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15 February 2011

Designed Prototype





Above is my finalized design prototype. I have applied a modifier tool called turbo-smooth which smoothes all the edges. The above images are rendered to 1080p and I have applied lighting to the model to highlight areas.

Printing Implications and Design Compromises

Unfortunately to print my current model is not possible. The printing time would be approx. be 17 hours and have to much support material (4 hours worth) to keep the design from breaking that it would end up looking like a ball of material. The scale of the piece 120mm x 120mm x 35mm is not that big so each strand of rib would be extremely small and fragile and easily broken.

I have had to go back to my design and compromise some of the key features of the model so that it becomes more suitable to print.

Original design


Adapted design.



As you can see I have had to cut the original model in half however I have still kept the concept of each single piece being able to pull out and sit separately. I have added cubes to the bottom of each piece to allow the model to sit straight and to add extra support. I have left the individual ribs the same size as I did not want to compromise on the design too much.

The whole process was very interesting it the way that us as surface designers had produced pieces which are quite tactile and unique, and perhaps we expected more out of the model than what could actually be physically produced and printed.

The process with which we have been through is, I imagine very similar to how it works in the market/industry. Designs are produced and because of current technology, scale and various limitations the designs have to be tweaked, often making a better and more unusual piece.



Visual Screen Shots of Producing Piece

At each step of producing my model, I took screen shots to show its development and how the piece came together. Looking back on it now, I can see that it was quite a simple shape which manipulated can form intricate and detailed models. The steps involved to produce the model where quite time consuming and cover pages of my note book.

Below is the final drawing of my prototype. I am quite happy with the outcome and am impressed with myself with what I have achieved. Using the 3DS Max software, learning the basics in 3 weeks and completing a model to be printed is quite an achievement if I say so myself!



The design concept is that each piece is not attached and will be printed as single objects. The individual rings can sit inside each other or be pulled out and separated. The versatility of the design allows it to be appropriate for many different uses and markets.