Laser test cuts!

     This week we are finally doing test cuts with the laser! It's very exciting. I am writing this blog after all my messing around in rhino because of the whole computer debacle. I went on my roommates computer to change my design for the laser test Monday night after I got home from school and walked my dog since I had already made an appointment with the laser technician Tuesday afternoon just to get familiar with everything. I'm glad to say that I finally have a new computer! My mouse doesn't work with it since newer Macs are all USB-C though, and I knew that but forgot, so I'm waiting for a dongle to arrive in the mail for optimal usage.

    I thought to myself, this will be quick- just flip the design around a few times into a tile and save that file, then do a cute pattern for another test, then have a nice hot bath as a treat and go to bed early- this was a LIE!

I found myself realizing when trying to explode the little petals and berries design that I had made that moving the hatches without the curves was not the way to go. Therefore, I took all the little pieces of the design that I had set aside and reassembled them into the picture. That was the first part that took longer than expected.

It looked interesting enough just by itself that I thought about rotating and layering the image (like taking boolean cuts or whatever) out of where they overlapped and going by the Fibonacci sequence to get a cool looking pattern. However, I then wanted it to look more possibly leaf like, so I though I'd mirror it and put both the halves together somehow first.

I tried sticking them together in various positions but I found that I liked interlacing them together. It kind of reminded me a bit of Sailor Moon transformation wands.

I wound up rotating the image so it was easy to see how it was mirroring on each side. I figured some sections would be cut out, some would be hatched, and some would have just the lines burnt in. So first I needed to copy out the image and make the parts that would be kept after laser cutting one second. I found that I kept messing up and accidentally deleting a part I shouldn'tve,  or I'd have to redo something to make it cohesive with the weird Escher-esque pattern that I had created. 

This just kept going on and on and when I was done this part plus adding the second layer of lines to etch in it was like 3 in the morning! I had done the classic Sophie thing where I had gone way too hard. I hadn't even filled in the parts that I meant to put in extra hatching, let alone spiral it around all Fibonacci like! I figured that this was honestly probably enough even though it wasn't a tile because I should probably sleep so that I could even get to my laser cutting appointment!

I did remember to check the size though, and realized that I had been working really tiny. I wanted to make sure everything was as correct as possibly before I went in, even though I figured I'd learn stuff anyways since it's my first time.

    When I got to the lab, Peter explained to me that the laser cutter reads lines as basically a divide, not an actual thing that can be engraved so he showed me how to change the width of the line. 

Not gonna lie it looks pretty sick.

The test was also helpful in showing me places that I had forgot to trim lines so they got cut! I guess this supports that doing a test on paper will probably be extremely important for when I assemble my actual project. 

I also had some other tests that I wanted to do. One was on copper tape. The laser cutter can't cut metal but this stuff is pretty thin so we gave it a go. The reason that I wanted to try and cut it on the laser was that in my natural sciences class I had experimented with putting thin strips of copper tape usually used for stained glass under clear glazes, as copper is an element that can add color to a glaze. I thought how it turned out was very interesting, and I think that being able to cut out images to put on ceramics would be fun and give more depth than traditional decals.

Under a cone 6 glaze in oxidation, lines turn metallic wth a green halo

Under a cone 9 glaze in reduction, much black/brown/ reddish orange halo effect

The initial test of cutting the copper did not work as the tech suspected, but we tried cutting the back too see if that would do anything. It cut quite nicely, and after I burnished the front of the cut copper tape with a tough silicon rib it seemed to etch in the cut, but not enough to make it easy to pop out like perforated cardboard unfortunately. I do think this would help if I planned on cutting out the design with an exacto knife anyways, as sometimes drawing on things and cutting them can get a little sloppy.

