Exercise: Joyful Form

In this exercise you will design a simple kinetic object. The result will be set of digital drawings suitable for laser-cutting parts from 6 mm plywood. The scope is just the design, we will actually fabricate the device in a separate step.

The overall project objective is sparking joy using movement. This can include many approaches: a toy, artwork, tool, puppet, etc. For now our goal is simply to create an object with a compelling form and simple movement.

The main objective of this exercise is to develop your design workflow for laser-cutting. It is highly recommended to use a parametric design system such as SolidWorks, Fusion, or Onshape.

The scope and size of the design idea should be chosen in keeping with your existing CAD skills. If you are a novice to parametric CAD, then please keep your priorities centered on creating a simple structure built from several parts. If you have prior CAD experience, please choose a scope that includes more elaborate construction.

Objectives

The overall objective of this exercise is to design and fabricate a hand-held object with at least one degree of independent motion. The goals of this exercise are that you should be able to:

  1. Develop a shape and motion concept you find joyful.

  2. Create 2D digital drawings for laser-cutting flat parts.

  3. Design a multi-part assembly including joinery.

  4. Produce a dimensioned drawing.

Reference Guides

Please review the following reference guides as needed:

Design Rules

Your device should:

  1. Use both shape and movement to inspire joy.

  2. Combine three or more individually laser-cut parts.

  3. Use at least one mortise-tenon joint (slot and tab).

  4. Include at least one clevis pin pivot for rotary movement.

Please observe the following design rules:

  1. Use only 6 mm laser-cut plywood.

  2. No glue.

  3. No fasteners (e.g. no screws).

  4. No bearings, motors or other standard components.

  5. No electronics.

You may optionally include one or more:

  1. piece of string

  2. rubber band

  3. paper doll

If there is something else you wish to include within the spirit of the assignment, please ask. The point of these rules is to keep our focus on joyful movement and form and not get distracted by components.

Preparation

The first rule of CAD: always make a paper drawing first.

The second rule of CAD: always make one more paper drawing before approaching the software.

An observant student will note that strictly following this rule will never lead to a CAD design, but the central idea remains sound. Iteratively drawing by hand remains the most efficient way of developing the core logic of a design idea. It is a generative process that raises essential questions and clarifies your design intent. It takes some discipline to avoid leaving contradictions and impossible requirements, but this can be accomplished in a much shorter timeframe than using CAD.

Drawing in CAD is time-consuming. With care, a problem can be modeled well-enough that necessary refinements and adjustments are quick. But in general, a poor understanding of the problem leads to a poorly structured model which cannot be easily and logically iterated.

Well-done, a design process in CAD will raise and answer all needed questions, resulting in a design which can be fabricated, assembled, tested, and solves the problems. At minimum, the process results in a concrete design, but it still takes human understanding to make sure that result is also compatible with physical reality.

Deliverables

A single PDF posted to the appropriate shared drive folder including a dimensioned drawing of each part outline.

Please include your preferred name first in the filename, followed by a meaningful title. For example, I might use the following file name: Garth - Fluttering Butterfly.pdf

Exercise: Joyful Motion

In this follow-up exercise you will fabricate the simple kinetic object you designed for Exercise: Joyful Form.

Deliverables:

  1. Live in-class demo of your device.

  2. A short video (no more than 30 seconds) of your device posted to Shared Drive.