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Papercraft and Unfortunate Timing

There is never a good time for a pandemic, and all of the right decisions were made. However, some projects I was passionate about were left uncompleted. I had spent a lot of time on this papercraft project specifically. I was fortunate to have been able to use the laser cutter in our final class before school shutdown. Although I did not get everything printed, I was happy that I would be able to at least finish the basic structure. I was, however, quite wrong. In creating the body of my guitar, I created two separate halves to act as sort of a lid and container. I added structural support as I discovered it needed in my prototype. It was all looking great, until I picked up both halves of my guitar body at the same time. They were facing the same way... In order to unfold the top half in Rhino, I flipped it so I could have it on the same plane as the other body. Due to an oversight on my part, I did not flip it back after unfolding it. Alongside that, I had somehow cut tabs off e
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Papercraft Prototype: Structural Tests

I began playing guitar when I was fourteen years old. My love for it was back and forth until I started producing music when I was eighteen. This was around the same time I purchased this guitar. It has since been with me for eight years and gone everywhere I have. I have written and recorded many songs on it, even lived across continents with it by my side. I have always told myself that if the apocaplypse came and I could take one material object with me; this guitar would be that object, without a doubt. It was an easy decision for me to choose this for my papercraft project. I knew it would be challenging, but no other ideas came close to competing with this one. I had to do it. In the end, I was quite pleased with how my model in Rhino turned out. However, the papercraft realm was foreign territory for me. I was not sure what to expect or how it would go. The main focus of my first prototype was to test the strucutal integrity. This played a big part in deciding
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Unfolding Objects

With this unfolding exercise, I wanted to test various shapes and practice my workflow. I also used it as an opportunity to see if a guitar would be feasible from papercraft. I practiced making various components of the guitar in its most basic geometric form. This gave me a sense of how I would need to unfold it so it could be put back together.  A basic unfold test on angled elements. Guitar Body: This one was a failue, but an easy fix. I would just need to put every other piece on the either side. Guitar Bridge: Separated into two unfolded forms. Top of a guitar neck. Bottom angles might need to be a separate piece. Guitar Saddle, straightforward. Would glue to top of body. Guitar Pickup. Again, would glue to surface of body. Unfold practice, lofted point object. More unfold practice, this time twisted. A Guitar volume knob. A better version of a guitar volume knob.
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Paper Architects: Zim & Zou

Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmerman are French artists who operate out of Dordogne, France. Zim & Zou (As they are collectively known) have backgrounds in graphic design who shifted their focus towards handcraft. The absence of computers in their work is what I find so fascinating. We live in a digital era where all of the math and tedious labour can be done for us. Instead of technological reliance, Zim & Zou logically construct, draw up and cut out their designs with their own hands. When looking at their work, they not only had to design how each piece would fold or cut, they also factored in which segments needed to be cut out of which colour of paper. Their work is not only a structural marvel, but a colour theorists dream. What ties their work together for me, is the addition of a narrative. For myself, a real work of art comes to life when it tells a story. When looking at the paper worlds of Zim & Zou, I can't help but wonder the origin of this mushroom
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Coffee Intravenous Renders

For this mash-up, I imported my previous Coffee Intravenous model from Meshmixer and began to work on it within Rhino 6. It was quite refreshing to work in Rhino where I had the "photo realistic" tools available. The materials alone made quite a drastic impact on the final product. What I found most useful, however, was the toolbar Rhino had. I was able to accurately model an intravenous tube and have it bend and curve in whichever way I saw fit. I was also able to add tube inputs and outputs on the machines. Before they were just arbitrarily stuck in the sides of my object. I also separated the wheels from the wheel stand to apply a different material for a more authentic look. Finally, I was able to add an image plane to my computer to give it some life.  For the renders, I added a glossy floor with three point lights. I reduced the shadows on two of the lights to avoid overcrowding the image. I was then able to add a background plane and turn up the brightness of the lig
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Coffee Intravenous

The Coffee Intravenous was my favourite concept that resulted from my mashup sessions. During class feedback, it was quite reassuring that this concept was also a favourite among those I spoke with. It was quite interesting how different concepts jumped out to different people, yet this one had made an impact on all of them. The biggest critique about my initial model, however, was how it did not quite reflect an intravenous. Some understood it immediately, while others required an explanation before they could see what it was. The general consensus was to flesh out the idea even further, to ensure the viewer would be able to understand the object immediately. It was quite fun bringing this to life in Meshmixer. The biggest issue I faced was the transparency shader. For some reason it always takes the foreground. For this example, the coffee pot appears outside the lid. I am really looking forward to what I can do with it in Rhino. Meshmixer contai
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