Time Capsule 0.2
The next step for my time capsule is to actually build it. Working on part 1 of this exercise made me realize how fun it is to play with digital tools, and so going into this project I decided that I wanted to explore an area that I’m usually uncomfortable with: 3D design.
I learned how to use some 3D tools a while ago. Rhino, Cinema 4D, Maya. I recall these tools to be very challenging to use and expensive to acquire. I wasn’t really sure where to start, so I grabbed my iPad and proceeded to sketch some concepts and ideas. I would worry about the 3D software later.
When I think of a time capsule, I think of a dirty shoe box buried underground. I didn’t want to go that route, so I tried thinking outside the box (haha get it?) when I was sketching my ideas.
I took a step back, looking at my rough sketches, and my ideas clicked in place. My time capsule would revolve around the idea of storing information in the cloud. Storing them on the internet.
Now that I had a concept, I needed a way to prototype my time capsule. I wasn’t really sure which software to choose, especially since it had been years since I modeled anything. As I was browsing through Tiktok, I came across a creator trying out a new free tool online to enhance websites. It turns out that this software is geared towards creating 3D models. This software is call Spline, and it is a free online tool to help designers create 3D models. I knew immediately that I had to try it out for my project.
There’s always a learning curve with new software, but Spline was surprisingly easy to take a grasp on. I started by creating a simple shape, a cube, and then played with all the controls and options Splice had to offer. I was figuring out the limits of the program and seeing what I could accomplish with one cube.
I then started adding dimension to my cube by nesting more shapes inside of it. Similar to the previous cube, I added texture, color, and lighting to make the item more interesting.
At this point, I felt like I could make this weird cube open up to reveal my items, so I duplicated the original blue cube to make it appear as if it is opening up.
To make it look more like a “cloud” or symbolize the cloud, I created spheres on the front of the cube. I was very pleased with the addition since it seemed like the shape of the box was an icon for cloud.
All that was left to do was to create the objects from my narrative and add the to “the cloud”. I decided to go with the concept of the open box with little particles and my objects floating out of it. I changed the background color, adjusted the lighting, and here’s the finished product:
Reflection
I was excited to use Part 2 of the assignment to explore a medium that I am intimidated by. I was also pleased to have tried out a completely new software to build my time capsule, and I hope that in future assignments I am able to keep experimenting with Splice and become better at 3D modeling. As a next step, I would like to challenge myself to learn how to animate the objects I created.
