Build your own planet

lizzienewell

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I've been working on this problem for years(maybe 15 years) and I'm now designing a kit for making science fiction maps. I'm not sure if this should be with Space & Aeronautics or with science fiction, so I've got stuff posted in both categories I'm making models of the Earth and the Moon. My intent is to design a kit for mapping imaginary planets. I'm going to do an 8" globe, icosahedron projected on a sphere, accompanied by a second model which is 27% the size of the first. I was going to do 12" and 3" but 8.5 x 11 " paper isn't big enough to print parts for the 12" globe and it takes a lot of paper. I've scaled down so that I can get many of the identical parts on single sheets. I can work faster that way. I'm not sure how far back I should go with photos of this project. Today I'm working on attaching the model to a flashlight, so I'll post what I'm doing right now. The model is of an icosahedron projected on a sphere and will be used as a model of the moon. I plan to download an icosahedral map, resize it, print it and place it over the model as a skin. But then I just have to see what it looks like with a light inside, so I bought a small clip LED flashlight with a 5/8 inch diameter. I'm designing a ferrule and a way to attach the ferrule to the model. The model shown is the basic support structure for a the moon model. It goes together without glue. I've been working on writing the directions for putting it together.
 

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Ron Caudillo

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I've always loved models based on the 5 regular solids. I'm following this to see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing!

Best Regards,
 

lizzienewell

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I'm tickled that you like it. I find geometric solids so appealing with their symmetry and how things work out after puzzling over the shape. It get a feeling of ahhh when the shapes go together.
 

Tonino

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All curved surfaces are a great challenge for any cardmodeler. Sphere is the perfect shape par excellence. Is this the reason for I liked so much to follow @DanBKing 's build of his wonderful Discovery! And this is the reason for I'll be following this one with a lot of curiosity.

Audience growing here!! :):):):):)
 

zathros

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Hey, the water forming was my idea!! He just showed the absolute pinnacle and use of it. ;) I have been doing that since I was 9 years old!! The polyhedrons are some of the best surfaces to work with, they are easily plastered into a ball, or not. The link I gave above leads to 1000's of unfoldedshapes that can be easily scaled.

Here it is again:

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=unfolded polyhedron
 

Tonino

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Excuse me Zathros! I didn't want to disregard your rule. "Reddite quae sunt Cesaris Cesari" (Give to Caesar what is Caesar's)...:shamefullyembarrased:
It's a brain automation: Sphere=Discovery... cannot avoid it!
 

zathros

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Not sure what you mean. I was referring to using water with Pigment Ink printed models to form compound curves. Dan took it to the next step by taking the idea and using a methodology that worked extremely well. I have using this method since I made cold molded boats out of strip planking 30 odd years ago. I used to use spoons to make fenders for cars by laminating up toilet paper and glue. You would be surprised how well that can turn out, especially with the better glues made now. The absorbancy of the toilet paper precludes needing vacuum and a plastic bag. Was this what you were referring to my friend? :)
 

DanBKing

Dan the Man
Now, let's not squabble .....! ;)

@zathros indeed put me onto the idea of water shaping paper. I practiced with the technique earlier on in the Discovery build. And after much trial and error, I achieved what I desired in the end result. ;)

When I built Daishi's Frost Dragon, most of that was built by feel...... Finger feel...... Very little use of the tweezers...!
The continued manipulating of the parts softened them to form... The moisture/oils/nicotine/beer/weed/dirt/soap-residue on my fingers, provided a nice softener for the paper... :shamefullyembarrased:

Even using thin glue, softens the parts of the model when gluing, once the part is tacked, it remains soft long enough to form the paper into the desired shape. Any glue residue on the part can be cleaned off with a licked ear bud .... :D


Paper is pliable. It has 'feel'. If the paper is of decent quality, it can be formed and stretched into all sorts of shapes and contours....

