Artifact #4, #5 and #6

Goals

-To realize complex geometry utilizing digital fabrication skills.

-To understand the process of making in analog and digital and to develop knowledge of constructability.

-To increase craftsmanship by using a precise digital tool: laser cutter.

-To develop vector graphic skills in Rhino and AUTOCAD.

-To illustrate the project with drawings and increase proficiency with line weights.

Protocol

The final series of artifacts will contribute to the final class project. We will utilize our digital knowledge to create an exoskeleton with multiple formal gestures. You will be provided with a 3D model of a curvature structure. Choose one of the grid components to design & construct. Based on the geometry you chose, you will design a complex form while you maintain the shape and scale of your grid component. The form must be volumetric, but each component must have one complete opening to allow light to pass through. The form must be an unfolded object; sectional construction in order to express the volume will not be allowed.  The components must be extremely precisely constructed.  

1)      Artifact #4: Illustrate your component design using AUTOCAD drawings only. This is an instruction to explain how each components design and put together, similar to construction documents.

2)      Artifact #5: Cut your template using the laser cutter, keeping the remaining portion your 18”x24” Bristol board. Turn in the remnant for artifact #5. The purpose of this artifact is to exhibit awareness of how much material you have used and to test your efficiency of construction. Consider the economy of shapes and process.

3)      Artifact #6: This is the final part of the project. Accuracy is the critical element of this assignment and of our final presentation. After you construct your components, we will assemble the cubes together. They will need to fit well; I urge you to test your construction accuracy with your adjacent components.  The final submission will be the physical model and the Rhino file.

Materials: Two or Three sheets of 3-ply bristol board

Schedule

1)      Artifact #4: Due on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at the beginning of class.

2)      Artifact #5: Due on Wednesday, November 23, 2010 at the beginning of class.

3)      Artifact #6: Due on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at the beginning of class.