This week we learned how to use Fusion from the Professionals at Autodesk. I really enjoyed gaining exposure to the software and making the phone holder. The only software I have used previously is SketchUp and SolidWorks. I used SketchUp in my TAM class last semester to create a 3D CAD model of a bridge. The model was made out of popsicle sticks so we didn’t gain that much exposure to the software. It was mostly using the popsicle stick model our Professor provided us with and copying/arranging the sticks.
I used SolidWorks for fun with a friend Freshman year. I wanted to gain exposure to 3D printing and he offered to show me how the software worked. I create a present for my younger brother. He is a drummer so it was a little 3D drum with his initials engraved in it. I do not have a picture of it anymore but it was a really fun project.
For the Fusion project, originally I was unable to download the software. I followed along on a friends computer until mine finally started working. I really enjoyed making the phone holder especially the parts at the end where you could customize the material. It was interesting how sometimes we would follow the steps, but we still had trouble modifying the design. I think this was especially surprising because CAD softwares are very particular and finicky. In most of my classes, I’m more used to using excel which is relatively straightforward. Below I have attached some photos of the process that our class followed.
Our results of our project ideation were to focus on comfort and making a product that was customizable. I think the first time we did our stories & experiences brainstorm we didn’t understand how to choose words that reflected experiences. We focused on positives and negatives however, this time we were really able to narrow in on words that can help us to properly brainstorm.
We really want to try to find a way to help athletes with the issue of slippage during bad weather conditions. This can cause a lot of discomfort and Adam helped us to understand how sometimes the athelete can train really hard, however, still at the end of the day for reasons outside of their control they won’t win. These reasons can often be the weather. Therefore, we focused our statements on this idea.
This week Dan Banach from AutoDesk lead a workshop on Fusion 360. We learned the basics of 3D modeling as well as shortcut keys. Prior to our class meeting in the basement of the Psych building we were assigned the task of downloading Fusion 360 and following a tutorial of how to make a basic rectangular box. We used methods like sketching, extruding (both adding and subtracting material), and filleting.
AutoDesk Fusion 360 workshop.
Although I have taken a course on SolidWorks (another 3D modeling program) it was nice to have a basic tutorial to show how to use fusion 360. I downloaded Fusion 360 last year when I found out about the FREE program. I tried to teach myself, and when I first download the program it was little overwhelming. However, once I started watching specific tutorials for what I wanted to accomplish it started to become for familiar.
My phone dock with a decal covering the entire object.
Dan Banach’s workshop was very helpful! I saw people who had never used Fusion or a 3D modeling program create in 3D space for the first time. The phone dock we created wasn’t the simplest design either. I learned short cuts I had not known before as well as the possibility of inserting a decal on a surface. I would love to take another AutoDesk workshop for Fusion, there are other “environments” I would love to learn about. Specifically I would love to learn how to use the sculpt tool.
Trying to explore the sculpting environment.
This week my group was able to set up an interview with Ryan. Since this was the first time we were able to talk to an expert user we had a lot of questions for him. He was extremely friendly and gave us great advice. His answers led us to a new focal point for our project.
Current plastic bag solution Ryan created to combat the rain.
We are thinking of focusing on a situation he is faced with regularly. Since Ryan uses an electric wheelchair he is faced with a huge issue when he is caught outside. Water+Electronics=a tough situation. If water gets into his wheelchair the battery will shoot out. He currently uses a plastic bag to cover his joystick. The joystick is where most of the chairs exposed wires which are what would be most vulnerable to water exposure. We are thinking about designing a more durable solution to this opportunity.
This Wednesday, we participated in a workshop from Autodesk representatives on Fusion 360, an integrated CAD software. We were tasked with creating a phone holder. The representative leading the workshop walked us through the steps to design the phone holder. We are going to print them in the MakerLab later this week. I love this course because we are able to design and create things that we (or others) can actually use. You can see the phone holder I designed here.
Autodesk workshop where we designed phone holders in Fusion 360. The image on the screen is the phone holder we designed.
