P4 Modelmaking

This is the fun part. Also one that takes a lot of stupid time (like waiting for my paint to dry). Anyway, I spent night and day for a week and a half on my model, and finished it early with time to spare. I don't think my classmates headed to the shop until the beginning of the last four days before deadline.
It's so exciting to see the product form before your eyes. Well, even though it's only a looks-like close to working prototype model. And, I'm super glad I am buddies with the lab technician and got my cnc model out quick, in good quality, and discounted!

Planning... (note the frustration in the corner)

All interior components need to fit. And it needs to make sense for the person installing and fixing parts.

Blob options.

And I thought it would be cool to make a video! (So I did)

Dorian from Carmen Liu on Vimeo.



Oh! and know a cool tip on to make your chrome finish extra shiny? Spray a layer of varathane/clear coat over your initial layer of whatever, be it primer, or first layer of chrome. and then spray your final coat. It will come out SUPER GLOSSY. It's beautiful, you can almost see your face in it. (not really, but the shiny coat was cool nonetheless) You can bet I wanted to coat everything in chrome after that.

P3 Design brief and testing

With a more clear view of the concept, we had to write our own design brief covering our goals and constraints. And then it was dinner parties, testing of light quality with different materials, foam mock up models for size, proportion, fitting parts in, etc. and learning how to sauter and make a circuit and light up an LED. I know sautering isn’t difficult, but I’ve burnt a hole through one of my chipboards already...Somehow. Don’t ask me how.

Apparently, to get this project to work exactly the way I imagine it to, I need an arduino, or an engineering student from the other side of the building. Well, I’ve always wanted to learn to play with an arduino, so this might be fun, only I don’t have much time...

I also came across these LED candlelight kits that flicker in 3 different modes. How perfect!

P2.2 concepts

Pick a concept and run with it.

I chose the interactive lighting one because I felt that I had the most flexibility with it. There were so many possibilities with the interaction, and features, and it was different from other projects I’ve done, and it seemed fun. Plus, I’ve never done anything interaction experience-y.
So, just some details to figure out.. I know what it’s supposed to do, generally, but how? And what is the experience going to be like?