I also test cut a piece of latex that I had lying around. I had originally thought that I would have time to made a cute test design, like a little choker or something, but I ran out of time the night before and was too excited to wait the day of. It turned out really good (even though I just took a video that wouldn't upload so here's a blurry screenshot)

However, later that day I received an email from the tech saying that he had looked into it more and that the fumes were no bueno so we could not laser cut any more, darn! I guess that teaches me to do things before I'm totally ready- can't let my excitement get the better of me. 

Week 2: Surface Design/ Mosaic

 I have once again sadly left this assignment until later in the hopes that my new used laptop would appear and I would not have to hijack my roommates computer again to run Rhino. The current status is that it will appear sometime between today (though unlikely as it is currently in Ontario) and Friday, so hopefully this is the last time that I will be doing this.

I took my inspiration from three places. The first two were from a book I own, Over and Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns by Mike Perry.

This floral is from Brie Harrison. I like how it is abstracted yet recognizable.

This one is from Maxwell Paternoster. I like the fact that is has depth despite being just black and white, and also how the images are somewhat familiar yet places in a different way than usual

The next three images that I have are from another book that I own, Hell Ladies, which is a collection of artist Junko Mizuno's earlier works. She is a Japanese artist who's style can be described as kawaii-grotesque.

Photography is my weakness, I tried here.

I especially think that the bottom left of this image would be interesting to work with. Not necessarily the girl, but the flowers/blueberries? and the flames on the side of the bathtub.

This image is not blurry because of me!  In some sections of the book the images are soft and blurry like this. I think where the waves and the hair meet is very interesting visually because of textures.

The rest of the images of patterns below came from a funny source. There was a pile of wallpaper samples left outside the backdoor in the alley behind my place of work downtown. When my shift was over they were still there so I took them because I hoard pretty things for crafts.

A play on a classic cloud motif, could be interesting in layers

Once again, simple abstracted florals only this time more of a focus on the negative space

This one I am most attracted to the top of the paper away from the dragon, with the abstract shapes, eyes, and rainbow/cloud type images.

This one I am less into overall, however I do really like the section where the plants and clouds meet on the mid-left side.

I wound up cutting the bottom left of the Junko Mizuno and Pasting that into Rhino to work with. I know my picture taking is not optimal but I am going to see what happens.

Somehow after inserting the image and changing the transparency, I was able to hit the lock button the the image stopped moving. I have no idea why it worked this time as I feel like it wasn't working last time, but I'm not going to complain.

I paused and rewatched the tutorial video and now I am thinking that possibly I have picked something too complicated. However, that is kind of my thing.

I made some circles over part of the bottom flower, and then put an offset circle in with the thoughts that I could array dots or cutouts for the dots near the edges of the flowers.

I then tried using the curve interpolate points, but even though it might not've been as accurate I think I like using the control point curve better just to give a smoother line. I trimmed the overlap and then joined them into one object (or I guess two objects because it's both the outside and inside edges.)

I copied the inside offset shape then offset another inside of it even smaller. I then put some lines through it and cut it so that I would just have the line for the inside where the dots would be on the flower on the image. I arrayed those up good but then when I went to use the hatch command to color them in somehow I accidentally got some of the negative space.

I figured it out, but now I am concerned that the lines are not attached and that this will get me in trouble later.

I am seeing a little circle in the bottom of my shape and I am not sure why. I have tried to trim it but it does not seem to let me?

After much messing with arrays and trimming and doing the zooming in computer equivalent of crawling on my hands and knees through this flower shape to trim extra bits I now have the outline of the flower done with the little petal circle things.

Finally, after what seems like 8 million years, I have the anatomy of...one flower petal.

However, when I tried to change the layers of the cut objects, all the parts of the objects did not move, so I'll have to fight with them to get them to move.  Especially one curve on the outline of the outline of the petal. it just does not want to join at all. 

The fact that I have been here forever and it still will not let me join these curves is absolutely insane.

I decided to just stop wasting my time messing around with that and start on the next flower petal or I'd be here forever. I thought it would be easy peasy after the first but my circles that I wanted to array along the curve wanted to go on the inside all crazy! Moving the circle to the very end of the curve helped however,

Overall the second flower went faster than the first.

