A description of the design process:
The forms that I chose to print were inspired by the following website where I got mathematical equations for interesting shapes: http://sambrunacini.com/parametric-flowers/
I played around and tested different inputs and printed what I thought would be good for parametric vessel.
Images of forms generated by Grasshopper/Rhino program and rendered in Rhino:
- First Vessel (Star shaped vessel):
2. Second Vessel (Flower shaped vessel):
3. Third Vessel (Polygon shaped vase vessel):
4. Fourth Vessel (Twisted polygon vase vessel):
Images of printing process:
Problems of printing (Issue was that my bed was too far from the nozzle):
images of final printed artifacts:
A reflection on the parametric design process:
Creating objects via programming and 3D printing lets me design and build things that would be really hard or even impossible to make by hand. With programming, I can create complex shapes using complicated mathematical equation and adjust everything quickly without starting over. Also, it’s extremely fast than carving, you can go from idea to physical object in few hours (days).
In my opinion, compared to traditional methods, this process is way more efficient. We don’t need as many tools or skills like hand-crafting and there’e less waste because 3D printing only uses the material we need. One big disadvantage is when we scale objects up, it can be significantly slower and objects might not be as strong.
A reflection about my creative agency and intent in this process:
I got inspiration from mathematical equations and experimented with various variables and printed what I thought would be “acceptable” as a parametric vessel. The sense of authorship in 3D printing does feel different compared to more traditional design processes. It’s because I’m using computer tools and 3D printer, and it feels different than creating with my own hand. However, these tools make my ideas come alive.
My Grasshopper code:
Polygon shaped vase vessel:
Flower petal shaped vessel:
Star shaped vessel:
Twisted polygon shaped vase vessel:
Hi Bat,
I really like the website you linked, I would have loved to see it before I made my vessels since it has given me some ideas. I like the vessels you created, and as you mention, I believe many of them would be difficult to make by more traditional methods like throwing clay on a wheel.
I am curious if other students are able to see the images of your final printer models, as I cannot see them on my computer, only the captions are visible.
Hi, German!
Thank you for your response! Also, regarding the final prints, I believe it just takes a long time to load because I tested on my other device and it loaded pretty slow. Not sure why I have this issue but I could compress them if students have similar issues!
Hi Bat,
I found your inspiration for your vessels intriguing. I wanted to do something similar but I wasn’t confident in my math skills to pull it off smoothly. Looking at your pics though, it looks like you did a great job! I also had similar thoughts on sense of authorship. Using parameterized 3D printing can be easily automated and fast. Although, I believe that does come at the expense of some sense of individuality and creativity in the design process. Great post!
Best,
Jyrus
Hi, Jyrus!
Thank you for your response! I appreciate it! And I’m glad that I’m not the only one that had that thought on sense of authorship! In my opinion, as technology progresses and new things such as 3D printers get invented, we might lose sense of individuality and creativity altogether! We will see!
Thank you!
Hi bat, the object you printed seems very interesting，the vessels seems great.
In addition, I really like the website you recommend, I regret not discovering this site sooner!
Hi, Qinghong!
Thank you for your response! I appreciate it! And yes, the website gave me a direction for this assignment!