Leslie Martin: Milling

For the milling project, I decided to make an inverse imprint of a foot. With the milled result, I can cast it, make vacuum forms, or possibly even make an imprinting stamp.

I first modeled the foot in Maya using polygons, then converted the polys to subdivs, and subdivs to NURBS. transition left me with a gross pinched surface on the back, but I intended to cut that face off anyway so it didn't matter.  I exported the NURBS surface as an .IGES file, and imported it into Rhino.  I did a Boolean union to put the backplate on the foot, which got rid of the pinched back and gave the foot some context.

Maya Polygons

Maya NURBS

Rhino final file

The idea behind this project is that I can use this foot to make imprints in materials like some weird creature has been there, or I can use it as in inverse footprint (more would be created with vacuum forming) and make it seem like these creatures are walking on the other side of the Earth's crust, and making inverse imprints on our side.

For the keyshot render, I used materials that look man-make as if it were an installation piece. This is because the backplate makes it obvious that it is not a real footprint, and it could be a statement about the unknown.

Keyshot

For the sculptural setting, I chose a flat cobblestone background on which to place the foot. It is actually in a parking space in the image, which is understandable because were it a large sculpture I would want to place it in a spot that is out of the ordinary.  I want to make people think- what good is a piece of art if it doesn't serve a purpose? Placing it in a parking space would at least make someone question what it is and why it is there, and that questioning is the first step towards rationalizing.  Rationalizing requires thought, so even if the spectator comes to an entirely different conclusion than was intended, my work is successful.

Keyshot sculptural setting

If there were more options that I knew how to use in keyshot, it would have been interesting to give the foot a dirt texture and place it in the woods or on a barren plain, making it seem like there actually were creatures walking upside down from us underneath the Earth's crust.  It would be funny to see the reactions of spectators viewing such a sculpture.

I will post a better Keyshot render (with passes) later.

Frozen Meat

My brother and I had a good discussion about "Frenemies" the other night. A frenemy is a person who doesn't care about you enough to be your enemy, and yet doesn't think you're valuable enough to be your friend. Avoid frenemies at all costs. They are more detrimental to your health than any enemy could be. They are traitors and they are false.

Among other things, this piece has to do with that "glass box" that certain people place you in. As a student and an athlete on the mend, I faced many mental and physical challenges this quarter. But, through much struggle and determination I broke from the ice. This piece is a personal metaphor for my own struggle in the face of enslaving "frenemies."

From this milled REN form I took a brush-on 40 mold and cast in plaster. I painted the piece red as symbolic for my own vitality and froze many layers of ice onto its surface. I presented this piece in full ice, allowing it to melt away during critique.

Janelle Wheelock: Digital Kiln Formed Glass

Once again we break new ground in our digital applications for sculpture. I thought I would share these images of Janelle's work after they completed their second slumping operation. During the first cycle we didn't take the kiln up high enough. The pieces did not slump completely. The second attempt was a lot more successful. The glass pieces slumped over the ludo molds perfectly. In this process she went from a computer model to a CNC milled wooden form that was then molded using Brush-On 40 urethane mold materials. The ludo was then cast into these molds. Now that is a Digital Application for Sculpture. I will let her talk more about it in her postings.

Milling video

Quick shot of milling process

Project 1 derived from data collected over 52 weeks: weight loss and gain vs. exercise in hours

File being processed for milling

Milled in two pieces and glued up

W09_Project 1: NURBS to IGES: Milling

colin jones. nurbs form exploration

bennett scorcia. toroid form study

sofia chiraboga. toroid form study

sarah ackers. bone structure

patrick siren. toroid study

SU08_Project 1: NURBS to IGES: Milling

John Larison. Nurbs Exploration

Katy Hall. Snout Fountain Model

Fay Helfer. Auris

Brian Green. Toroid Form Relief Exploration

Terri Sikora. Untitled