Imaginary Objects

An IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 leadership competency of the future.

—The Daily Beast (7/10/10)

The objective of this lesson is to engage students in the technical, conceptual, and aesthetic aspects of 3D modeling. Students will:

• Experience the Design Process
• Gain familiarity with fabrication and design techniques and tools
• Enhance their ability to brainstorm and apply their creativity

3D modeling and printing allows students to easily produce innovative designs. The relative speed of printing and low running costs allows students to design products and engage in an iterative process where they may design, print, evaluate and reiterate as necessary.

The Design Process

1. Describe a problem to solve. Instead of asking "What do you want to design?" ask "Why do you want to design that?" and "What problem and or need will the design ultimately be solving?"
   
   

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2. Identify a target population, which group of people will benefit from your project: an individual, a group, a specific community, or a larger, identifiable population? Is the target population from a specific location (country, region, town), demographic (age or gender), or other identifying characteristic (health condition or employment)? What connects the target population?
   
   

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3. Identify requirements and constraints.
   
   A requirement is a need or a necessity.
   
   A constraint is a restriction on the degree of freedom you have in developing a solution.
   
   

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4. Does the solution make the design more accurate, safer, convenient, easier to maintain, cheaper, or more attractive than an existing solution?

In a nutshell

1. Design Step 1: Identify a Need
2. Design Step 2: Research the Problem
3. Design Step 3: Brainstorm Possible Solutions
4. Design Step 4: Engineering Analysis-select the most promising solution
5. Design Step 5: Construct a Prototype
6. Design Step 6: Evaluate/Manufacture a Final Product-Reiterate

Challenge

Create a prototype of an imaginary product or object.

As Real As It Gets was an exhibition organized by Rob Walker at Apexart , 291 Church Street, New York, NY 10013 from November 15 - December 22, 2012. The exhibition collected fictional products, imaginary brands, hypothetical advertising and speculative objects, devised by artists, designers, writers, musicians, companies and in one case, a government entity.

1. Read Rob Walker's text from the exhibition's brochure.
   
   

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2. With a team, or as an individual, brainstorm an imaginary product or object.
   
   

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3. Review the Design Process steps:
   1. Design Step 1: Identify a Need
   2. Design Step 2: Research the Problem
   3. Design Step 3: Brainstorm Possible Solutions
   4. Design Step 4: Engineering Analysis-select the most promising solution
   5. Design Step 5: Construct a Prototype
   6. Design Step 6: Evaluate/Manufacture a Final Product-Reiterate

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4. Review these SketchUp tutorials.
   
   

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5. Using SketchUp, design the imaginary product or object.
   
   

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6. Document the project.
   
   Documentation should include:
   • A backstory
   • A catchy name for the product/object
   • Sketches
   • CAD files
   • Images of prototype