Process
I made a case for my rosin and tuner, which are tools used in music, in class and I took 2 extra classes to finish, I felt like the project was relatively successful. The first thing I did was think of an idea, and I decided to make a case for my rosin and tuner. Then I made a rough first draft with some designs of my favorite hobbies, which include chess, badminton, and music. After adding fingers and running it through LightBurn(an app used to turn models into 3d printable models), I sent my .lbrn2 file(the final file containing what I needed to be printed) in for cardboard printing. However, the design team printed wood instead and so I had to work with that. My next step was to improve it. I added inside sections to my case and revamped the top part and bottom part to accommodate the changes. Due to the design team taking 2 weeks to print my parts, I was forced to use them as my final pieces, even though they were imperfect.
Growth
Throughout the process, I learned many new skills. I learned things such as how selecting was different if you dragged it differently, how circles and rectangles worked together to make unique shapes, and how to use Fusion 360 overall. For example, the trim function has been invaluable to me ever since I began making designs, as it could turn circles and quadrilaterals into anything. My bishop design was particularly hard, as I had to draw out proportions first and cross-reference it to photos.
Reflection
For new students, I recommend placing a few shapes and just testing out pretty much every feature, just to get to learn the ropes a bit, since merely describing them won’t really help.
If I could go back, I would spend less time on the designs and just get the core done. I think I spent several classes improving/changing designs when they were already good enough. Had I used that time on printing, I would be done by now.
I think the course was overall pretty good, but there are a few aspects I didn’t really enjoy. For example, most days the assistants would be overwhelmed with 4-5 kids, and they would have to wait for each other to finish. This isn’t really an efficient use of time and could be greatly improved with a schedule/sign up sheet for times.