Motivation
In this final project, I’d like to explore how one can use transparent plastics for designing objects that make use of light. I’d like to create a family of objects — light fixtures, really — which transform a light source in creative ways. I would explore different techniques for transmitting/attenuating light, such as lenses, fibers, infills, indirect paths, etc. The final product would be a set of related objects that incorporate these techniques.
Related Work
- Assefa, Bisrat G., et al. “Imaging-quality 3D-printed centimeter-scale lens.” Optics express 27.9 (2019): 12630-12637.
- Torres, Cesar, et al. “Illumination aesthetics: Light as a creative material within computational design.” Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017.
- Pereira, Thiago, Szymon Rusinkiewicz, and Wojciech Matusik. “Computational light routing: 3d printed optical fibers for sensing and display.” ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG) 33.3 (2014): 1-13.
Timeline & Deliverables
- Now:
Purchase translucent PLA/PETG filaments in different colors.
Design some simple object that explore different ways of transmitting/blocking light — fibers, convex lenses, infills, fresnel lens, indirect paths, etc. - Early – Mid November:
Print and evaluate test objects.
Iterate on the techniques that work best, print again. - Mid – Late November:
Design final set of forms.
Make/find LED battery-operated lights that can fit in the forms. - December – End of Class:
Finalize designs.
Print.
Present!
Hello, Louis!
That sounds like a fascinating project! Using transparent plastics to play with light has so much potential for some truly unique and eye catching designs! Experimenting with lenses, fibers, and all those techniques will make your designs really stand out! Good luck with your final project!
Hey Louis, what a cool idea! Are you planning to use the same light source for each of your family of objects? It could be interesting to have different light sources if you find that your objects have different effects on them, but I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with either way.
Hi Louis,
This sounds like an awesome project! It might be cool if you also include heat-sensitive materials. I look forward to your finished designs, they should be illuminating!
Hello Louis,
I think that the truly exploratory aspect of this project idea comes from the unique shapes you can create that would otherwise be difficult to create through traditional manufacturing. As such, you’re going to have few restrictions on being able to experiment with light refraction given different designs.
Given that you are experimenting using a filament printer, do you plan on taking any inspiration from our GCODE assignment to also explore how different settings (layer height, primarily) affect how light passes through your objects? This project also seems like something cool to explore with an SLA printer.