Final Reflection Post

FINAL REFLECTION POST

My project for this final was a Pokeball, from Pokemon. I chose this because it is easy, convenient, and efficient to build and use--and I also love Pokemon, so it representative of me. 

My drawings of the Pokeball. 

My .stl file of the Pokeball.

As I maintained in class, 3D printing is a great concept, and I love the idea. But, it is too expensive for even simple projects. For example, 3D printing this Pokeball without color and it being 6 MILLIMETERS cost around $5, but that is too small to even enjoy. However, when i increased the size to 6 inches, a much better size, the price skyrocketed to over $2000!!! I'm sorry, but there is no way on this planet can anyone justify paying that kind of price for such an object, especially when you could just pay for it online from a manufacturer, even the official one. Though I cannot figure out why such an object costs so much, I decided it would be much better to just build it in class, and I am very grateful for that opportunity. Thus, while 3D printing is a great option for some, for me it is not feasible. 

I understand how detailed drawings must be for computers to understand your object, as Austyn puts it, "Humans can infer, computers cannot."  I also understand the importance of a good CAD file. 

My constraints for this were the size of a tennis ball, as that is very convenient to build. My multiview sketches were basically all the same, as it is a sphere. 

Sukhjit went above and beyond and instead of making a regular Pokeball, he made a coveted Master Ball, a very rare and the best Pokeball ever. 

This is the mousepad I made for Sukhjit, and he told me (before the project) it is supposed to be purple. I added the "S" in the middle myself, as a kind of personal touch. I also made the back rough, so it won't slip if he uses it. 

As the above pictures show, I worked with Sukhjit Singh on this final, and he made me an excellent and professional Master Ball, way more than I ever expected, and it is very clear the amount of effort that went into making the ball itself. This makes me glad I chose not to waste money 3D printing this, as this was free and is better than any printed nonsense. 

If a machine builds something, or is the source, everything is exact, precise, and calculated. No excesses, no allocations, no preemptive moves, just what is given. While this is good in some situations that are somewhat static, precise parts help. However, say you need parts for a bridge. If you need a beam of x length, the computer will give that to you. However, a human being knows that bridges need to be kinda flrexible to deal with heat, expansion, and stress. So, if a human makes it, it will account for real life better. In addition, human beings tend to give things their own personal touch, which contribute to humanity's collective creativity and non-conformity as a whole. 

Drawings are necessary because you do not want to screw up a consumer product or the communication thereof as it will cause big problems. If i order a thin-and-light laptop, I neither expect nor WANT a 6 pound leviathan that is not portable at all. In addition, these mistakes reduce efficiency, and so bring costs up, and that eventually falls on the consumer. Then, less people buy the products, and so costs increase even higher, less jobs are able to stay, workers suffer, and so the entire system collapses. In short--JUST DO THE DRAWING!!!

3D animation assemblies would be useful for products with moving parts, much like a Pokeball. Whilst mine doesn't have a hinge, normal ones do, and so a moving assembly would better showcase the action than a static drawing. Another product, like a Jack-in-the-Box would be better explained through 3d animation. It would also help consumers understand the product better and help them appreciate the complexity of the design the company has done. 

Apple is a huge example, as they always explain their new technology on their website so it is as clear as possible. This shows not only a willingness to get new customers, but also pride in their work, as Apple, as CollegeHumor puts it, are "design geniuses." Apple has always been about design, about function follows form. This is evident in their new Macbook. They talk in detail about the new keyboard mechanism they've invented--the "butterfly"--and how it saves space over the traditional scissor one. They also talked about their terraced batteries which give an impressive 9 hours of battery. Moreover, their website also gives moving assemblies about their products, like the keyboard and battery. There are also working drawings everywhere as well. So while Apple is not the best bang for buck company, they are certainly the forerunners of 21st-century design.

As a wrap-up, I'd like to talk about how I enjoyed this class. 

