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Here's a small bowl I made from interlocking layers of birch plywood. I designed it using Poser, Blender and Autodesk 123D Make, then used a laser cutter to precisely cut all 40 of the pieces.
The bowl stands at about a foot in height and, despite being very light, is sturdy and extremely well balanced so it won't topple over when filled.
You can now buy a kit for this bowl on the Instructables Store. We're making these ourselves at the Instructables Lab, so supply will be limited!
The bowl stands at about a foot in height and, despite being very light, is sturdy and extremely well balanced so it won't topple over when filled.
You can now buy a kit for this bowl on the Instructables Store. We're making these ourselves at the Instructables Lab, so supply will be limited!
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Signing UpStep 1Modeling the hand
The first step was to model and pose a hand to act as the bowl's base. For this, I used a piece of software called Poser by Smith Micro. Poser is a 3D modeling package that specializes in modeling and animating human bodies. It comes with a library of basic figures that can be easily posed using a very intuitive and beginner-friendly interface. I used one of Poser's default hand models.
When posing the hand, I had a few things to bear in mind. Obviously I wanted all of the fingertips to touch the ground at the same level so that the bowl would stand upright. I also had to think carefully about the way I splayed out the fingers. The fingers needed to provide as broad a base as possible while also looking natural and comfortable (Poser does nothing to stop you contorting its models into grotesque and unnatural positions, so this is trickier than you might expect).
A more subtle issue was to do with how I knew the model would eventually be sliced when I exported it into 123D Make. I knew from the outset that I wanted this bowl to made of radial slices converging somewhere around the base of the palm. This meant that I had to position the fingers so that they all roughly pointed straight outward from the same spot (so that each finger would contain a slice of plywood). Any major misalignment would make slicing the model impossible. This is an excellent example of how crucial it can be to visualize the entire design process of a project before you even start modeling.
When posing the hand, I had a few things to bear in mind. Obviously I wanted all of the fingertips to touch the ground at the same level so that the bowl would stand upright. I also had to think carefully about the way I splayed out the fingers. The fingers needed to provide as broad a base as possible while also looking natural and comfortable (Poser does nothing to stop you contorting its models into grotesque and unnatural positions, so this is trickier than you might expect).
A more subtle issue was to do with how I knew the model would eventually be sliced when I exported it into 123D Make. I knew from the outset that I wanted this bowl to made of radial slices converging somewhere around the base of the palm. This meant that I had to position the fingers so that they all roughly pointed straight outward from the same spot (so that each finger would contain a slice of plywood). Any major misalignment would make slicing the model impossible. This is an excellent example of how crucial it can be to visualize the entire design process of a project before you even start modeling.
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Really like this project! WOW!
Do you know what Autodesk plans to do with 123D MAKE after it expires next month???
Thanks.
http://apps.123dapp.com/make/
Still has a ways to go before we can do a project like the Hand Bowl.
Radial slices, please. :)
Stackable layers only for now it seems
No radial slicing
No orthogonal slicing with gaps.
But still a great step in the right direction!!!
I'm hoping to see that radial function there very SOON.
I am Mac-only AND not on-line in my workshop. So, an on-line-only version would create a huge obstacle for me to be a 123DMake user. UGH! Not so happy. To me, that's like having to borrow tools from someone else every time I need to use them. I would like to request that stand-alone copies be made available as well.
I really do like 123DMake and looking forward to the "radial" function.
Is there a place where users/makers can discuss 123DMake? The Autodesk blog does not seem to be very active.
Thanks.
EPS files hate me.
Also,some parts are disturbingly thin in some places...is this supposed to be right?
Projects like this raise the proverbial bar... and they deserve a wide audience.
They are intended to educate, encourage and motivate... not to mention mind-boggle simple folks like me! ;-)