Anarkik3D Project: ‘3D Consequences’

Case study – Lucy Robertson: newbie to 3D modelling and 3D printing!

Lucy’s 3rd model

The objectives for the ‘3D Consequences’ project: 1. to give a designer maker new to 3D modelling some training and support to learn

3D by using Anarkik 3D Design package and to design for 3D printing.

2. generate greater awareness of Anarkik 3D Design package:

– promoting the project through a blog, presentations and case study

– exhibiting the work that arises both digital and 3D printed : November 2013 - 3DPrintShow (Anarkik3D’s stand)

• 3rd April to 7th June – StudioFusion Gallery, Oxo Tower, London Project Stage 1: all four designer makers work on their 1st model: theme is

‘duplication’ (copy/paste, mirror) – models and screen captures of progress saved to dropbox for swop

Project Stage 2: swop models and work on a model ‘new to them’: theme is ‘deform’ (also non-uniform scaling) – capture progress, save new creation to dropbox, etc.

Project Stage 3: swop models again, work with Boolean* theme, save model etc.

Results: 3 iterations = 12 digital designs for 3D printing out into 12 objects • each collaborative design transformation captured as a physical object • Sponsored by: Sculpteo, ITEC-3D/Mcor, and Anarkik3D

* Boolean: a function to join 2objects, subtract one object from another or subtract both from each other leaving the intersection as a new object

This case study demonstrates two, no, five, features of Anarkik3D’s haptic 3D modelling software package:

Anarkik 3D Design (A3D)

1. A3D: easier to learn than most 3D modelling/CAD packages & to learn fast

2. A3D: enables users to work creatively from the start

3. for the occasional user (such as designer makers who work a lot ‘at the

bench’) they are able to come back into using the programme after a break and

be straight back in without having to relearn to the extent that complex CAD

interfaces demand.

4. Anarkik3D’s 3D modelling software plus 3D haptics (Anarkik 3D Design

package) makes 3D digital modelling an engrossing, enjoyable and productive

design experience.

5. this positions Anarkik 3D Design as a very suitable software package for

designer makers, applied artists, 3D artists and artistically creative people for

entry into 3D modelling to access to 3D printing as a sound business

proposition.

Case study – Lucy Robertson: newbie to 3D modelling and 3D printing!

Her background:

Lucy graduated from DoJCoA, Dundee University in textile design. A skilled print

and digital textile designer, she started exploring the line between digital and

physical textiles using new technologies and bringing together Arduino, animo-magic technology, laser-cutting, fiber

optics and crowdsourcing.

Her experience with 3D designing and 3D printing in the past was at arms’ length

working with technical staff at the University as she found it hard to access the right technology for her needs and

way of working.

Image: Graeme Binnie Photography

Objective 1: to give a designer maker new to 3D modelling some

training and support to learn and to use Anarkik 3D Design

package to design for 3D printing.

Lucy came to an opening evening at Anarkik3D and after having a brief demo, she applied to be

the 4th designer maker in Anarkik3D’s ‘3D Consequences’ project to learn 3D modelling and

be able to access 3D printing technologies.

She sees the project as a perfect way to start experimenting with the technology, present design challenges and enable her to explore these within her own work to gain new skills.

Project Time line 21st July 2013: deadline for

applications from designer makers to

join project. 24th July: Lucy

Robertson selected 28th July: her first 2 sessions - 3 hour

tutorial with Anarkik 3D Design package, then start on designing (3- 4

hours). 30th July: Project officially kicks off.

28th July. First session: tutorial with Anarkik 3D Design package (3 hours)

1. that it is easier to learn and to learn fast.

• Lucy worked on ‘navigating’ in the 3D virtual work space using the capability of the haptic device to move in 3 dimensions and to use 3D touch (force feedback) to know ‘where you are’ in this virtual 3 dimensional work space.

2. enables users to be working creatively from the start without the steep learning curve that is presented by traditional standard CAD packages

• Within the 3 hours of this 1st session she also started learning to use some of the tools in the menu to develop emerging ideas for the 3D Consequences project.

