Probably the project will change over the course of the semester, but this exercise has been very useful to develop a process for it.
2D DESIGN
Drawing and scanning
The first thing I did was investigate about trikes and cycles. I searched on the internet for images about “Recumbent Trike” to get an accurate idea of the dimensions and angles of the lounge chair and the pedals. I also searched about press-fit unions, MDF board thickness and measurements, and metal tubes commercially available, to be considered in the fabrication.
The device consists in three parts:
- Interior structure (made of metal pipes and plates / welded and screw-connected)
- Exterior structure and lounge chair (made of MDF board / press-fit unions)
- Concealed mechanism (gear box + dynamo + electronics)
Illustrator
I scanned the freehand drawing, redrew it using vectors and indicated its parts using the text tool. Then I saved it as a PNG file, so I could edit it in Photoshop afterwards.
Photoshop
I modified the colors of the image to use it in the index page of my website.
3D DESIGN
The interior and the exterior structure were developed using Rhinoceros: to draw the curved profiles and set the dimensions; and Grasshopper: to parameterize the model and apply a press-fit definition to the chair. I also tried Sketch Fab for the first time and I think it is very useful to share 3D models.
Rhinoceros
First, I exported the image that I made in illustrator and I redraw it using Control Point Curves and considering real dimensions. When I had the model in Grasshopper, I baked it in Rhinoceros and changed the material settings.
Grasshopper
1_Lounge chair:
First, I set the curve I drew in Rhinoceros, then I copied it sideways using a Number Slider so I could change the width of my chair at any time. Then, I used the Surface components to create the geometry. The next step was to create the profiles using Countour and Perp Frames components. Finally, I developed a press-fit definition that can be used for different geometries, I considered 18mm of the MDF thickness.
2_Exterior structure:
The casing was developed using Surface components and its dimensions are constrained by the width of the chair.
3_Interior structure:
The structure was created using the Pipe component and considering 2” metal tubes. The dimensions are constrained by the width of the exterior structure.
Sketch Fab
What I liked most about this online software is that is very fast, you just need to upload the 3D model, modify some parameters and send the link. The recipient can view it online in three dimensions, without download it. However, you cannot customize the render so much; in other words, it is far away from V-ray.
