Computer-Controlled Cutting
design, lasercut, and document a parametric construction kit.
Summer Flower
"I believe I am,
Born as the bright summer flowers,
Do not withered undefeated fiery demon rule,
Heart rate and breathing to bear the load of the cumbersome,
Bored."
————Born As Summer Flowers, by Tagore
Final Prototype with Lights
Before I introducted my making process, I would like to demonstrate the final prototype firstly. Because I really like the feeling of interwaved light and shadow, I put light in the object when I shoot. In my eyes, light brings life to still objects.
Another Shot Angle
I changed the composition and took another photo, which better showed the structure of the object.
CAD Flat Structure
Before laser cutting, I needed a vector image, which I designed and made with Rhino 6. Since I majored in industrial design during my undergraduate study, I am quite familiar with this software, and this step does not take too much time.
Software Setting
I set the power and the speed of laser-cutting machine by the corresonding software.
Laser Cutting
After laser cutting, I got the flat module as shown in the figure.
Assembly
The final step is assembly! While assembling, I found that the connections were a little shaky in some places. In future designs, I need to pay more attention to tolerances.
Reflection
I have always loved light and shadow, and the flow of light and shadow often reminds me of the flow of life. Light and shadow are similar to ying and yang in Chinese philosophy. They balance each other out. In this case, while shooting, I put a light inside the flower to create light and shadow.