A Complex Method for Modeling Complex Shapes
Somehow I got it in my head that it would be interesting to learn how to model complex shapes which one has created with the aid of a computer. The notion of being able to transition designs modeled digitally into physical form in a fairly direct manner without resorting to stereolithography or something similar seemed like a good thing to tackle. Oh how I was wrong. Sure, there are plenty of ways to do it, but I stubbornly chose the hardest: unfolded geometry.
Your mission: given this shape created in Form Z, create a physical model out of wood.
Unfolding is easily explained by imagining a simple square cardboard box. Now, take that box and cut it so that all of the six sides are still connected but they can all lay flat resulting in a 'T' or '+' shape. Ta-da, it has been unfolded. This process can be applied to any shape you imagine with varying degrees of human legibility of the aftermath. Below is the result of unfolding my shape. Placed on the template are a few of the wooden pieces which I have begun to cut from basswood. You can see that Form Z unfolds complex curves by first triangulating them.
After cutting all of the pieces for the model it is necessary to build a form which they can lay on top of while gluing the thing together. My form was made by taking 12 cuts through the digital model, which results in an outline at that section. Thus, 12 pieces of cardboard can be cut from those templates. Finally, I have skinned the cardboard with masking tape.
The final step is gluing the thing together. If you have a lot of patience you would apply glue to the seams between each piece. If you're me you just smear glue all over the backside of the model and hope that it will hold together (which it does, barely). The interesting thing about unfolded geometries is that a formal logic resides in their gaps. The spaces between triangles in my model told me where the surface started to curve in 3d space and thus forced me to move the piece so that its sides glue to its neighbors. Buidling the model on top of a form facilitates this process.
And about twelve hours of solid work later, here you have it:
--Posted 05/02/03 03:22AM