Week 4 - Modeling and Experimentation

Summary of Tasks Completed

- This week I began modeling in Solidworks. As a group we decided to delegate each member with a single part of the motorbike that we deemed to be of high importance. I chose to do the swing arm. As I am relatively unfamiliar with the program it did take me a long time to make significant progress. Also, measuring the object can be very difficult as there are curves and thicknesses that are hard to define. To help me gain accuracy I used a Caliper. Overall, I believe the final model is as accurate as can be, although as a group we have allowed a 2 mm tolerance. 

Here is an image during the modeling stage. Note: this is not the final model.

Experiment and research on Kinect for modeling

As we are Architectural computing students, we aim to use as many new and helpful technologies as possible throughout the process of our assignment. During class this week we borrowed a Microsoft Kinect to aid our 3D modelling process by gaining measurements and shapes of curves that otherwise we would be unable to gain accurate measurements of.

During our experimentation with the Kinect, we experiemented with different postiions of the kinect as well as distances away from the model, to establish the most accurate way to model the featherbed frame. As you can see in the video our tech methods of placing a box and cardboad as a stand on a spinning chair was the best we could come up with to maintain the one smooth rotational axis.  The results of the frame model can be seen in the photo documentation underneath, and some screen captures of the Kinect modelling process can be seen in the videos and photos below.

Video Documentation

 

 

Photo Documentation

 

 

Overall the process of modelling with the Kinect was successful and was a fun process to learn about. However when you compare its results to the photo stitching results we had completed the week before, it came in 2nd. The photo stitching model had fewer errors in the model, as well as had the ability to texture the model, which the Kinect system does not have.