Category: Exercises

For the project 4 student had to complete two exercises: Modeling Implied Motion and Mold Making.

The goal of the first exercise wat to model the motion using various techniques. The first step was to create a simple sketch  (circle or square) and then using parametric modeling techniques (Extrude, Revolve, Sweep, and Loft) to create bodies. The most difficult part of this exercise was to figure out how to create loft technique using the curved line, and unfortunately, I was not able to do this and decided to stop with the simplest shape possible. In addition to modeling, we also needed to apply micro beveling to get rid of sharp edges. The following is the result of the exercise.

I also performed rendering, and this is my result:

Our goal for Project 4 is to create a mold using the CNC router and that is why it was crucial to learn how to create molds in Fusion 360. For the second exercise, we had to choose an object from the first exercise and create a mold. It was important to choose the object without undercuts because it will be impossible to carve this model using the CNC router. I also applied micro-beveling for all edges of the mold except the base of my model. I also divided the mold into two halves and made one part made of transparent plastic for demonstration purposes. The result is represented in the following embed.

For the second project, to familiarize them with Autodesk Fusion 360 and Slicer for Fusion 360 the students were asked to complete three exercises. These exercises include Nine Square Grid, Sculpt and Slice, and Logo Etch.

Nine Square Grid. The task was to create a nine-square grid and organize 5 cubic objects on them. I decided to put my objects on the black squares because it reminds me of the checkers game. In addition to just creating objects, the student s were sked to apply micro beveling so that edges were not that sharp. The result of the exercise is represented in the following embed.

Sculpt and Slice. In this exercise, the goal was to take one object from the Nine Square Grid exercise and slice it and prepare for the laser cutter which included choosing the correct size of the artboard, the thickness of it, the construction technique, and placement of the dowels. The following is the result of the exercise.

PDF version of the file

Logo Etch. For the second project, in addition to creating topo transform of an object, the students also have to cut the etch of their logo using a laser cutter. So, they have to perform some steps on their logo, so it was in right format. The steps included adding margins, mirroring the logo, and creating an additional layer. The result is represented in the following picture.

PDF version of the file

In the 3rd project, we are going to work in Autodesk Meshmixer and that is why the main goal of the exercises was to familiarize students with the Meshmixer workflow. As I did not choose an object to scan yet, I performed exercises on the Stanford Bunny. The first part of the exercise was to fix the mesh on the bunny, reduce the number of polygons, and also to repair a hole in the bottom of it. The result is shown in the following embed.

The next part of the exercise was to explore various modifications that can be made to the object in the Meshmixer. These modifications include:

• scale and distortion
• lo-res
• voxel
• Voronoi
• streamline
• lattice

After reading about these modifications, the students were asked to implement one of them on the object.  I chose a lattice effect and the result is shown in the following embed.

The main goal of the third exercise was to remind students about Booleans in modeling and also teach how to work with mesh in Fusion 360. Also, students were asked to explore various Surreal Stanford study cases and implement one of them. I decided to replicate David Mack/Rachael Whiteread Bunny.  The result can be seen in the following embed.

For the first project, there were three exercises, the primary purpose of which was to introduce students to Adobe Illustrator CC, its interface, and tools used in graphic design.

Dynamic Composition, the first exercise, taught students how to create a new file in Adobe Illustrator, artboard, background, and also how to build and alter rectangles. In this exercise, we reproduced  Egon Schiele’s (German Expressionist) painting by using abstraction. For my work below, I used less than 20 simple dynamic colored rectangles.  The Dynamic Composition exercise showed me that the composition could be created only by simple rectangles, and I think it was the major takeaway from this exercise for me.

The second exercise from this sequence was the Gestalt Praxis. In this exercise, we put the Gestalt Theory in practical application. In addition to that, we familiarized ourselves with various useful tools in Adobe Illustrator. We learned how to show/hide the grid, when to use the snap to grid feature, and where this feature can cause troubles. In this exercise, we created six squares and filled them with circles in different ways. We created :

• symmetry with passive negative space
• symmetry with active negative space
• asymmetrical balance
• asymmetry with imbalanced visual weight
• symmetry  pattering
• asymmetrical focal point

One of the takeaways from this exercise for me was the understanding of how Gestalt Principles work in practice and how the spacing between objects and their location can alter our perception of these objects.

Line Art exercise was the third one in the sequence of activities for the first project, and it was the most challenging one. The primary purpose of this exercise was to introduce students to pen tool and bezier handles that are useful tools for creating various curves. In addition to practice with the bezier pen tool, we also learned other exciting features such as showing and adjusting guides, altering opacity, using the blend tool, and creating our art brushes. The realization that I can make my art brush was the main takeaway from this exercise because before, I believed that we could have a finite number of brushes that creators of the Adobe Illustrator decided to put in their program.