In addition to designing the basic holder, we also had the opportunity to customize it. We could choose a material, paint colors, add decals, etc. This was my first time utilizing any CAD software, and I really enjoyed it. I thought the Fusion interface was very simple and intuitive. However, I have heard that this is not the case with other CAD softwares. I would love to learn different softwares and see how they differ form each other.
After the workshop, we had about 45 minutes to work with our teams to create “How Might We” statements. We used the post-it notes from last class to help us write them. My team narrowed our work down to 3 “How Might We” statements. These statements are an essential part of the Ideation phase of the design process, so we are testing if our idea to create a tread for prosthetic users will work. This activity challenged us to not be too broad nor too specific. We found it difficult to find a balance. I am looking forward to the next few weeks in the Fab Lab to continue our project!
Hi there! I am a Senior studying Marketing and Information Systems/Information Technology. I chose to take this course in order to expand my creative and design thinking skills that I can apply to my future career. I am grateful that we are provided the opportunity to take this course as Business majors.
This week was all about learning how to use the 3D modeling platform Fusion 360 from Autodesk. Our first task was to build the box from this video on our own before class. I had some experience with a 3D modeling software called Sketch Up from a previous class, but I still found my initial pass at building a model in Fusion 360 to be a bit harder than I thought. My biggest problem was not fully understanding the shortcut keys. I had trouble orienting the screen’s viewpoint how I wanted until I learned that holding shift allowed me to move the structure with my trackpad.
In class, we were lucky to have Dan Banach from Autodesk come in and take us through a Fusion 360 tutorial. We were designing a custom-made phone holder. This model was much more complex than the box we originally had to make, but Dan did a great job walking us through it step by step. He also showed us a bunch of really helpful quick key shortcuts that made the making process much more streamlined. Through creating the phone holder we learned how to build shapes, extrude surfaces, measure distances, and change colors and materials of surfaces. In the end, my finished model turned out much better than I thought it would at the start of class. After building the phone holder, we rendered it and exported a file that we could print in the Maker Lab. I went to the Maker Lab on friday to print the phone holder and I am excited to use it when I pick it up on Monday
A rendered version of my Fusion 360 phone holder.
Human Centered Design Activity
After learning how to use Fusion 360, we continued our Human Centered Design activity from last week. First, we reviewed all of the needs that we identified and the groupings we put them in. Our next step was to break down the groupings into “How Might We Statements”. The main focus of these statements was to organize our group’s thoughts and fully identify our direct need. We had some difficulty making our “How Might We Statements” because they could not be too general or specific. Our statements mainly centered around the protection of Jenna’s leg and also giving her more customization and mobility than her current prosthetic covering.
Looking Forward
Overall it was a very informative week and I am excited to start working in the Fab Lab next class!
This week, we dived into using a CAD program called Fusion 360. First, as part of preparation for class, we read through some of the program’s guides and watched a video that walked us through creating a lidded box. In the process, we had our first introduction to Fusion360’s interface and built upon our 3D modelling experience from using Tinkercad as we had before to being able to use Fusion360 as well. In terms of complexity, Fusion360 definitely seems like a more complex program that we can use to create a wider range of models more efficiently than Tinkercad, and I was incredibly excited to be moving along in the 3D modeling learning process.
Original Model Created
Materials Application
Mesh for 3D Printing
For class this week, we got to attend a workshop by a representative from Autodesk. During the workshop, we were taught more about Fusion360 and learned more quickly and thoroughly through the guidance of the representative than we would have if we had set about messing around by ourselves. Throughout the process, we created a phone holder as a project which would allow us to explore many of Fusion360’s features. The versatility of Fusion360 was really fascinating to me. Although this is a relatively small feature which may not impact the modelling process as much as other sketching and creation tools, I found it interesting that we could change the different materials that we were modelling as well as model painting and enameling the model at the end. There were so many different combinations possible, and it is even capable of rendering a 3D model within a couple set backgrounds and lighting settings to simulate possible real-life locations. Additionally, the Fusion360’s feature that allows you to go back to each individual action and edit it without destroying any processes you have applied to it afterwards is going to be incredibly helpful in future projects. Afterwards, we were able convert the model to an STL file and 3D print our first model ever. I really felt a sense of accomplishment in being able to hold something that I created and modelled from scratch myself.
