Design and build an Omni-Animal. In this assignment, you will get comfortable with working in the TLTL, and with using the laser cutter to prototype two- and three-dimensional objects.
Alternative: Propose creating another object, useful or beautiful, of similar complexity as an Omni-Animal. Your project should still meet the same technical requirements.
Starting with paper, cardboard, and 2D design tools, develop an idea for your omni-animal. Then use Gravit (or the software of your choice) to design your cut files. After cutting your design, use paint or craft materials found in the lab to augment your omni-animals. Cardboard is cheap, robust, and easy to work with, it makes an excellent prototyping material. Always cut your initial iterations with cardboard. Consider cutting a prototype before you have finalized your design–many people find physical prototypes help their design work. While you are not required to, we suggest that you cut your final product out of a more structural material such as plywood or MDF. Save time for tweaks!
- 2D design: Use Gravit, Inkscape, or another 2D design tool to create vector-based and raster-based designs. Your omni-animal should be in wood or MDF and have both cuts and etched details.
- Connecting pieces: Create three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional components.
- Prototyping: Cut out omni-animal parts defined by vector images using the laser cutter in cardboard to test your design (low-fidelity prototype).
- Iterating and finishing: After confirming that your prototype can connect properly, cut out final omni-animal with decorative patterns or marks; consider using a more structural material such as plywood or MDF (final version).
- Engraving and scoring: Score vector patterns and etch raster-based images using the laser cutter.
- Giving it a soul: Use paint and the craft objects in the lab to decorate your omni-animal.
Deliverables
Be ready to show off your Omni-Animal at the beginning of the lab class on Week 4. Additionally, create one or more posts in your Miro journal containing the following:
- Some evidence of your planning process. This might include photos, sketches, early prototypes.
- Images of your final cut files.
- Images of your final omni-animal.
- Name your invented animal (a scientific and/or common name) and include a brief “biological” story: e.g. What does it eat? How does it reproduce? What are its predators? How does it move?
Assessment
| ✓+ | Meets all requirements described above and develops a substantially new technique. Provide a write-up for the website explaining the technique and how to use it. |
| ✓ | Meets all requirements described above. |
| ✓- | Does not meet the requirements described above. |