This instructable will take you through the process I used to create a 17' tall reproduction of my avatar from Second Life, MGandhi Chakrabarti. In March of 2008 me and my Gandhi avatar walked throughout Second Life for 26 days to reenact his famous 1930's Salt March - the forward steps of my avatar in SL were controlled by me walking in real life on a customized treadmill (visit my website for documentation of the reenactment project http://www.delappe.net or http://saltmarchsecondlife.wordpress.com/)
You can also watch a short video documentary of the performance on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34SxiWwOvHw
After walking with Gandhi in Second Life for 240 miles I decided it would be interesting to extract my avatar from this online world and recreate him in monumental scale. This instructable takes you through the process of creating the 17' tall cardboard Gandhi using a variety of readily accessible (mostly free!) software tools, cardboard and a hot glue gun. The production of this sculpture took a total of 4 weeks, 6 days a week, 9-11 hour days with the assistance of an intern for two-three days of each week.
I created all the Gandhi work as part of my residency at Eyebeam Art and Technology in New York City in the spring of 2008.
My Gandhi sculpture was designed to be the same height as Michelangelo's David (the biblical boy who slayed Goliath).
I've created this adapation of the Pepakura process to allow for the figure to be disassembled into discrete sections for storage and shipping. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments: delappe@unr.edu
A special thanks to all the great staff, residents and fellows at Eyebeam! And a huge, big, appreciative thank you to my fabulous Eyebeam interns, Lenny Correa and Emma McDonald. This project could not have succeeded without their able assistance!
You can also watch a short video documentary of the performance on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34SxiWwOvHw
After walking with Gandhi in Second Life for 240 miles I decided it would be interesting to extract my avatar from this online world and recreate him in monumental scale. This instructable takes you through the process of creating the 17' tall cardboard Gandhi using a variety of readily accessible (mostly free!) software tools, cardboard and a hot glue gun. The production of this sculpture took a total of 4 weeks, 6 days a week, 9-11 hour days with the assistance of an intern for two-three days of each week.
I created all the Gandhi work as part of my residency at Eyebeam Art and Technology in New York City in the spring of 2008.
My Gandhi sculpture was designed to be the same height as Michelangelo's David (the biblical boy who slayed Goliath).
I've created this adapation of the Pepakura process to allow for the figure to be disassembled into discrete sections for storage and shipping. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments: delappe@unr.edu
A special thanks to all the great staff, residents and fellows at Eyebeam! And a huge, big, appreciative thank you to my fabulous Eyebeam interns, Lenny Correa and Emma McDonald. This project could not have succeeded without their able assistance!
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Signing UpStep 1: Gather your materials and download software applications.
To create the large scale reproduction of my Gandhi avatar from Second Life, we first needed to extract my avatar's 3-D model from SL and process this model through a number of readily available software applications. This was followed by the physical realization of the object in cardboard - I've broken this section into three sections, SOFTWARE, MATERIALS, TOOLS:
-You will need a PC Windows computer, a laser or inkjet printer.
Software required:
1) Second Life (to use this online environment one must sign up and create an avatar, this is free)
2) OGLE - "is an open source software package by the Eyebeam OpenLab that allows for the capture and re-use of 3D geometry data from 3D graphics applications running on Microsoft Windows" - it is freely available to use and share, complete with detailed instructions for use in any online game that uses openGL. This can get a bit tricky - do read the instructions carefully and follow these to the "T" and you should be able to extract your avatar from Second Life. Be aware that OGLE generally extracts the entire square region in which you are residing.
3) Blender - this is an amazing free 3-D modeling and animation program - has a bit of a learning curve - you can generally use any 3-D modeling application for this step. You need this step to allow you to optimize the number of polygons in your model which are generally far to many to allow for the creation of a usable papercraft model. We also used Blender to eliminate the environment and other objects from SL that were extracted using OGLE - when we first extracted Gandhi we couldn't find him at first as the region was so big, he turned out to be a little speck in the enormous region that was extracted. We then use Blender to eliminate all the extraneous information that came through the extraction process.
4) Pepakura Designer - this is a program that transforms any 3-D model into usable templates or unfolding a 3-D model for use in papercrafting. A really fun program, be sure and take a look at the gallery link on their site, people make some pretty amazing stuff with this program!
