Homework week one

oh well, links to the high res versions maybe

Page One

Page Two

Fon,

Here is my first pass at a helmet design.  I had just a couple of distinct helmet designs, but most were pretty ugly or looked like some version of Halo.  This one, I thought the basic shape was interesting enough to pursue.  So, I played with a bunch of derivations of it, tweaking and adding details a little at a time.  I wanted to get your impression on it before I tried to finalize the design.  I am leaning toward numbers 16 and 17, which really are only different at the front top of the helmet.  I wanted something with a little bit of detail, but not too much as there's still a lot of work that needs to be done.

As the design stands, the lower back section needs to flare out a bit to clear the head for donning.  Otherwise, I was thinking of making the face plate portion be detachable...  Maybe hold it one with some rare-earth magnets.

I'm looking forward to your (and the other student's) feedback.

-Dave

I don't think the box (I'm assuming you're talking about just the lower portion that houses the vacuum) has any specific dimensions as it will be dependent upon the vacuum itself.  I know that its footprint will be roughly the same size as the frame you are using to hold the plastic, maybe a touch bigger for tolerances.

How's that for a vague answer?

-Dave

Hello Fon.

Thanks for the input.  I was struggling with this design a bit...  I, too, liked the really simple one but I was afraid it was looking a little too much like a beret or bicycle helmet so I started playing with breaking up the different areas.  I think I'll go back to the simple one and adjust the lines a little bit instead of adding details/textures.  Once I have something that I think will work, I'll flesh out a slightly nicer rendering and re-post it.

Now...  I need to kill the mouse that is wrecking my shop and then start tearing apart the vacuum and oven I just bought.

-Dave

Awesome foam helmet, Wolf!

Fon, I went back to the original, simple thumbnail and played with the lines some.  (You can thank my industrial design background for the permutations.)  Anyway, my issue with coming up with an interesting design reflects what you mentioned about the message I want to convey with the character...  I don't have a character in mind, so it's a challenge to design the helmet around "nothing in particular".    That's my issue, but the result was that I merely allowed the design to float along until it started to develop a hint of personality of its own.  Most of that personality came across as a forlorn parrot with one of those plastic bonnets my grandmother used to wear to keep the rain off of her hair.  The image doesn't really instill much emotion other than pathetic. 

Regardless, I think numbers 16-19 on this new set look the best.  They are all really the same just with some different minor details added for visual interest.  I still cannot decide if I like the look of the "menacing eye slits" or the "full face tinted visor" look.  My fear is that the eye slits are a bit cliche.  Your thoughts?  Anyone else have input they'd like to add?

Thanks for taking the time, Fon, for doing this course.  I know that I'll end up with use out of it!

-Dave

hey Alan... Not to rub it in, but I scored a piece of 1/8" perforated stainless steel that was cut to size for only about $40.  No hole drilling for me! 

Hey back guys.

Dave, I had the same idea with the pre drilled steel plate but I think I might opt for two above each others as the seemed to bendy.

Happy drilling Alan 

Wow, Rowen. Crazy place you run there. My best wishes for the new arrivals. I am not sure where the design for the helmet came. It just came about when I was putting it together. Looking at it now I´d say my exposure to Star Wars and Predator might have to to do something with it.

Fon: Here´s the updated Concept for the No2 Helmet. That was the one you meant, yes?
I thought trying to evolve a sideview from the front would be a good way to continue the design