I feel like everything is starting to come together and I am finally getting on top of everything that I need to do! I have put together a good draft of my Project Proposal which feels exciting to finally realise and I feel I have been following the right direction to date; I do have a desire at times to be pulled in all directions and try to experience everything but I realise that this just is not possible with the timescale of the module! I have also put together a clear path for my remaining weeks with an aim of being completed by at least the Wednesday (15/12/21) of the hand in week which will allow me time to check everything. I have concentrated on getting most of the required paperwork done this week and spent some time relooking over the module requirements. Alongside this I have managed to have some 3D prints printed, work on the laser cutting, work on the stand with the laser cut pieces, work in CLO3D to try to cover all the areas of learning and continued with the Rhino course.
3D Printing – Makerbot
I had selected a range of objects to be 3D printed using the Makerbot Sketch 3D printer at the University and on Monday I was able to collect them. Steve the Technician had already taken some of them off their rafts and the prints cost more than I had expected. A thing to consider for any future prints is that some of the prints may be ok to print without the need of rafts, which would save money and reduce the amount of PLA used. All of the Universities prints are created using a material called PLA which is a biodegradable material made from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane, so perfect for fitting with my sustainable ethic. Although I am conscious of the waste I am potentially producing by printing these objects I feel it is still essential in order to be able to explore the possibilities of the print. This week I have printed a wide selection of objects and included some more organic structures as well as another linked material. The Twisted Fabric structure has been printed again in error and once again I am unable to get this off the raft bed without damaging so it’s a no for this one. The linked triangles has also been printed again on a raft and again is really difficult to get off the raft without damaging some of the pieces, Steve has mentioned that it may be possible to print this one without a raft but at the minute I am unsure as to how I could use it due to it not being comfortable to wear, although I do like how it is all connected. With the heart shaped object I was keen to observe the inner structure as it should have been thin strips of print but I’m not pleased with the look of this, it could be due to me putting bridges into the print in the attempt to support the layers but as I am unable to remove these the print is not looking good and very stringy between each layer. The thin circular shapes have also not printed very well and the larger one is very fragile and all are misshaped. The Mesostructure is the one I was most looking forward to seeing and due to me having to re-scale it to fit within the printer bed I believe that it has become too compacted and the lower layer has become a solid flat fill which means the structure is in a fixed position and I am unable to test its stretch. I will try to either find an alternative or adjust the file in Blender or Rhino, Steve has also mentioned that he may be able to help with this one. The hexagon grid is my favorite print of them all, it has printed at a thickness that allows for it to be flexible and initially I can see how I could use it as a base layer to apply other objects onto it. The Organic bangle hasn’t printed beautifully but it is good to print a more organic shape that is a ready to wear object. The 3 circular shapes with organic internal patterns were printed to gauge a better understanding of the structures and the internal details, each of the three are hard with thick layers which mean they are not flexible.
Laser Cutting
I spent a good 2 hours cutting out my files using the Universities laser cutter, and this week it was time to move onto cutting with fabrics. I choose to use the polyester fabrics as these were readily available and surplus fabrics which I already had to hand, I choose them for their similarity to my sustainably soruced base fabrics. I understand that the actual fabrics may react differently so it will be good practice to test these first with a simple cut file. The fabrics that I have used are polyester which meant all of the cuts were nice and clean with no fraying on any edges, some of the fabric which had been left on the cutters bed did have a tendency to attach to the back of the fabric due to the heat of the laser which created a messy look, these were removable but was time consuming. I have ordered some Cotton Lawn and Cotton Poplin from Whaleys, Bradford to experiment on a natural fabric base.
As I had done the previous week I spent time draping and placing the pieces on the stand, trying to consider some placement and drape opportunities so explore this further the following week I will create some further file to experiment further and experiment with placing some of the cut techniques within pattern pieces.
I have created a good selection of files to cut and began to research for creating further files, my research kept turning up the term Kirigami so I decided it was good to research this further as I liked the techniques I was seeing and how scientist are using Kirigami within their research. To visualise and analyse the research I have created a visual board.
CLO3D – Trying out the Laser Cutting Files
I decided to trial in CLO3D some of the laser cut pieces that I had been draping on the stand. The process was very frustrating and seems slower than actually draping on the stand once the piece were cut. I found it hard to separate the pieces in the 2D window and had to cut away individual pieces, and rather than repeat the process I found it easier to copy the initial cut away piece. Once I had positioned the pieces and pinned them to the avatar I found the pieces in the 3D window were twisting in all directions and it was tricky to style them in a nice way. It would be a good idea to insert the cut lines within a pattern pieces and experiment with how that reacts. My initial thought is that it is easier to drape in real life in the instance of realising quick design ideas, obviously this means that you require the cut pieces to be able to work with.
