Browsing by Subject "Digital fabrication"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

A fever called living
(2019-05-08) Ku, Ling-lin; Hauft, Amy, 1957-; McMaster, R. Eric
A Fever Called Living is a floor-based installation that bridges fantasy and reality by mining digital features to create physical objects. The works hint at my past while reflecting my research interests in Animism and the uncanny, language play, fetishism, and display. I find that working back and forth between my mind and hands, the virtual and the physical, is like wandering without specific destination, like abandoning the sidewalk for the open field
A queen and her prints : a study in 3D modeling and printing for theatrical costumes
(2019-05-08) Lopez, Vanessa Jeanette; Glavan, James
3D printing is not new technology. In our current day, it offers us endless design opportunities and manufacturers of 3D printers have made them as user intuitive as possible. Yet even with the exponential growth in accessibility to the mainstream consumer market, 3D printers are still not commonly found in most costume shops around the nation. The exception being larger commercial shops with corresponding larger budgets. Upon having casual conversations with my peers in various costume shops, the common consensus is that the 3D workflow process appears to be overcomplicated, especially for us drapers who are not traditionally trained in vector and modeling software. For my MFA thesis, my objective was to obtain a better understanding of why costumers tend to stray away from 3D printing, and also as a costume technician and crafts artisan, I wanted to know what specific pros and cons 3D printing offered my current existing costume making workflow. I also wanted to understand how easily this technology could be incorporated into my already existing skill set considering I was a novice who had never encountered any sort of modeling software prior. To do this, I designed and built a stylized peacock inspired costume for the character ‘Titania’ from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the intention that her base garment would be constructed using traditional dressmaking techniques, and her jewelry, crown, and feathers would be fabricated digitally on a 3D printer. I wanted to ensure that this project was for the benefit of the everyday 3D workflow novice specializing in costuming, like myself, so a lot of choices in my project were dictated by ease of use and lower costs. This culminated in me sharing my research and final peacock costume at the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology stage expo and conference to a room full of costume professionals and enthusiasts.
Digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, and the development of a costume
(2021-05-04) Ulrich, Ann Farrington; Glavan, James; Habeck, Michelle M.; Johnson, J.E.
This Graduate Thesis in Costume Technology is a case study investigating the workflows created by integrating digital fabrication into the costume development process. Collaborating with local puppet theater company, Glass Half Full Theater, I developed two pairs of fully articulated bird wings, one at half scale and one at full scale. The wings form and function were developed in collaboration with director/playwright Caroline Reck and performer Marina DeYoe-Pedraza. Through this process, I investigated my hypothesis that a process of rapid prototyping and iteration, facilitated by digital fabrication techniques, could have dramatic and innovative impacts on how costumes are developed for theater, specifically in the world of costume crafts where fewer roadmaps are available to the costume technician.
Effects of a digital fabrication project on student skills and attitude in a middle school math classroom
(2020-05-09) Willmann, Amanda Evetts; Resta, Paul E.; Liu, Min; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Smith, Shaunna
This dissertation study investigated the effects of a digital fabrication project in a regular middle school math classroom. Seventh grade students in the intervention group participated in a 3-day digital fabrication project in which they digitally designed a cube and rectangular prism in 2D format using Silhouette Studio software, then cut those designs using a Silhouette Cameo paper/vinyl cutting machine. Students then physically constructed 3D shapes out of their 2D designs. This study sought to understand if students’ visual spatial reasoning abilities, mathematics learning, or interest in mathematics were affected after participation in a digital fabrication project. The mixed methods approach included pre and post Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotations (PSVT:R) scores, geometry unit test scores, math interest and math self-efficacy scores from pre and post project student surveys, a semi-structured interview with the participating teacher, student artifacts and researcher observations. This study illustrated that it is possible to implement a digital fabrication project in a regular middle school mathematics classroom to teach current curricular standards. Although not statistically significant, students in the intervention group (n = 16) showed a slight increase in visual spatial reasoning abilities, in comparison to peers (n = 53) who did not participate in the project, after only one experience with digital fabrication tools. During this project we observed an increase in student engagement, especially in students who often disengage at school. We also saw many students able to assume the role of teacher and peer mentor, assisting other students through the design and fabrication process. Although we were able to implement the digital fabrication project, it did require a lot of time, support, and technology, which is not always available to most teachers.
Generative crochet : using computational methods to augment handicraft
(2018-05-11) Street, Kira Ayana; Catterall, Kate
Crochet is an old craft with a rich history that spans many regions and cultures. Although historically it has been the work of men and women in the form of fishnets, clothing, and accessories, it is now largely associated with the feminine arts. Its historical applications were a means for women to gain an independent income and be productive in the home, and because of this association, it has been practiced in the domestic sphere to create forms appropriate to that context: lace, edgings, clothing, and towels for example. However, by engaging in the theory of craft, in particular with the idea that invention can come through experimentation and play, and by employing algorithmic assistance, crocheters can break out of making the same items for the same applications and begin to find new forms and applications for the craft. In the last two decades, a diverse range of disciplines, such as fine arts, architecture, and mathematics, have demonstrated radical new approaches and applications for crochet. Free-form crocheters use the organic nature of crocheted pieces to create intricate pieces of art and to present elaborate organic sculptures of natural scenes. Architects and mathematicians use crochet as analog models for larger structures or theoretical forms to better understand how they can be constructed or how they perform. The precedent set by these applications begs the question of how else crochet can be applied, specifically for use in the realm of the product design world. Furthermore, how might we discover these new applications, and how might we encourage people, within the craft community and beyond, to use crochet or craft to augment their established practices and open the door to invention? In order to explore these questions, I have designed an algorithm that randomizes typically formulaic crochet patterns and that encourages crocheters to make new, unconventional forms unlike existing patterns. By engaging in this “uninhibited play”, my hope is that crocheters can use this algorithm to spur inventive crochet applications from furniture to lighting to structures. I am also in the process of building an interdisciplinary crochet community engaged in using this algorithm to experiment with crocheted form and to make and display the pieces in an online gallery. In this way, the iterative nature of the process can reach beyond the algorithm, prompting a culture of remixing generated crochet patterns and forms. The principles behind this platform can even reach beyond crochet by encouraging those of other disciplines to use the idea of craft and play for innovation.