Assignment: Voxel Model

Assigned: Tuesday, January 13

Due: Tuesday, January 20 @ class start

Assignment Description:
As a warm up exercise, and to start to familiarize ourselves with the very basics of Rhino, create a model using only 1x1 "voxels" (volumetric pixels) on the grid of the construction plane.  Your challenge is to create an object that in some way represents you, or a part of your life. 

Assignment Requirements:

1.) Create a 1x1 voxel in Rhino, and with grid snap enabled, use the alt+drag the gumball handles of your voxel to quickly clone copies of it

2.)  Create at least two materials to apply to your model in "render" view mode.

3.)  Use basic commands in Rhino to create an object that in some way speaks to you, your personality, your interests, your life....  there is no wrong answer, but we will use this as an opportunity to start to get to know one another.
4.)  Save your model where you can access it next class (i.e. on your one drive (or USB drive as a SECOND backup), google drive, etc)

5.) We will create our process blogs and fist blog post (documenting our voxel creations) together next week during class.

See examples of similar assignment submissions from previous semesters here, here and here.

Assignment: BLOG POST: Voxel Model Render
Assigned: Tuesday, January 20
Due: Monday, January 26 @ noon

Assignment Description

Building on your voxel model from last week, this assignment focuses on presentation, rendering, and documentation. You will refine your existing voxel object and produce a series of raytraced renders that clearly communicate its form, materiality, and details. You will also publish your work as a blog post on the process blog we set up together in class.

This assignment introduces basic ideas around camera framing, lighting, and visual storytelling through renders.

Assignment Requirements

1. Refine your existing voxel model

   • Start from your original voxel object (do not create a new one).

   • Minor refinements are encouraged (cleanup, proportion adjustments, material tweaks).

2. Create 6 raytraced renders

   • Produce 4–6 final images of your voxel model.

   • Each render should show a different angle, framing, or lighting setup.

   • Use camera framing intentionally (three-quarter views, close-ups, detail shots).

3. Detail render (required)

   • At least one render must be a close-up detail, focusing on texture, surface, or a junction between voxels.

4. Render settings

   • Use the Render menu in Rhino. (for Render, Render Properties)

   • Export high-resolution images (1000 px on the short side, minimum).

5. Process Blog Post

   • Publish a new post on your course blog that includes:

     • Your 4–6 final renders

     • A short written reflection (1–2 sentences) describing:

       • What you refined

       • How you approached lighting and camera views

       • What you learned from rendering