DSDN 142: Final Alterations

Wish hand-in now looming, the project has taken on a significant amount of changes. Once of the things that I was told about my project was that the tree simply wasn't a big enough feature. It lacked a degree of prominence that would elevate it to the next level.

I solved this lack of presence by means of  adding leaves into the element of the trees growth. Once it splits into different branches, the leaves begin to appear. I tried some leaves that were attached to the branch, but they were far too regular and it looked really, really bad. So I made them a little bit more random and also much smaller, so that they added to the overall tree shape, as well as what a tree generally feels like in our minds.

Another element that I incorporated was a background that seems far more becoming of a tree-on-a-hill-in-sunlight. Having a background steeped in darkness just doesn't seem right. I wanted to try and have a dawn-type change, but ended up running out of time and knowledge of how I could alter my code to allow for a background that refreshed in the draw function.

Another thing that I added was a sort of ultimate goal for the user. Despite the fact that we were warned to not go for an interaction that has a definitive end, I kind of think it seems like it should for mine. The tree matures, and then if the user wants they can destroy the trees leaves and flowers. So ends the trees instance of life.

For the flowers, I wanted to create something that is both subtle and simple, so it doesn't immediately become a ridiculous feature. I want it to be a part of the tree, not something that overrides the tree in terms of importance.

So I created these little puppies. Okay so maybe they aren't puppies. But they're pretty cute.

DSDN 104: Final Photos & Render!

And...this is it. Kind of scary really that I've reached the very end of one of my favourite courses. Yes it was hard at the start, yes the programs were a nightmare to learn quickly. But actually looking back, it was all absolutely worth it.

Definitely do Digital Creation if you ever get the chance. You will and at the same time won't regret it.

Anyway, this project here for me was all about the mathematical, analytical side of design. Inspired by an illusionistic Grecian façade based on simple forms, I extrapolated out the difficulty and complexity of that form. The idea of something being impossible when you look at it front on in two dimensions, but it then being completely possible in three dimensions has been absolutely at the core of this project.

The notion that something can be so simple, while hiding a massive degree of complexity is how I created my form. If you look at it and dissect it into its most basic forms, it is simply a circle that has been extruded along a complex path. But the way this path intertwines and overlaps itself is what makes this design stand out. Deceptive simplicity, all derived from a series of simple mathematical equations, values and vectors.

My render deals with the idea of a product shot, and a "perfect" composition. I tried to perfectly balance the image with the structuring of the models,  as well as balancing the shadows all around the models. The duality of the shadows, and the resulting overlaps forms a dark, evocative scene that speaks of a dynamic, translucent model with a material that immediately connects the model with the render.

The Final Render

The elements that I tried to capture in my photos were meant to be a juxtaposition to the render. While in the render I tried to create as much of a product shot as possible, in the photographs, I made a much more obvious link with the projects design and it's mathematical roots, while exploiting an emotional tie to the model itself.

The sketchbook detailing the derived angles and inflections in the design just makes sense as a stage. Mathematics doesn't change. The interior angle of a heptagon will always be 128.571 degrees, and this was what I was trying to convey in the second shot. Mathematics doesn't change, it can only change in the way it is expressed.

In some respects, the way I designed the model is almost representative of the way data can be presented visually. If you pare it back to the basic data and vectors that create the shape, it is presenting the data for a specific type of heptagonal star in a 3-D, tangible space.

For the first and third photos, I tried to capture both elements of craft and elements of rhythm that exist in my design. Craft is interesting, as the whole point of 3-D printing (in my eyes) is that is removes the element of craft. Something is machined, it's always going to be the same, and yet I've refined my model further by applying a degree of craft to it. Sanding parts of the model in one way and then other parts an alternate way has given the project a dynamic element of craft that results in a unique visual experience of the layers being featured and hidden mere millimetres away from each other.

Image 1 

Image 2

Image 3

I'm really proud of this project! :3

DSDN 104: Photo Favourites!

Now that I've taken my photos, it's time to narrow it down to the best of the best. The images that I want to achieve are images that show hidden elements of the model, as well as shots that display the general theme and inspiration for the images.

This shot here shows some of the craft that I built in to the model. For the outer main legs of the model, I sanded them soft and like frosted glass, while the inner struts I sanded lightly along the "grain" of the 3-D printer. I tried to show that off in this shot.

Trying for a more elongated shot, I wanted to capture the vertical height as well as improve the overall composition of the previous shot.

This shot explores the concept of rhythm in the Hepta-Knot. The heptagonal design results in a consistent rhythm around the models exterior and interior.

Experimenting with different lighting, I tried illuminating the model from behind, which gives it a totally different feel. I actually find that it cheapens the model a little bit, because I associate the white plastic look with the cheaper 3-D printers that are available to us.

For this shot, I explored the connection between the model and it's design. My sketchbook was the perfect backdrop to achieve the connection of the model and the maths behind it.

Trying to capture the sense that was achieved in my most recent render, I wanted to duplicate some of the inherent translucency of the models materiality.

DSDN 104: Show ALL The Photos!

So, I've taken all my photos! Feast yer ayes on that which be sweet!