Final Major Project, A few research pages June 4, 2010
Here is some of my research, there is more to come. I will be uploading it soon.
Evalution – Mudeford (Jason) May 21, 2010
For this project I had to produce a 3D model of my Mudeford chair using Cinema 4D. The model had to include materials, textures and all other necessary techniques in order to produce a high quality and realistic model. I also had to produce an animation of my 3D Model with a run time of 10-60 seconds, the animation could include anything from a 360* rotation to showing specific joints, constructions details and other parts that may have be of importance. The last thing I had to do was to create an A2 presentation of the final model.
Firstly I started to draw to design on a 120-120cm box which I had drawn out to help me with the exact scale, after doing this I was able to scan this into Photoshop where I saved it and loaded it up onto Cinema 4D. I was then able to draw around my model using the Bezier tool which allowed me to manipulate the curves of my chair easily. After going around the chair I then dropped in a object called “extrude nurbs” I then took my spline and dropped it into the extrude nurbs, doing this allows me to make it 3 dimensional, I first had to tweak with the axis settings before it was correct but it was fairly straight forward. Normally I would have just copied the panel and pasted it and positioned it to my liking but I learnt a new tool called “symmetry” which I have been looking for, for quite a while but I could never find it. This allowed me to easily position the panel I made and I soon had both panels positioned.
I then had to create the slabs, this would have been extremely hard but when I scanned in the drawing I purposely drew a box to represent the 120x120cm piece of plywood we had been given to create the actual chair. After doing my measurements I was able to create my slabs one by one accurately and easily. I then positioned my slabs to fit the seating line I had drawn.
After doing this I was able to see I had extra wood, bearing in mind I have not yet finished my actual model so It will be interesting to see if I have excess wood or not. If I do it means my measurements are precise and accurate.
After all this I needed to add some materials and textures, I spent a decent amount of time looking at various forums and websites trying to find the perfect piece of plywood texture, after spending around 30 minutes I was able to find one that I knew I could work with. Due to past projects I know that just adding the material looks cheap and doesn’t make the chair look realistic at all. I applied the material to each piece of wood individually, this allowed me to mess with the tiles which i could change to make each piece different, I was also able to create a pattern which also helped to make the overall model even more realistic.
Once this was completed I tweaked around with the lighting. When I work with projects that require a realistic look and feel I straight away turn on global illumination and then I drop in one or two lights to help me with the shadows, after spending an hour or so I was happy with the lighting, it looked realistic.
After doing that I made a screw and screwdriver, I made both with the help of tutorials, which I found on YouTube. I then added these to my model and made a small animation with characters C4D provides, I also saved a few jpegs which I may include in my presentation.
I soon started on the animation side of the model, I had so many ideas buzzing around in my head especially with the characters, at first I was having trouble saving the file but realised the 64-bit version I was using did not support QuickTime, Luckily I was able to transfer the file to the normal version which I was able to save the animation from. I made a few short clips and made a few clips using flash which I was all going to put together to create a short clip. However I was unable to do this as windows movie maker does not support QuickTime either… I had tried converting the files to an avi format but doing so I lost a substantial amount of quality in the animation which I was not at all happy with. I then tried to Adobe’s Premier Pro but as I have no knowledge of the software I found it extremely hard to use and left it. I then returned to C4D and created a 360* animation of my chair.. I have kept all the short clip files and I intend on creating the short clip at a later date, regardless if it’s marked or not.
Overall I thought this project has been good, not only has it tested my skills on animating but it has also opened up a creative side of me when thinking of ideas when animating, throughout the whole time animating I was just thinking of something else I could include. I have also learnt one or two new techniques on C4D and I’ve also learnt that I now need to be adventurous and take a peek at video editing software’s which will no doubt about it, help me, not only in my next project, but in my future as well.
Health and Safety – Mudeford May 21, 2010
throughout the whole of the project (Take a seat Mudeford) I had to take into account health and safety. While I was in the workshop I had to wear goggles while using any machine mainly the sander and band saw as when cutting Plywood, small pieces may chip of and could go into my eyes and it was important for the sander as well because again small pieces might chip off. Plywood is mainly made by gluing together a number of thin veneers or plies of softwood or hardwood so when it is sanded it does produce mass amounts of dust, so you would have to wear a mask as when breathed in can irritate the lungs, the extraction also had to be turned on which took a majority of the dust but there are still some particles that do not get sucked in, so wearing a mask would help also, however I did not have a mask as there was none available for me to use, another health and safety when handling wood could be getting a splinter, if you miss handle wood you could get a splinter and if not removed could become infected.
