Independent Study for Wk7

FINAL POSTER WITH LASERCUT - PHOTO:

These are some images from the presentation made during Friday's Studio class. They show the position of the laser cut material, and how the mountainous image is utilised as a backdrop. Thus emphasising futher what I was trying to achieve with my laser cutting.


FINAL POSTER WITHOUT LASERCUT - JPEG:

As you can see I decided to use my second draft layout for my final poster. I altered it slightly, but the main layout is the same. The layout is quite simple, but I think the framing and neat/even distribution of elements make it quite successful.

Wk6 Studio Task

PEER REVIEW:

Keyang Xia:


Lin Huang:

Independent Study for Wk6

TWO SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF ARCHITECTURE:

Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs)

Images:

Sketches/Models:

The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The architect behind this creation was Tom Wright of Atkins, and cost around $US650 million to complete. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world used exclusively as a hotel. This hotel stands on an artificial island out from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolise Dubai’s urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat. This famous piece of architecture pioneered many complex engineering methods and promotes itself as the world’s only 7-star property. The most commonly used style in representing this piece of architecture is its relationship with its surroundings. It sits out on the water like an incoming sail boat, and when viewed against the skyline paints a very powerful picture. In the development of the structure, many different versions were proposed using sketches and models. The client wanted it to be as iconic as buildings like the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel tower.

Sydney Opera House

Images:

Sketches/Models:

The Opera House is located on Bennelong Point in Sydney, NSW. Danish architect Jorn Utzon is the mastermind behind this creation which has been labelled one of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century. It is made from a series of precast concrete shells, all taken from a hemisphere of the same radius. The Opera House was formally completed in 1973 at a cost of $102 million. The drawings that Utzon submitted were simple to the point of being diagrammatic, but portrayed the exact image that he desired. Much like the Burj Al Arab, the key style to the representation of this building is the Sydney Harbour and the natural skyline. Along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House makes our city one of the most iconic in the world.

DRAFT LAYOUT:

This is the second draft of my poster layout. The main theme of this layout is the contrast of the black and white sides. The black background really emphasises the images of my creature and draws the viewers eyes here first.

Wk5 Studio Task

LASER CUT MATERIAL:

Here are some images of my laser cut material.
At first glance it looked like the laser had done a very thorough job. However when I went to "pop out" the segments that I needed for my poster, I found that the laser hadn't quite gone right through the material. I had to spend hours going over and over the outline with a Stanley knife to get out the sections I needed. I even accidentally snapped a section of my project during this process. This was quite frustrating due to wasted time and effort.

Independent Study for Wk5

GRAPHIC SUMMARY:

This image is the graphic summary for my laser cutting. It shows the six different layers to be used in the 2.5D section of my poster. Each layer is made from clear, 4.5mm acrylic, and is to be stacked on top of each other to show the cavernous like habitat of the Pterosaurus. There were many different materials I had considered for this part of the poster. I decided to settle on acrylic after Jeremy mentioned in his lecture that it was the most compatible material with the laser. I also wanted to achieve really defined edges, and materials such as cardboard or box-board simply couldn't do this.


DRAFT LAYOUT:

This is the first draft of my poster layout. I laid it out in symmetrical sections for simplicity, which I think is a key factor in producing a successful poster. The title is located in the middle for impact, and with the borders surrounding the other sections the viewers eye is drawn right to the centre. For this draft I have chosen to go with a landscape orientation, but am still unsure as to whether this will be the most successful orientation.

Wk4 Studio Task

AUGMENTED REALITY:

Here I experimented with the SketchUp drawing of the terrain for one of my creatures habitats. I had a bit of trouble getting the BuildAR software to successfully pick up the image, but eventually succeeded. The image looks very pixellated and the textures didn't seem to work. But it was definitely interesting to work with a new method of media expression. Unfortunately my laptop doesn't have a camera, as I would have liked to experiment further with the Augmented Reality.



SKETCHUP SECTION IN DWG FORMAT:


ROUGH LAYOUT SKETCHES:

Independent Study for Wk4

CHOSEN HABITAT TO A HIGH LEVEL OF RESOLUTION:

Inspiration

Here I have compied a few images that I have drawn inspiration from for my creatures habitats.

Wk3 Studio Task

INITIAL HABITAT/DWELLING IDEAS:
(plan, section and perspective views)

This concept is for the Pterosaurus. Here I have tried to capture the cavernous nature of their habitat surrounded by shrub like vegetation and rocks. I picture this being hidden away high in the mountains. This mountainous landscape can be seen in the SketchUp terrain image below. The Pterosaurus's dwelling would be located at the highest peak.



Here I have tried to capture a baron desert landscape combined with the depths of hell as locations where you might find a Night Walker. Due to the Devil like appearance of the Night Walkers a "hell-like" habitat seems appropriate. This is meshed with the desert to emphasise their ability to survive is the harshest of conditions. The initial SketchUp development shown below tries to show the vast nothingness of a desert.

Videos

Independent Study for Wk3

Dospike:
This creature is similar in many ways to the Pterasaurus. However rather than minding its own business, it is actually quite savage. Covered in spikes and horns, it uses these to attack its prey, which it can hear from miles away with its large ears. Still able to fly, but due to the size of its wings it can only fly short distances and prefers to be on land. The Dospike will also hunt in packs to maximise its efficiency.









Quadraphibion:
The natural habitat of this creature is underwater. This is noticeable by the platypus like bill, webbed feet and webbed wings. These creatures are relatively helpless, so they are found in packs of many. Their only form of defense is their tail. The quadraphibion is not restricted to water, it is also land dwelling. However it is this ability to survive on land and in water that helps it escape its prey.









Night Walker:
This creature can only be seen at night. It is very devilish in nature with its horns and colour. It can survive for many months without food or water, therefore being found in the harshest of conditions. They normally walk on the rear legs, but for added speed and stability they can travel on both their hands and feet.









Bearonyx:
This creature resembles a bear that we have all seen. However much like the Pterosaurus, it has spikes down its spine for protection. Most of its features distantly resemble humans, but much more prehistoric. The Bearonyx cannot really be found in one spot, it tends to roam from place to place. It is a very dumb creature, which is why it can be found roaming around, almost as if it were lost.









Pterosaurus:
This creature lives high in the rocky mountains. It has wings to enable it access to areas that other creatures could not get to simply on foot. It also has hands and feet in order to rummage for food, and built shelter. The Pterosaurus tends to be a lonely creature that sticks mainly to itself. These creatures can still be seen down on ground level, but are easily frightened and will probably fly away. Even though they live in cavernous mountains, they are green in colour which allows them hide in trees. Its name comes from a mixture of Pterodactyl (wings) and Stegosaurus (spikes on its spine).