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.

 

Surfaces Experiment

I worked on better understanding surface features in Solidworks last night. I made extrusions, sweeps, revolves, lofts, holes, fills, and more. I then knit them together and thickened the surface into a solid. Then I could easily round the edges. I want to learn surfaces better because there are so many types of designs where they are essential. They seem to be most useful for making complex, rounded shapes, such as phones or video game controllers. I haven't mastered them yet, but I'll at least better know where they could be used in a design project. I had fun with the rendering, and added different colored spot lights to give it a cool look.

Design of the Day (Times Nine)

Here is a collection of my "Designs of the Day" thus far. Only two were from last year, although I rerendered one of them. Each design involved an exploration of different elements of Solidworks, such as lofts, shells, patterns, flexing, assemblies, sweeps, and of course, lots of fillets (rounded edges). I included larger versions of the images in a small gallery.

I'm starting to look at common household objects differently. I either think, "Oh, I could model that using such and such features", or I think, "Dang, I wonder how I'd model that?" My goal is to have more situations where I can figure it out right away, so I want to practice more.