Introduction: TikiHead Mod for the Vapor King Digital
This is a guide in the making of a TikiHead modification for a standard Vapor King Digital vaporizer.
It uses blender which is a free 3d modeling program, and it also uses Autodesk 123D Make which allows a ShopBot CNC machine to cut out the pieces necessary for its construction.
It is this ability of home prototyping that's going to change the way things work around here.
It uses blender which is a free 3d modeling program, and it also uses Autodesk 123D Make which allows a ShopBot CNC machine to cut out the pieces necessary for its construction.
It is this ability of home prototyping that's going to change the way things work around here.
Step 1: Dissembling the VaporKing Hotbox
Step one:
Obtain VaporKing Digital Vaporizer and cut along illustrated lines.
The dial can be removed by pulling it forward then unscrewing the nut, then pulling it from the other side.
Its fairly self explanatory just make sure not to damage or lose any of the parts whilst dissembling.
Obtain VaporKing Digital Vaporizer and cut along illustrated lines.
The dial can be removed by pulling it forward then unscrewing the nut, then pulling it from the other side.
Its fairly self explanatory just make sure not to damage or lose any of the parts whilst dissembling.
Step 2: Meshes
Now comes the hard part.
The attached .blend file has a model of the innards and heating elements that you now need in order to use as a reference in the building of the frame that will flesh it out once we've modeled it. This is not a tutorial on blender, it is a tutorial on taking the making of an idea by using a 3d modeling software to construct a 1:1 ratio of that idea in cyberspace then having the ability to use the program Autodesk 123DMake directly in conjuncture with a ShopBot CNC machine producing a final product that you can use for just about anything you can imagine, but unfortunately I will not be using Autodesk 123D Make and the ShopBot CNC machine, because of model capability issues and the lack there of .
The first thing that needs to be done is to have a 3d modeling program, I like blender that is why I use it, for instructions on how to use it I highly suggest going to these two websites blenderguru.com and blendercookie.com in order to gain a better understanding in using any 3d modeling software.
Next thing to do is to upload my file with the base mesh and make a form around it of sorts, something that allows not only for the heating element and hose to come out of the box, but also for the digital readout, dial, and powerport. I would suggest sketching up a rough outline of whatever comes to mind and work from there. This can either be done with the grease pencil feature in blender or by importing sketches done by hand and importing them through photoshop or the like.
It would behoove you to have a general idea of what you want your final project to look like before you start so you can act accordingly.
What I like to do is to use the sculpt feature that blender has and carve away at a block as if it were marble. Slowly bringing out the curves and features of the shape as it flows forth in an ever more elaborate and intricate way and letting the shapes speak for themselves. But things don't always turn out like you expect, so due to time and clever thinking on my part I decided to upload a prefabricated model simply titled 'Skull" and fused it with a stand that I made.
The skull is very well done, perhaps to well done for the purpose that we need it for. What I would suggest is deleting all of textures, lights, and anything else that isn't necessary for our main objective. Then you need to make sure that your mesh is one solid piece, I found this out the hard way. Blender has a nifty tool that allows you to check for this, first make sure no vertexes are selected by double tapping A, then press ctrl+alt+shift+M. This will highlight any area that need to be fixed for the .stl file to work properly. The attached blender file should be all set.
I did run into some trouble when I discovered that the holes that I added to hold the innards of the vaporizer where not added to the slicing process in Autocad, this is a minor issue when dealing with cardboard but I feel that it might be somewhat of a concern when dealing with other projects. But it is a free browser based program and I feel that the actual program will not have this as a concern.
And the great thing about creating virtually is that if you mess up along the way you can always go back to a save point. And creating new products that are unique only to you is the way of life we are heading towards. The future will be everyone being craftsmen in their homes making new tools and products continuously pushing progress forward at a expediential rate, printing everything they need, I feel that I can't even wrap my head around how big this actually is. I know that it will stop the waste of natural resources by getting rid of the need of shipping the products thousands of miles when you can just make the material for the printers locally and just sell ideas, I suggest someone come up with a hemp printer.
The attached .blend file has a model of the innards and heating elements that you now need in order to use as a reference in the building of the frame that will flesh it out once we've modeled it. This is not a tutorial on blender, it is a tutorial on taking the making of an idea by using a 3d modeling software to construct a 1:1 ratio of that idea in cyberspace then having the ability to use the program Autodesk 123DMake directly in conjuncture with a ShopBot CNC machine producing a final product that you can use for just about anything you can imagine, but unfortunately I will not be using Autodesk 123D Make and the ShopBot CNC machine, because of model capability issues and the lack there of .