After awhile I now have all sorts of flower and berry bits and bobs. Not really sure what to do with them.

I've organized my little bits up at the top somewhat because it was becoming unruly. I'm on the last berry and I've developed a system, working from the outside in to make them.

I started to work on a leaf, but then I decided maybe I had already gone to hard and I needed to take a break. I'm sure this will be handy for the assignment but I think It's probably way overkill for this week.

I'm making new layers and combining the images that I've created. I'm hoping that I can mirror/ rotate them interestingly.

I've noticed that I can't seem to automatically snap things into place that should fit together perfectly, like hatches to outlines, and I have to just zoom in and do it manually... I feel like there must be another way.

Anyways, I mirrored the image a bunch and then made a different layer with a green square that I hatched with a green gradient. It looks a bit silly with just the flowers and berries and I think it would seem much more complete with the leaves and the flame added on! However, I think I have put sufficient effort into this for this week. I would like to try having more elements and arranging them differently in more layers, but I think that is a job for next week.

Laser Cutting Research

 For the laser cutting research component of this week, I did already have some inspiration saved from just around the internet that fitted the bill, however since my interest is primarily glass I did include things that were waterjet cut- I figure that waterjet cut glass inspiration can translate to laser cut acrylic.

One of my interests is laminating glass- basically gluing sheets of glass on top of each other and polishing them. It gives an effect reminiscent of looking into two mirrors that are facing each other but without the reflection. A student at the Salem Community College which has an extensive glass program scanned their hand, sliced it into individual pieces the thickness of a sheet of glass each, and cut the glass with a waterjet cutter then assembled and glued. This interested me because I had done this with my face manually. I had seen the finished product before but could not find it again unfortunately it might've been in instagram stories.

When you cut glass for stained glass there's a lot of wastage. You basically score and crack it by hand and then grind it down until it fits and you can't really get it exact, plus it is prone to breaking. This artist, James Jean, used laser cutting to exactly cut glass for fusing and therefore could get it extremely thin. Dichromic glass is very expensive and I would be scared to cut it this small, but they get it so exact!

Something that I want to try laser cutting is thinfire paper. It can have sections cut out then be put under glass in a kiln and the parts that are cut out will sink through the cuts in the paper. Here is a random picture of a basic example that I pulled from an image search:

So the outline of the bird would've been cut out of the paper and the glass put on top and fired and therefore melted into the shape. I think that with laser cutting it would be interesting to try cutting multiple layers and stacking them. I couldn't find an example. Possibly the kiln schedules would have to be played with and experimented with.

Brian Gillespie used waterjet cutting to cut these ceramic blocks into patterns to slump glass on. He then assembled them using clear lasercut acrylic fasteners . I think that laser cutting thin fire paper and firing the glass on top could give a similar effect. 

Pandora Deluxe is a company that makes latex fashion that uses laser cutting to get precise details. I know there are more I've seen but I can't remember off the top of my head! When I was young I saw Katy Perry in fun coloured latex dressed and thought they were so cool I didn't even realize they were a fetish thing. Latex is difficult to cut because if you nick it wrong with your cutter it will just tear right across smoothly- think about getting your nail through a disposable rubber glove and it just tearing to shreds. I tried working with it and was disheartened partially through the cutting process. However with a laser cutter you can get really intricate details.

I have seen laser cut acrylic things that I have really enjoyed, but I didn't realize that it was something that I could get involved with and haven't saved any. Now when I search I'm just seeing basic things. Hopefully I will some across some randomly now that big data knows I'm looking for it!

As for digitally fabricated in the broader senses, I would be interested in creating blow molds and press molds for glass. I do not know a lot about how press molds work (if you think of a mass produced glass plate wth a pattern, or vintage carnival glass this is made with a press mold) but blow molds can be created by cnc'ing green wood that is not allowed to dry out (so that it doesn't warp) for instance, Dougherty Glassworks in Vancouver uses digital design to cnc salvaged wood into molds for blowing glasses. 

