INDN 252: Model Complete!

So yeah, I finished my model! After much hustling and problems, I managed to finish it, well in time for my hand-in on Tuesday. I'm really please with how it turned out. A small, clean-freak part of me is cursing having picked white, as ALL the little pieces of thread, dust, and general dirt show up on my model. Oh well. I'll make sure my model is cleaned up before photos and before the hand-in.

I'm quite astounded by how cute it looks. The whole thing is 100 mm long, and while it is a bit cute, it still speaks of the power of the precedents. The clean lines and the 45 degree angles really work in the model, and the contrast of the black and the white really makes me happy I chose the white.

The elastic thread I had to use sadly wasn't the clean, nylon thread, but a slightly more messy, cotton-based elastic thread. But this was for logistical reasons more than anything. The black nylon elastic was actually too strong to be workable for this model. For the maximum range of motion, the black nylon would have destroyed the model or not even let it reach that point at all. So I had to go with the slightly messier cotton thread, but that's okay. It's a small element I couldn't really have done better, since I can't exactly make the elastic myself!

I think for this project, I really realised  the full power of sketching.I'm not a particularly powerful sketcher, and I don't do it on a regular basis, so this project really showed me the power that sketching can have over hte form your model takes and how much and how quickly you can improve your model. So yeah. More sketching next time!

The full range of motion can be seen here in this photo. The elastic that I did use has given it a degree of quite literal kick, but that's okay, because it outlines the strengths of the knee as a joint for various uses. Another element that I built in through the use of harder edges is that the joint "hitches" as it moves, which for me is a rather prominent element of my own knee. When I sit in a quiet room and I move my leg while hanging it off the table or something similar, I can hear it creak a little like a door, and I can can also feel the not-quite-perfection of the surface of the bones. So I tried to add that element into this model as well.

Now, to look at getting some photos done!