Productive Distortions: Exploring the Art of Projection Drawing

Catalog description

Imagine orbiting around a 3D object without the use of Rhino or other modeling software. At the end of the 18th century, this is exactly what engineers, architects, masons and cartographers were able to do thanks to the techniques of Descriptive Geometry as codified by Gerard Desargues and Gaspard Monge. These drawing techniques allow complex three-dimensional forms to be modeled in two dimensions - yielding an endless number of auxiliary views of an object. After a series of exercises which teach students to master this technique, we will translate these complex 2D drawings into 3D models in Rhino and then output geometrical intersections as physical models using the Milling Machine and 3D printer. Through this exchange between two-dimensional drawing, three-dimensional modeling and physical output, students will expand their understanding of both the history of projection drawing and the geometrical principles which underpin the 3D modeling software we all take for granted today.Basic skills in Rhino, AutoCAD, and Adobe Illustrator are required.