DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION
PROTECTIVE HELMET MODULE 4 REFLECTION
SEMESTER 1, 2015 XIAODI ZHANG
657695
Michelle Emma James
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CONTENTS MODULE ONE - Ideation
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MODULE TWO - Design
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MODULE THREE - Fabrication
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MODULE FOUR - Reflection
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CREDITS
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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MODULE 1 IDEATION 5
1.1 OBJECT - MEASUREMENT & DIGITALIZATION
MEASUREMENT: This pineapple was first measured by photocopying its front and bottom. The height and the width were measured according to the photocopy images. The pineapple then was cut into two directions in order to draw and measure the sections.
RHINO MODEL: Step 1: Import the Section image and trace the curve. Step 2: Revolve the curve around the axis. Step 3: Use paneling tool to set the Surface Domain Number. Step 4: Draw the 2D pattern and panel 2D grid. Step 5: Draw a curve and extrude the curve to a point. Bend and offset the surface. Step 6: Polar array the leaves around the central point. Change the scale and shapes of leaves. Step 7: Move the leaves to the body of the digital pineapple. 6
1.2 SYSTEM ANALYSIS 2D - TEXTURE ABSTRACTED FROM THE PINEAPPLE
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3D - SPIRAL PATTERN OF PINEAPPLE
A pineapple grows as a spiral direction in the space. Abstracted the pineapple as geometric forms, I found that the pineapple units and leaves are all followed the spiral direction. On the bottom of the pineapple, the geometric pattern is also in accordance with the spiral direction.
There are two ways to create the spiral pattern. The first way is to rotate a spiral line around a circle. The second method is to rotate a circle around the point. The most interesting result I found is that single form can create different and complex shapes by transformation like rotation.
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1.3 RECONFIGURED MODEL
The main idea for the reconfigured pineapple is to create a volume by single units. I chose half of the pineapple to explore because the form could be seen as a shell with protection, which is matched with the second skin topic. It can protect hands, face, head and upper body in different scale. The model was made by sticking pyramids and triangles together. The bottom surface for a pyramid is square, so it would be hard to make variation with the volume because the pyramids could only be aligned together. Thus, triangles were used to change the “direction“ of units.
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1.4 SKETCH DESIGN PROPOSAL
The first volume extends the upper body and keeps private distance for the user. It also has the defensive function to makes the individual feel secure.
The second volume protects the sensitive part of human bodies. The adjustable design allows individuals to adjust personal distance in different occasion.
The third volume allows the movement of the wearer inside the volume. As a barrier, it keeps enough personal distance from people’s interruption. 10
1.5 REFLECTION
Sommer (1969) defines personal space as an area of comport that varies based on circumstances surrounding and the personal perception of an individual. Also, there are different levels of personal space and each has its particular reaction that closer distances of one individual to another implies more intimate reactions (Hall 1966). The range of personal distance and the levels of intimacy is not only based on personal perception but also social customs and cultures. Sommer (1969) argued that physical contact in some cultures is avoided for most of the time while in other cultures it could be part of normal communication. For the second skin design project, appropriate personal space should be carefully tested based on the user’s sensitivity and cognition. Levels of intimacy should be considered to identify the most intimate distance for family or close friends and the private distance for strangers. (GAIA Group 2010)
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MODULE 2 DESIGN Group Member: Lucas Buainain Alves 12
2.1 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - INTRODUCTION CONCEPT We chose the strip idea to be the mechanism of the control for the helmet. When pushed down creates a volume, and springs back when held upwards. As a result, private space can be adjusted by compressing the helmet.
DYNAMIC
VISIBLE
Many people have a common sense that head is a part of body that is too sensitive to be touched by strangers. In addition, people cannot see what happens at their back, which makes them feel insecure. Thus, we want to design a helmet that can produce adjustable personal distance for an individual and provides different dense of permeable eye sights.
PROTECTIVE
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2.2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - VERSION ONE
Plan: Compressed Status
Perspective : Compressed Status
Elevation: Compressed Status Perspective : Normal Status 14
The top circle of the helmet is seated on the forehead and the bottom of the helmet is seated on the shoulders. A user will adjust the personal space by changing the height of the helmet. The helmet is also designed with different dense of visibility. The user can change the visibility of by rotating the helmet.