Materials:
-CardboardCardboard - brown double faced - I used 25 sheets of 4x8' single ply cardboard purchased and delivered for $100 - you can get this stuff readily at packing supply houses online. This is the cardboard that is used for the construction of the polygon skin of the sculpture. You could of course do this project with cardboard boxes although you would need to be sure and find some large ones ;-)
-Honeycomb board - I used 6 sheets of this 42x30x1/2" board purchased at Utrecht Art Supplies for $9.40 cents a sheet - you can likely find this cheaper or even for free in local dumpsters! This cardboard is very sturdy and was used extensively to create the inner support system for the standing figure. You can also likely find this stuff for free, often it is used for single use pallets for shipping and such.
-Cardboard Carpet tubes - various diameters, these I found in the trash both in an around Eyebeam, you would likely be able to get these for free at any big carpet retailer in your area. These are thicker than the standard shipping tubes and such, these are essential for building the interior support structure.
-TransparenciesTransparencies for either your Laser or Inkjet printer, get a box of 100. Be sure you get what works for your printer - inkjet transparencies in a laser printer will melt on the rollers!
-There are a few miscellaneous items that will be noted in further steps...
Tools:
-Hot Glue GunHot Glue Gun - I bought an industrial grade version of this typical craft tool - you can find these online - this was by far the right tool for this job! This is the one I bought, well worth the $100!
-Box Cutter/Matt Knife QUICK CHANGEBox Cutter/Matt Knife QUICK CHANGE preferred (I used a Husky folding version from Home Depot that was very convenient as it can strap to your belt or fold to go in your pocket)
-Replacement blades, buy at least a box or dispenser of 50-100 blades, you will want to change blades often during the cutting and scoring process.
-Alumi Cutter 30"Alumi Cutter 30" straight edge and ruler (you can use other sizes but I think this is the best, has a raised edge to protect your fingers during cutting and scoring, take it from one who has sliced off the tip of my left index finger several times over the years, this tool is fabulous and essential for this process!).
-Cutting MatCutting Mat - I used an Alvin 17x23" version. This is a self-healing surface that allows for thousands of cuts - really useful for this project as it helps keep your blades sharp and you don't get stuck in cut lines during the scoring and cutting of the cardboard.
-Sharpie MarkersSharpie Markers - red, blue and black or whatever colors you prefer (you need three colors to delineate cuts and the two different types of scoring, "mountains" or "valleys" as defined by the Pepakura diagrams.
-Overhead projectorOverhead projector - I used a standard 3M model, this was used to magnify and project the Pepakura diagrams on to the 4x8' sheets of cardboard.
-Band sawBand saw - this is not essential, one could cut the pieces entirely using a mat knife but I would highly recommend using this floor standing saw as it greatly sped up the process of cutting out the Pepakura pieces.
-Various tapes - wide masking tape was used to hold the cardboard to the wall for projection and drawing of the diagrams. Drafting tape or blue painting tape was used to hold the transparencies in position on the overhead projector.
-Velcro - I used one roll of 3' velcro with the sticky back on both sides to help with the final assembly of the figure.
-You will need a PC Windows computer, a laser or inkjet printer.
Software required:
1) Second Life (to use this online environment one must sign up and create an avatar, this is free)
2) OGLE - "is an open source software package by the Eyebeam OpenLab that allows for the capture and re-use of 3D geometry data from 3D graphics applications running on Microsoft Windows" - it is freely available to use and share, complete with detailed instructions for use in any online game that uses openGL. This can get a bit tricky - do read the instructions carefully and follow these to the "T" and you should be able to extract your avatar from Second Life. Be aware that OGLE generally extracts the entire square region in which you are residing.
3) Blender - this is an amazing free 3-D modeling and animation program - has a bit of a learning curve - you can generally use any 3-D modeling application for this step. You need this step to allow you to optimize the number of polygons in your model which are generally far to many to allow for the creation of a usable papercraft model. We also used Blender to eliminate the environment and other objects from SL that were extracted using OGLE - when we first extracted Gandhi we couldn't find him at first as the region was so big, he turned out to be a little speck in the enormous region that was extracted. We then use Blender to eliminate all the extraneous information that came through the extraction process.
4) Pepakura Designer - this is a program that transforms any 3-D model into usable templates or unfolding a 3-D model for use in papercrafting. A really fun program, be sure and take a look at the gallery link on their site, people make some pretty amazing stuff with this program!
