Original 4 Idea’s for a project:

Idea 1 – 3d animation (with sound effects (like a short show)) 

Idea 2 – Make house in Revit and 3d print parts/Laser cut to create it open view In real life.

Idea 3 – Use Water pump to generate power on a small light/led

Idea 4 – Make a functional website that you can use to do something with.
 

 

Creation of each idea (Requirements / Viability)
 

Idea 1- Using Blender to make it, very practical if I get an idea for what to create,
Idea 2 – 3d printer and base plate to set up house, potentially practical if works hard
Idea 3 – Water pump costs money, and parts are complicated + hard to make. Not very practical
Idea 4- Visual Studio Code to create, Very Viable, just need an idea. 

 

Why I Chose Idea 2: 

I chose idea 2 because it is the project I was most interested in pursuing and fulfilled a lot of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) requirements. I decided against doing Idea 1 because I enjoy using Blender more as a hobby for making videos, as I have done in the past. I decided against doing Idea 3 because I have limited experience with how water pumps and using water to generate electricity work and did not think I could learn to the extent I wanted to in the needed period. I did not choose Idea 4 because I have already made several websites in my life (I quite enjoy making them) and know I could make a good one solidly fast, and it would not be a project that I could fully use my time for. All these ideas though helped me decide on thinking about what I will do for next year’s project, or even what I will do for my capstone project. 

Decided Idea: House using Revit. 

Learning REVIT and a little bit of Fusion 360:

I started this project with only the base idea of what REVIT was, but through the way I learned how to make distinct levels of a home with differentiating views, and how to implement features (called families) such as railings or doors, into the houses. I also spent several hours learning how the different CAD file types could be imported and exported all throughout the different programs, with REVIT to Fusion 360 requiring Standard ACIS Text file types (.sat) for export and import. I have started also learning more about how Fusion works, as I previously would 3-d print use Blender and Tinker CAD, and have learned more about how Fusion works, such as how to split bodies apart or join them together, to reduce the number of objects needed to print. I am planning to get help learning to Laser-Cut properly, and with the needed tools.  

What I have done since my decision: 

[IMPORTANT: When setting sizes for 3d parts and laser cutting, divide the size from fusion 360 by 9.2245 to get the same size for all parts (the original part changed was one of the supports)]

(^NO LONGER NEEDED^) 

I spent several hours refining my house and reducing the parts required to print and making my future self-have an easier time. I have reduced the glitch the was causing over 3000 pieces in fusion and got it down to only 500, and then I spent some hours in Revit and fusion and got it reduced to around 40, and after around an hour more of refining I reduced it all the way down to 32, and I can probably reduce the print time even more If I put more hours into cleaning up the model. I also spent a couple of hours looking for Urban Planners in the Vancouver Area, although sadly most of the ones that I could easily find are dead. I have found the Emails for an environmental planner professor at UBC, and will try to contact them with my questions, and what I am doing for my project.   

Updated Time Estimate: 

I estimate that it will only take 1-2 more classes to be fully ready for printing, as I still want to fix up my house, and learn more about how the programs I am using work. I also believe that I can potentially have all the parts ready for the next check-in and can start priming and painting them by then (hopefully). I am still on track to finish this project by the deadline. 

Pricing: 

My Parents own several cans of spray paint, and since my dad works on a construction site, it is quite easy for him to get spray paint or primer from his work. We also have several pounds worth of copper wire and metal sticks, which can be used as stronger supports for my house. If needed I can spend 10-20 dollars on paint or primer if I dislike our current color choice. Because I will be using supplies that Mr.Csuka has in his classroom I do not have to pay for the 3-d Printing or Laser-cutting, reducing the costs of my project. 

Added Pieces (Tiny details that improve the overall project):  

I will measure and print the tiny details such as doors, railings, or windows, as REVIT’s families are not ready for 3-d printing. It would be easiest for me to design these smaller details in Blender, although that would be done at later dates, and I am more worried about finishing the base design before I include tiny details of the house, although these will help bring the overall design of the house to be more pleasant for viewing and creating. I may also spend a few dollars at the dollar tree by my house to get smaller details that would be harder to print or make, just to make some of the tinier details look nicer than they would if they were 3-D printed (I do own several parts that could be used to add more tinier details onto the house, from past Lego houses which could remove that cost, though I will decide whether or not to use them in the future). 

 

Detailed Timeline: 

Second Check-In: Be Ready to start cutting/ printing my objects, and work on connecting to a community member.

