3D Printing Technology

This post is about technology

With recent hot news in mobile phone world regarding Nokia's latest feature of self-customized phone case printing, I am especially excited with this.

Everyone can print self-designed mobile phone case in any colour, with template given by Nokia.

3D printing technology is getting more popular and stepping into mainstream now. Before I move on, 3D printing is defined as the process of creating 3-dimensional object from digital model. It has been traditionally applied in jewellery design and industrial prototyping design.

With advancement of technology, 3D scanning and printing has been more accessible and easier than ever. 

I am glad that I am greatly exposed to this technology since a few years ago. With the recent optimization of my favourite 3D modeling software, SketchUp to fit with 3D printing process, I can virtually print out anything I design in 3D. On the other hand, with my exposure to 3D scanning process of using sophisticated 3D laser scanner in my undergraduate Final Year Project, I have certainly a basic knowledge of converting any real object into 3D digital model, and then replicating it into 3D object.

A cheaper 3D printer available locally currently 

The only thing I am lacking now is a 3D printer! With simple search in the internet, I found out 3D printing is still very new in local region (both Malaysia and Singapore). The machine's price is somehow still very high, i.e. more than RM5000 (S$2000+). (http://www.3dprinter.com.my)

I foresee that 3D printing has a very great potential. With high popularity received in country like USA, people start to print anything, from sculpture, hobby, collection to household object (as spare part). Architecture field has also started to apply this technology to create architectural design prototype. Archaeologist uses it to replicate historical site/objects for research purpose. 

I wish to buy a 3D printer and become a 3D hobbyist now. 

Architectural model created by 3D printing. Image courtesy of Rietveld Architects

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New Year 2013 Resolution

A new year has begun.

A few sentences to summarize my 2012:

A year with tough Industrial Attachment experience in the first half and a sudden shift to normal undergraduate life in the second half. I experienced noticable change in my social and mental thinking style. And of course my passion in architecture and design allowed me to embark on making more presentable works. 


In expecting another year of life's big turning point, i.e. graduate and start to have the first professional job, I would like to write down my new year resolution, the challenges that I foresee, the goals that I wanted to achieve,  just to make my 2013 more tactful and meaningful:

1. Mindfully complete my Final Year Project - Process is more important than Result
2. To apply for a few master or PhD in architecture related degree - Successful or not, joining or not is another matter.
3. Acquire intermediate skills in some of the useful engineering and design softwares that might also be useful in my future target.
• ANSYS (engineering modeling and analysis software, including Fluid Dynamics study)
• Autodesk Revit (Building Information Modeling software


4. Continue to explore and improve my Trimble SketchUp and rendering softwares to another level to possibly help in my applying the master or PhD degree when submitting portfolios.
5. Continue my humanity and community work through St. John Ambulance. 
6. To start working and earning, and to donate part of it to charity including St. John Ambulance.
7. To create awareness to people through channel like Facebook on humanity and world issues.
8. To live healthily.
9. To start developing plan on my dreams.

I personally set a theme this year for myself, "Construct a Greener Civilization". An objective that keeps me going, thinking globally and taking positive actions in the way I do. A greener and more sustainable living should be rooted in our mindset in this 21st century. 

Live gracefully. 

My Work 23 with Short Clip

I have had also done a short rendered clip for my course's group project. The rendering was done in Kerkythea and exported to more than 200 still images. They were then stitched to complete the animation clip. The whole process took my Macbook Pro (2009) more than 6 hours and got heat up to more than 80 degree Celcius (normal temp. 50 degree C).

This was my very first try though.

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My Work 23

My latest work is however done as part of the coursework in one of my civil engineering undergraduate modules, i.e. Integrated Design. This group project required 10 of us to design a 2 blocks of buildings (following standard requirement). 5 areas were of concerns, i.e. Architectural, Structural: Foundation, Reinforced Concrete Design, Steel Design, and Construction Management. In short, we had to design a complete structure that could be able to stand on it owns with given scenarios.

Undoubtedly, I volunteered to be in Architectural team. Though SketchUp is not the required software to be used to come up the conceptual design, it helped me completely again to visualize and realize the final design idea, incorporating many architectural elements that fit the current building value and requirement aspect. For example, natural ventilation and natural lighting are main focus of the design development. 

I kept learning again from SketchUp and had the chance to render many images from this project. In addition, I had learned more to include and describe effectively on architectural concepts. Sincerely thank my teammates to provide me this invaluable chance and completed part of my vision as a possible freelance 3D modeler. And good job for them to complete this project without much hurdle! 

 

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Final Year Project

A wordy update of what I have been doing recently.

