Virtural EnvironmentsStudent Journal

Module 3 Fabrication

Xiaojie Bian633796

May 2013

MODULE 1 & 2Xiaojie Bian 633796

Natural Pattern

Analytical Drawing: Movement

These two analytical drawings -- limited variations, fixed form and impracticalNot likely to make a successful lighting effect in realistic.

Analytical Drawing: Balance

- follow the recipe modeling on rhino---base pattern

Analytical DrawingSymmetry

Improved pattern

I found the original form of pattern is very simple however it has a huge potential for further developing, I played around with the surface, making holes on the different faces and see how the effect will be like. Some 2D panels......

Light effect Testingsmall prototypes

CLAY MODEL

RHINO MODELING

MODULE THREEXiaojie Bian 633796

Reading 1: Architecture in the Digital Age – Design and Manufacturing /Branko Kolarevic. Spon Press. London. c2003

Q: Describe one aspect of the recent shift in the use of digital technology from design to fabrication? How does the fabrication process effects your lantern construction?

The digital technology minimize the steps from computer modeling to fab-rication, saving time as well as being more accurate in measuring, drawing, cutting and folding processes. As an advantage of using digital fabrication, the model could be more delicate and it’s possible to be made in very small scale fabrication without worrying about the measurement and proportion. In my terms making the lantern model, the card cutter has hugely contribut-ed to my lantern making process. Since the model has many complex curved faces and it is impossible to make it manually, using Rhino to unroll the surface and send them to the card cutter save me lots of time. Also, the card cutter is able to adjust the force to make a difference between cut line and fold line, which provides me with a greater opportunity to make a complex structured lantern.

Reading 2: Digital fabrications: architectural and material techniques/Lisa Iwamoto. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, c2009.

Q: briefly outline the various digital fabrication processes. List constrains and oppotunities provided for you through the use of CNC cut cutter or laser cutter.

The architects now the days could use 2D fabrication to generate the models. The advantages of using laser cutter could be that by using a high-intensity focused beam of infrared light, it could produce very clean and accurate cuts. However, in order to run a laser cutter, the materials of the model must be light-energy absorbing, as well as the limitation of size and the high cost equipment and the long period production time. That’s way I chose to use card cutter instead of laser cutter to cut the pro-totype of my lantern. I saw one page of laser-cut card from my friend, the edges are extremely clean and shape compare with mine cut by the card cutter, however the edges are over burnt by the high temperature heat-ing from leaser beams. Using card cutter are more ‘safe’ in terms, but the edges are sometimes not throughly cut(actually lots of time). But i still prefer using card cutter since i could operate by myself and it saves far more time waiting the fablab to do it for me.

First Prototype

Problem????Too small, painful to fold and stick them together at the very top of the modelIn the middle of the twisting part, fragile(already broke at the first night I made it) put a stick in the middle to hold up the model not good looking thoughBiggest concern-- the 3D panels. Need to redo the 3D panels since they are not tightly fitted on the surface of the 2D panel Reasons--- different no. Off set pointsAlso, the 3D panels are pentagons which means they are not able to produce a perfectly enclosed prototype, there is always an undesirable gap between two panels.SolutionRedo the 3D panel as well as the 2D panel, make sure they use the same no of set point, and make the pentagon to an even number sided pattern (say, 4,6,8,10.....) i picked 4, easy to do on Rhino, no need to wait for ages to process the panelings.

LIGHTING EFFECT

Second Prototype- scaled by three

LIGHTING EFFECT: 2D

Problem: one panel is not matchingI re-unroll the section and cut again in the fablab but came out with the same panel!! So weird!! Never trust the technolo-gies, they go wrong for no reasons. I decided to made this section by my self.

FINAL 2D

Lighting up the circuitPhysics broke??

LIGHTING

ASSEMBLY DRAWING

However.....New problem emerged: battery hard to hold, connection of the wires, and the probability of the lighting LED....really depends on luck

ADDING 3D PANELS

FINAL