The phone holder in use.
A view of the phone holder’s bottom.
DEVELOPMENTS IN PROGRESS.
During the last hour of class, we were able to touch based
with our TA and mentor, Mehmet, and he helped guide us through developing
further along our project ideation process. We first quickly reviewed the
concepts we had gone over in the previous week before moving onto creating
insight statements based on the themes we had created. These insight statements
describe challenges for the people in the community that we interviewed based upon
each of the themes. For example, one insight statement Solestice came up with
was “Stigma of looking different affects the [prosthetic] user’s self-confidence.”
After gathering our thoughts with these insight statements, Mehmet introduced
us to the idea of “How Might We…?” Questions. These questions are meant to be
created neither generically nor too specifically and can be used as ways to
think of our project goals without getting tunnel-vision with a single solution
idea. One of the questions Solestice came up with was “How might we increase
stability for prosthetic users?”
Our only other update on the project is that we are in the
process of scheduling an interview with a professor who makes shoes in his free
time to learn more about a shoe’s design functions and how we might use those
design aspects to our advantage with the tread we end up creating.
Salutations! I’m a sophomore studying accountancy who likes to create some art on the side (yes, I’m one of those photographer/poet/all around artist people). My passion is in advocating for equity, and I probably spend a little too much time on Hulu.
This week, we had a presentation from Autodesk Fusion360 to better understand this CAD software and how we can use it throughout this semester to complete our projects. It was really great to have someone in-class be able to talk us through an entire design and learn the software hands-on. Before class, we had an assignment due to familiarize ourselves with the software. With video lectures, you can learn a lot but it is really great to have someone in person be able to troubleshoot any problems you run into and answer your questions. In class, we developed a phone holder with a cord area and a small well for keys. You can see my design here: https://a360.co/2EalDaP as well as the photo below.
Fusion360 phone holder.
I thought the most interesting part of learning Fusion360 was the instructor’s comments on its accessibility. Fusion360 is free for students, which was a very purposeful decision. He noted that some of their clients had a difficult time hiring people with the necessary 3D design skills. Thus, Autodesk made this software free so that there would be more people learning the software and then able to use it in later employment opportunities.
After learning these skills, we returned to the activity we had started last week. This time, we were grouping our ideas into three more tuned “Insight” segments with offshoots. These three groups helped us target our “How Might We” statements. “How Might We” statements help organize the team to get excited about certain ways to create our final solution. Our group focused on the subtlety of the design to not draw too much attention in class, and the functionality of the design to transition through all of the parts of a yoga class. You can see our team’s rough draft below.
How Might We statements for 3D-Bal.
Overall, it was a very productive week and I am excited to be at the FabLab next week to continue learning different tools at our disposal!
Week 5 was an information overload as we heard from 4 speakers about potential partnerships, campus resources, innovation in the 3D printing space, and the human-centered design process.
New Opportunities
Our first speaker was Sneha Subramanian from Illini Service Dogs. She gave a great presentation about the needs that her organization faces for cheap and innovative solutions to problems that their dogs face every day. A few ideas she mentioned were redesigning collars and leashes, easily attachable and detachable leashes to wheelchairs, and easier ways for dogs to open cabinet doors. While no group ended up taking Illini Service Dogs on as their mentor this semester, the presentation was still very informative and I hope that future classes choose to tackle these problems!
3D Printing Innovation
Our next speaker was John Hornick, author of 3D Printing Will Rock the World, and an acclaimed speaker on innovation in the 3D printing space. John’s presentation focused on the innovation, customization, and democratization of 3D printing and its impact on the world. He talked about how the democratization of 3D printing has been a catalyst for customization and innovation within the space. One notable example he gave was of a 5-year-old named Cameron Haight who was born without an arm. Cameron has customized his prosthetic with custom 3D printed attachments as a way of expressing himself. He has even 3D printed prosthetics for other kids like him. Here 3D printing has been used as a way for little kids to be proud of their prosthetics and what makes them unique. John also went on to talk more about the future of the industry. He mentioned how 3D printing in healthcare is moving towards substitutes which attempt to improve functionality, instead of replacements which simply mimic it. One interesting example he gave was of a molecular self-assembly project conducted by the University of London that is using 3D printing and human cells to create bio-mechanical structures. Overall, John’s talk was very informative and we were very lucky to him present to our class.