I think that creating molds in a pattern that tessellates would be interesting.

Assignment 1: Make these shapes

 Okay I hate doing stuff at the last minute but when I tried to get down to business on this last Monday after my nap it wound up with me researching how to patch my 2012 macbook and load a newer operating system on it and I got carried away and that definitely didn't happen. So here we are. Hopefully now this will be less complicated in the future, but for today I am going to be using Rhino on my roommate Ryan's computer while typing this blog post on my own laptop and I guess... emailing myself the screenshots??

I have now figured out how to take the screenshots on his computer. Now okay. The image is imported. the circle is drawn. Planer mode engaged. Osnaps on mid and center? Now what the heck is a gumball again? Okay it's the direction thing. Gumball is on. Whoops things are moving... going to delete this circle, and make the background picture of what we need to make a different layer...

I've made a different layer. The picture keeps moving. What.

I tried deleting the image and opening layer 1 and putting it back on. It still moves! Even if I go to layer 2 on the side this "Make these shapes!" image keeps moving. I know for a solid FACT this is going to mess with me, but I think I just have to leave it for now.

I am going to go back to my dodgy notes from class now, maybe there's something there. I felt like so many things were going on then though that my notes aren't as complete as I'd want them to be. 

Yup, just checked my notes and they are NOT helpful for this particular thing.

Apparently it's easier to move things if you click back on the arrow, instead of the circle, who knew?

I had a little panic with my circle apparently not wanting to copy, but I'm going to just try and keep calm and read the little instructions over the command box. Nope, tap alt to duplicate seems like a bold faced lie.

Wow, it really loves moving the instruction picture and NOT the circle. It does not want to move that circle at all.

OMG I GOT IT. I selected it and realized I had to click curve haha I totally thought that would just be a curve of the circle and not the whole thing, I'm crazy.  Then I changed my osnaps to mid and cen and I got the thing!!!

This instruction picture is driving me bananas. I am moving it over to the right out of my way and will just move objects over onto it when I am done with them because I am wasting a whole lot of time.

Did the next two double circle things. Feeling hesitantly good!

Changed to dark purple because now it is easier to differentiate what I am doing. It was easy to make the four circles but now I am not sure how to glue them into one object, but I am also unsure if I need to do that right now. Hopefully not?

Okay, after trying a bunch of "merge" type things (which seems wrong because it's not on our list of commands?) I have accidentally done a terrible trim. Also, why can't I select the rectangle as the cutting tool? I feel like that would be optimal, but whatever.

Okay, I got it the second time after selecting everything as a cutting object and turning on apparent intersections. OMG my little circles with an empty square in the middle. It's so beautiful.

I am now feeling GOOD and CONFIDENT with these rectangles. Bam! First one was so easy. I made the second one no problem except wait- why is there these circle things?? What is going on here??? It doesn't seem to be affecting anything so I'll just leave it and hope it goes away? Or that I come across a solution in my travels??

The one with three rectangles I used my osnaps to get that one in the center. The one after was also easy. Squares are so friendly with that little background grid.

Okay, I have finished all the second line! Yay! That was way faster. I guess the end lesson is: if you're not sure and it asks you if you want to select curve, just say yes. Why not?

FFFFFffffwhy does trying to move it make it a terrible mess? I wouldn't have to move it if I could remember either how to glue it into one object (unless that isn't a thing) or lock down the instruction picture.

It's okay though, I highlighted all the bits and moved it from the command line thing not the gumball. Phew. Slow and tedious sometimes but I WILL GET THERE!!

So to get the little circle to not be an automatic wrong size I needed to change the snaps to near. Gotcha. But I messed up my rotate and left the copy out. Whoops.