http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Paper_Manipulation


:D :D :D :D
 
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zathros

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Dan, your build of that ship set the bar so high,any other may have to be actually in orbit to compete with yours. I had tried to help a friend form ship barbettes, to support the guns, using water but the concept was found to be reprehensible. Ships, in contact with water, "What you be talkin' about Willis". :)
 

lizzienewell

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I have some interesting shapes that, when folded, almost form a ball, if you want, I can post them. This page is where I get a lot of patterns from this search I did once and bookmarked Many unfolded patterns that can be used.:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=880&q=undolded polyhedra&oq=undolded polyhedra&gs_l=img.12...2128.9942.0.10975.12.8.1.3.0.0.98.715.8.8.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..5.7.543.wY1PsitKjSY#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=unfolded polyhedron
Do post them. I like doing my own designs. I guess I like designing better than building but I love seeing what others are doing.
 

lizzienewell

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Thanks for the link. It has myrahedral mapping. It seem that the shape I'm making is a myrahedron. Im plan on downloading map images to place on the surface. No need to repeat work which is already done. Myrahedral maps will take the least amount of modification. I downloaded a icosahedral map of the moon. To use it I'll have to do a lens adjustment on every one of the 20 faces. I started on the project last night. I have to break each face into a separate Photoshop object/jpg file. I did a quick version and saw that I needed to adjust contrast, exposure, and clarity so that it looks good with light shining through the image.
 

lizzienewell

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Here's the flashlight mount. The light has a 5/8th inch diameter which is the biggest size the model can handle. I think the design can be adapted for a smaller diameter light. It would be cool if I could get a small enough battery, LED, and switch that I could put the switch on the side of the model and suspend it for a glowing moon.
 

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lizzienewell

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Now, let's not squabble .....! ;)

@zathros indeed put me onto the idea of water shaping paper. I practiced with the technique earlier on in the Discovery build. And after much trial and error, I achieved what I desired in the end result. ;)

When I built Daishi's Frost Dragon, most of that was built by feel...... Finger feel...... Very little use of the tweezers...!
The continued manipulating of the parts softened them to form... The moisture/oils/nicotine/beer/weed/dirt/soap-residue on my fingers, provided a nice softener for the paper... :shamefullyembarrased:

Even using thin glue, softens the parts of the model when gluing, once the part is tacked, it remains soft long enough to form the paper into the desired shape. Any glue residue on the part can be cleaned off with a licked ear bud .... :D


Paper is pliable. It has 'feel'. If the paper is of decent quality, it can be formed and stretched into all sorts of shapes and contours....

http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Paper_Manipulation


:D :D :D :D
I studies ceramics and also do sewing, so I go toward softening and shaping the paper automatically. The first geometric model I build was out of chipboard paper which had been worked wet and is held together with tracing paper and cornstarch paste. I have another made of copper wire, tracing paper, and cornstarch paste. Cornstarch tends to soften the paper too much. Paper is quite a bit like wool felt. The hat I'm wearing in the picture is wool felt. I bought it from another artist. It was exactly the kind of hat I was thinking of making for mayself. Much easier to buy it from someone else. It seems we can think of paper as cellulose felt.
 

lizzienewell

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Here's the model under an icosahedral map of the moon. It did it quick by downloading and adjusting the size without modifying it into a sphere. I taped it in place. You can see that the contrast and clarity should be adjusted so that it works better with a light inside.
 

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lizzienewell

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To subdivide the icosahedron into an 80 sided polyhedron I make 20 of these these little triangular knots. Except, since I have a flashlight mount included, I only need eighteen. The lower picture has the knots laid out around the icosahedral frame.

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zathros

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I can make a pretty round sphere and unfold it. It is projecting the land texture I need to learn, and it had to be with the software I have as my pockets are deep, but empty!! :)
 

lizzienewell

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Oooh I want to see. My solution to land has been to model it crumpled paper and glue then paint with acrylic. It looks great. Unfortunately I couldn't transfer it to a jpg and I can't change the landforms easily. I'm thinking I'll do the same thing maybe using paper mache techniques with cornstarch(or acrylic medium) and tissue paper. I'm planning to model the tectonic plates this way. I'll think about subduction zones and spreading zones. I might have to put a release agent between model and paper. I'm guessing spray the paper with Crystal clear and then use petroleum jelly. But photographing one icosahedral face at a time might be simpler. I'll have to check the amount of distortion and the number of pixels.
I see a number of options: cut the triangle shapes from the globe and scan them, trace the shapes, or photograph the shapes and adjust the distortion with Photoshop. I suppose I'm taking a approach opposite the usually. The end result will be a flat map.
 
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