Laser cut 3D sculptures remind us of an old Playstation
posted Oct 24th 2011 2:45pm by Brian Benchofffiled under: cnc hacks, Software Development
[Paul] a.k.a. [VoidFraction] put up the source and documentation for his sculptures made with laser cut polygons.
For computing his triangles, [Paul] developed LcAgl, an algorithm that transforms a 3D model into the AutoCAD file needed to cut a whole bunch of triangles and connectors. This file was shot over to a laser cutter and after a confusing assembly, [Paul] can make just about any low polygon count model he wants.
For his sculptures, [Paul] uses Coroplast, a type of corrugated plastic commonly used in political campaign signs. Coroplast is lightweight and flexible, a bonus when [Paul] is fitting his triangles together. The connecting tabs are made from acrylic – a very rigid material, so the triangles are held tightly in place.
Since the models in most 3D games are just a bunch of polygons anyway, this technique reminds us of the first 3D console games. [Paul]‘s rhino looks like it walked off the set of a low polygon game like Virtua Fighter or Jumping Flash!.
Why confusing? Figure out an order to put the pieces together in, and engrave a number on each edge. Go sequentially, find matching numbers, hey, you just mixed the jigsaw and the dot-to-dot!