Session 2: Starting on designing. (3- 4 hours)

Theme for Project Stage 1 : ‘duplication’ (copy/paste, mirror)

• Within this session Lucy worked on 3 potential ideas. Being a textile artists she wanted to explore ‘flexibility’ and focused on units that could be linked.

• The tools she worked with to create and construct more complex forms from primitives include Boolean subtraction, copy/paste, deform, move and rotate, group/ungroup.

• She finishing her first day with one concept well on the way towards practical construction, refinement and completion.

• Fact: within 7 hours of beginning to use Anarkik 3D Design Lucy was able to create new content and work on the forms organically towards developing her own personal aesthetic

30th July: Session 3. Supported design session (approx. 4 hours)

• Lucy continued working on her design: • reworking the forms (tools: deform, Boolean) • refining linking system joining three duplicated

parts (copy/paste). Aim is to create a 3D printed form which articulates.

• tools used were move/rotate, scaling and measuring.

• Fact: Lucy completed her design for stage 1 of the project at the end of this short session and in a total of 11 hours from scratch.

1st August: Session 4 (2 hours). Designing for 3D printing (1):

• Through out the designing sessions, issues regarding 3D printability were discussed

• to test Lucy’s design for 3D printability the file in .stl format was imported into Meshlab which clearly showed that on one of the units, a very small part of an inside surface had been pulled through the outer surface making the unit topologically problematic for 3D printing.

• This was corrected in Anarkik 3D Design by pushing the inner surface back inside and pulling out and deforming the outer surface more to give the wall sufficient thickness for printing.

Designing for 3D printing (2)

Lucy’s design was also checked further by uploading it to Shapeways. Although this doesn’t at this stage guarantee 3D printability as Shapeways do further checks when 3D prints are ordered, the cost is given to 3D print the object at the scale uploaded in different compatible materials:

• €800+ for ‘strong, white and flexible’, a polyamide material (nylon-like).

• As costing is by volume it can be reduced considerable by scaling down.

• With 3D print service companies,

i.materialise and Sculpteo the object can be rescaled in real time and the cost changes displayed

1st iteration of 3D Consequences:

• Fact: in approx 15 hours of tuition Lucy completed her first 3D printable design, saving it in file formats .cr8, .stl

• Screen captures as .jpg. Also saved to Project dropbox.

3D Consequences - iteration 2: ‘deform’. (2 – 3 hours? Not clocked!)

Theme for iteration 2 is ‘deform’.

Lucy dismantled Lizzie’s design into its constituent parts using ‘select’ & ‘move’

• She then used the ‘deform’ tool to reshape the

original objects. Touching a virtual object (haptics) and feeling the deformation through the grasp on the haptic device gives a real sense of control.

• She next reorganise the units into a circle using ‘select’, ‘rotate’, ‘scale’ and ‘move’.

• For a bangle the objects were ‘selected’, ‘grouped’ and ‘scaled’ uniformly to right bangle size by gently pulling out the grasp of the haptic device to scale up (pushing in to scale down).

• Lucy’s 1st model goes to Farah Bandookwala for the 2nd stage of the project. • To complete circle of swops: Lizzie picked up Ann Marie’s design, Ann Marie

picked up Farah’s design. Lucy picked up the ring design that Lizzie Armour completed in round 1.

3D Consequences - iteration 2: ‘deform’. 2nd August: Session 5 (approx. 3-4 hours).

• Lucy’s bangle design was completed early in this session giving time to discuss possible 3D printing materials and finishing processes.

• Lucy had experimented at College with thermo chromic paint and dyes in the final year of her textile degree and is interested in exploring their use with 3D objects and accessories.

• Potential 3D printed materials that could be used with thermo chromic colouring are polyamide and paper.

• both materials could be painted and/or dyed

• parts of the bangle touching the body or being touched would change colour.

• This part of the project will be completed when we have suitable 3D prints on which to experiment.

3D Consequences cont. 12th August: Session 6 (approx. 2 hours)

3. for the occasional user (especially designer makers who work a lot ‘at the bench’) they are able to come back into using the programme after a break and be straight back in without having to relearn to the extent that complex interfaces demand.

