In terms of digital fabrication, we had used 3D printing in order to manufacture a key part of the project, which was the box that would hold the entire thing together. There are a variety of digital fabrication methods we could have explored during this stage of the project. Replacing the fabric with other material and then using two-dimensional fabrication could have saved us time from cutting and sewing. There were a lot of things I would have liked to improve about this stage of the project, but the main factor was the lack of time to experiment and try other fabrication methods in order to achieve our intended effects. If we had used a completely different system that did not involve the rigid risers - perhaps something that was more sturdy and not easily bendable, and then using formative fabrication methods in order to fix it into shape may have helped us avoid the problems that we encountered. In the end, I believe that we had created a system that could enclose the body and provide privacy when sleeping that can also be worn, but with more time and further exploration of other fabrication methods (and perhaps different materials) we could have created a more exciting final product that also emphasized and communicated a stronger effect.
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4.0 REFLECTION The entire process of creation, from ideation to the final fabrication was a very difficult one. I have learnt a lot from the beginning of the task - the basic skills of precisely measuring an object and adapting the fundamentals of a simple object such as an umbrella into a complex design that was unique in both aesthetic as well as function. Scott Marble’s commentary on industrialized mass production and its disjunction between design and production was certainly evident in our design and creation process. I found that one of the most challenging parts of the process was transitioning from the the design phase into the fabrication phase. I had realized that there is a large contrast between drawing and the physical creation of the object being drawn. I had also learnt that the digital drawing stage is also quite complex as ideas in my head are not very easily translatable to digital drawings due to nondevelopable surfaces. Digital drawings are also not always translatable to physical models and the only way to have our proposed design outcome realized as a physical object that was stable and achieved all the functions and effects that we had wanted was through extensive trial and error. Although for the majority of the project there was an obvious disconnection between design and production, the design and creation of the “black box” where all the hoops are connected to is evidence of “crafting” that Marble was referring to - a mediation between the design and production, achieved through digital drawing and 3D Printing. Although I believe we had created an acceptable final product, there are many improvements that can be made and we were certainly unable to achieve some of the objectives we had for the final result. The intended effect of having the fabric sown onto the rods in a certain way that would create sharp geometries was left out due to the incredible difficulty we had sewing the fabric. We had switched from a hand stitching only method to a mixture of both machine aided sewing and hand stitching in certain parts in order to achieve a clean and tidy appearance. Keeping the shell open was also another difficulty that we came across as we were not able to create a mechanism that would allow for the fluid opening and closing of the structure due to the complexity, time and resources it would involve. In order to keep the shell open, we had created makeshift solutions such as strategic placement of straps as well as the addition of more rods to act like a spine. We were unable to foresee these multiple complications during the early stages as the full impact of these problems could not have been predicted in digital drawings or normal sketches. In the end, I believe that our basic intentions for the design was achieved in terms of creating a system that enclosed the upper body as well as the head in order to provide a closed space for the user to sleep in. The shell can be used in a variety of sleeping positions such as standing against a wall or while sitting down, either on the ground or on a chair. We were able to achieve the effect of gradual progression using the colors transitioning from light blue from the base to a darker blue at the top where eyes would be. In order to improve the project, I believe that a strong connection between the drawing and the fabrication stage must be established. Detailed drawings, more precise measurement and perhaps the use digital modelling software that can emulate physical forces, such as gravity can also help us create accurate drawings that can easily be translated into physical fabrication so that we can avoid unforeseen complications.
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5.0 APPENDIX
Bibliography Kolarevic, B. (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing, Spon Press, London, c2003 Marble, S. (2008). “Imagining Risk”, in P Deamer & PG Bernstein (eds), Building the Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, pp 38-42 Sommer, R. (1969). Personal space : the behavioral basis of design, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall “Surfaces that can be built from paper” In H.Pottmann,A.Asperl,M.Hofer, A.Kilian (eds) Architectural Geometry, Bentley Institute Press, 2007, p534-561
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T - Tristan Octaviano
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B - Brydie Anderson
M - Mesut Latifoglu