Flowerpot Test Model

Modelling allows you to test a design idea and show how it might look in real life before you manufacture the real one. Modeling allows you to interact with the design in a way that you cannot with sketches and will help you make decisions about how to develop the idea.

Manufacture a test model of your flowerpot

Manufacture a 1:1 scale model of your flowerpot.

Make the veneers from coloured card

Make the base from blue foam

Take photos while you are making to show what you did and put them on Google Classroom and on your website.

Cutting Your Card Test Model. Example 1

Step 1. Choose your background card colour and draw out your design. Then it cut out neatly.

Step 2. Take your background template and trace around it onto your middle layer.

Step 3. Within your template drawing, you should sketch out your middle layer design within the lines.

Step 4. Cut out your middle layer and place it over your background layer to see if the design is as planned.

Step 5. Take the middle layer cut out and place it on top of the front layer card and draw around it to create another template.

Step 6. Within the lines of the template, draw your front layer design on the new card and cut it out neatly.

Step 7. Place the front layer cut out over the middle layer and background layer to see if the design works as planned.

Use glue to stick them together.

Step 8. Attach your 3 layers to your base but make sure the 3 layers have been gently curved to match the curvature of the base.

Cutting Your Blue Foam Base

Draw our your base template on a piece of paper and cut it out. then stick the template on a pieces of blue foam. You can start cutting it out.

Cutting the blue foam is best done with the hot wire. Set the temperature to the correct heat settings and the wire with slice through the foam effortlessly.

Use 2 hands to control the foam as you cut it. You can cut and turn the foam in any direction.

The hot wire will not cut through the paper template so make sure you follow the edge smoothly to get the best results.

Cutting Your Card Test Model. Example 2

Step 1. Choose your favourite design you want to make as a test model.

Step 2. Draw out the background layer that shows the overall shape of your design on card. Then cut our the design.

Step 3. Trace the background layer onto the middle layer so that you transfer the design onto the next card.

Step 4. Draw your middle layer design within the template lines or keep the lines the same if the middle layer and background layers are the same.

Step 5. Repeat step 3 and step 4 onto the front layer and cut it out so that you have all 3 layers.

Step 6. Start drawing and cutting out the details of each layer. For example, cutting out eyes.

Step 7. Check that you have all pieces and all parts for each layer that match your original plan.

Step 8. Glue all layers and parts together in the correct order.

Step 9. You are now ready to attach your card test model to your base.

Evaluation of your test modle

Turn on the light box by twisting the black dial

Position your test model. Use example resin pots on your base to show the context of the design and test how the base performs when holding a pot.

Use the camera app to take lots of photos that show your test model from different angles.

Once you have taken a range of photos (at least 4!) You will need to edit them

How to edit photos

Press edit to open the edit settings

select crop to crop the photo and focus on the subject

Edit the Exposure to allow more light to flood the image and make the white lighter. Be careful not to add too much or the photo will become over exposed and the colours will loose vibrancy

Edit the Brightness to help improve the whiteness of the white background.

NOTE: these are several other settings that you can alter and you are allower to experiment with them all. The goal is to make the white colour look perfectly white without taking away the detail or vibrancy of the colours of the test model.

Below are some example edited photos:

Writing an evaluation

Evaluation is the process of assessing the quality, effectiveness, and performance of your design. It involves using and analysing your model and drawing conclusions to determine whether your flower pot design meets its intended goals and objectives. Consider and write about the following:

identify and write about the strengths, weaknesses of your flower pot test model.
identify and write about the areas for improvement in the design - what will you change before making the real one?
Consider the quality and accuracy of your model - Did you do a good job making it?
How did the base perform when holding the pot? does anything need to change?

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