• After 10 days away from 3D designing, Lucy was able to get going straight away with Anarkik 3D Design.

• Theme for iteration 3 is ‘Boolean’ which in Anarkik 3D Design has 3 parts: union (2 conjoined parts become one), subtraction (removing the overlap of one object from another), Intersection (leaving just the overlapping section between 2).

• Lucy picked up Lizzie’s iteration 2 (from Ann Marie’s 1st design) and deconstructed it into its constituent parts.

• using the ‘Boolean’ function Lucy created new individual forms by subtracting one part from another.

• These new forms were then reassembled into a ‘string’.

• Lucy’s ‘string’ of forms, ready for her to work with in this her final session (before heading off to a residency in India) to create a 3D printable object.

• ‘String’ copied and pasted, each one coloured differently & the group applied to different bases from which rectangular blocks had been subtracted.

• Purpose: to create a button to apply to fabric.

3D Consequences cont. 14th August: Session 7 (approx. 2 hours)

Final Design and Statement from Lucy As a textile designer interested in digital design I was keen to explore 3D

modelling. I found Anarkik3D's software intuitive and easy to learn. After only a few hours of training I was confident enough to play on my own. I found the best way to learn was to start on the 3D Consequences project as this gave me a brief

and boundaries to start experimenting with. The software paired with the falcon device was strange at first but after a short

introduction I was able to use both with confidence. Once I started I found it hard to stop. Anarkik3D’s software gives you great scope and freedom to explore many designs quickly. After a short break it was very easy to pick up again. I have now

finished my 3 designs for the 3D consequences project. The next stage is very exciting, I look forward to seeing the designs printed and hope to respond to this

with new and exciting 3D designs.

3D Consequences: 3D printed objects from Lucy’s 3D modelling 3 printed in polyamide by Sculpteo and one in paper from ITEC-3D

The next stage for Lucy is experimenting with thermo chromic paints and dyed on the 3D printed materials to discover how they take to the surface and react to body heat.

The waste 3D printed paper can be used to test the paints and dyes before applying to the printed objects. Watch this space!

Lucy’s first model 3D printed in polyamide (top) & paper (right)

Lucy’s second model (right) & 3rd model

(left) 3D printed in

polyamide.

In conclusion . . .

Bear one thing in mind: Lucy started on the project from near zero hands-on experience of 3D modelling and 3D printing.

Her total time on project was approximately 24 hours (not days!).

In this time she completed 3 designs with numerous concepts models exploring possibilities.

Her final 3 designs are capable of being 3D printing with just one small

part needing remodelling.

These three designs were successfully printed in polyamide by Sculpteo without any surface repair required.

One model in paper (the bangle) did not print successfully.

(This is not due to faults on the 3D modelling side but are likely due to constraints of this particular 3D modelling system and the software used to

prepare the .stl file for slicing.)

This case study clearly demonstrates the following, that:

1. Anarkik 3D Design (A3D) is easier to learn than most 3D

modelling/CAD packages & to learn fast

2. Anarkik 3D Design enables users to work creatively from the start

3. for the occasional user (such as designer makers who work a lot ‘at

the bench’) they are able to come back into using the programme after a

break and be straight back in without having to relearn to the extent that

complex CAD interfaces demand.

4. Anarkik3D’s 3D modelling software plus 3D haptics (bundled: Anarkik

3D Design package) makes 3D digital modelling an engrossing, enjoyable

and productive design experience.

5. this positions Anarkik 3D Design as a very suitable software package

for designer makers, applied artists, 3D artists and artistically creative

people for entry into 3D modelling to access to 3D printing as a sound

business proposition

Links: The artists: Lucy Robertson

3D printing service companies: Sculpteo, ITEC-3D, i.materialise, Shapeways. 3D printer manufacturer: Mcor Technologies

3D modelling software Anarkik 3D Design from Anarkik3D Ltd 3D mesh processing software system: MeshLab Exhibitions: StudioFusion Gallery, 3DPrintShow