final design on photoshop

sketches

Mood board

Here is my mood board for cutlery for children. My idea was to create something educational, fun and interactive. I researched toys and cutlery that already exist for children to get a better understanding of what would interest them.

3Ds Max - Lego head lathe and polygon modelling

we were shown how to model a lego head firstly by create a simply plan using line tool. i planned out a rough draft and then selected each vertices to give them a specific length.

I then used the lathe tool in the modifier list, we can see it taking shape from this.

I then added a turbo smooth to get a realistic view of the lego head.

i then used the previous template and added a cube around the shape.

3Ds Max - Modelling a building

Using 3Ds max we were shown how to model a building using splines, extrude modifier and editable polygons.

here i started off mapping out the building walls by using create - line tool and using snap to grid points. 

 The next step was to use the extrude modifier to get the walls to rise.

I then create lines that intersected each wall of the building and joined the gaps with the bridge tool to make the doors. I then created a quick slice through one wall on the front port and used 'extrude' to push back the window and i then deleted the polygon, creating a window.

 This is the final rendering of the building.

3ds Max - bottles

 here you can see the stages in which i created two bottles using 3ds max.
 the first is a water bottle made using a simple line tools and latheing them.

creating a simple hand in 3ds max

I wanted to have a go at using 3dsmax on my own as I wanted to get a better grasp on how to use it. I found a tutorial online which I found was extremely helpful.

I started off by creating a box with length seg: 3 Width seg:7 and height seg:1.

 I then used the polygon tool and extrude to create basic shapes for fingers from the box.

Here was what the shape looked liked when i turned on NURMS toggle. Its starting to take shape at this point I just need to add a few more details.

Here you can see I create nails on each finger. I turned on polygons and used extrude, move and scale to get a simple box to sit on top of the finger and smoothed the edges.

Finally I wanted to move the fingers around slightly to look more relaxed and realistic. Here is the final rendering and I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Reference:

1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7TTie6e33E
2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vzfoouWck
3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHQvpYeUyrA

cutlery design

after i decided on what my cutlery would actually do i had to investigate into what would children like and find visually interesting. i looked on websites for children such as 'toys 'r' us' and 'Argos', to see what children from specific age ranges play with. i created a mood board to show the toys that stood out from their shape, colour and purpose.

here you can see that most toys are thick, rounded, bright and colorful and easy to grip. these are all aspects i must consider when sketching my design. i also have to remember to include the USB and how to discreetly hide the device so there is no danger of the children pulling it out or breaking the fork.

Reference:

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/index.jsf

cutlery brief - further research

from the brainstorming exercise we done in our lecture, i found that this really sparked some inspiration as to what i wanted to design. My main goal is to create a learning device that would engage with children from aged 2-5, creating a fun, educational eating experience, so instead of a 'smart phone' how about a 'smart fork'?

i researched this concept and discovered that there actually already is a device called the 'smart fork' but it is designed for adults who are looking for an aid when dieting. this device is operated with a USB that you can put into your computer and monitor your daily intake of food. it also vibrates when you are eating too much, too quick. i thought that this idea is extremely innovative but could be taken a lot further and perhaps used as something more important like an educational tool for the young generation.

Reference:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2024825/smart-fork-says-stop-eating-so-fast.html
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/08/hapifork-vibrating-smart-fork-for-weight-loss-at-ces/

3D MAX intro

We were introduced in our lecture to the Auto-desk 3D max software. On opening the software, it was a bit daunting with all the buttons, modifiers and other things I was not familiar with. Justin took us through what each of the buttons would do and we got a general feel for the layout and things we could do. I downloaded the software when I got home as I wanted to get familiar with it and understand better when using it in class.