DSDN 104: Photos

I took a few different photos of my model, trying to get the best shot of it, which I found difficult because it is so small. Here are some of them:

Thie above image is the final photo I have chosen, as I think it shows the engraving detail on the wing nicely.

These are a few of the other photos I took.

DSDN 104: Final Render

This is my final render for DSDN 104, Project 3. I have arranged them in a way that I think implies flight or that they are about to take flight, which relates to my narrative of the patterns and shift in patterns of a butterfly wing, while it is flying.

DSDN 104: Layout

This is the layout I am planning on using in my final render. I have chosen it as it looks like the models are taking flight: A theme I was going for as my narrative involves the movement patterns of a butterfly wing while it is in flight.

DSDN 104: Glass Texture Test

A texture test I did with a glass texture:

I really like this texture, as it give a fragile feel to it, which is also present in a butterfly wing.

DSDN 104: Arranging tests

Here are a couple of tests I did.

I prefer the top render, as it feels more dynamic

DSDN 104:Material & Lighting Tests

My 3 tests with different materials and lighting:

 The combination of the gradient material and the lighting coming up from underneath, which highlight the way the gradient falls.

 Lighting underneath the individual wings. Again, could be brighter to be more effective.

The lighter back wings and darker front wings, combined with the butterfly wing pattern texture.

DSDN 104: Matrial Testing

Three of my material tests:

 My first test: Didn't work out as I had hoped it would. I used a pattern I found online of a monarch butterfly wing under a microscope, but the image just ened up blurring and looking wrong. I will definitely not be using this material on my final model.

This one uses a gradient material, with Monarch butterfly colours (one of my precedents). I will play around with the colours in this, and the amount of each colour.

Another gradient, but with the etching coloured differently, to highlight them.

DSDN 104: Lighting Tests

Her are some of the lighting test I did:

This test had a light coming up from underneath the model to try and emphasize the etching and undersides of the wings.

This test involed a bright light highlighting the lower/back wings, and casting a shadow on the front wing. The grey colour of the model makes it difficult to see the lighting effects. 

In this test the lights were underneath each individual wing. I think iit would look more effective if the lights were slightly brighter

I will do some more lighting tests with my model coloured, as the grey makes it more difficult to see the lighting effects.

DSDN 104: Final Model Iterations

These are the iteration I did to get to my final model.

DSDN 104: 3D Model!

I got my 3D model back from printing today, now I need to get started on getting rid of the excess material.

DSDN 104: SolidWorks Pieces

Here are a few of the pieces I sketched from butterfky wings in SolidWorks.

DSDN 104: Second 5 Iterations

Here are my second five iterations (Including the original pieces imported from SolidWorks).

DSDN 104: First 5 Iterations

These are my first 5 models.  I feel like I need to continue to expand and develop this form further, as they all feel quite restricted and similar to me. I will need to find a way of doing this without thinning out the form too much, as that will make it difficult to clean after 3D printing.

First render of my first model:

My 5 iterations (including the original form I imported from solid works):

My five iterations in a render:

I also feel I need to change the lighting and textures on this render, to make it look more effective.

DSDN 104: Sketches

These are some of my sketches for ideas in DSDN 104.

I am thinking of having many layers in my model, each with a small part of the pattern of a butterfly wing on it. These parts would look like a random line pattern when looked at from most angles, but when observed at the right angle they would resemble a butterfly wing pattern.

I am also considering making models of all of the different stages of movement the wing goes through during flight. These different stages would be attached together at one end, and would give the illusion of movement. I have been looking at videos of butterfly flight in slow motion to try and get an idea of what the model would look like.

I was also thinking of having a layering system that would involve each layer looking the same except for an engraved or painted part of a butterfly wing pattern. This method might not work as well because of the small size of the model. If the model is very small, it will be difficult to paint. ink small parts of the model, and it will be difficult to see the effect.

DSDN 104: Test Render

Here is one of my test renders of my 3D model. The texture I used on it is a magnified view of the scales on a butterfly wing.

I'm not that keen on the texture: even though it fits the context it doesn't really look effective, and looks out of place.

DSDn 104: Starting in 3DS Max.

I traced the outline of a butterfly wing to start with in SolidWorks, which I then transferred to 3DS Max.

Trying out some different angles and bends for the wings

I also traced some of the more specific parts of the wing, so I could out them together in different ways.

DSDN 104: Precedent Images

when I fisrt searched for precendents, I looked up 'Patterns in nature', and foound a lot of really interesting patterns, mostly in animal coats and patterns in sand, rivers and dried mud. I also found some pictures of butterfly wings with interesting patterns on them, so I decided to narrow down my searches, and focus more specifically on them.

Some of my origial precedent ideas.

 I have been looking at butterfly wings, as I find the patterns on the wing really interesting. Each butterfly wing is unique, but they all have a pattern than almost matches up. 

Left: This image is a magnified view of a butterfly wing under a microscope. I could make an interesting texture.

I plan on using some sort of stacking technique which could also let me include the details on the underside of the butterfly wings.

DSDN 104: Final Model Image

This is a high resolution photo of my final model. I've have changed the white balance (as the tutors suggested in the crit).

If I could have made some adjustments to my design, I would have tried to take the change in slot sizes when I melted and bent the acrylic, so they slotted together better. Also having longer acrylic strips would have been easier to manipulate.

The above image is the earlier image before I adjusted the white.

DSDN 104: Working with Acrylic

 I used a heat gun to shape my acrylic. This was quite a long process as pieces kept breaking due to their small sizes.