Week 2 - Computer Aided Design

How I Created My Cat Face in GIMP

Hey everyone! I want to share how I made this cute cat face in GIMP. I'll walk you through my process and show you exactly what I did.

Getting Started

First thing I did was to download the GIMP and Installed the app
create a new file. I went to File > New to make a new canvas.

Setting up my canvas size - I used screen default because that's what I needed

I chose these settings:

Width: 1920 pixels
Height: 1080 pixels
Resolution: 300 pixels/inch

Making the Face Shape

Okay, so for the main face, I started with the Rectangle Select Tool - you can find it on the toolbar or just press R.

The cool thing is, I discovered you can make rounded corners! I played with the settings at the bottom until I got the shape I wanted.

Tool options with rounded corners enabled

Look at those rounded corner settings

This is how my base shape looked - pretty basic!

Adding the Ears

For the ears, I got creative with the Ellipse Select Tool (press E). I made two big circles at the top.

Making the ears was fun - I just drew two big circles

Creating the Eyes

The eyes were tricky! I made new layers for them (always use layers - learned that the hard way 😅).

Keep your layers organized - it makes life so much easier!

Eyes with white backgrounds and black centers

The eyes really started bringing the face to life

The Nose and Mouth

The nose was just a triangle with two circles for nostrils. I used the Paths Tool (B) for the triangle - it makes really clean lines!

Making the nose - simple shapes can look really good together

Creating all those curves and line for teeth took time but i learned the Basic

My finished cat face! What do you think?🙈

Files and Video of the all process

for the full video
for orginal file face cat gimp.xcf

My First Steps with Inkscape: Creating again Cat Face

I'm just starting out with Inkscape,a choose the same simple cat face design.

Getting Started with Inkscape

I began by watching a basic tutorial about Inkscape youtube video. I picked this particular video because it covered the basics I needed for laser cutting.

Inkscape workspace showing new document setup

My Inkscape workspace setup

Starting with Basic Shapes

First, I drew a rectangle - nothing fancy, just a basic shape to start with. Then I thought, "Well, a cat needs ears!" so I added two circles at the top.

Basic rectangle and circles for face and ears

Starting with basic rectangle

created a rounded rectangle and circles for ears

Starting with basic shapes for the face and ears

Making the Face Come Alive

The next part created rounded circle for the eyes, one rounded circle for the mounth and triangle for the nooze with a white color

Adding the essential face details eyes, nooze and mouth

Adding two black circles for both eyes and noozes

Adding the essential face details eyes and nooze shape

Adding the Final Details

The mouth was probably the trickiest part. I wanted to add some teeth to make it more interesting but is was easy that the GIMP.

Creating the mouth with custom tooth shapes

What I Learned

Through this project, I figured out quite a few things about Inkscape:

How to use the path tools to create and edit shapes
Creating new files and setting up the document properties
Working with millimeters (which is super important for laser cutting)
Exporting my work

Files and Video of the all process

for the full video
for orginal file face cat inkscape.svg

Creating My Project Mockup in Pixlr Express

Hey! Let me tell you about how I made my project Mockup using Pixlr Express.

I started by going to pixlr.com. I was already logged in from a previous project (can't quite remember what it was, but hey, it saved me some time!).

This is where it all started - the Pixlr Express main page

Creating the Base Layout

First thing I needed was a rectangle frame for my interface. I hunted around the tools until I found what I needed:

Clicked on the rectangle frame tool
Drew out the main shape for my project

My first step - making the main frame

Adding the Display Screen

Next came the important part - the LCD display area. I did some research first to figure out what size would work best.

Adding the display - had to get the size just right

Making the Control Panel

Creating the Number Pad

I needed quite a few buttons:

Numbers from 0-16
Made them all the same size for consistency
Arranged them in a grid

Setting up all those number buttons took some time!

Navigation Controls

Then I added the navigation buttons:

Left arrow
Right arrow
Forward button
Back button
Yes button
Cancel button

All the buttons that help you move around the interface

Adding Special Features

The Enter and Cancel Buttons

Made these stand out since they're important:

Created the Enter button
Added the Cancel button
Made sure they were easy to spot

Adding Guide Markers

I wanted to add some helpful RFID hint, so I created what I call "stickers" - they show users where they should tap their card.

Little visual hints to help people use the card

Safety Features

Emergency Controls

Safety first! I added:

An emergency stop button
Made it really visible and easy to find

The emergency stop - super important!

Status Lights

Added some LED indicators to show:

If there's a problem
When everything's working fine
Other important status info

These lights help you know what's going on

Finishing Up

The last thing I did was name it "MakerGate" - straight to the point!

The finished product - pretty happy with how it turned out!

Files and Video of the all process

for the full video
for orginal file Project Mocup Pixrl.pxz

Creating My project Cover in FreeCAD: My 3D Modeling Journey

Getting Started with Research

Hey everyone! I started by watching a YouTube tutorial about creating a box in FreeCAD youtube video - it wasn't exactly what I wanted to make, but it had a lot of similar techniques I could use.

This is where my journey started - the FreeCAD workspace

Creating the Basic Shape

First, after creating the Box body, I jumped into the sketching area and created a rectangle that matched my mockup's dimensions.

Starting with a simple rectangle - sometimes the simplest starts are the best!

Moving to Part Design

After getting my basic shape, I switched over to Part Design. This is where things got interesting:

Used the padding tool to give my shape some depth
Made it 100 millimeters thick to fit all my components

Making that flat shape into a 3D box - pretty cool to see it come to life!

Adding Screw Holes

Next came the important part - adding holes for the screws:

Created circular pads for each screw location
Made sure they were properly aligned
Saved this as my front body - super important for later!

Adding those screw holes took some careful measuring

Creating the Back Cover

Here's where it got interesting:

Created another body for the back cover
Used the front body as a reference
Added matching screw holes
Included stands for the cover to rest on

Making the back cover to match the front

Using the Mirror Tool

This was a cool trick I learned:

Used the mirror tool to copy the details to the other side
Saved me tons of time not having to redo everything
Made sure everything lined up perfectly

The mirror tool was like magic - copy once, use twice!

Connecting the Parts

The final step was connecting everything:

Created a new body to join the front and back
Used the Makerlink tool in FreeCAD
Made sure everything fit together properly

Bringing all the pieces together - this was satisfying!

Planning Component Layout

Last but not least:

Made a sketch showing where all components would go
Helped me make sure everything would fit
Gave me a good reference for assembly later

Planning where everything goes - measure twice, cut once!

What I Learned

This project taught me a lot about:

Working with multiple bodies in FreeCAD
Using the mirror tool effectively
Planning ahead for component space
Making sure parts align correctly

Creating a Quick Return Mechanism in OnShape

I started by ready the Resources Shared by Luciana on the email and by watching a YouTube tutorial that shows how to create one youtube video

Signup with the fablab provided account from the email

Opening the invite link:
- signup just the same email and the password
- then login

email sent by fablab