Art of Geek Challenge: Lego
I wanted to participate in last month's Art of Geek Challenge, but didn't quite make it in time. This month, I wasn't going to miss out.
The theme was Lego, and my immediate thought was "This is a great chance to design something and make a human-sized Lego object," so that's what I did, and I named him Pew Pew. This doesn't look like the most complex design ever, though, so I have to provide some context so that you understand how important this is for me.
Ever since I got my first 3D printer in April of 2017, I have been wanting to really get good at modeling with Fusion 360. It has, for the most part, become the standard in designing things for 3D printing. A few weeks ago I took a course on Skillshare that started with the basics and hit some more advanced modeling techniques. That course unlocked something in me and it made me so comfortable with Fusion 360 that when this challenge crossed my eye I just knew I had to design something I had seen in the real world. For those who don't recognize this design, here it is in context...
I started with the profile of the barrel and back and then spun it around the central axis. That created a majority of the shape, then I added the handle. That's the simple explanation. What I'm proud of, though, is how I dialed in the sizes. Anything repeated was referenced off other similar features so that one change changed all of it. All the spacing, ridges, and detail features were modeled in relation to each other, not as separate items. It took a few tweaks to get the final feel I was looking for, but because changing one thing changed a few, it went relatively quickly. After finishing the design I decided to make a single red circle stud, just like the ones I used to use when I had the toys, to make it look super-authentic. The result? Awesome. So while this isn't as detailed or crazy as some of the other entries in Art of Geek, I'm really proud of it for what it represents to me: my first really successful attempt at modeling something in the real world and making a very cool 3D print.
And, incidentally, as of yesterday evening, Pew Pew is no longer in my possession. It will now live happily and be played with quite a bit by my nephew who utterly loved it when I showed it to him yesterday. That might have actually been my favorite part of the whole thing. Until next time, makers! Also, if you have a 3D printer and you'd like to download the .STL files to make your own, have at it! https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3117893