Aquarium Tree
Objective
Prompted to create a variety of interactive exhibits and displays for the renovation of an aquarium. These designs were based on client drawings for design intent and collaboration with fabricators for building information and support during production and installation. This case study pertains to a specific element, the Tree
Skills, Software, and Applied Knowledge
- Autodesk Inventor
- AutoCAD
- Teamwork
- Microsoft Teams
- Procore
- Communication
My Contribution
I was given general design ideas by the client and interpreted that work to create assemblies and technical drawings to be used to turn the client's designs into reality. This included fixing linework in AutoCAD, modeling in Inventor, creating technical drawings, creating files for CNC and WTJ operators, and supporting the shop during the building process.
Process
Modeling and Design
The client's design team offered the initial design concepts, sharing graphic details, rough dimensions, and the overall design vision. Using these drawings as a guide, I commenced the initial modeling process. Given the complexity of this specific element's design, the team extracted linework from the PDF and imported it into AutoCAD. After careful manual editing to optimize geometry and prevent computer crashes, the linework was transferred into Inventor for further development.
Conceptual 1
Conceptual 2
Conceptual 3
Conceptual 1
Technical Drawings
Once the 3D model was finished in Inventor, detailed drawings were generated to illustrate the construction process. These drawings encompassed crucial details like material specifications, labels for CNC and WTJ machined parts, as well as hardware and finishing details. Multiple iterations of these drawings were circulated both internally and externally to ensure that the design was ready for fabrication.
CNC and WTJ Preparation and Fabrication
After approvals for the design were finished, the profiles were exported from Inventor into AutoCAD, and the linework was changed to the correct line type and sorted into layers for the machine operators to cut. These cut parts were then given to the fabricators for building, along with the fabrication drawings to show how the assembly was to be put together. This particular element was the first to be finished for this project. After the parts were cut, paints were applied, and the assemblies were put together to ensure the exhibit was designed correctly, the assemblies were then broken into subassemblies and packed up for future installation.
