Design for Digital Fabrication - Student Work - Vinyl Tattoo

Art277 - Design for Digital Fabrication
Vinyl Tattoo

For this project students were asked to look to tattoos as inspiration for creating body adornment. They started with sketches, converted those into Rhino curves, and then output the design to the vinyl cutter, cleaned up the sticker and then stuck it on the body/clothing.  


















Design for Digital Fabrication - Student Work - 3D Printed Ring Documentation on the Body

ART277 - Design for Digital Fabrication
3D Printed Architecture Inspired Ring

For this project, students used Rhino to design a ring inspired by architecture. Students printed their own preliminary ring size tests on the Makerbots in the DCRL, and then got the final designs printed through Shapeways. They all fit!
























Stand alone? iAm

After rendering the pieces on the wall, I started to wonder what it would look like if they were all mounted onto a stand alone steel frame... I like how minimal the wall version looks compared to this... I wonder what this would look like suspended from the ceiling vs. coming up from the floor. The desert shot makes me chuckle. 













DFD & Frank Stella's Retrospective

On the way back from Spain I had a connecting flight in New York, so I decided to stay for a night and check out the Whitney Museum since I hadn't been before. After viewing the collection I made my way into the Frank Stella Retrospective, and oh baby did I fall in love with his work. I had seen many of his paintings before in books, but had never seen his sculptural "paintings." I am so glad I got the audio guide -- Stella was influenced by architectural structures and tools, something I can definitely relate too. Here are a few of my favorite pieces --- and I am especially thrilled about the most recent body of work of gray-scale sculptures created using digital fabrication processes!!!




La penna di hu, 1987-2009
Mixed media on etched magnesium, aluminum and fiberglass
La penna di hu, 1987-2009
Mixed media on etched magnesium, aluminum and fiberglass -- Side View



K.459, 2012
Tusk SolidGrey 3000, plexiglass, and steel pipe

K.459, 2012
Tusk SolidGrey 3000, plexiglass, and steel pipe

K.459, 2012
Tusk SolidGrey 3000, plexiglass, and steel pipe

K.459, 2012
Tusk SolidGrey 3000, plexiglass, and steel pipe


Circus of Pure Feeling for Malevich, 4 Square Circus, 16 Parts,2009
Stainless steel tubing, wire, Protogen RPT

Circus of Pure Feeling for Malevich, 4 Square Circus, 16 Parts,2009
Stainless steel tubing, wire, Protogen RPT


And of course, some 3D printed Stella ornaments in the gift shop -- Stella knows what's up.

iAm Light milling

This weekend I machined a version of the iAm light out of polypropylene. I ran into a few issues with the break-chip drill operation, but luckily nothing detrimental. This series of operations only takes about an hour and a half, a significantly less amount of time than the aluminum versions of this shape (5 hours per piece, yikes!). I'm going to test out sandblasting on the back of the light to see if that diffuses the light a little more. I've got a 12 neopixel ring, trinket, and battery that all goes inside, so I'd like to be able to frost the dome a little more, so that the electronics don't distract. I've been thinking about the color of light I'd like the object to emit, and I think I've decided on hues of orange to go with the plugs. I'm really having a lot of fun with this project, all of the materials and all of the components are making it challenging to finish quickly, but I think taking my time with some of the decisions will pay off in the end product. 






Plug Packaging v1

I've been working on a high-end and a low-end packaging design for the iAm project's plugs. The "high-end" version will be 3D printed and then sealed in a vacuum formed case once the design is finalized. The "low-end" version will be laser cut out of a thinner plastic and engraved with the lettering. I see the high-end version of packaging being part of a set for purchase - socket, case, light and light case, vinyl tape, wires, battery, instructions, and the plugs. I see the lower end packaging being used in gallery spaces or public spaces and offered for free if the viewer is willing to participate in the experience of iAm. 











Tri-Grip Ear Plug 3DM

I've been designing around these ear plugs for the iAm project. I decided after I modeled them to release them on GRABCAD because there are currently only two ear plug models on there. I think this file is valuable because I've designed it specifically for the Tasco Tri-Grip Reusable Ear Plug that I've been buying through the Ear Plug Superstore. I like it when models I find online are specific to actual products available for purchase.





Below are images documenting the creation of the ear plug. 






Sheila Ring - Finished - it's about time!

So, I finally finished up the ring to bracelet redesign. I am super happy with how the whole process turned went - from designing my first 3D modeled ring, to using a casting service and then post-processing myself. I definitely would get other objects cast in silver through Shapeways. While the cost was only $50.00 to get the design cast in silver, I did spend a considerable amount of time designing, cleaning up the ring, finishing, and setting the stone... so if I had to price out the piece for production, I would probably need to sell this particular ring design starting at around $175.00 to make a profit.  $50.00 for casting, 3 hours for post-processing labor per ring @ $20.00/hr and packaging, plus %60 mark up for profit, with design hours being paid for after the first 2 sales. Compared to a company like Skydog, price is right on par... And their paying rent in LA, which means their jewelry is a steal - GO SHOP NOW!














iAm - samples - installed

I've been working on sketching a new idea... Thinking about how to make arrangements to increase body awareness in the viewer. I am working with proximity, sensory deprivation, and the possibility of being near other people, to increase awareness in how we interact with objects and other people in our everyday life. The samples were designed in rhino, 3d printed, some were spray painted to mimic a final finish, mounted on the wall, and each given a pair of ear plugs.  






iAm - samples

I've been working on some sample pieces for a project involving a wall-mounted dome shape. The mechanism I designed was inspired by an artwork I had the opportunity to install for an alumni show I helped organize over the summer by Lucy Derickson. I really liked how it seamlessly allowed the work to hand directly on the wall... Making the mechanism unnoticeable. Not sure if it's the right solution for this piece, but it was fun to make... More pictures to come.








S100 - Rhino Gold - Bracelet to Ring - Progress

I finished up my sample Shapeways print today - working with my friends bracelet, transforming it to a ring... There were a lot of possible ways to take this design, I just tried to do a bunch of different techniques to test out the service and quality of the company's silver prints. I ended up ordering the final in raw silver, so I will do finishing and patina when the piece comes, as well as set the stone after I take it out of the bracelet. The final design is kind of clunky looking in the rendering... but I'm hoping it won't be so once it's printed... But, worse case scenario I just hack into it to feminize the form a litte more.