Week 8, Part 2: 6 - 13 April [Vuforia Controller continued, 3D Printing]

-


From further reading I learnt Vuforia can recognise scanned 3D models/objects in a similar way to that which it identifies database images.

3D printing a controller for use in the application would improve user engagement and understanding. As there is no way to make the users hand appear in front of the rendered models with only a single device camera, having a 3D controller, with defined button areas the users can feel would assist with any confusion experienced if models overlap their hands.

These defined areas would then be used to secure physical images to the model, to maintain the functionality of virtual buttons.

Not having 3D printed before, I sought the advice of the universities 3D technologist, regarding printing 3D model for recognition. This gave me a good foundation to conduct my own research.

I learnt that using software to hollow the model, then create an internal lattice within the model will “reduce the mass and weight of the object which means less material used and a lower price” (sculpteo.com, 2017) while increasing print efficiency.

Splitting the model into two halves would reduce the need for support filament (to suspend portions of the model not in contact with the printer floor during printing), further reducing cost and improving the finish on the model - as areas with support filament attached will need to be sanded down. 

Having familiarised myself with the practicalities of 3D printing, I produced a scale model design of a suitable controller in blender, cut the model in half and exported the resulting file (as .stl).

Following this I returned to the universities 3D labs to explain my method of printing, the 3D technologist agreed to print the model on the above basis.



In my reading I did come across RFID tags being printed onto models, or parts of models being cut away so tags could be inserted. While this is out of scope for this project, the potential applications would be interesting to explore at a later date.


References:
  • 3D Hubs. (2018). How does part orientation affect a 3D Print?. [online] Available at: https://www.3dhubs.com/knowledge-base/how-does-part-orientation-affect-3d-print [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
  • 3D Hubs. (2018). Supports in 3D Printing: A technology overview. [online] Available at: https://www.3dhubs.com/knowledge-base/supports-3d-printing-technology-overview [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
  • 3D Printing for Beginners. (2018). 11 Experts Share Their Top 3D Printing Beginner Tips | 3D Printing for Beginners. [online] Available at: http://3dprintingforbeginners.com/3d-printing-tips/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
  • PatentYogi. (2018). Disney discloses technology to 3D print RFID tags on 3D printed objects to limit unauthorized copying - PatentYogi. [online] Available at: https://patentyogi.com/historical-inventions/disney-discloses-technology-to-3d-print-a-model-of-an-identification-id-element-on-3d-printed-objects-to-limit-unauthorized-copying/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
  • Recrosio, E. (2018). Optimize your 3D Printed Parts with Lattice Structures. [online] 3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo. Available at: https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2017/05/24/optimize-your-3d-printed-parts-with-lattice-structures/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 3: 2 - 9 March [Continued AR prototype]

-
Image
I have spoken with the university’s 3D technologist, who is happy to assist with printing the airship model, but does not have the capacity to do so for several weeks. Until I can print a model I will continue to develop the prototype started last week. Instantiating model versus instantiating model with shadow shader. To add an element of realism to the instantiated airship, I added a plane below the model so the light source within the scene would be blocked by the model, casting a shadow onto the plane. The shadow had very poor definition, not appearing to look even vaguely similar the model, and often went unnoticed against grey/white backgrounds. To improve this, I added a shader to the airship model, which casts a much more well-defined shadow. I also updated the components of the plane within Unity, setting its alpha value to 0, making it transparent. This still casts a shadow onto the planes surface, while making it appear to the user that the shadow is cast direc...
Read more

Week 7, Part 2: 30 March - 6 April [Leap Motion, Prototype]

-
Image
Thinking of possible uses of the Leap Motion in the application, I ruled out a pop-up menu as this could only be used to trigger scene changes – not the level of engagement the project requires. Despite this, I was still able to draw inspiration from the ‘Hover-UI-Kit’ menu I experimented with in the previous blog entry, in Unity. Using a gesture to activate a ‘mode’ then more intuitive movements within the mode for further functionality. Using the hand to select parts of the airship to then display related information was the idea I decided to develop. This could be done with relative ease through raycasting out from the hand prefab to detect colliders on a ship model. I used the last bone in the index finger for the origin of the ray, casting the ray forward in the direction of the bones Z-axis. Once this functionality was implemented it needed to be made toggleable, triggered by a user gesture. Leap Motion provides an example script to detect predefined hand positions. Th...
Read more

Week 1: 16 - 23 Feb. [Meeting with Museum Director]

-
Image
While I was intrigued by both the energy efficient car and the museums interactive experience, the prospect of working with new technology directly related to the content of the degree, where people outside of the university would be the end users made the museum’s project far more appealing. Diss museum had reached out to the university for assistance with their upcoming exhibition, to commemorate the successful double Atlantic crossing of the R34 airship. No brief or requirements were specified in the museum’s request, so after learning of the project I contacted the museum manager, Basil Abbott, to arrange a meeting to further clarify what they hoped to include in their exhibition and available resources. From initial email exchanges it was clear that the intention was to involve the community with a hands-on experience(s) rather than a static exhibition, the implementation of which the museum has left to our discretion. To prepare for the meeting it was necess...
Read more