Mars Rover: Cutting & Assembly Multimedia Release
Well, the Mars Rover came together very nicely… it took about two weeks from start to finish after I approached Angus of Hines Design Labs to do some testing for me (reasons why later). As part of the deal, I asked him to take some videos and photographs of the entire assembly process, from cutting to final photoshoot and I was blown away at how much material he actually did send. I was expecting maybe a video or two, a few photos… but he gave me so much to play with, I was very pleasantly surprised.
Cutting the wooden 3D Mars Rover out of 2D plywood
I’ve been wanting to release some real video of one of my models being cut by a laser cutter (CNC as well to be fair) since I started WoodMarvels.com three years ago. There is just something cool about seeing a model come to life using precision technology. As you can see from the video, a laser cutter going through wood is like a knife through butter… it’s really fascinating how LIGHT can be used to actually CUT something as dense as wood.
Making a flat 2D Mars Rover into a 3D Mars Rover!
Wow… that cutting video was cool! Now, we have a whole bunch of pieces, over 200 actually all laying flat, some about the size of your thumb and others the length of your arm! This is the fun part as you can see from the video, it all just “comes together” nicely. The precision of a laser is absolute, if there is a line, it will cut it regardless of whether it’s the first of the millionth. Technology is amazing!
Start to finish, in two easy steps!
There you have it, a complete Mars Rover in two easy videos! I also wanted to do an update to the original 3D Mars Rover animation as well in HD… it looks and flows much better than the original but the final segment requires a bit more work. After a 4 day rendering queue (that final shot alone scanning the WoodMarvels.com Brontosaurus), I was too much in a hurry to get it done in time!
What’s next?
Although I really dislike long rendering times, I’m going to begin training myself towards the goal of making a feature length animation based on my science fiction book, 2847AD: Solar Horizons which I wrote over the course of several months. When I wrote this book and did the extensive research required to make it as scientifically accurate as possible, I envisioned it becoming a 3D animated movie. I actually built scenes in it that would be best suited to 3D with a lot of descriptions as I knew I’d have to rely on these details to build my own 3D solar system (our future solar system). I really love the idea of the ultimate space adventure! So, I’m now going to be spending far more time getting things to look cool in 3D as I release future WoodMarvels.com. I’m anxious to see what I teach myself next!