Max personal distance Min personal distance
Pattern 1
People prefer to have more eye contact with closer friends while they want to reduce direct eye contact with strangers. The difference of pattern density meets the user’s need. Also, the user’s face is largely hided by the high density surface, which prevents strangers from disturbing the user. Thus, it meets the demand of both communication and isolation. Pattern 2
The purpose of compression is to make the private space adjustable. By compressing the helmet, the personal space is increased. Thus, the normal status provides the minimum private distance while the compressed status maintains the maximum personal space.
The difference of visibility is achieved by the low density pattern (pattern 1) and the high density pattern (pattern 2). Two patterns can be connected with out gaps, so that the surface is changeable with different connecting ways.
Normal Status Compressed Status
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2.3 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - VERSION TWO
Plan: Normal Status
Elevation: Normal Status 16
Perspective : Compressed Status
The second design is the improvement of the first version. Two versions of design have the same dimensions, and they are all seated on the forehead and shoulders. The second helmet design is also adjusted by compressing the model to the forehead. However, the second design combines of strips and triangular pyramids. The spacing of the strips is designed unequally according to the visual limit of people, which allows the user to gain enough visibility in the helmet and also adjust the visibility in different occasions. Measurement
The density variation of the spacing of the strips and the amounts of the pyramids are similar. More pyramids are located at the dense strips area (part 1) while less or no pyramids are located at the loose strips area (part 2). Part 1 provides the user with communication and closer personal distance. However, part 2 supplies with protection and larger distance in order to meets the need of protection, isolation and security. Part 2
There are two functions of the triangular pyramids: Part 1
(1) Compared to the 1st design, the pyramids enhance the protection for the helmet. With the pyramid on the surface, the helmet becomes untouchable, which makes the individual feel secure. The lower pyramids are mainly used to protect the surface. They are designed at the top and bottom of the surface in order to prevent the user from pyramid thrusting. (2) The triangular pyramids increase the personal space from the outside. High pyramids are located at the middle of the surface, so that the private distance will be increased largely when the helmet is under compression.
Min
Max
Personal Distance Adjustment 17
2.4 PRECEDENT RESEARCH
Veasyble by GAIA
Wearable Geometry
The aim of the design is focused on a frequent mood that ignoring others and isolating ourselves. It provides a barrier of privacy and an exhibition of personality. The design process started with an aim and then continued by abstracting of a need.
Panel and fold system has been used in the precedent design of wearable geometry. Modular geometric form has been used as the pattern which will further be abstracted and changed into a more complex and suitable appearance.
(Hernandez 2010)
The disconnection from the surrounding reality is matched with part of our design concept. Instead of unfolding the form, our project achieves the isolation by rotating the model.
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(Hrustic 2010)
Compared to fabric, the use of paper or cardboard provides a rigid quality. Also, as shown in the photo, the modules are fixed to the surface underneath, which is the same as the connection of pyramids and strips in our project.
California: Stage Set for John Jasperse (Eloueini 2003)
The design is modeled from a computer-generated surface, the form of which was developed to allow for maximum flexibility, creating a geometrically and spatially changing set that emulates and adapts to the performers’ movements. Zip tie is used to connect the pieces because it produces easy assembly and flexibility. In our project that could be applied directly, having the star shaped module connected and tied together similarly to the top and bottom circles.
2.5 PROTOTYPE TESTING
For the first design, the pattern did not bend geometrically as what we imagined. Each segment bend slightly and it works like a fabric in total.
For the second design, we changed the “group pattern” into “strip pattern”. The strip bent geometrically under compression.
However, connected to the wires, strips fell badly because of gravity. Thus, substructure is necessary for this idea. Several substructure are tested: (1) Wires bent in three dimensions which is hard to control. (2) Cardboard connecting by screws bent in two ways which is also hard to control. (3) Scored cardboard was easy to control and could achieve the required shape. 19
2.6 FINAL PROTOTYPE
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2.7 REFLECTION
Lost in Parameter Space? (Scheurer and Stehling 2011)
Abstraction is a significant competence in design process. Scheurer and Stehling (2011) indicates that model is an abstraction of reality. Specifically, making a model requires the ability to eliminate superficial features and remain crucial factors which can perfectly describe the object’s properties (Scheurer & Stehling 2011). In the first module, we were asked to measure an object, abstract it with simple rules and digitalize it by Rhino. Starting with gathering data, the ability of abstraction is used to record the essential figures and find the key characteristics. As Rhino was used for digitalizing the object, we created the abstracting shape by NURBS. NURBS allows designers to precisely define a complex shape through control points (Scheurer & Stehling 2011). Thus, the properties of the object is able to be expressed precisely by digital softwares. Also, abstraction is related to the resolution of design problem. Scheurer and Stechling (2011: 75) defines “abstraction“ as “systematically develop a general solution suiting all individual components”. That means to find a set of rules which is simple but flexible to accommodate occurring cases. Applying that to the project, since our prototypes fail in structure, we should come back to the rules summarized in the first module and figure out the mechanism as the solution.