The first thing that needs to be done is to have a 3d modeling program, I like blender that is why I use it, for instructions on how to use it I highly suggest going to these two websites blenderguru.com and blendercookie.com in order to gain a better understanding in using any 3d modeling software.
Next thing to do is to upload my file with the base mesh and make a form around it of sorts, something that allows not only for the heating element and hose to come out of the box, but also for the digital readout, dial, and powerport. I would suggest sketching up a rough outline of whatever comes to mind and work from there. This can either be done with the grease pencil feature in blender or by importing sketches done by hand and importing them through photoshop or the like.
It would behoove you to have a general idea of what you want your final project to look like before you start so you can act accordingly.
What I like to do is to use the sculpt feature that blender has and carve away at a block as if it were marble. Slowly bringing out the curves and features of the shape as it flows forth in an ever more elaborate and intricate way and letting the shapes speak for themselves. But things don't always turn out like you expect, so due to time and clever thinking on my part I decided to upload a prefabricated model simply titled 'Skull" and fused it with a stand that I made.
The skull is very well done, perhaps to well done for the purpose that we need it for. What I would suggest is deleting all of textures, lights, and anything else that isn't necessary for our main objective. Then you need to make sure that your mesh is one solid piece, I found this out the hard way. Blender has a nifty tool that allows you to check for this, first make sure no vertexes are selected by double tapping A, then press ctrl+alt+shift+M. This will highlight any area that need to be fixed for the .stl file to work properly. The attached blender file should be all set.
I did run into some trouble when I discovered that the holes that I added to hold the innards of the vaporizer where not added to the slicing process in Autocad, this is a minor issue when dealing with cardboard but I feel that it might be somewhat of a concern when dealing with other projects. But it is a free browser based program and I feel that the actual program will not have this as a concern.
And the great thing about creating virtually is that if you mess up along the way you can always go back to a save point. And creating new products that are unique only to you is the way of life we are heading towards. The future will be everyone being craftsmen in their homes making new tools and products continuously pushing progress forward at a expediential rate, printing everything they need, I feel that I can't even wrap my head around how big this actually is. I know that it will stop the waste of natural resources by getting rid of the need of shipping the products thousands of miles when you can just make the material for the printers locally and just sell ideas, I suggest someone come up with a hemp printer.
Step 3: Autodesk 123D Make + Cut and Paste
Next we need to import the model that you made in the last section to Autodesk 123D Make, or just select the attached files and print them out with a PRS ShopBot CNC machine, print them out and assemble then you're done. A one of a kind piece that you can make yourself, well once you finish cutting all of the pieces out, pasting them together then sanding it, drilling out the center where the components go and applying a paper mache finish to it and then topping that off with a coat of paint. You will have a one of a kind smoking piece that you crafted with the help of cutting edge technology. Just make sure that your model is big enough and will be easy to assemble together once you're done.
Step 4: Future Plans
And if I won the ShopBot challenge I have this idea that I would like to get started once the snow melts. It regards raising outdoor mice by constructing small bunkers that would allow you to feed them and check on them occasionally. It would add life to the area around your home, not only with mice but with the predators that eat them, owls, foxes, and hawks.
The construction would entail cutting out an outline out of pylwood with a ShopBot then covering the outside of the shell with a wire or mesh like material then paper mache and then burying it. Seeds that would be edible would be planted in the dirt that covers it for an extra food source for the animals, clover would be a good choice but if cost is an issue poppy seeds that you can obtain from a store can be mixed into the soil for a plant that animals can eat and that can be purchased for crazy cheep.
Other animals other than mice could also be started with this set up, such as adorable bunnies. Imagine your back yard with a thriving ecosystem that you helped to establish. Maybe given time some RedWall type situation will occur.
Also If I won I want tot take the same concept as the mouse house and use it to build and outdoor art studio bunker.
A rough 3d model plus pictures are attached.
The construction would entail cutting out an outline out of pylwood with a ShopBot then covering the outside of the shell with a wire or mesh like material then paper mache and then burying it. Seeds that would be edible would be planted in the dirt that covers it for an extra food source for the animals, clover would be a good choice but if cost is an issue poppy seeds that you can obtain from a store can be mixed into the soil for a plant that animals can eat and that can be purchased for crazy cheep.
Other animals other than mice could also be started with this set up, such as adorable bunnies. Imagine your back yard with a thriving ecosystem that you helped to establish. Maybe given time some RedWall type situation will occur.
Also If I won I want tot take the same concept as the mouse house and use it to build and outdoor art studio bunker.
A rough 3d model plus pictures are attached.