Abstract

Our project aim was to transform Genevieve’s artwork into rasterized graphics to etch acrylic sheets and combine them into layered sculptural images. Instead of trying to incorporate the robotic arm in order to increase scale it was more important to Genevieve that we capture her method of layering paint in a new way. By combining our knowledge of the laser cutter and Genevieve’s knowledge of layering and blending we were able to create a unique workflow that she could use for other projects. The implementation of this method would be to 1) take various frames of her artwork, 2) run them through our frit pattern algorithm on Grasshopper, and 3) extract them as DXF files to later etch and paint for visibility.

Goals/Objectives

We aimed to transform Genevieve’s 2D art into something more 3-dimensional and immersive by transforming her images through an algorithm and translating them onto paneled sheets of acrylic. The spaced out sheets of acrylic added depth to the piece and our algorithm added a perspective shift which added more interactivity and immersive qualities to the piece.

Implementation/Design

As a team we wanted to implement Genevieve’s drawing routine into 3D art form that she wasn’t accustomed to. As a result, our primary design choice was to reproduce drawing process as etched frames on acrylic.

The first design metric we had to overcome was finding the best method of translating her drawings onto acrylic sheets. Of course it is possible to just etch her drawing directly using a laser cutter; thus, we felt we had to take it a step further by implementing a frit pattern on Grasshopper. The frit pattern algorithm we used allowed us to keep the intricate details in Genevieve’s drawings while also offering interesting new effects.

Some of the effects we discovered were depth and perspective. Stacking the images enhanced the visibility of major drawing features and allowed us to introduce perspective by incorporating more than one angle of the same image. Our goal was no longer just to reproduce Genevieve’s images as just 3D frames on acrylic sheets, but to also offer an interesting perspective effect.

Outcomes

After producing prototypes of our design deliverable to prove that this was feasible we discovered a few things. Our first finding was that image visibility was improved if we etched the frames rather than cut them. Another finding was that we needed a systematic method of creating the different frames of an image. Instead of having frames of an image in the order they were created it would be best to obtain frames of specific components of a drawing. For example, one frame would be allocated to the person’s nose and another could be for the person’s jawline. Lastly, we decided that filling in the etched frames rather than just outlining the circle pattern would allow us to paint over them and unveil the visual effect more effectively.

These prototypes ultimately revealed that our project was feasible and only needed modifications for the final deliverable. Our final design was two images of a priest at different angles. We adjusted for the focal point and scaling of the frit pattern in order to get the desired perspective effect. We decided to create ~11.5” x 11.5” frames since this would allow for the best viewing distance and visibility of the overall image once the frames were stacked. The frames had to be evenly spaced and properly aligned or else the perspective effect would not work. Using CAD software we designed a simple base that had evenly spaced slots for the frames, small enough to not impact visibility, and strong enough to provide upright stability.

Teamwork/Contribution

Throughout the course of the project, each team member found their niche role that allowed each other to operate most effectively as a group. Peter worked mainly in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, developing our algorithm and preparing the image files to be outsourced to Olivia and Gerardo for laser cutting.

Our work required many hours at the laser cutter, which was headed up by both Olivia and Gerardo. Olivia also helped in preparing the original images for Rhinoceros and Grasshopper by separating them into layers on Photoshop. Gerardo was also key in designing the hardware stands that help each panel together. Altogether, we painted our prototypes and added any final touches.

Workflow Diagram

Video

Photo Documentation

Final Show

Lighting Tests

Test Sliding Acrylic

Initial Acetate Tests

After further consideration between our group and our artist we have changed trajectory towards transforming Genevieve’s art into a 3D layered image made of layers of transparent acrylic. After our initial proposal we spoke more with Genevieve, Garth, and Josh and realized we had been focusing on the wrong things. Instead of trying to incorporate the robotic arm in order to increase scale it was more important to Genevieve that we capture her method of layering paint in a new way.

Our new proposal is to translate her artwork into vector graphics or rasterized images to either cut or etch acrylic sheets and combine them into layered sculptural images. This will combine our knowledge of the laser cutter and Genevieve’s knowledge of layering and blending to create a unique workflow that she can use for many more projects.

In between the output to the laser cutter we will include a 3D visualization tool through the use of Grasshopper and Rhino so that Genevieve would be able to see what the output will look like before committing to a final output. This would be accomplished by creating UV maps from the vector or raster graphics from step 2. This step will also allow the use of 3D visualization to combine two images into one sculpture.

We’re interested in utilizing the motion capture technology in the dFab Lab to explore the expressive nature of Genevieve’s drawing skills and to, ultimately, use the motion capture data to scale up her artwork. Genevieve prefers to work on a smaller scale. The end result is a process that generates large-scale versions of her art based on her specific artistic gesture, without her having to actually work at this larger scale. She would save time and physical effort doing so.

We hope, also, to still adhere to Genevieve’s preferred method of layering to develop these images. By using differently shaped MoCap wands, we can define changes in tool or “layer” that are read and then carried out by the robotic arm. Once the introductory MoCap data is compiled, there are endless opportunities as to how the robot could transform the image in its recreation, if we choose to do so. Depending on the type of drawing tool the robot utilizes or if an algorithmic transformation is applied off-line, we can systematically change Genevieve’s image using our available technology.

For this exercise we chose to capture the motion of a pair of pliers being rotated by hand. This motion could be used to bend wire or other similar materials. While arranging the sensors on top of the pliers we had to give special consideration to the fact that they would need to stay in view of the cameras while being rotated. This did end up giving us some trouble, resulting in a few null data sets. Overall the movements were well recorded and we were able to accurately graph the movement in grasshopper. Below is a photo of the original tool and a rendering of the 3D model used in our final animation.

During the course of the movement you can see where the pliers were rotated back and forth, as well as the sway of the hand that was holding the tool. The null data sets were only found when the tool was rotated far more than ninety degrees, leading to one or more of the sensors to be facing the table. It’s interesting to see how the inflection points of the motion seem to stay relatively consistent however you can still see that this was not an operation carried out by a precisely calibrated machine. Below is the final animation created during this exercise.