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AIM
The aim is to analyse and then systematically re-design the production Don Frost’s Caprice.Its uid style, complexity level and rather arbitrary production process is found especially intriguing to work on. Furthermore, the top-half of the piece is picked to work on for its rather characteristic properties. Finally, concrete and polyurethane (PU) foam is decided as the possible end-product materials.
ANALYSIS
As the first step of the study, a digital model required to be produced in order to create a mold with digital techniques. In order to accomplish that, photos of the sculpture are searched since the group has no access to the piece itself. A single image could be acquired, ruling out photogrammetric techniques for model generation.
Therefore, the hints of data on that photograph are further examined and it is found that the light reactions of the sculpture on the photo could be used to compare the reactions of the 3D model to be created. Although the impossibility of creating a exact 3D model of the sculpture is apparent, the model produced from the light data was found to be satisfactory for the assignment.
MODELING
The 3D model is created in Autodesk Maya using subdivision and soft selection methods. The photograph of the sculpture is placed on the scene in order to both capture the contours and to compare the light reflections. Furthermore, virtual lights are added to the scene to simulate reflections from the 3D model. Light placements have been referenced from the photo. Consequently, the model is developed further until it conforms with a certain precision to the reference of 2D silhouette and reflection data.
TRIAL-1
Trial I is based on creating a low-poly paper fold mould from the original digital 3D model to be injected with PU foam. Then, PU foam would be roughly sanded in order to achieve the smooth style of the original piece. Following that, woodller would be applied to the surface both for further surface treatment and for preventing PU foam from chemically reacting with paint. Finally, spray paint would be applied after sanding to achieve the final product.
TRIAL II
Trial II consists of four steps: Creating a digital 3D model of the multi-piece mould, 3D printing mould from PLA, and assembling, pouring the cement mixture to the mould and disassembling the mould.
The digital 3D model is segregated into 22 pieces considering the disassembling phase and the 3D printer’s size. Subsequently, the matching flaps are modeled for the printed pieces to be connected by binder clips.
test05.movConcrete and gypsum mixture is chosen for the end-product for its stability and strength. Although the initial material of choice was mainly concrete, gypsum is added considering concrete’s high density property causing complications on conforming the surfaces well, and keeping the multi-piece mould intact after pouring.
Considering the time consuming and costly properties of 3D printing, a column-like, 3 piece segment is printed and poured as proof of concept. As the experiment turned out to be successful, rest of the parts are printed and assembled to validate the mold’s integrity. Although gypsum is mixed with concrete in order to increase the viscosity and decrease the setting time, the mixture is poured in segments to avoid air gaps. Afterwards, the poured mold is left to set. As the mixture solidifies, the mold pieces are disassembled and cleaned for further use and the final product is acquired.
5. Conclusion
A satisfying model is acquired at the end of the process. It is envisioned that the digital model segregation phase could be handled by a less analogue process since the segregation algorithm is well defined. With that in hand, various connection types could be rapidly tested and put on trial. Finally a smaller portion of the original model could be chosen to reproduce, in order to vary the experiments by lessening the printing time.
The presented material was the result of a team effort. Melih Gençer and Sena Kürkçüoğlu were involved in the production.
References[1] Gershenfeld, N. (2012). How to Make Almost Anything. Foreign Affairs, V:91, No:6
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