While using the machines or when somebody else is using it, you have to stand behind the yellow line to prevent distractions and accidents which could occur if somebody is being careless around the machines. When using minor objects like a craft knife, scissors etc you have to be careful like not point the craft knife at anybody or use it without a metal rule, as your hand could slip and cut you. Scissors would also have to be handled properly when moving around with it you have to hold it by the metal part (blade) same goes with a craft knife you must retract the blade if you are moving around with it. Sandpaper can also be a health and safety hazard as you could sand your skin off if you do not hold it properly or as the same as the sander it produces a lot of dust. There are also very minor things like getting a paper cut, if you were to get a paper cut while handling paper in a dusty workshop you would need to wash it out and disinfect it as the dust particles will travel around and could get into the cut which could cause an infection.
Due to the nature of this project extra safety had to be taken when using equipment to cut out our shapes, as the piece of plywood we had been given was very large we had to be assisted whilst cutting it out as it was fairly heavy to manage by yourself. Without help you could lose grip and it could slip of the table snapping the blade with it, this would be very dangerous as it could fly off and cut someone. The same went for the Jigsaw, this tool had to be used with care and precise as if not handled properly you could lose control and the blade may snap. You also have to be careful where the wire is at all times if you are to get in the way of the wire and if cut it could be dangerous.
Evaluation – Mudeford Project May 21, 2010
Evaluation
For this assignment I was told to design and manufacture a chair made from one sheet of plywood measuring 120 x 120cm, I was allowed to use a second material so It could give an added dynamic to my final design, however it could not constitute more than 10% of the overall chair. The chair could be any sort of chair, but It had to be comfortable, structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing to fit into the surrounding area of Mudeford.
Before I started the project, we (first and second years) took a trip to Mudeford, Christchurch where we spent most of the day exploring and taking pictures of the surrounding area. I have now used the pictures as part of my research which will help me later on when it comes to doing my initial ideas and even developments.
I then started on my research, I had researched into various different areas, including what was asked of me on the brief and a little extra to help aid me when it came to doing initials. The first thing I had researched was the Ergonomics, I found this fairly straight forward as I had done this a few years back and still kept my work which consisted of entirely primary research. I then researched into the different kinds of joints and which type is the strongest and what it can be used for. After doing that I looked into architectural structures, I managed to create three pages of the most common which were buildings, Dams and electricity pylons.
After finishing al of my research and presenting them onto an a3 piece of paper I was then able to move onto my initial ideas. throughout the whole time I constantly kept looking back to my research as I felt it played a very key part to the whole project. I managed to create 12 initial ideas, 4 on each page with annotations.
After creating my initial ideas I chose 5 of them which I then turned them into maquette’s using card. I had scaled it down so the piece of card I used to create the maquette’s were 12cm x 12cm. By creating the maquette’s I found that I would need to space out my designs better on the white card so I had more wood to play with if anything was to go wrong with the actual Plywood. After creating the 5 maquette’s I turned my attention to my developments, I had to create 5 a3 pages of developments which I found fairly difficult to do. After finishing the developments I created my final idea as a maquette and I was able to change and move anything around that could help me save space and make the most of the plywood I had been given.
I then started to work on the plywood, It was fairly easy as I had tried it out on the card and knew exactly what I was doing which saved me a lot of time. I have yet to complete my chair but I t will be completed on time ready to hand in.
I also had to create a final a2 presentation which was to include a computer rendering, this was straight forward and I found it easy.
I found this project fairly difficult and I did slip up a few times when it came to time management but overall I had kept to it and was able to work with ease rather than rushing. I have enjoyed this project despite finding it difficult. It has taught me a few new skills in the workshop which could most probably help me for my final project.
Some more research for my Mudeford project. April 3, 2010
For this part I had to look into Architectural Structures, So I did and found out that it is a free standing, immobile outdoor construction and the structure may be permanent. The most common include, bridges, dams, electricity posts and radio masts.
After that I looked into Mudeford, Christchurch. There was only a small amount of information about the place on the internet I need to look into the place a little more, maybe do some primary research.
Then I looked at different wood joints, doing so would help me create a good, strong, solid chair.
Here are my research pages, all created on an A3 page with a resolution of 300.
