The key to this assignment was using a COMPUTER to do this.
In class, Neil gave so many different options for ways of modelling something on a computer, I was overwhelmed! There were so many different software applications available ways of modelling, and various other tools to use.
Since I already had it downloaded, I decided to use Inkscape (2D vector drawing) to "model" a final project. I've used it a bit before, but I tend to use GIMP more since it's more suited to natural handwriting and non-geometric things (I also used GIMP in the past for taking class notes).
Drawing--er, modelling--in Inkscape was harder than I recalled. While I was tempted to just use the pencil tool and draw everything normally (though with some challenges), I refrained and tried to do the best I could with the pen tool which makes vector paths based on points and bezier curves. As ugly as the things look, it helped that I was modelling a lot of straight lines, a situation which made plotting down two points with the pen tool much easier than drawing a slight curve with the pencil tool.
I used a couple side menus a lot. Mainly the Fill and Stroke menu as well as the Layers menu, but towards the end of using it, I "got fancy" and used the Align and Distribute menu to put things in the side view at the same height as how they are portrayed in the front view.
For a final project, I had an immediate, sort of silly but very cool idea. The problem statement came from working signage and inventory for the MIT Swapfest over the summer. Each Swapfest this past year, I would put a bunch of signs up that directed people to the Albany garage, but there is one sign that I use that always blows over from the wind. I've tried using bricks as weight to weigh down the light metal sawhorses that hold up the large vinyl banner, but they don't make any adjustments based on the direction and strength of the wind. It would be really funny to make a little attachable apparatus that holds bricks and based on the direction and strength of the wind.
I'm not too sure this is feasible, especially given how hard control theory is, but it would be funny to see and probably even better promotion for the even than the vinyl sign itself. I will probably sometime in the future go and measure the sawhorses so I can actually insert dimensions into my model as well.
I also tried downloading FreeCAD (and spent way too much time clearing up space on my laptop for it), but for some reason could not get it to work.
I downloaded ImageMagick for this assignment. For a while, it didn't work, though (I seem to be very bad at installing things).After some troubleshooting with Anthony, I was able to finally edit and save ImageMagick to my computer's permanent path and was able to use it on the command line.
This image on today's page is the result:
