Ponoko

Ponoko is a really cool company/website/service. You can design, make, buy, and sell products through their website. They are based in New Zealand, so I was able to send my a brother Scott, who is going to school in Dunedin, a cool birthday present for very cheap. Normally, shipping something to him in New Zealand would be very expensive. But all I had to send to New Zealand were my plans and my money, both of which could be transmitted electronically. They used their laser cutter to cut the shapes in my design out of a sheet of medium density fiberboard (MDF), and then shipped the flat-packed sheet a hundred miles instead of several thousand. He was then able to assemble it himself. When Ponoko gets some manufacturing bases in other countries, the cost of shipping to them will be greatly reduced, too.

The design process was pretty enjoyable, too. I started by creating a 3D model in SolidWorks. Then I made a drawing showing all of the parts' outlines. I then saved the drawing to .dxf format, which I imported in Adobe Illustrator. Next I made graphics for it in POV-Ray, and vectorized them in Illustrator to combine with the cut-lines. These graphics cover an area, so they are burned in using a different process. I also created some vector line art only in Illustrator to add a few finishing touches, one set on the top surface, and another on a part that would otherwise be scrap, to turn it into a decorated coaster. After getting feedback from Scott, I revised the design so that it would fit together more tightly. Then I had one made and sent to me. Now, after a final revision, it should be ready to sell.


You can see images in a gallery here:

Ponoko Pencil Holder Pics

I also made an animation showing the assembly procedure in SolidWorks.

Bump-less Coffee Table

So, today's design is another piece of furniture. The design comes from a question I asked myself. How would one make a coffee table that would be less likely to cause severe discomfort in the shin region if bumped into? Well, the first thing that came to mind was to surround it with foam rubber padding. This would be excessive, unless the pads had some other use. Well, you could divide it into sections, and then shape them to be used as seat cushions for sitting at the table Japanese style. Well, I played around with the idea for a while, and this is the result. There are six segments, with two different types. They could be used to make sitting cross legged more comfortable by raising the angle a bit, or to rest your knees on while kneeling.



This coffee table would make for a great Lego play table, since it contains pieces and prevents them from falling off the sides.



You can also put the pads onto the table upside down, which makes an interesting pattern.



I chose to construct it with Mahogany for the main surface, and oak for the legs. I changed the direction of the grain for the corner sections of the table to make it more interesting visually, and also to help indicate how to put the pads on. In designing this table, I learned the value of making things easily modifiable. When I changed the size of the table legs, everything updated fine, but when I went back to make a change in the contour of the pads, I ended up having to reassign and redo all kinds of stuff. It was pretty frustrating. Sometimes things like that just can't be helped, but I think I started to see how it could be planned for. You need to build things with the expectation that things will be changed down the road. I guess you would call that a flexible design. That kind of thing was easy to do it POV-Ray with the different coding constructs that help parameterize things, but in solid modeling, it gets a lot trickier. There is so much that is hidden, and below the surface. There are of course ways to explore and see how things were made, but it does take a little while. I have a feeling that once I have put in as much time with SolidWorks as I have with POV-Ray, I will be producing at least as elegant of source files.

Design of the Day - Continue!

Yes, that's right. Since I am an industrial-designer-in-training, this will be part of my training. I will create a new design every day. I will vary the software I use between 2d and 3d, and sometimes I will post a drawing or sketch. I may not post each day, but by the end of the year, I will have posted 365 individual designs. That's a lot, but it's a small drop in the bucket of what I will produce in my lifetime, and I want to start filling it up right away. I want to make every one interesting in some way, and that way there will surely be many that are portfolio-worthy. I am moving out soon, and even if the job I find to support myself does not help me build my portfolio, I will build it nonetheless. My new year's resolutions are to work to support myself in living independently, and to do industrial design. I have the abilities to do real industrial design work, of student level or better, and by doing this kind of work, I shall continue to become a stronger industrial designer. These may be my most challenging resolutions yet, and they may also be the ones that I achieve in the fullest. So, here goes, 2008.