This project was really interesting. I enjoyed playing around with the coding and parameter options that grasshopper and rhino provides. Initially, I wanted to try and make a design with sharp/pointed edges, but was still smooth/rounded, and I feel like I was able to achieve that. I also added an option of randomness to each polygon’s size and angle, which resulted in many interesting shapes that I didn’t print, but did like the look of.
Being able to design/print these models through the computer allowed me to actually feel like an artist, I’ve never been much for painting, drawing, carving, etc. so this is the first thing I’ve ever fabricated that felt artistic. Through the computer, creating unique models seems fairly easy at first, but if you’re aiming for a specific shape or flow for the model, I can see how this process can get quite complicated using multiple different algorithms.
Printing the shapes wasn’t too difficult, as I made sure that the models I chose to print looked possible and wouldn’t require any supports from the printer. I did have some odd deformations on the bottom of the prints (pictured near the end of post), but nothing significant enough to ruin the prints. I am not sure what caused this, might be an uneven section on my plate or a bed level issue.
This design had no adjustments on the angle, but was using a randomized width on each polygon’s size.
This design had no randomization, but I scaled the polygon size and angle constantly to get a nice smooth rotation. I feel like this resembles a shooting star that you would find on a children’s book.
This design was with randomized polygon size and angles, I kept the randomization to a lesser degree so printing would be possible.
More pictures of the models that printed:
Screenshots of models that I liked but didn’t print:
Link to my grasshopper program:
https://handandmachine.org/classes/computational_fabrication/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AndyThornhillLA2.zip
Hello Andy, great job on the designs. I’m impressed with the screw shape and how cool that would be to get that piece printed out. Your designs have such a good movement to them all but yet they are all so different. I’m also surprised at how thin you were able to get your walls. I had to build mine out to about 3mm to get a good thickness that would hold up.
Thanks! I found models that seemed fairly easy to print so thats probably why I was able to stick to such a thin wall. I would definitely need thicker walls for more complicated prints.