3D modelling in Maya

When it comes down to it, selling a design requires great images, especially perspectives. However I've never really been happy with the quality of the images I've been able to create with the programs I've learnt through uni. My boyfriend had been reminding me for about a year that a 3D modelling program would probably give me the quality of perspectives I desired and this summer I finally decided to really get into learning Maya.

I started with a couple of tutorials and then decided to move on to chairs. Here are the results:

The first tutorial I did dealing with polygons. 

These are meant to be screwdrivers if you can't tell.

The second tutorial dealing with NURBS.

This is a ghost from Pac-Mac. 

The third tutorial dealt with rendering. 

This is a computer folder icon. 

This was my first attempt at modelling solo and it took me about 5 days, maybe 10 hours to get to this point.

It's the Poang Chair from Ikea. Chosen because the brochure happened to be on my desk.

For my second attempt I wanted something different and a bit easier. 

So I went for Cappellini's Bird Chair by Tom Dixon. This took me maybe 5 hours.

I have found I really enjoy 3D Modelling, time consuming as it is. It almost reminds me of sculpting with clay and has quite a different feel when finished than CAD renderings I have done. I'm looking to gradually broaden my skills so that I can use Maya for my renderings for my final design project this year. Lots more practice is in order before that point I believe.

A break from regular sewing - Girl's bunny costume

It's one of my friend's daughter's 6th birthday party on the weekend. Her party is rabbit themed as it is the year of the rabbit and she wanted to have a bunny costume to wear. She drew up a design for her costume and looked on the internet for inspiration. This is what she came up with for inspiration.

Abby's TuTu Factory - Bunny TuTu Halloween Costume

Little Diva Tutus - Miss Bunny TuTu

HarleyRose Tutus via etsy

So with these images in mind I we set about recreating this using a store bought leotard and 6 metres of tulle in three different colours. Here is the tutu half complete along with bunny ears.

I've never made a tutu before so I just kind of winged it gathering each layer of tulle by hand then tacking together and stitching. I used two different types of tulle, regular stiff tulle and a softer tulle closer to netting. I used the stiff tulle for the bottom two layers. Using two 1.5m x 1m pieces of tulle in different colours cut into three along the longer side and gathered to the waist measurements. I sewed these two layers together stabilising with some thin elastic. I then gathered three more layers of the lighter weight tulle with the dimensions 2m x 0.45m, 2m x 0.4m, 2m x 0.35m. I then tacked these layers to the original two layers by hand. Then I moved to the sewing machine.

Using a zig zag stitch to tack all layers together.

Running a second row of stitching 1cm away from the first.

Sewing the waistband.

I caught wide elastic on the underside to give added structure and to protect from itching.

Exterior waistband using wide grosgrain ribbon.

The finished tutu.

The result is pretty good for my first attempt and most importantly the girl in question loves her new skirt and can't wait to wear it this weekend. 

Spaghetti with Meatballs

I'm a big fan of pasta. In fact there was awhile there when I'm pretty sure my parents weren't sure if they could get me to eat anything else. So when I find a good pasta I make it over and over again. Despite this I had never made spaghetti with meatballs. I finally tried it a couple of weeks ago on a whim and its been put directly into our rotation. It's good, very good, but apparently it's even better the next day. 

Ingredients:

Sauce

1 tin diced tomatoes

1/3 cup red wine

1 tsp ground pepper

2 small fresh chillies seeded and diced

3 garlic cloves sliced

1 handful fresh basil diced

1 heaped Tbsp Sour Cream

Meatballs

200g pork mince

160g beef mince

1 handful fresh parsley diced

1 egg

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 pinch salt

Process:

Fry garlic and chili in olive oil over a high heat till golden brown. Add tomatoes, pepper and basil, bring to the boil. Add red wine and leave to simmer for 20 - 30mins while you prepare meatballs.

Cook 400 - 500g spaghetti in salted water. Salt the water well as the sauce contains no extra salt. Strain and set aside.

