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3D Gallery (and 3D printed models)

It's not that I consider myself a great artist in 3D rendering. I mean, there are many photorealistic images to find on the internet, created with more sophisticated software than I have by people who have more time, patience and knowledge than I have. It's more that I find it fun to create 3D objects in good old AutoCAD and render them. And since I possess some webspace, why not publish them on the internet. Right now, my gallery isn't that ample, but this might change in the future.

Perhaps you might want to download the models that I used for these renderings. They are 3D solids, saved in AutoCAD 2000 DXF format and probably zipped. They come without textures and material-info. To watch the animations, Divx codec should be installed.

 

 Chess game

chess01.jpg (276613 octets)

chess02.jpg (304662 octets)

chess03_toren_mat.jpg (164951 octets)

chess04_paard_glas.jpg (239115 octets)

chess05_loper_glas.jpg (273866 octets)

chess06_koning_glas.jpg (293844 octets)

chess07_koningin_glas.jpg (296581 octets)

chess08_pion_glas.jpg (348230 octets)

 

 

Download chess_pieces_dxf.zip

 Kukulcán

 

 

Visit my 3D Kukulcán site here for more renderings, a short movie and to download the model of the pyramid

 Bedside table lamp

lamp1.jpg (241678 octets)

lamp2d.jpg (161762 octets)

This is my bedside table lamp. In fact, I think it took me less time to assemble the real lamp than to model it. Especially the flame-shaped light bulb caused me a serious headache. I unioned together two solids, built up of circles with different diameters, which I extruded along a bended polyline using different taper angles. Afterwards I smoothed the edges using Fillet and I placed a light source in the center. And there it was, a light bulb. The cup’s ear also was a lot of fun.

If you wonder why a shadow can be seen inside the cup with the light switched on : this is because I used an additional spot to light up the outside of the cup.

lamp3.jpg (239221 octets)

 

 Elephant

olifant01.jpg (79187 octets)

olifant02.jpg (73662 octets)

olifant03.jpg (77725 octets)

 

 

Download elephant_dxf.zip (in Acad 2004 DXF format, because conversion to Acad 2000 format failed)

 Escher knot (or Trefoil knot)

escher knot.jpg (340570 octets)

How to model an Escher / Trefoil knot?

escher knot tutorial.jpg (86538 octets)

Unlike some other Escher-designs such as the Penrose triangle, the Escher- or Trefoil knot can really exist in a 3D-environment. After a few fruitless attempts to model one in AutoCAD, I figured out that the knot should be considered as three separate segments, let’s say three loops, which run through one another. The three centers of the loops, where another loop goes through, appear to be on the edge of a cube. So, I drew a cube and I colored these three edges (1). The centers of these edges are on the knot, and the direction of the ‘rope’ (or whatever material that could be used) is the same as the direction of the edge in that point. The trick is now to connect these edges with a smooth curve. In order to connect the edges the right way, I color-coded them (2). Red should be connected to red, green to green and blue to blue. If we take, for example, the red lines, the curve that connects them will have to run outside the cube from point a to b, through c (3). C is the middle point of this curve. I found it by prolonging the edges and then connect the extremities with a line. C is on the centre of this line. Here is where I had a change of strategy. Instead of drawing a curve between a, c and b I contented myself by only drawing the curve ac because curve cb is not in the same plane (4). I used this curve as a path to extrude a circle, and at that point I had already finished one half of the segment and one sixth of the knot (5). I copied the solid I just created and rotated it in such a way that it fitted exactly between b and c (6). This action finished the red segment. From there on, I just copied and rotated the segment to create the blue and green one (7). Last thing left to do was to join the three segments together and give them one color (8).

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it

Click on the image above to see a movie of a rotating Escher knot.
Or watch this movie on Youtube.

Download escherknot.dxf

 Jet Set Willy

Jet Set Willy was a very popular platform game in the eighties, at a time when computer games came on audio tape and were still fun to play. Jet Set Willy was sequel to Manic Miner and originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer by Matthew Smith and published by Software Projects. I created a 3D Willy figure just for fun and included also the original 2D sprites for comparison.

Several websites (like this one) offer an online version of Jet Set Willy to play for free.

Click on the movie thumbnail to see Jet Set Willy walk around and jump over a rasor blade in 3D. Or watch this movie on Youtube.

JSW_2D_2.JPG (15533 octets)

JSW_scene1.JPG (16202 octets)

JSW_scene2.JPG (16804 octets)

Download jetsetwilly.dxf

 Pac-Man

pm0.jpg

pm1.jpg

pm2.jpg

pm3.jpg

pm4.jpg

Download pac-man_dxf.zip

 

3D Printed objects (September 2008)

Lately I found out that the website 3dprintables.org is using some of my models on their website. Since my work is not copyrighted, I do not mind at all. Besides, my name is mentioned both on the site and on a poster and handout that were used on a symposium, so I felt kind of flattered that my models are being used for a very interesting purpose: demonstrating the possibilities of 3D printing.

A 3D printer is a machine that reproduces a model from a CAD file. The model can be built up, layer by layer, out of tiny plastic granules, which are selectively bonded by an adhesive from the print head as determined by the CAD file. Another technology consists of printing a liquid, which is thickened by an ultraviolet lamp, as it is deposited layer by layer. 3D printers are often used to create prototypes.

I found out that the creators of the website are connected to the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. I contacted them and they were so kind to send me my own models, printed out in plastic. I took some photos that you can see here (scroll up to compare with the CAD models).

Kukulcan 3D printed


Kukulcan 3D printed


Kukulcan 3D printed (equinox)


Elephant 3D printed


Elephant 3D printed

For me, it was amazing to see my own creations, which previously only existed in memory chips and in my head, come to life! So many thanks to Mary E. Knapp and Hod Lipson for sending me the models.

Links:

3dprintables.org: http://3dprintables.org/printables/index.php?title=Main_Page

SFF Symposium poster / handout: http://3dprintables.org/printables/images/b/bf/3D_printables_poster.pdf

Cornell University: http://ccsl.mae.cornell.edu/

Fab@Home open source printer: http://fabathome.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Erik Dierkx 2005-2014

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