Making the 4 and 8 circles on the bigger circle with the rotate and copy commands was super easy. Now this circle trim thing is messing me up big time. I put the circle in the middle and i can take the outsides of the little circles off, but the outer circle I have to remove parts of? What the heck. It won't explode or join or anything apparently. There's an intersection there! C'mon!! I mean it's obviously an apparent intersection- it literally goes right through those circles.

Okay I had it for a second, it seemed to recognize that the center of the circles were a different thing, then I took this screenshot of what I was doing that worked for like two of them

BUT NOW IT ISN'T WORKING WAHH time to go fight with the osnaps again

Oh okay. I have figured it out... its because I had to trim a bunch of things on top of each other from all the copying and rotating haha. Yay it's done!

Wanna make things not just on the grid but next to each other like these circles? Leave ortho on, but turn grid snap off.

Doing that arc thing was awful. I swore many times. Just gotta remember: near, then ortho on, then ortho off. 

Trim was easy but this offset?? It only wants to be bigger! and sharp!! i just want a nice little inside offset. So rude. OHH  throughpoint. Ok. Got it. Phew.

After figuring out that offset thing, putting lines through the object and splitting it and joining it was not that evil. The exact shape is not identical but I don't think that necessarily was the point? I feel like I wasted a lot of time in class trying to make my circles exactly the same and the point of this exercise is to be able to follow the commands to make a thing, so I think this will be fine for now.

I thought this circle with little circles coming off of it that looked like a flower would be easy enough to make, and it was, however I can't join the edges? and that is making the offset extra stupid because it only wants to do a small chunk of it at a time. I'm very upset. Unable to join curves? WHY NOT?? Select curve for offset. Okay, I'll select the whole thing! "Cannot use these objects. Removing them from selection" EXCUSE ME I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO REMOVE THEM.

Now I'm joining some curves. Maybe it'll work one at a time. WHY WONT IT JOIN THESE ONES

Oh great, now its lopsided and weird. Undo.

Now I'm finding all these extra lines in between the outline of my little circles. I want to trim them but it isn't seeming to let me. Where did they come from??

I put my osnaps on and it seemed to let me delete and join things.

Wonderful. Now it is saying again "cannot use these objects. removing them from offset"

It seems like some things are joined and some are not, meaning that I probably have to get in there and fight with each little thing until it is one. Great. Though it's saying "curves must be open" like aren't these all similar shapes?

Some person on a forum asked what I thought was a similar question and someone else answered to use the command "_curveboolean" but maybe that joined one or two more but still not all of them.

Tried "offset multiple" and something crazy happened. it also didnt give me the nice little visual, or the throughpoint option. 

Even if I group them, it only lets me offset this one chunk of it I was able to join and it won't let me join the rest! This is so frustrating! Its literally all part of the same object I rotated around! Guess I'll just offset all the stupid little parts individually....

I got so mad when that didnt work that I just mirrored it and flipped it. Now I'll just trim it until it fits I guess,

That didn't work so I just made the object again without the copy and rotate part, just copy with grid snap/ int.

It finally joined thank goodness I was about to pull my hair out. The rest of that line was easy after the battle that was that.

Stars were pretty easy too because I actually did some of that in class! Until I got to the fillet part... which I don't understand why it's not working because I literally did that part in class and I remember actually getting it and being like, wow maybe this isn't the worst thing in the world.

Okay, I have fillet(ed) the outside corners, hopefully I can figure these inside corners out somehow...

Okay, now I have figured out the inside ones. I needed to change the radius to 0.1 to keep it looking like a star and not too much of a crazy fillet.

I made the circles and split them and trimmed them with no problem. I also put the tiny circle on and made the array so fast that I had to undo it because I forgot about taking a picture of just one circle!

The rest was super easy! The proportions aren't the same as the demonstration ones (but I don't think that was the point of the exercise, I can correct them, if they needed though I'm sure)  but they are even within the objects. 

Wow, that was a crazy time and I'm amazed I got it! It was kind of weirdly fun.