Tuesday 31 May 2016

Reflection

Reflection


What I have learned:
  • Metal Shaping
  • Mechanical technology and applications
  • Human factors – working with interdisciplinary students
  • Luminaires and optics
  • Common methods with software demonstration
  • Software applications (123D Make, 123D Catch & Mesh Mixer, Adobe Illustrator)
  • Applying lighting technology by application
  • Lighting regulatory issues
  • Developing and working with tool specifications

During this workshop arise some themes for future development such as: strengthen modelling techniques understanding software for better suited for the integration of 3D lighting architectural design, creating the possibility for achieving real photometric object. This course provides an opportunity for me to think about what I did wrong and  what the benefits were. This can be done through building on experiences from the workshop for greater improvements on the metal shaping. 

Limitations
We gain the ability to better choose an object design that is appropriate for the workshop application and is relating to our disciplinary field. In this case I have chosen a camera. There are, however, a couple limitations with this chosen object. It had no spherical surface which was hard to work with and had many angular edges which complicated the shaping and moulding process. 

I believe this limitation can be overcome by creating a smaller surface area for the object because wrapping the entire object with one single sheet created many problems. Example problem areas would include, among others, large gaps, angular surface and sharp edges.


Found Object
That is why I would have chosen an artificial lighting such as a light bulb if I was given a second chance. The atmosphere consists of the general character, related to the psychological mood that light creates. Many times people experience the space as boring, private, public, cheerful etc. only because of lighting influences. The consideration of spatial is the possibility to define the physical room: volume, distance, proportions and orientation. Depending on the light in a space we can perceive its volume as huge, as small, open and crowded. The perceived extension can also change a lot from an airy to a cramped space. Even the orientation is influenced by lighting; because how you find your way in the space can be well determined by the light present there.


Before Hammering
Identify all staff involved with the process. It’s really important to get a cross section of staff that is involved which could assist you in the process.

Buy materials. You’ll need lots of metal sheeting as you will have a few fail attempts which is nice to have extra good quality aluminium sheets available at hand. Some plywood that comes in 1.6mm or 3mm  for laser cutting which is available at the front desk. Whiteboard pens or

Ask for help if necessary. Explain to staff what process you are looking at and what you want to achieve and they are  happy and eager to help with any problems arising. It will make them feel more comfortable. Let them know they’ll be needed as early as possible.

The goal has always been to maintain a consistent and correct mould model of how I intend to begin this process, so that it could be used to guide others with simple steps that define appropriate behavior and techniques to achieve similar results, rather than to create an artificial model that would be limited to the constraints originally imagined when the work began.

Fun learning environment
What I like about the workshop provides participants with practical guidance, hands on experience, and information about the tools and resources that are available to help them create a positive learning environment.  Throughout the workshop, participants are encouraged to discuss, interact and problem solve while participating in physical activities such as hammering, shaping and moulding whilst applying workshop tools and techniques. the physical workshop and environment is also important for team working and individual working

The workshop was an experience in itself – not only did we learn about tools to promote creativity both individually and within interdisciplinary fields but we also got to actually practice the techniques and experience obtained from fabrication labs which  helped improve the outcomes of the metal sheet generation session.

From the workshop, I’ve learned techniques to:
§  help create an optimal environment for idea generation
§   encourage people to think creatively and generate approaches
§  help make tough decisions using the unconscious mind 
§ appropriate software available to use 

It is important to implement what you learn from the practical inductions when you get back to the workshop – so less than 24 hours after I became exposed to these tools and I tested some of them on my metal sheets. My first few attempts on the metal shaping was imperfect and requires improvements and planning sessions. It was necessary to be able to create references and marked lines before hammering on the metal sheeting.
Attending this workshop, learning, practicing and implementing these tools has increased my confidence for future planning and decision in terms of model making. Its great to be able to take these learnt skills, strategic planning and identify more diverse and innovative solutions or approaches when building architectural models. Small simple techniques can help us think more broadly and more creatively to identify novel and useful solutions to the problems and challenges we face in the public sector.

Monday 16 May 2016

Digital Making_Interdisciplinary Skin


I paired up with a landscape architecture student, and we simply exchanged adobe illustrator files of our laser cutting through the laptop. His chosen object is a rock which is an abundant material of earth’s resources and is the foundation of landscape architecture. Landscape architects work on structures and external spaces which is appropriate for this chosen object and to have a better understanding of the site and surrounding context.


The laser cutting process did a great job of cutting all the required pieces and I removed all of them out of the plywood frame.


I took all the pieces out of the plywood frame and began gluing them together.


I cut out a small piece of aluminium and began curving the metal sheet by using the roller machine which helps to give a nice smooth curve.


I had to roll the metal sheet a couple of times to get to the desired curve I wanted



I marked out the extra bit where it is unnecessary and began cutting with the tool machine shown above


I tried to wrap the curved aluminium sheet along the edge of the mold but it still needs a bit of bending. 

I marked out the edges where it needs bending and from there i tried to  and there are two edges shown above After bending the edges, i was able to fit nicely around the object. 


I began shaping the aluminium sheet by pounding on rigid fixtures and with the tools provided in the workshop.



Hammering the aluminium sheet was a difficult process as it was a small object to work with and the sheet kept slipping away from my hands. I had to hold the metal sheet firmly and tried to shape the metal sheet as close as possible to the object. 


Shaping the metal sheet along the bottom edge of the object was easy but wrapping the top was a struggle for me and it was very difficult. as i tried to shape the top around the mold, the bottom bit of the sheet would deform and go out of place, I had to go back and forth of hammering the top and reshaping the bottom which was a tedious process. 


This is the result of my first attempt. My first attempt was somewhat unsuccessful because I've used a thick metal sheet which was 2.5mm thick. I cut out another piece of aluminium and tried to shape it with a second attempt. 


 This time I've used a thinner piece of aluminium sheet about 1mm in thickness. 


I tried to wrap the metal sheet with the same processes from my first attempt.

i would say the third attempt was better than the previous attempt. I was able to gradually shape the sheet around the mold as the metal sheet was a lot thinner


Final