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MODULE 3 FABRICATION Group Member: Lucas Buainain Alves 22
3.1 DESIGN RESPONSE TO MODULE TWO There are two problem of the design in Module two. One is that the model does not match with the body. To deal with the problem, we twisted the bottom wire to match with my shoulders. The second problem is that the model cannot stand firmly. Thus, we created a series of movement mechanism to text the stability. The movement mechanism is consist of two pieces working in pair. One piece is inserted in the gap of the top circle and a screw is placed on the piece. As the screw can be sliding down along the other piece and be locked in the angle, the model is expected to stand and move.
Although the height of the model could be adjusted by moving one piece up and down, it could not stand firmly because the piece has the possibility to rotate. As a result, we changed the moveable idea into a stable design. The critical factors for the previous like protection and visibility will be kept in the new design but expressed in another way . In order to make the helmet match with my body, we measured two critical dimensions of strips to match the shoulders and back.
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3.2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
The new aim for the current design is to create a helmet that is visible at the front and be protective at the back. Within the visual limit, people can see and respond to matters, whereas it is hard to respond to the dangerous coming from where they cannot see. Thus, the helmet should be mainly protected from the back and be open from the front to allow users to communicate to others.
In the previous design, triangular pyramids are used for the protective function and a gradient of density of strips are designed to achieve the visibility purpose. In the current design, the pieces have the sharp angles, which makes the helmet untouchable. The new helmet is also designed according to the visual limit diagram in order to gain the best visibility. The model is open at the front so that the wearer can communicate and have eye contact to others. The pieces are more denser and larger from the front to the back, aiming to provide the protection at the back.
CONCEPT
GRADIENT
5 degrees: Highest point of focus. Pieces have a bigger spacing for higher permeability 50 - 60 degrees: Focus range. Pieces still allow reasonable visibility.
VISIBLE
94 - 104 degrees: Visibility range, but out of focus range. Pieces are closer together for protection when needed. Transition to “blackout� area.
PROTECTIVE
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3.3 FINAL DIGITAL MODEL The pieces are changing harmoniously follow a certain gradient. Key pieces are measured and design in order to match the body and the rest are designed to change between those key pieces.
Plan
Perspective 2
Front Elevation
Right Elevation
Back Elevation
They are also in a gradient of grey color. The front piece is white and the back piece is black. The rest pieces between the white piece and the black piece are grey. The gradient of color represents the areas from the communication zone to the protection zone. Light color zone provides a relativity open area for the wearer to communicate to others. While dark color zone indicates the personal space that others should not get close with and it produces the function of protection from where the wearer cannot see. Perspective 1 25
3.4 FABRICATION SEQUENCE
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3.5 FABRICATION
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3.6 REFLECTION Architecture In The Digital Age Digital fabrication revolution refers to the translation of traditional handmade methods into digital coordinate system that can be easily fabricated through automation (Kolarevic 2003). Two dimension fabrication creates planar components of a model and then assemblies the pieces to create a volume (Kolarevic 2003). In our project, we drew a precise digital model in Rhino, then we unrolled the pieces in order to get laser cutting. The connection method should be considered carefully before laser cutting the model. We calculated the dimensions of the gap so that the pieces could be assembled to each other precisely. Subtractive fabrication like CNC milling produces a model by removing materials from a single block, which provides a more detailed object (Kolarevic 2003). Additive fabrication adds materials progressively to create a volume (Kolarevic 2003). 3D printing is a representative example. Those fabrication methods are useful for models with complex structures that is impossible to handmade or assemble in two dimensions.
