Last month some people over at the MakerBot Workshop uploaded some very interesting 3D printable toy figures and playsets.

They first released the MakerBot Damsel and the MakerBot Astronaut; two designs that set some of the system standards for an open-source line of toy action figures.

Simple, stylized, and partially articulated, these figures would serve as a platform for other Thingiverse users to create and upload more toy figures that played nicely with the originals.

MakerBot Workshop also released 2 HUGE playsets for these figures – a Castle and a Rocket. These things are awesome.

I wanted to make some additional figures, so I created a Knight - the Damsels & their castles seemed vulnerable.

I wanted to do a Wizard next, but after I spent some time modeling the hat I decided to also make a Witch using the Wizard’s hat and the Damsel’s body.

Once the beard was finished, I made some robes and voila – the Wizard.

And of course the whole point of the interchangeable system… customization!

See MakerBot’s post on these playsets here

Be sure to let me know what you think!

My senior studio project has been progressing steadily since its conception in January (2010).

I began to envision a line of furniture that could be created from construction site waste, particularly the wood waste.  Common byproducts of the construction process are OSB (oriented strand board) and dimensional lumber (2x4s, 2x6s, etc.).

Lumber, such as pine 2x4s common in construction, is tough to rely on.  It is almost never going to be perfectly square, which is important in furniture making.  Pine isn’t the best quality wood, either, it is soft and prone to splintering.

Oriented strand board, on the other hand, is a material that I can truly connect with.  People’s perceptions of OSB vary, but it is most commonly associated with raw, unfinished construction and garners its particular connotations from that image.

I find OSB to be one of the most modest materials around; it’s a super structural engineered wood product with a unique “grain,” giving it an apparently random face.  In truth, those strands of wood are carefully oriented in a manufacturing process that distinguishes OSB from particleboard.  Strands are oriented in layers, oftentimes with perpendicular, adjacent layers that provide rigidity and strength, similar to plywood.  Due to this manufacturing process, OSB has been replacing plywood in many construction jobs, since it is just as strong and usually a few bucks cheaper.  Another solid advantage is that in the manufacturing process about 90% of the tree is used as opposed to 60-70% in plywood.  Smaller, more renewable hardwood trees can be used, which makes the material more socially responsible.

The project is on schedule in terms of the timeline I’ve set out for it, and I’m currently involved in the prototyping stage.  Collection will be occurring in the next couple of weeks from both local construction sites and from panel manufacturers that are producing scraps they cannot use.

These laser cut cards have pieces that pop out and snap together to create playful animals. The critters have contact information on them for a lasting impression.

Work began October 2009.  I’ve been developing a more reliable clasp system for the pieces when they snap together and have also been working on a lot more animals.

Growlots, with the pooled information from UNI (Urban Nutrition Initiative) and PHS (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society), introduced the concept of Green Resource Centers that would supply outlying community gardens with supplies and services in exchange for a portion of the satellite gardens’ crop output.

Growlots is the name of a project begun in September 2009.  The group included Victoria Perez, Megan Braley, John “Woody” Woodburn, Kim Forsythe, Elissa Meyer, Adam Rusiski, Jared Delorenzo, John Pender, and myself.

As this process builds and strengthens gardens, it also has the capability to strengthen communities, while simultaneously providing them with fresh food and vitality.

Megan Braley and Victoria Perez have continued to develop this project

3D Modeling Program I most often use - Rhinoceros 4

Most 3D modeling programs tend to be a little bit too intimidating for people to attempt to learn.  Not just skill-wise, but many of these programs are priced at ridiculously expensive retail costs.  Who wants to pay a couple thousand dollars to get their hands on a program they don’t even know if they will use or enjoy?  With Google’s SketchUp being released for free online, this type of 3D digital technology is no longer only for serious engineers, architects, designers, animators, and various other closely related professions.

Google SketchUp 7

It’s so easy to use – I used to think SketchUp served as a good stepping stone into more serious 3D modeling programs, but lately I’ve been shifting my point of view.  The controls are easy and clearly understandable, and since it’s supported by Google, online help is always a click away.  When we were first introduced to SketchUp in school last year, most of my colleagues scoffed at it.  They blew it off as if it was some dumbed-down version of “real” modeling programs.  Maybe so, but I think not.  It is used professionally today, and it is supported on both Mac and Windows.  I encourage anyone reading this that has in the past been intimidated by the idea to download and try Google SketchUp 7 for free today.

With Google Earth becoming such a big hit lately as well, SketchUp has the integrated feature for people to build models in 3D and instantly upload their designs into Google Earth for others to see and interact with.  There also exists a 3D Warehouse that houses a plethora of models people created and shared with others – everything from houses to Ikea furniture.  It makes me happy to see how much people are willing to share with one another for free, and I love the open-source feel of the whole thing.

Lego Digital Designer allows users (important to note the demographic – “kids”) to create out of digital Lego bricks any idea that they have come up with or drawn out.  They can search through a slew of palettes provided by the software to find exactly which bricks they need for their creation.  Once they spend a little bit of time modeling their idea in the digital realm, LEGO allows users to upload their designs to their website where they have a showroom feature.  More importantly, they will gather the pieces, package them up, and send the creator their digital design in real life LEGO bricks.  What?? Once I got over how cool this concept was, I became irritated that this wasn’t available in my younger days – LEGO was one of my favorite things to play with as a kid.

Lego Digital Designer

With programs like these two making their way out of engineering/ technical realms and into the average, every-day person’s homes, it is only a matter of time until you have motivated kids entering high school with the skills and mindset to create their ideas in a digital 3D space.  This is both important for building technical skills and for harnessing creativity at an early age.

I’d love to hear other opinions about this topic, and as always I encourage you to leave questions, comments, or ongoing discussion right here.

Phillyware represents the city of Philadelphia in style.  These unique forks, knives, and spoons remind the people of Philadelphia to enjoy their local, fresh food options.

The molds were milled using a CNC router with urethane foam.  Currently, I’m using acrylic, but in the process of getting the capability to do them in stainless steel.

// rendering of the stainless steel version I’m hoping to create soon

Acrylic. Laser cut and formed in custom molds. January – February 2009

// this solution collects rain, lightly filters it, and dispenses it into a bowl for dogs to drink from as their owner browses the newspaper selections.

As part of Design Philadelphia, Citypaper hosted a contest to redesign the honor box.

The Honor Bowl was selected as one of three winning contest entries.  I did this project in collaboration with Adam Rusiski at The University of the Arts.

// The Honor Bowl in print

Work done October – November 2008.

While sketching two dimensionally, I feel disconnected from the form I am trying to achieve. With these efficiently manufactured building blocks (milled with a CNC router), one can freely sketch in three-dimensional space.  This allows one to get a true sense of form, as opposed to relying on a perceived notion.

// early thumbnails

Work done September – October 2008