As my peers and I begin to learn more about various 3D printing software and the various capacities of it, we are also delving deeper into our final projects – and making some fantastic progress! I am truly seeing the three pillars of this course come to life. The reflections of my classmates this past week really embodied the learn, make, and share culture of this course. The weekly reflection posts provide an opportunity for my classmates and I to share what we’ve learned and to also digitally collaborate with our peers to confirm and share new learning experiences.
This past week there were a lot of learned objectives. The first main one was to learn and use the Autodesk Meshmixer software. We did this by engaging in an activity of utilizing scanners from a company called Sense 3d. In class, the scanner was attached to an iPad. From there, our instructor demonstrated how to use the software to scan a human face. Although not perfect, the quality and efficiency was surprisingly high. One of my classmates Ajie noted that “it was amazing to see the shape of the scan appear in real time, as we circled around our classmates’ faces.” Introducing the software now, after all the hands-on experience we’ve already had with 3d printing software, allowed us to more deeply appreciate the power of the scanning software. Here is what a scanner attached to an iPad looks like:
The learning objective to learn the capabilities of Meshmixer and how it works was definitely achieved through the activity of scanning and 3D printing our faces. Scott noted that we learned how to “use cameras/sensors to scan physical objects and create digital representations of it” and Helen stated that “scanning technology opens up the possibilities for so many neat projects.” These are some of the few reflection statements taken from from my classmate’s posts highlighting how we learned and were inspired by 3D printing scanning technology.
The next major learning objective was to make tangible progress and improvements on our final project. In addition to having time in class to meet with our project teams and work on our final projects, we also dedicated time to presenting updates to the entire class. It was neat to first hear about the progress other teams were making and then to read about it later in the form of reflection posts online. I wanted to highlight where some of the final projects are at.
- Hydroponic Vertical Window Farm:
I am very excited to see how this project turns out. I am absolutely fascinated by the capabilities of hydroponics. The project team behind this has already taken multiple trips to the Fablab to gather materials to begin building a prototype. In her post, Helen noted that the team “gathered an Arduino and other components needed to start programming the sensors.” Some of the software and resources we have learned about that this project team plans to use is Fusion 360 and the Fablab.
2. Steering wheel Knob
I am currently one of three students working on this project. We have made progress in finalizing our need group and our plan to go from design to creation. We plan to make customizable knobs that can be twisted onto an attachment that could be placed on any type of steering wheel. The bottom attachment (part that goes directly onto the steering wheel) would have an indentation jutting out of it that would allow for any knob to be twisted onto it. Here is a picture of what we are modeling our prototype after.
3. Pour Over Coffee Project
This project is focusing on creating a design that will make it easier to pour over coffee. The team noted that they want to be able to “create a design that can help control the speed at which the hot water from the pour-over coffee contraption is falling through to the actual coffee and mug.
So far, this course has been a wonderful learning experience. My classmates and I have definitely learned the power of 3D printing and all of its wonderful capabilities. I am beyond excited to see everyone’s final prototypes come to life in the coming weeks!