Materials:
-CardboardCardboard - brown double faced - I used 25 sheets of 4x8' single ply cardboard purchased and delivered for $100 - you can get this stuff readily at packing supply houses online. This is the cardboard that is used for the construction of the polygon skin of the sculpture. You could of course do this project with cardboard boxes although you would need to be sure and find some large ones ;-)
-Honeycomb board - I used 6 sheets of this 42x30x1/2" board purchased at Utrecht Art Supplies for $9.40 cents a sheet - you can likely find this cheaper or even for free in local dumpsters! This cardboard is very sturdy and was used extensively to create the inner support system for the standing figure. You can also likely find this stuff for free, often it is used for single use pallets for shipping and such.
-Cardboard Carpet tubes - various diameters, these I found in the trash both in an around Eyebeam, you would likely be able to get these for free at any big carpet retailer in your area. These are thicker than the standard shipping tubes and such, these are essential for building the interior support structure.
-TransparenciesTransparencies for either your Laser or Inkjet printer, get a box of 100. Be sure you get what works for your printer - inkjet transparencies in a laser printer will melt on the rollers!
-There are a few miscellaneous items that will be noted in further steps...
Tools:
-Hot Glue GunHot Glue Gun - I bought an industrial grade version of this typical craft tool - you can find these online - this was by far the right tool for this job! This is the one I bought, well worth the $100!
-Box Cutter/Matt Knife QUICK CHANGEBox Cutter/Matt Knife QUICK CHANGE preferred (I used a Husky folding version from Home Depot that was very convenient as it can strap to your belt or fold to go in your pocket)
-Replacement blades, buy at least a box or dispenser of 50-100 blades, you will want to change blades often during the cutting and scoring process.
-Alumi Cutter 30"Alumi Cutter 30" straight edge and ruler (you can use other sizes but I think this is the best, has a raised edge to protect your fingers during cutting and scoring, take it from one who has sliced off the tip of my left index finger several times over the years, this tool is fabulous and essential for this process!).
-Cutting MatCutting Mat - I used an Alvin 17x23" version. This is a self-healing surface that allows for thousands of cuts - really useful for this project as it helps keep your blades sharp and you don't get stuck in cut lines during the scoring and cutting of the cardboard.
-Sharpie MarkersSharpie Markers - red, blue and black or whatever colors you prefer (you need three colors to delineate cuts and the two different types of scoring, "mountains" or "valleys" as defined by the Pepakura diagrams.
-Overhead projectorOverhead projector - I used a standard 3M model, this was used to magnify and project the Pepakura diagrams on to the 4x8' sheets of cardboard.
-Band sawBand saw - this is not essential, one could cut the pieces entirely using a mat knife but I would highly recommend using this floor standing saw as it greatly sped up the process of cutting out the Pepakura pieces.
-Various tapes - wide masking tape was used to hold the cardboard to the wall for projection and drawing of the diagrams. Drafting tape or blue painting tape was used to hold the transparencies in position on the overhead projector.
-Velcro - I used one roll of 3' velcro with the sticky back on both sides to help with the final assembly of the figure.
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would you be so kind as to help me?
i would like to make a gandhi head, just the head.
could you post or send me a Jpg/pdf of the pepakura file for the head?
if you could do that by before friday that would be great!
Ps. i was going to bring it to class on monday (my teacher loves gandhi) if you could post it by then that would be stupendous!!!
thanks!
That is really cool! Nice gorilla! I've used a projector for some other projects as well - for the first Gandhi build I did not have long term access to a data projector so i used the overhead. I built a second one in China where I used two overhead projectors that sped up the process quite a bit. I just finished a third one in Belgium where they started the project before I arrived - they printed out the parts and used these paper patterns placed upon the cardboard as cut-out guides.
Anyway, awesome gorilla! What are you going to do with him?
You can see the China Gandhi and the Belgium version on my blog:
http://www.saltmarchsecondlife.wordpress.com/
cheers,
joseph
What other methods could I use other than Second Life to create an avatar?
I'd like to make something not human, say animals.... or robots...or a godzilla....
I've made a Buddha, a very small one, take a look at this.
http://www.unr.edu/art/DELAPPE/Mouse/7_Stremmel_Show/7_Stremmel_Show_JPEGS.html
The Gandhi work was inspired, in part, by seeing a huge Buddha at a gallery in London last year by a Chinese artist (his name escapes me). He made it out of the ashes of incense and it blew smoke! Very cool stuff.
No giant Buddha in my future, not sure what I will do next.