Third Check-In: 3-D print and laser-cut most of the parts needed and get the paint/primer I want to use on the build. Fully connect with a community member with questions asked.
 

Fourth Check-In: Fully Prime, Sand and Paint all parts of the house, and have it fully compiled. Have my connections with the community members outlined on a separate sheet of paper, and have a solid background set up for presentation at steam fair. 

Fourth Check-In Info

I plan to spend 3-4 days laser cutting everything, after Mr.Csuka’s recommendation to use cardboard instead of 3-d printing. I then glued everything together and took it home to paint. As of May 23, I plan to use leftover Legos to produce the tinier details, and so far, the most time-consuming process is measuring everything to make sure it fits together with a difference of no more than 1mm (about 0.04 in). While these modifications do slow down the overall process, they make sure the final product produced will be more pleasurable glued together and to look at. I also increased the general size of the house, from a surface area of around 110000mm^2 to a surface area of 220000mm^2 (0.22m^2 feet) These increments do not increase the time it will take to cut, as the laser cutter is quite a fast process, usually only taking a minute to cut each piece, and with less then 30 pieces,  I could be done cutting in only 1 class, but I have to measure each piece to make sure it fits nicely, and this significantly slows the process, as well as other people using the cutter, and the attempts to not waste cardboard, so it takes roughly 4-5 minutes to cut and measure each piece, therefore I estimate I will be done by may 25-26 if I use my class and flex time wisely.  

I had to convert all the parts in the fusion file from .stl for 3d printing to .dxf for laser cutting, which was a more time-consuming process but needed. I am thankful to fusion 360 for having built-in features that made this job easier then how it would have been without certain features (geometry outline tool) 

 

I am using Csuka’s superglue to put together the pieces, and as of May 24 I have 70% of the BASE complete. I plan to finish the base today and glue the left wall on. I have changed the final decision slightly, removing some stairs, as I need to add supports onto the building so it can hold itself up. 

 

As of May 25, I have the base fully complete, and one wall is up. I am going to measure and attach another wall, as well as some supports, as cardboard does not have much structural integrity. I realize that I will not finish compiling it until at least halfway through next week, so I will have to change the scope of my plans. I will take it home next weekend to paint and glue the smaller details on. This will hopefully let me finish it in 7 days now. (2 school weeks). I believe I am still on track to finish in time, if I use all my class time wisely. 

 

It is now May 29, and we have 6 days left. I have fully finished the Build, and all I need to do now is paint and add the smaller details. I will spend today designing a staircase to be 3-d printed in time for the due date, and afterwards will buy a few dollars’ worth of paint to add color to the house. I am still considering what I will do for the railings and kitchen.
 

As of May 30, I have spent 16.36 on supplies, paint, primer and textured paper. The building is partially painted, and I have made measurements for the staircase. I have gotten smaller textures from the dollar store and plan to 3d print some railings for the house. 

 

It is now June 1st, and we have 4 days left. I have painted around 70% of the house and made most smaller details. I decided to convert one of the bedrooms into a boiler/electrical room. I am going to spend today laser cutting smaller details and adding them to the build. Mainly the kitchen and bathroom area. I will need to spend 1.55 today to get 36 more wooden blocks, as the one resource I did not think I would use much has helped so much more than expected. I will have my staircase fully 3-d printed by the end of today, and hope to either 3-d print or Laser cut the railings as well (Laser cut the railings today, 3-d print them tomorrow) I also need to work on how I plan to present my project, and will spend some time in flex working on my presentations. Using my marble design paper, the currently added tables have a nice texture and design on them, and using the cheap textured paper I managed to make all my couches and chairs have a nice color and texture as well. I used the wooden blocks I bought to make the base of the chairs and couches and glued them together then added the textured paper on top. Despite being a more time-consuming process, this will let me have a better overall build than just plain wood blocks. I can thank my dad for the idea of bending the paper a certain way to make the chairs have a back rest. I HAVE DECIDED ON NAME:  Perian Manor (Hobbit in Elvish) 

It is Currently June 8th. I had fully completed my house by June 5th. I am working on my presentation now. We now have 6 days until the fair. 

---

RESULTS FROM THE END OF THE FAIR:

My stand got some attention, with many younger children being interested in the smaller details. Some of the parents and teachers were interested in my passion for architecture, and seemed interested in hearing me speak about my progress through the creation of the house. A few people related to using REVIT or having seen it being used, and thought it cool that I could use programs usually only used by people with college or university degrees.