Exploring Resources
Jeff Ginger was our third speaker of the day and he told us about his job as director of the Fab Lab at the University of Illinois. The Fab Lab is a maker space on campus that houses many different tools that students and community member can use to build things. Our CU Fab Lab is part of a larger global network of Fab Labs that share best practices and aim to democratize making to everyone. The students in our class have varying experience levels with the Fab Lab so it was helpful to learn about the full range of services they offer. One thing that stuck out to me about Jeff’s talk was the concept of DIWO, or Do It With Others. This concept perfectly embodies our class and our approach to making. Through Yellowdig, blog posts, and class presentations we are encouraged to all work together to share ideas and best practices. This process helps keeps us accountable to the true needs of our mentors and ensures that we come up with the best possible solution. Before this class, I thought that design was a very individual process, but now I see that design takes a lot of people in order to succeed.
Human Centered Design Process
The final speaker of the day was our TA Mehmet Aydin. His presentation focused on the principles of Human Centered Design and how we can apply the process to our own projects. One of his main points was about the process of diverging and converging ideas in multiple iterations to get to the best possible outcome. The diverging process involves creating choices, while the subsequent converging process forces you to pick from that pool of choices. He also brought up a unique example of how simple solutions can be the most effective. Mehmet shared the story of how little kids were scared of using MRI machines and were having trouble laying still throughout the whole process. Instead of redesigning the whole MRI machine, doctors made the experience fun for kids by decorating the machine as a pirate ship or space ship and pretending that the kids had to stay still as part of a game. This made the experience fun for the kids and yielded more accurate scan results.
Mehmet’s presentation on Human Centered Design
Trying It Out
After Mehmet’s presentation, our class split up into our teams to try the Human Centered Design process for ourselves. We started by recounting the interviews our teams had conducted over the past few weeks and identifying the issues, motivators, and barriers surrounding our need and need groups. After using the “diverge” stage to come up with as many ideas as possible, our next task was to group our findings into segments. This part of the process helped us organize our thoughts and see broad trends across our needs. This exercise was a valuable learning process for all of the teams and it helped us identify main needs and areas where we still needed to conduct interviews to receive more information.
Team Evinco
Team 3D Bal
Team Solestice
Team Movi
Thank you to all of the presenters who took the time to share their experiences with our class!
Prior to this week’s class, we had a pre-class assignment that introduces us to the Fusion 360. The video we needed to watch guided us, step by step, in creating a box assembly. I followed the steps and created a part of the box assembly. I found that the shapes with the shortcut keys are extremely useful and fast when we are using fusion 360 as compared to the tinkercad.com.
In this week’s class, we had a guest speaker from the Autodesk coming in to teach us how to use fusion 360. We had a hands-on experience of creating 3D models using fusion 360. The guest speaker led us through designing our own cell phone holder step by step. I was very excited about this type of hands-on experience because the hands-on experience is when we can actually learn how to use the different types of software and technology for our project and our future use. I believe that this learning session of 3D modeling will be very useful for our team when we get into the designing and prototyping stage for our project.
Fusion360 3D Modeling & Printing Record
“How might we …” – Question Generation
In the later one-third of the class, we went back to generating insights for our project. We selected three of the major themes that we decided are important in defining our challenge. Then we selected three insights under each theme we identified. According to these insights, we converged to the most important three and formulated a “How might we …” question for each of the insights. All of these questions aggregated together help us define our major challenge and what we need to work toward. I think this activity of design thinking makes us form a better understanding of our intended users as well as the challenge because we were able to brainstorm all the insights we have and aggregate them to form meaningful themes. Through these meaningful themes, we were able to organize what we observed to what we need to solve in reality.
