2. Digital bodies

This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process.

Assignment

  • Include some inspiration: research on artists or projects that work with the human body √
  • Document the use of 3D scanner and softwares to acquire a 3D model √
  • Document the process of repairing and/or manipulating a 3D mesh and slicing it. √
  • Create my ready to cut file for laser cutting, learn how to use the laser cutter and document the workflow and upload your 3D and 2D files √
  • Learn about the fab lab processes, booking system, usage, machine demos, tools and safety rules √
  • Build and/or assemble my mannequin, create a stop motion assembling it or stepped process √
  • EXTRA POINT Send one picture (HIGH RES) of my mannequin to enter the competition for the annual exhibition

How will it be evaluated?

  • References - Concept
  • Design : 3D scanning , 3D file manipulation, meshrepair tools, explore 3D programs (open and closed sourced) √
  • Fabrication : Capable of executing from file to production workflow, from slicer to laser cutting √
  • Documentation : Anyone can go through the process and understand √
  • Final outcome
  • Originality - Aesthetics : Has the design been thought through and elaborated √

MakeHuman

Cut File

Workflow

  • Research about Makehuman
  • Digitalize myself
  • Make a Human on bits
  • Make a Human on atoms
  • Digital Body

Research

I was really curios about Makehuman software and how to model a human with good proportions. I have like a lot this software because it is super open source and is coded on python.

I have remember a super controvertial artist at this point Marc Quinn who use human body and his blood to make sculptures.

Also a nice job is Ron Muecks. He make a huge sculptures of characters of people.

Digitalize myself

I have previous experience in 3D scanning with photogrammetry, laser, tomography and infrared frequency.

3D scanning

We used Infrared and triangulation technique with Kinect as Hardware, we used Skanect Software to process and capture the 3D image-surfaces, with watertight function I fill the holes and finally I used rhino to covered some imperfection of my model.

Fixing Mesh

As you can see some ugly holes where in my head so I used a sphere that I have deformed to cover the hole in the top. I have experience sewing digitally on meshes and I discover a super easy tip you can cover holes with other solids instead of sew the mesh (sewing the mesh normally could take you a lot of time) and once you export as STL file you will have a perfect one peace model.

Final Result

Make a Human on bits

And Makehuman is super good to make mannequin. I would like to learn more about how to animate on Makehuman. It is a nice tool for fashion proposes.

I have decide to test with different positions in order to see the best logic to build my Digital Body. Stand, Fight and Run position. I would like to have a Male and Female bodies on my Lab but at the moment I selected Female because I think is more used in fashion.

I stared to try with stand position but I got some errors that I haven’t understand at the beginning so I changed to fight position.

Once I understand the logic of the grasshopper definition that I was using I started to use stand position again

And finally I found a nice logic of cutting. I used a playwood of 9mm of thickness and a tolerance of 0.3 mm.

W-stand by Roberto.Gallo on Sketchfab

Make a Human on atoms

I decide to use our CNC milling machine to cut the playwood with a 4mm (diameter) endmill tool. The workflow that we use is:

1.- Turn on the power of the machine

2.- Turn on Computer

3.- Turn on Machine

4.- Open linux CNC software

5.- Load the G-Code

6.- Check machine boundaries with your design

7.- Set the tool

8.- Zero X,Y and Z axes

9.- Set drilling

10.- Cut your file

11.- Clean everything

12.- Turn off the machine “in the opposite order you turn it on”

Safety rules:

1.- Be sure you know how to stop the machine on emergency case 2.- Use safety glasses 3.- In case, ponytail (hair) 4.- Use right shoes 5.- At least 2 operators for CNC milling 6.- Follow workflow

Once the body was cut I start to assemble it and I have no problems with pieces. The tolerance was super good for this propose.

Note: I never planned to put arms

Extra Exercise

I have explore the 3D printing capabilities of the new machine of FabLab ZOI the Stratasys F270. For this propose I used a Body provided on Anastasia slides that looks really nice.

The Stratasys F270 use model material (ABS) and support material. Support materials have been removed with a cleaner machine on 10 hours on 70 Celsius degrees.

I got a super nice result. The main topic for this experiment was focused on the capability of F270 to build complex bodies and the capability of the cleaner machine to remove the supports.

I have used similar material support technology before and sometimes is not that easy to remove support material for complex shapes. Fortunately here was super easy.