Maker Faire Reflection

Maker Faire 2015 Reflection

Our showcase at Maker Faire was better than I expected. I did not know we would have two monitors and three laptops there for people to play our game. I was also surprised at the game controllers use in allowing people to use the bigger monitors to play our game from the front and being relatively free, instead of having to traverse their way to the back, where all the wires and people were. I believe we were successful in (a) efficiently showcasing our game, Adrastus (b) Incentivizing people to play again and (c) effectively documenting our work through the tri-folds, thanks to the work of Sasha and Diana, i believe. I also loved that a lot of people lined up to play our game, even though it was a group of kids who worked on it.  But next time, I think we should get a bigger table. Though everything worked out, our tri-folds were forced to the floor, and so people did not really learn about us. We should also get wifi, for allowing people to rate our game on Google Forms, which needs internet.

I found many booths not inspirational, but very interesting. In our building itself Amijot and I found so many booths that were exciting. For example, there was a booth where we could play simple games on screens made from WWII technology! They had a game called "Flapping Bird" and me and Amijot continuously fought to beat each other's high score, which we had a truce for at 16 points. We also saw a booth where you could open flowers and fly helicopters with just your mind, and focusing. I also found the people who used the air/smoke/steam cannons to be fun, as they shot us many times and we got a lot of video. 

For the survey, I found that many people would play our game again, but a lot of people did not. This is probably due to our time constraints, and the fact the game was very challenging and not aesthetically pleasing. However, we can easily remedy this, and so this is no major issue that we cannot fix. 

To make a more complete game, i would like to see more playable levels, as it was very challenging. I would also like to make it look better, as the coliseum wasn't very real. The forest level was also too hard, and there was no visible path for people to take. 

Maker Faire Showvcase

                                                         Maker Faire Showcase Concept

My showcase design is, to quote Apple's VP of Design Jony Ive, "Unapologetically simple." This is basically Apple's design policy: simplicity and elegance while also being functional. Though Apple sacrifices functionality for design, as they did with the new Macbook with only one port, my design is the best of both worlds. 

At the back is our tri-fold, which will be decorated and clearly introduce our game and all its features, and have extra information about it. People can read about our game on the side. I would also include brochures (left) about our game to pass out around Maker Faire so our area would not be crowded with both readers and players. 

In the center is our masterpiece itself, on computers. As Paras Kumar described, "Having two computers will allow more people to play on our computers and not congest the area. Also, having two or more computers will allow us to showcase our game even if one computer stops working." I agree with Paras, and combined with the brochures means for a utilitarian presentation, showcasing as much of our game as we can to the maximum amount of people at Maker Faire. The front-facing speakers are optional, but will help showcase our OST more clearly. 

The size of this would be around the size of two of our classroom tables, creating one "group" in our class. One table would be used for the tri-fold, and the other table for the gameplay. Color should be focused on the tri-fold, as that is what initially capture the attention of our audience. 

My role in the Game Design Team was to create the narrative for the game, so that we would have a basis upon which we would build the game. I was also tasked with documenting our game. This I did with Ganesh, with our Google Doc. Then Amijot and I took it to Blogger, and completely redesigned our game Blogger to make it presentable should we tell people about it. At the beginning I was supposed to build the base, then I was to keep it going through pictures. As a team, we have been meeting our goals on a satisfactory scale, keeping in mind that we are not a multi-million dollar corporation with a lot of funding. I wish we had started this earlier. My greatest achievement was creating our new Blogger and making the narrative historically accurate.

Maker Faire Reflection II

This week, Amijot Singh and I took it upon ourselves to make the WHS Game Design blogger actually look game-related, instead of the basic, horrendous, and default theme that was there before. Before, it was aesthetically disgusting and repulsive, but after much labor (and trying to alter transparency) we managed to change it for the better, and now it looks beautiful. Because of the redesign, we can now proudly present our blogger to people at Maker Faire and they'll be impressed, instead of being turned off by the previous theme. 

In addition, I was tasked with making a Prezi with all of our documentation from the Google Doc and the blogger page. This is actually a challenge, as the pictures are from a variety of sources, and Docs doesn't allow me to redownload the pictures to put in the Prezi. So, putting pictures is just a hassle for me. 