Digital Fabrication Instead of constructing the surfaces of a volume, sectioning uses profiles to generate geometry (Iwamoto 2009). Using digital software, sectioning or contouring can be created by certain commands instantaneously according to a particular object (Iwamoto 2009). Therefore, digitalization of sectioning relies on the existed surfaces. In our project, we changed from panel and fold system to sectioning system. It is amazing to see that there are a variety of methods to create volume and digitalize by Rhino. In panel system, each module should be part of the structure and transfer load in panel system. Our Module two prototype does not meet this rule so it fails. Sectioning system is much easier for the structure because the series of sections produces the structure themselves. 31
MODULE 4 REFLECTION 32
REFLECTION MODULE ONE Module one introduced the general conceptions about different systems. It provided an analytical process of how we can analyze an object and abstract the essential features from the object. By measuring the length, width and height of an object in different directions, static data was collected and hence transferred the physical object into plans and elevations. Photocopy is a good method for measurement because it records all the details precisely and we can measure the object on paper, which is much easier than taking measurement on a three-dimensional physical object. Also, it is really interesting to abstract the geometric form of a pineapple. Pineapple is a familiar fruit but I had never thought about its geometry before. I found that the abstraction would be easier by eliminating unimportant characteristics step by step. With all the dimensions and abstracted geometry, the digital version of a pineapple could be drew easily by Rhino. The possibility and complexity of an object are explored in this module which fosters me to think about the principle rules, systems and the properties of the abstracting shape.
MODULE TWO In designing the second skin project based on panel and fold system, materiality, the definition of personal space and the dynamic mechanism were considered and explored in the second module. In more ways than one, conflicting ideologies about private space helps me to understand that personal distance is unique and different to each individual. Additionally, the design was improved gradually from each week according to more comprehensive understanding of personal distance and digital techniques of Rhino. Before this subject, I did not make prototypes before the final design and I only used digital software to see the performance. In this module, we used a series of physical prototypes to test the performance, from which I realized that prototypes can test an idea quickly and reflect the performance directly. One disadvantage for Rhino modeling is that it cannot show the dynamic movement of a model, which means that it may create a structure that may fail in reality. We met this problem because we focused on making an ideal model by Rhino and did not think about the gravity of the material and the connection types.
MODULE THREE The third module was stressful because we changed our design completely from module two. Analyzing previous examples, a majority of models in panel and fold system were designed on the back or on the front of a body. The reason is that panels are more easily to be produced in cardboard compared to other materials because it can bend or scored. However, it is too soft to work as a structure. As a consequence, designing the second skin on the back of the body does not need to design the substructure to hold the panels. Since we wanted to keep the helmet idea, we switched our system to sectioning because the profiles are working as the structures without extra supports. It took a lot of time to design the gradient of the shapes at first, and then we found out that there was certain command in Rhino to achieve the gradient changing between a particular intervals. By using the digital software, the time for modeling is saved and more possibility is produced.
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APPENDIX 34
CREDITS Page Cover
Drawings
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Computation
Fabrication
Model Assembly
Photography
Writing
Graphic Design
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Student name
Lucas Buainain Alves
Student name
Xiaodi Zhang
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BIBLIOGRAPHY AUTHORS: Eloueini, A 2003, California: Stage Set for John Jasperse, n.p. Hall, Edward T 1966, The Hidden Dimension. 1st Ed. Doubleday Press. N.P. Hernandez, R 2010, Veasyble by GAIA, viewed 5th June 2015, <http://www.yatzer.com/Veasyble-by-GAIA>. Iwamoto, L 2009, Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques, Princeton Architectural Press, New York. Kolarevic, B 2003, Digital Production in Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing, Spon Press, London. Scheurer, F. Stehling, H. 2011, Lost in Parameter Space ?, AD; Architectural Design. Vol 81. pp. 70-79. Sommer, R 1969. Spatial Invasion in Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. pp. 26-38. IMAGES: DANDA n.d., DZ Bank, viewed 5th June 2015, <https://archide.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/dz-bank-by-architect-frank-o-gerhy-berlin-germany/>. Eloueini, A 2003, California: Stage Set for John Jasperse, viewed 5th June 2015, <https://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4680347-dt-contentrid-16487917_2/courses/ENVS20001_2015_SM1/California_AEDS.pdf>. GAIA, 2010, Veasyble by GAIA, viewed 5th June 2015, <http://www.yatzer.com/Veasyble-by-GAIA>. Hrustic, A 2010. Wearable Geometry, viewed 5th June 2015, <http://www.zeutch.com/fashion/wearable-geometry-17080#.VXODLSGqqko>. Uotila J n.d., Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques, Princeton Architectural Press, New York.
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