Place all meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands. Form into meatballs about 2cm in diameter. Fry in olive oil over a high heat until cooked through. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato sauce. Stir through sour cream. Add spaghetti and mix well through sauce. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Sauce Ingredients

Fry the garlic and chili

Add the tomato and basil, bring to boil

Add red wine, leave to simmer

Mix together all meatball ingredients

Form meatballs about 2cm in diameter, fry till cooked through 

Add sauce to meatballs and mix through sour cream

Mix spaghetti through sauce and meatballs

The sauce and meatballs also freeze well and can be pulled out for a quick meal when needed. Enjoy.

Colette Patterns Spring Palette Challenge - Sewing Plan

I'm posting this a little late, it was meant to be up last week but I got distracted by the ridiculous heat wave we had in Sydney. We were all melting and way too hot to think about doing anything, let alone making clothing that was heavier than a cotton sheath. Thankfully we had a cool change yesterday and I'm catching up on all the things I neglected last week, including blogging.

So here is my challenge plan.

The patterns are still the same as my original plan but it's nice to put them all together and see how they are going to look together. I'm really excited about finishing all these and seeing how they look together. I am thinking that I might add more items later as I've made a bit of progress into these patterns.

You can see my finished maxi skirt here. I'm really happy with this skirt. I've worn it a lot over the last week and a half and it is really comfortable and works with quite a few different tops, including the twist front top. I will post some photos of the twist front top soon. I've almost finished the red dress but I have to re-do the neckline (I forgot to stabilise, silly me) and bind the armholes. I'm not using the cap sleeves from the pattern, I thought I would wear it more without them. The tan skirt is awaiting a cool enough day for me to deal with fusing the 16 piece waistband, which might be tomorrow you can never tell with the weather at the moment. Last but not last the jacket shell is almost completely together, it's mainly waiting on facings.

So that's how things stand with the Colette Patterns Spring Palette Challenge for me. There are tonnes of fantastic palettes on the forum.

Design Project-Dream, Delve, Draw

My design project for last session at university was a childcare centre. The brief was to redesign an existing childcare space to better cater for the children attending. Being a long daycare centre it was necessary to cater to ages 6 weeks to 5 years and to have 3 different areas for the 3 ages groups; 0 - 2, 2 - 3 and 3 - 5. The focus for the project was on colour and innovation. Here is a brief description of the project:

Delve, Dream, Draw is a design for a Long Day Care Centre located in Sydney's suburbs catering to children between the ages 6 weeks and 5 years. 

The design aims to stimulate development and afford children opportunities and experiences which are not readily available in an urban lifestyle. 

One element of this involved exposing children to elements of Australia's natural landscapes, in this instance the desert. 

Colour is an important medium to communicate, define space, create visual interest and influence behaviour.

In choosing the colour palette for the play spaces inspiration was taken from vivid colours of the Australian desert and set against a neutral backdrop to allow various areas to become focal points and giving the children space for display areas. 

The effectiveness of the colour scheme is increased by the use of complimentary colours. Young children prefer cool colours in their interior environments. Cool colours, especially blue, also have a calming and focusing effect, while bright orange both stimulates and excites.

The end result is a space which caters for young children's preferences, stimulates and educates and introduces new experiences and environments. The colours specified were chosen to facilitate these goals and were set against a neutral and restrained materials palette to further accentuate the areas in which colour is used.  

Plan

Section through entrance and 2 - 5 storage/quiet zone

Section through 2 - 5 storage/quiet zone, 3 - 5 play space, 2 - 5 bathroom, 2 - 3 place space, vege garden and 2 - 5 outdoor gross motor play

Section through entrance, administration office, 2 - 5 media room, 0 - 2 sleep room, laundry and nappy change, 0 - 2 play space and storage

Section through 2 - 5 storage/quiet zone, 3 - 5 play space, 2 - 5 bathroom, 2 - 3 place space, vege garden and 2 - 5 outdoor gross motor play

Elevation of 2 - 5 outdoor gross motor area, 0 - 2 outdoor place space and 2 - 5 water play/free play area

Perspective of 2 - 5 outdoor eating and craft space

Perspective of sandpit

Presentation board - actual size 900mm x 2400mm

This was a 13 week project and I have to admit that by the end of it I was a little sick of looking at it. Now I'm really happy with it.