Module 3

Stephanie Clark Module 3

Fabrication

Review of module 1

Module1 introduced the idea of pedals arrangement of the flower , how larger layers are added to the flower as it grows to maximize the amount of light and water it receives.

From the growing process of the flower, a recipe was create to make this pattern. The variation in height, scale of the box and the idea of intersected lines are the main characteristic of this pattern

Forms were generated from the recipe of the pattern.

Review of module 2This form was selected at first. However, due to the desire of having a smooth surface to ease the paneling process, the form was over simplified, leading to the lost of the original pattern's characteristic.

I decided to change to the form of my lantern. The form on the left derives form the clay model. It was simplified to create a smooth surface. Eventhough, itwas simplified, the characteristics ( e.g how it gets larger towards the top)is preserved. Therefore I decided to go with this form

Orthographic views of the form

Top view

Front view Right view

Left view

I chose this panelised version of my lantern as its surface has strong relation to my original pattern:. The idea of intersecting lines was incorporated. the height of the boxes in the lantern also varied just like in the pattern to create a sense of movement. This was done by using random offset points, with distance varies from 0.5 cm to 4 cm.. the boxes also goes smaller towards the end of the spiral, enhancing the focal point (which is the wrist)

The panel derives from the recipe of my pattern, the pyramids are turned 45 degree and was placed on top of one another. Holes were also made on some surfaces to incorporate the idea of having lines intersecting each other. However, when this pattern was mapped onto the

surface, it looks a bit chaotic.

This version was made by combining the simplified version of the first and third pattern. I'm not going to go with this one because the two patterns do not create a strong harmony, making it not appealing to viewers.

Prototype 1

It was made to be hollow in the middle to provide some coverage for the LED lights. The surface that faces inward doesn’t need to be covered with tessellation, as the light rays would be blocked by the arm anyways.

600 mm

900 mm

Ivory black 300 GSM

The surfaces was nested onto the page as shown above. Grasshopper with the command set multiple brebs was used to create the tabs more efficiently. The holes that were implanted on the surfaces were too small, therefore to prevent the paper from being ripped by the cutter, I turned them into score lines so that I could go over them with a stanley knife later on.

This is a small section of the model. The two layers of the pattern can be seen here. I'm expecting this to give an interesting light effect when the light source are placed at different angles.Due to the thickness of the paper, it was difficult to cut out the holes and difficult to bend. Admittedly, the form was rigid thanks to the thickness of paper, the faces towards the small end of the form would be almost impossible to bend without making folded lines on the surfaces .

The holes on the surfaces are too big, therefore the light rays just go straight through without give a nice effect. Therefore, I think I would need to increase the thickness of the line to reduce the amount of light get through.

The thickness of the line is adjusted here in hope of getting a better light effect. The boxes in the last two columns are closed off since the holes would be too small it would only make the structure there weak in compression .

I used black paper with thickness 200 GSM for this prototype. It is evidently more flexible and made cutting the holes easier.

As the result, this prototype was able to give a better light effect. I'm going to use this design for my final lantern.

Equipments

Glue is not suitable for the making of this lantern. It doesn’t glue very well with paper of 300 GSM thickness

Even though super glue dries instantly, fingers marks were shown on the paper when the glue dries

Stanley knife was very useful and I used it to cut our the holes on the surfaces tha the cutter couldnt.

Scissor was also a good tool as it allows me to adjust the tabs.

This glue was best used for this project: it dries fast and stick well.

The surfaces are nested on the papers. For these 3, I used black paper with thickness 200 GSM so that I can bend the surfaces easily later on. Since my pattern cannot be unrolled into one single strip, it used up a lot of paper and time.

For this part, I used black paper with thickness 300 GSM to enhance the rigidity of the overall form. Even though only half of the paper is used, the surfaces are nested on one side, therefore the paper can be reused again.

For the lantern, 7 sheets of paper are used for the prototypes and 4 sheets are used for the final outcome. Wastage area is accounted for about 2/5 of the paperUsed area takes up about 3/5 of the paper.

Process

After the cutter is done with the paper, I used a stanley knife to go over the score lines in order to make the holes on the surfaces.

Boxes are created by gluing the surfaces together.

Repeat the steps above for the whole spiral. The back is then cut out and glued onto the spiral.

The Led circuit was glued onto the back before it was glued to the spiral. The space between the back and the spiral provides some coverage for the circuit, preventing it from being exposed to viewers.

Readings questions and reflection

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?

With the ongoing development in technology, computer has become an essential in designing and fabricating a model or structure. Not only does it allow us to have a greater control over our structural process, it also saves allot of time and labour work. For instance, there are many programs that ease up the process of tessellation. Rhinoceros is one well known program and is used in the process of making my lantern. The program’s panelling tool assists me in creating tessellation over the surface of my form. It pieces the patterns together and allows me to gain a thorough understanding of the visual appearance of my lantern without having to build trial models. However, computers, without exception, also have their limitation. Sometimes, it can over tessellate the form, making it difficult or impossible to build. This was a problem I encountered during the making of my lantern. For this reason, I had to compromise the form or the pattern in order to make the structure possible to build. Furthermore, another useful tool that is provided by digital technology is folding. Folding allows the surface to be unrolled in one single strip, which saves a lot of time and effort compare to cutting each surface. There are also many advantages that come with folding: it enhances the stiffness of the structure and is materially economical, visual appealing and effective at multiple scales. Unfortunately, my pattern was not able to be unfolded in one long strip. Therefore, time as well as paper was wasted to cut out each surface.