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PaperView (Blueprints)
When presented with the opportunity to enter the YouFab 2013 Global Laser Cutter Design Competition, and learning about the laser cutting technology we were allowed to design for, I was instantly inspired. The possibilities are boundless! Todays society, with its strong push towards recycled / eco-sensitive design, wants something new, original and progressive. I though about how I could push the boundaries of this technology to create something truly revolutionary that showcases the laser cutting method and at the same time produce a design that that would appeal on mass to potential buyers in the FabCafé online store.
I thought back to my childhood to recall one of my favorite toys: my stereoscopic viewer. I would buy books to read that came with round photo dials that when put into the viewer became rich and surreal 3D images that brought the storybook to life! This was the inspiration behind the PaperView – my challenge now was to recreate the same experience, but limit the fabrication to only using paper. As I went through the ideas process I soon realized to achieve the stereoscopic 3D effect with the laser cutting process was actually quite simple – and that is the beauty of this design.
Cut from recycled card, the form of the PaperView is reminiscent of my childhood classic version – yet contemporized by more modern lines and the nature of folded paper. The PaperView viewfinder is constructed from one contiguous piece of card, and designed to be sturdy, functional and beautiful.
The image dials are cut from the same recycled card as the viewfinder, and feature space for five stereoscopic images. The images would be engraved onto the card using photo manipulation to downgrade them into a number of solid opacity steps (related to the levels of engraving possible). When viewed through the viewfinder they would reveal an image close to the original. Because the image engraving would be created from two images (stereoscopic) the result would be a 3D image – made entirely from paper!
With 3D digital cameras becoming popular amongst consumers, I thought a service could be offered whereby a buyer could upload their own 3D images to the FabCafé website when ordering their PaperView. The unit would then be shipped to them with their own images engraved onto the image dials.
I hope you enjoy this design, and are excited, as I am, to see this “vision” become a reality!
I thought back to my childhood to recall one of my favorite toys: my stereoscopic viewer. I would buy books to read that came with round photo dials that when put into the viewer became rich and surreal 3D images that brought the storybook to life! This was the inspiration behind the PaperView – my challenge now was to recreate the same experience, but limit the fabrication to only using paper. As I went through the ideas process I soon realized to achieve the stereoscopic 3D effect with the laser cutting process was actually quite simple – and that is the beauty of this design.
Cut from recycled card, the form of the PaperView is reminiscent of my childhood classic version – yet contemporized by more modern lines and the nature of folded paper. The PaperView viewfinder is constructed from one contiguous piece of card, and designed to be sturdy, functional and beautiful.
The image dials are cut from the same recycled card as the viewfinder, and feature space for five stereoscopic images. The images would be engraved onto the card using photo manipulation to downgrade them into a number of solid opacity steps (related to the levels of engraving possible). When viewed through the viewfinder they would reveal an image close to the original. Because the image engraving would be created from two images (stereoscopic) the result would be a 3D image – made entirely from paper!
With 3D digital cameras becoming popular amongst consumers, I thought a service could be offered whereby a buyer could upload their own 3D images to the FabCafé website when ordering their PaperView. The unit would then be shipped to them with their own images engraved onto the image dials.
I hope you enjoy this design, and are excited, as I am, to see this “vision” become a reality!