I have been going back to Melaka these few days, to see and take care of my grandma who fell sick. She is ok now, recovering. It was nonetheless a heartbreak to me. A vivid remembrance of how much she took care of me when I was in childhood. She brought me to the first day of my primary school and I kept watching to the side of class window to make sure she was there, if not, I started crying...

I am occupied with my Final Year Project recently. Spent more than half of my time doing this. Skipped almost all the classes. Not even sure it is a practice for a final year student? Anywhere, research project is technically challenging. All that I have learnt in the past may come to handy at anytime throughout the research period. Else, I will have to spend my precious time again to flip through notes or search online to re-learn the specific theory. Though my project in under geotechnics, all the stuffs I have been doing now are related to 3D modeling and fluid or wind study. I am not surprised also to see most of the research topics now deal with computing skills a lot. I spent days and days in front of school computer lab just to learn up the very basic computer software skills. For my topic that dealing with tree stability, the tree modeling part is a headache. It is almost impossible to model a real tree under current computer speed. It is computational challenging. 

A very simple modeling work (which is not useful in the study).

In total, I have to learn up at least 4 professional softwares in my project. Not to say, I also have to learn some programming skills to facilitate the softwares. To some relieve, my SketchUp skill is again helping me to some sketching in modeling and report preparation. 

My project is just a very beginning. Too far away from completion. My supervisor even asked me to stay after graduation to continue with the works but I was sorry that I am bonded to work in industrial company. But, I am sorry to myself actually. A doubt casts to me again whether it is a right choice for me to take up the company scholarship. After all this while, I still prefer my current student or research life though it is tough in some aspects. 

And therefore a question raises: Should I take up master degree or perhaps PhD to enter the research industry?

A song that has been in my head.

A group called Cider Sky. A music style that I am quite attracted to. 

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My Work 22 - thePoolResidence

The newly designed house sits on a 10x10 meter land lot. The house is mainly conceptualized for a  young small family. Contemporary style has been incorporated to the overall design.

First floor consists mainly of car porch or open-ended garage and main feature of the house, i.e. swimming pool. The unconventional idea of having pool above ground level seems intriguing but is due to most of the living space situated from second floor onwards. Therefore, the breezy air and pool water could be seen and accessed by the family all the time. Second floor comprises living room, kitchen, dining area and restroom. The second floor could be accessed from either the spiral staircase located at the end of garage or from concrete staircase right at the side of pool. For the third floor, master bedroom with attached bathroom and a small room are being located. 

Below are some rendered images:

Below is the structural design of the house. Since I am a civil engineering student, the structural part provides the whole design with more sensible result.  

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Final Year

Time flies.

I am now in my final year of study in undergraduate program. I feel like my life has been back to normal after a lengthy industrial attachment.

Right after the attachment, I was back to hometown and started off my anticipated "mankind servicing" in voluntary organization, i.e. St John Ambulance. Things went more vigourously this time as I spent almost 90% of my 1 and a half month holiday with this servicing. As expected again, my planning to go for vacation to US, Taiwan or as near as Ipoh had never succeeded. Nevertheless, this holiday was the fruitful one with lots of foreseen positive results coming into reality. =)

And here it goes now...my FINAL year of studying life. I am not sure it is a good or bad thing to share. But my own intuition tells that I do not like to be graduated. The life after graduation seems totally uncertain  to me, the situation exactly fits the time during I chose my path after Form 5.

One more year to go. Let's focus in my study first. A brief glance on modules I am taking this semester:
a) Structure 3 - dealing with more advanced structure problem using matrix and computational approach.
b) Advanced Steel Structure - lots of steels...
c) Civil Engineering Management - very similar to what I experienced in attachment
d) Engineer and Society - history...sejarah...
e) Professional Communication - learn to write and speak professionally
f) Integrated Design - a team of 10 people to design a commercial structure from start to end
g) Final Year Project - long difficult story to tell

So, I hope that my learning journey continues without much hurdles.



"Every deed comes with planning; but planning may not result in deed"





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My Work 21

I have just completed my industrial attachment. Definitely gained lots of practical experience but I still find it tough to work on site for so long hour. This obviously reduced my time to do some design in previous months.

I name my this new house design as The Curtaino because its central courtyard is built up with high curtain walls, which connects together the other 3 volumes of the house. One part of the curtain wall is intentionally left out of a volume to allow space for external garden.

Below is the design poster. This design is the 30th house that I have designed so far.

Really thanks SketchUp for enabling to realize my inspiration for all these years. I am even excited when I find out that the design I submitted for Google Sketchup Showcase is currently featured in Top 3 in its homepage now. Though they will change the Top 3 in sequence.

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