Maker Faire Reflection

Reflection:

This week, the narrative team finalized the script/plot of the game and gave it to the engineering team to build the overworld. Though we gave it the base, we relied on everyone's opinion made through Google Doc's suggestions to refine it and make it so everybody can enjoy making the game with this plot. I personally became liaison between the narrative and engineering team so that they could help understand the narrative and thus build the world accordingly. I helped Amijot with his Unity work as well. 

Size dimensions give the width, length, and depth of the object. Location dimensions tell edges. Chain dimensioning is where the length of one side is determined from one point connected to another, then the other point connecting to a different one, and so on. Datum dimensioning is where all measures are determined from one point on the object. Datum dimensioning is most likely the more common practice of dimensioning since there is only one point to base the data off of, so it will be more accurate. Dimensioned drawings and descriptions both describe the object.

Job for maker Faire

Job for Maker Faire

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I want to be part of the storyboard and character development team for our FPS game for Maker Faire. I am really good at creating characters and can easily visualize storylines, so I'd be perfect for the job. 

Jessica Pauley Interview Reflection Post

Interview Post

       The interview with Ms. Pauley was very educational. She first talked about her previous jobs, like in Oregon where she met Ms. Leppla. Then she talked about her chem engineering job in Wyoming. But, then she got to the important part; SpaceX. She said there were around 9 launches a year, and how she manages the rockets. What was really important, though, was how she admits failure. She doesn't spread blame or try to save face. She said how admitting the problem leads to solving it quickly. I really admired how passionate she was about sending people back to space--she was very determined. I also liked her evidence of what space exploration has gotten us: MRIs, calculators, and Velcro. SpaceX now builds Falcon 9 Rockets.  I thoroughly enjoyed this interview, and hope to have more in this class.

Maker Faire

MAKER FAIRE

A great maker faire game would be one like Pokemon, an RPG (Role-Playing game). This game would allow an immersive experience for the people who would view our exhibit, and also make it memorable. In the Pokemon games, you play a ten-year old kid who sets out to become the Pokemom Champion, and they fight terrorist organizations and other antagonists alongside their Pokemon. As they endure each challenge, they get stronger. But each victory is also memorable. When they finally reach their goal, you realize that it all started with one choice: what Pokemon you chose. It is created by Game Freak under Nintendo. The creator, Satoshi Tajiri, caught bugs in his childhood, and wanted people to have the same fun as him. The newest games are Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. 

Reverse Engineering Reflection Post

Reverse Engineering Reflection Post

•  Visual design principles make the product appealing to consumers. The automoblox cars were smooth and bright and looked kid-friendly, so they are appealing to them. If the car had, say, spikes, it wouldn't be appealing at all and would deter consumers.

• The "black box" portion of the system contains formulas and calculations that the user does not see nor need to know to use the system. Black box systems are often used to determine optimal trading practices. These systems generate many different types of data including buy and sell signals.

• Artists perform reverse engineering to find out how a product works and what makes it tick. This allows them to find out how to repair it and what parts it uses.

• If I could change the Automoblox design, I would use lighter materials, if one could actually do that. The cars are rather heavy, so I'm afraid that little kids could hurt them selves if they drop it on their feet. I would also make more sports car designs for the cars, as our car is kinda ugly. The sports car design is very cool, and they should make more of those. 

Automoblox Car

Automobolox

This is my passenger base. I couldn't build the star properly, but all other dimensions should be right. It is a work in progress.

Geometric Constraints Shelter Reflection Post

Our shelter uses a dome roof for max support and X-bracing on the body, because in real life, X-bracing in San Francisco protects against earthquakes. We also had side supports (sticking out) in case the building tilts.

1. I used squares and triangles.

2. 60, 90, and 45 degrees were used.

3. 60.5 in^2

4. 15.625 in^2 insides. Maybe 30 ppl would fit.

5. Weather, weight, and location (since the area might be crowded)

6. This shelter design was fun, as it allowed us our X-bracing to support structures (in disasters), but the triangle shape meant we had more versatility to have fun, as triangles basically make up every structure. So here, the triangle form followed the practical use of X-bracing.

