Part 1

We began working on this project in late January. We began by going into fusion and learning key skills that we would need to create our project. We watched tutorials and learned the features and functions of the application. After learning, practicing, and improving our fusion skills, we started browsing ideas for our final 2D project.

Coming up with my idea was tricky. I practically spent and entire class just figuring out something that I would enjoy. I ended up deciding on a San Diego lamp. Since I am from San Diego, I thought this would allow the lamp to have significance for longer than if the design were something I enjoy right now. I also decided on a lamp instead of my initial idea, which was a “Peanuts” themed psychiatry box, because I wanted my family and anyone who enters my house to enjoy it. When coming up with what to put on the panels themselves, I decided on things that reminded me of San Diego, like palm trees and sailboats. I also wanted something that could represent my family, so I made a panel with three hearts to represent my parents and I. With three panels down, I still had two more to go. (The bottom panel where the socket would go doesn’t need a design.) For the top, I wanted the bulb to pop out of the top of the lamp. To make it even more unique, I added sun rays to that panel, because there isn’t a cloudy day in San Diego! After that, I was stuck on the last panel, but ended up putting an “I ♡ SD”. Since my other designs were more intricate, I decided to leave this panel fairly simple.

(experimenting with Fusion and learning how to make cool designs.)

(the designs I chose to create.)

(my planning sheet that took FOREVER to fill in.)

 

Part 2

Technology isn’t my strong suit so learning and adapting to Fusion and Lightburn was really challenging. However, this class helped me develop and improve the skills that I lacked. The most difficult part was figuring out Fusion and its almost infinite functions. To overcome this challenge, I practiced using the skills I was confused about. This really helped me memorize the many functions of different buttons. Sometimes, when I got really stuck, I would use the tools Ms. Kim provided us with. These tools, such as videos and written instructions definitely made working with Fusion more bearable. Something learned throughout this project is to take your time and try to get it right the first time. An issue that popped up while assembling was my fingers weren’t aligning properly. This was because I was too quick to make them and didn’t measure them. Thank goodness I printed it on cardboard first because I had to re- print it three times! That definitely would have been a waste of wood! To make the design more intricate, make sure you zoom in more. This allows your lines to be more precise and clean. Also, do not add too much detail to your project, especially if you are working in a small area.

(my sizing was off, so I had to make three cardboard prototypes.)

 

(some of my favorite tools on Fusion, mainly because they are easy to use!)

 

(these tools were absolute LIFE SAVERS during the Fusion design process)

 

(these were definitely confusing at first, but after using them in Lightburn three times, I consider myself a pro!)

 

(here are my successful panels.)

(NOT SO FUN FACT: I had to redo my ENTIRE project because my sizing was off)

 

Part 3

All in all, I think my design turned out very well. I am excited to see the finished results of my project and show my family and friends. I think my performance in class started rough because I wasn’t sure what I was doing. But after I got the hang of it, things went more smoothly. Obviously there were minor humps along the way but they worked themselves out eventually. I think something I would recommend is to not fall behind because once you do, it’s hard to bounce back. Also, when learning new skills, I need to make sure to really pay attention. I feel like in the beginning, I really struggled because I couldn’t keep up. Now that I look back, I think I was really unprepared for my project, which costed me a lot of time. In the future, I will make sure to focus (in the beginning especially) so that I don’t fall behind. I think something the teacher could improve on is giving us a little bit more time and not to stress us that much. As a person that folds under pressure, this made the class worrying and not as fun. Other than that though, I feel like it was a good experience.

This project was an absolute blast, and I can’t wait to see what I’ll make next!

(my final project)