NASA

In class we got to video chat with someone from NASA. He discus the projects he was working on. I think that virtual reality is cool and it is interesting that he is trying to make it possible to control things in the virtual world and then things happen in the real world. Also by using a common technology like the knect and making it more advanced was cool. I actually just watched the movie Martin, and the whole time I kept thinking about the talk we had with him about NASA. Overall it was one of my favorite class periods.

3D Printing

We had to make a 3D print design that was a weapon and a toy at the same time. I decided to make an evil villain character. He is an octopus wearing a top hat. His tentacles are deadly. He is also a leader to an under water gang.

The process to making it wasn't too hard. I had taken an animation class before and the software was similar. I am excited how it turned out, but I wish it was bigger.

Stencil Dog

I decided to make a stencil of my Beagle dog's face. The assignment was to create a propaganda piece, so I decided to have her thinking about pizza. That way when other people see it they will want pizza too.

West Side Story

When I was younger my family and I visited New York. We went to broadway and saw West Side Story, which is about  a modern day Romeo and Juliet that are involved in New York street gangs.  To this day it is still one of my favorite plays. I especially like how it took and old story and made it modern. The show also has a bunch of amazing songs.

ART IN THE NEWS!

 “Smiling student uses 3D printer to make plastic braces on the cheap”

http://www.gizmag.com/3d-printer-braces/42412/

            New Jersey Institute of Technology design student Amos Dudley has taken orthodontics into his own hands. These days it is very expensive to straighten out your teeth. This student took the idea of Invisalign, which retails up to $5,000. He decided to make his own because college students don’t necessarily have that kind of money lying around. Even if they had braces when they were younger their teeth could have moved.   Dudley decided to make his own set of DIY plastic aligners.  This first step was to create an alginate mold of his teeth, which he then filled with liquid Permastone. After tidying up imperfections in the casting with a razor blade, Dudley then used a NextEngine 3D laser scanner to create a digital model of his teeth. From here, he created animations where each of the crooked teeth traveled into their desired positions. He then produced models for each of the separate steps in his alignment, and then used a vacuum forming machine and dental plastic to create his pathway to the perfect smile. After using a Dremel and sanding drum to smooth out the edges of the aligners, Dudley put his DIY dental devices to work.

            Dudley has now been wearing the aligners 24 hours a day for 16 weeks, only taking them out to eat. "They're much more comfortable than braces, and fit my teeth quite well," he writes on his blog. He says they also work well as whitening trays and prevent teeth grinding throughout the night. Judging by the before and after photos, the results are certainly impressive. I’m sure cosmetic orthodontics won’t be too happy about this.