2D Window 
3D Window
Rhino, Illustrator & CLO3D
I have continued to follow the tutorial on Kadenze and have been really pleased with the pace of this course and the coding style that is being used. Below is images of a multi layered curved shapes which was created and altered within the supplied code. I was able to add multi layers and alter the colour of each of the layers which clearly identified the layer. I decided that it would be nice to take the curve shapes into Illustrator and try to create a print that I could take into CLO3D. Initially the curves were too large for the Illustrator file and I was unable to adjust the size to fit within the art board so I had to go back into Rhino and change the dimensions before exporting which helped to be able to re-size. I worked to create prints from the original and also created and repeat pattern and one which had a base colour. I was able to take all of the prints into CLO3D, for the print that was set with a transparent background the t/shirt shape also becomes transparent and just the pattern is visible. I really enjoyed being able to play around with the positioning and scale of the prints and trialed the look on multiple garment styles. It was nice to see how the rendered images showed the high level of detail of the prints.
CLO3D – Pattern Cutting (Pattern Magic Book 2 – Circular Accordian jabara pg47)
Following the instructions I set out to create an jabara in a rectangular piece of fabric in CLO3D, I followed the instructions and found that it didn’t work as I had expected and the pieces were not sitting as flat as they should. I decided to do it my own way and found an easier way to create the effect in CLO3D by duplicating the relevant pattern and taking away the required amount. Once I ensured that the seams were set to be turned it started to look as it should. To help identify the pieces in the 3D window I set the material type to coloured, which assigns the pieces different colours. I finished by draping the piece over the avatars shoulder to fully see the result. Once I understood what was required to create the effect, I really enjoyed creating this piece and it may be good to consider this within a pattern piece.
Setting up the circle shapes 
Aligning the pieces for sewing order 
The initial pieces – trying to add strength 
The initial piece – trying to adjust 
Side shot 
Pinning the pieces 
trying to pin the pieces into position 
Making sure all the seam lines are set to be turned 
Finished piece 
Circular Accordion pinned to drape above the Avatar
CLO3D – Pattern Magic (Crater Sleeve pg40)
Working through the tutorial I choose an initial basic block with sleeve that I already knew fitted the selected avatar. I created and internal shape within the sleeve and separated the pieces and made a copy for my reference of the outer pieces, I divided the sleeve head as instructed but it was very manual and initially I didn’t put enough fullness within the head. I placed the sleeve on the avatar in sections and draped pieces whilst others were froze to allow for an easier simulation. Once the sleeve had been positioned and simulated it was clear that I hadn’t included enough fullness so I repeated the process and was able to find a much quicker way of creating all of the lines for adding the fullness. The sleeve still didn’t look like it should but this could have been due to the fabric choice and further fabric explorations could be made to improve and maybe the inclusion of an internal structure like a shoulder pad could help.
CLO3D – Pattern Magic 2 (Like a Jungle pg 68)
This pattern cutting exercise felt like is was going to be a challenge which I why I choose to use it. I initially started with a good fitting sleeveless bodice block and moved the darts to match the orientation within the example on the front piece only, I created a one piece front and turned off the symmetrical linked editing and also created a copy for a reference. I was able to draw the lines of each piece directly onto the garment in the 3D window and make any alterations to the shapes. With each piece I was able to use the shapes created within the front to cut and seperate from the block and move on to close any unrequired darts. As the four shapes started to overlap it did become difficult to make sure that the correct lines were being selected in the creation of the new pattern piece. Once all the four pieces were made I was able to add the necessary sewing lines to join parts of the piece and placed the pieces in there order around the avatar to allow for an easier simulation. To highlight the different pieces I choose to re-colour to enhance the layers and shapes. The fit of the garment is not how I would like it and it would be nice to re-visit this piece when I have more time to improve the look and fit.
Initial Bodice Block 
Changing the dart position 
Moving the front dart to the bust point 
Drawing the 1st shape onto the 3D garment 
Duplicating the block & Splitting the pieces 
Making adjustments to the piece 
Piece with closed dart 
Creating the other pieces 
Aligning the pieces for fitting 
Aligning the pieces for fitting 
(The final garment with multi colours to highlight the details
CLO3D – Creating Backdrops with Neon Lighting effects
I created this backdrop after watching a tutorial on CLO3D youtube. The creation of backdrops and this style of effect had not occurred to me before watching the tutorial so it was nice to know other things that are able to be created within this software. Before this I was expecting to create visual effects within other software’s like Blender so it would be beneficial to discover if there are further effects that may be created.
Books – Fabricated, The new world of 3D printing
Kurman, Melba, and Hod Lipson. Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing. Wiley, 2013.
This week I have been reading some extracts from the above mentioned book and I have been really interested by the power of using 3D printing in the creation of natural forms. It is worth noting that before 3D printing it was impossible to mimic or replicate shapes created in nature, but with the combination of good computer programming it is now possible. I have also read how a future maybe influenced by the technology and how it could potentially be used within everyone’s day to day life.
Another take away was a concern of the over use of the printers in the future and the thought that just because you have the ability to print does not mean you have to!! It’s made me feel more considerate to the prints that I have been creating and made me think about the waste products in the supports and rafts and in contrast it was fascinating to hear of research around the use of waste or naturally occurring materials which are ground into fine particles and used as the material in the print with a reference to dirt and plastic milk cartons.
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