Inventor Question

My Inventor question is how to make an object be intruded into a plane. Because there is an Extrude button, i thought there would be an Intrude button, but there isnt. So the video showed me the intrude option is within the option list when you click the Extrude button. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZzS1k4tLs

FORM FOLLOWS F(x)

My product to improve was the iPhone 6 Plus, from Apple. Apple is known for putting form over function, in every product they make. While Android phones have all the lastest features like QHD displays, IR Blasters, NFC, widgets, removable batteries, and micro SD card expansion to save money. 

My new iPhone design (iPhone 6S+) gives an IR blaster to control your TV; SD card expansion; removable 3220 mAh battery, and a motion sensor. I would also add a 1080p AMOLED display to save energy. 

My product is an everyday object: millions have it. Everyday consumers buy it, but these are better off, and buy it for teh brand, not the functionaltiy, although it is very simple to use (iOS excels at simplicity).

It is built from unibody aluminium. It reminds me of a block of metal, because of its slab shape. 

It could be better through the changes i have implemented, to make it more functional for the price paid. (It starts at $749, whilst the Nexus 6, with more memory, starts at $649). 

Cube Reflection

CUBE REFLECTION

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It is important to model, so that you wont make any mistakes while building/fabricating the product. If you mess up the product, it'll cost time and money to start over, and so employers will fire you for wasting time, or your business will fail.

I like my puzzle because it is hard yet solvable, so it presents a challenge to everyone that tries it, so it is a good product to build.

If I could change one thing about my cube, it would be that it is not perfectly aligned on all sides. Right now, it has uneven sides that make it look ugly, and so its function is spot-on, but its form is off. 

I timed five people: Sasha, Amijot, Andrew, Mom, and Dad. Their times were:

Sasha: 15

Amijot: 12:04

Andrew:14:46

Mom: 17

Dad: 7:21

Here is a histogram:

New cube

CUBE PROJECT

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These are the five pieces of my NEW puzzle cube. Below is my cake layer

^This was my final design. I chose it because it was the only one that fit the criteria, with exactly 5 parts, and 4-6 blocks in each part. 

This one, unfortunately, had six parts, even though they interlocked.

This one was okay, but the lone two-block orange in the corner disqualified it.

Here is my multiview sketch.

Here is my partner's puzzle part

Cubes

It is not normally distributed, because there are huge disparities between cube sizes, with many not even being 0.75 inch. 

Sling Machine

This is Ganesh and my fling machine. It blew the cotton ball into two bits, and the farthest bit went 35 inches. It is a pipe cleaner run through a straw, and bent at the ends. There was some foil at the end before. Earlier models could fling the cotton farther, but the materials were weak so the slingshot fell apart.

If I could alter the design, I would first use something other than the pipe cleaner to provide support for the rubber band, because the pipe cleaner bent a lot. If i could, i would just use solid poles and attach them to the desk and forego the straw as a whole. I should also learn how to actually use a slingshot. :D Our team is impeccable, so no change there. I feel other teams sufficiently solved the problem.

Unit Conversion Review

XxX_Unit Conversion_XxX

XxX_Austyn_Ben_Craig_Ganesh_Jake_Matt_Vijay_XxX

This project was really, REALLY fun. We had so much freedom to do as we pleased and weren't restricted by over-serious attitudes like in other classes. So we had a lot of fun doing this "MLG Theme" with the "XxX" and other stuff. We also learned a lot from the presentations like the video done by Sasha and the "Communist" theme done by Alvin. We memorized unit conversions, formulas, and unit prefixes. We also flashed back to middle school with that horrendous song. This project was DEFINITELY worth it.

Our project would have had more gifs of two frogs, but it made the presentation flicker so much, we would have given some one epilepsy or a seizure in a dark room. I also want to commend Austyn for making the game in one night, and so we were unique, as we actually had a video game. Every other group had a simple verbal game. I regret that we didn't have candy, and none of us thought about it. But again, I loved this project.

Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18hntOteO420Kq4CsWKaSsi7MQOI8-Ge8A10e_Gg7DW8/edit?usp=sharing