Process

At the beginning, we all built small models of a truncated octahedron out of paper, and later in Rhino, to understand the structure and the corner connections. It was my first time using Rhino and it was really challenging for me to understand the program. In the first courses I sat there  struggling with everything but it got better with time.

 We could choose which type of plug-in system we wanted to build. I decided on square elements and then made a few sketches regarding the design. I tried to build different 2D-designs in Rhino and then chose the one I liked the most. 

About my final design

The corners of the square element are cut off and there are small cut-outs inside, such as little birds and a flower-like shape in the center. I wanted to keep it playful but also somewhat simple, as it might otherwise be overwhelming when assembled.

The next step was to create a 3D model of it. To see how the plug-in system might look, I assembled it using the 3D models. With color in the rendered state it looked very cool. After some time I got to know Rhino a lot better so it was fun using the program now. Fortunately, the assembly of the elements worked from the beginning, and no difficulties arose, allowing me to proceed to the laser cutting phase.

Each of us bought a large 3mm MDF board for laser cutting. With Jan's help, we frequently laser-cut test pieces to check if our elements fit together or if they were too tight or loose.

Result

With a slot width of 2.8 mm and a slot depth of 5 mm, the elements of my plug-in system fit together perfectly. Everything is stable and does not fall apart.

Skizze Maße:

Flyer