At the end of this design thinking activity, we (our team) come to the conclusion that we need to design a product that will both help the users with prosthetic leg both be able to keep their stability and have the ability to slide. This product needs to help during standing poses (yoga) and not get in the users’ way during the grand poses. Since the product is designing for users with a prosthetic leg, one of the most important ideas is that the users want to look normal and not be different from others. Then designing a product that can both help a prosthetic user stay in balance and be subtle during classes to not draw attention would be extremely important.
Continuing with our project, we will continue to try to reach out to the experts and organizations we found online for the research. We hope to gain more insights to help us generate more ideas and understand our challenge better by continuing with our research. I am also looking forward to learning the tools we have access to and having hands-on experience on the tools in the fab lab starting next week.
I am a student who’s currently studying accountancy and management of information systems. I am graduating this year and entering the MAS program at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I love programming and accountancy as much as I love taking photographs and learning how to play the Rubik’s cube. I love trying out new things and learning new skills. Learning how to make accessible designs utilizing digital making skills is one of the new skills I learned.
This week we focused on the CAD software, specifically Autodesk Fusion 360. Prior to class this week we learned quick shortcuts and the basic fundamental of parametric designing. Dan Banach, education program manager at autodesk, gave an immersive presentation of the world of Fusion 360. He has more than 30 years of Fusion 360 knowledge. He was there from the very start. It all started with a 3D model of a five and quarter sized floppy disk. Dan also simply broke down the ideology of the cloud product innovative software Fusion 360, into three main components: use, design, and make. After his intro we had the task of going through a tutorial of creating a phone charging stand. This helped us get even more familiar with the functions and capabilities of the software.
Dan Banach during the Fusion 360 Workshop
I myself have some knowledge and previous with CAD. However its with solidworks, which is a lot different from Fusion 360. You have similar capabilities, but solidworks is far more complicated. I like how simplified Fusion makes computer aided design. The shortcuts and keys were super easy to pick up on and the drop down menus house every function. Solidworks took me some time to get a stable grip on. Both softwares are great in their own respective ways. Regardless of which a person chooses you’ll still get a understanding of not only parametrics but design thinking. The software gives you a different method of approaching problems and design decisions. The simplest thing from a curve to the material itself of the product all attribute to the overall product.
My final design and render of the phone charging stand
After the Fusion Workshop ended we were given another on “How to Statements” from our TA Mehmet Aydin. This activity allowed us to further explore the centralized themes within our ideas. After choosing the top three themes, which we wrote out in concise sentences, we created a how to statement. Essentially staging a question of how were were going to do some of the things we sought out to solve. Like mentioned in last week’s presentation his is a cycle within the design process. We came to conclusions last week, but this exercise allowed us to revisited, rethink, and revitalize some of those ideas. I feel like now we have a pretty concret grip on the opportunity and the market in which we’re trying to infiltrate.
Week 6 took a very exciting turn as we finally delved deeply
into creating 3D models in Autodesk Fusion360. Our pre-class activity consisted
on making a box-like crate, and we continued getting familiarized with Fusion
through further making with Autodesk professionals.
By becoming acquainted with the software, we gained a
significantly better understanding on how to approach design challenges with
our end user mind. Simple things such as altering the material had an impact
which must be accounted for. Lucky for us, color tends to not make as big of a
difference – which be a vital factor when we approach our final prototype.
At the end of class, we delved deeper into exploring our
project’s themes, insights and guiding questions. We came to the conclusion that
we will really need to hone in on how
wheelchairs would want to customize their chair. The ability to customize
exists, but we need to find out which accessories will bring them the most joy.
Nonetheless, once the design challenge is worked through, we
realized that creating awareness about the products will be a huge challenge. A
useful or desired accessory is useless if the target users do not know about
its existence. Our challenge, became very 2 sided, as merely creating it will
not bring the results we desire to see. We will need to effectively market and
inform the users about the accessory if we aspire to make a meaningful impact.
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