POST 1: INSPIRATION
I really love the movie Ratatouille and when the project was first introduced, I immediately began imagining creating something having to do with it! I just started looking at Pinterest for inspiration and compiled a couple of images that I wanted to try to mimic or incorporate into my design. After talking it over with Alyssa, she recommended doing something more similar to the second image and having the hair strands move up and down, rather than having the hand holding Remy move!
POST 2: SKETCHES / INITIAL IDEAS
I knew I wanted the base to be wider than the height so that I could have a head peaking out from behind! I also initially wanted to 3D print Remy, but I realized that I would need to add joins for the arms if I wanted them to move, which was something that seemed daunting, and eventually decided it would be better to crochet him instead. I also initially wanted to try and use a crank mechanism, but after I tried creating a cardboard prototype of the crank, I quickly realized that it would be very difficult to achieve a functioning mechanism with a crank. I ended up having to take the cardboard prototype apart and didn't get a picture, but I created the shaft from popsicle sticks and it couldn't really move anything up and down. This made me shift my idea to using cams instead of the crank as I could better visualize how the mechanism worked. One of the most challenging parts of this project for me was trying to understand how the mechanism would work and I ended up watching loads of videos on YouTube until I had a better idea!
POST 3: IN PROGRESS P1
I was able to create the wooden base during class time and started following a YouTube tutorial on how to crochet Remy!!
POST 4: IN PROGRESS P2
I started designing the gears and cams in Fusion360 after I created the box. I had never made gears or cams before so it was a bit of a long process. I spoke to Ahbishek about gear ratios and what they should be to create different speeds according to the motor and started modeling. I initially 3D printed gears I modeled using the Spur Gear generation Add-In that we talked about in lecture and then just copied the same gear and scaled it down in the ratio I wanted. However, when they printed I quickly realized that they did not fit together properly and I needed to create two separate gears that fit together with their pinch diameter. Abhishek then helped with exporting from a gear generator to create 2 gears that fit together and then I added the set screw holes!
POST 4: IN PROGRESS P3
I had also 3D printed some cams, but the holes for the shaft ended up being too big and I did not position the set screw holes in the right location either because I was having a hard time conceptualizing where it was supposed to go. However, after speaking to Abhishek again he was able to help provide clarity on how to add the set screws to the model and I was able to print cams that fit on the shaft and followers that fit on my dowel that moved up and down :)
POST 5: IN PROGRESS P4
I started assembling my piece once everything was printed, but realized that the set screw hole was too loose, so everything was moving around too much on the shaft. I then hot glued and taped the cams and gears in place so that things would move with the shaft!
POST 6: IN PROGRESS P5
I was able to get the mechanism working by hand, but the gears were moving around too much, so I had to add more glue to make sure it was secure. I would start trying to use it before the glue was dried several times and ended up having to re-glue it a lot. I also made a stand for Remy, but it ended up not being the most secure, so I had to get rid of it. I also encountered some problems after painting where the paint had clogged the movement of the mechanism so i had to scrape some of it off the dowels.
POST 7: FINAL TOUCHES :) & PROJECT STATEMENT
My piece is titled "Behind Every Good Chef" and I chose the idea because I love the movie, "Ratatouille" and thought it would be fun to incorporate that into a piece. My objective was to create a piece were it looked like Remy was controlling Linguini by his hair, just like he does in the movie. I also wanted to gain more familiarity 3D printing and modeling as Project 1 was the first time I had done either of those things and I was excited to get more experience. Another objective I had was just to get a functional piece because I had never worked with motors, gears, cams or automata in general. Even though my design was fairly simple, I learned a lot throughout the process and have a greater appreciation for any piece that involves a motor and gear because they are incredibly finicky. As for design choices, I wanted to crochet Remy because it was something that I was more comfortable with, but I definitely would've liked to add more features on his face for him to be more recognizable, this was just my first time making a stuffed animal of this size so it was a bit difficult. I also thought yarn would be a good choice to mimic the appearance of hair for the dowels. Another choice I made was painting the box white because I wanted it to have the appearance of a chef's hat and be cohesive with the rest of the design, but if I were to iterate on this piece I would also add a real chef's hat surrounding Remy. I used wire to attach the hands to the dowel Remy to the box because it was something that easily secured him while not being too distracting from the piece. I then added a backdrop with balsa wood so that you could see Linguini's head! Overall, I'm really happy with the way this project turned out and how it was able to function!
