#3DPrinting

Early #3DPrinted prototype of #Classic #IonicCapital from a few years back using a #Prusa #MK4S #3DPrinter.

The length of the #volute from end-to-end is more than 10". I rotated the #voluteSlab 45° on the printer bed, and by the grace of #Pythagoras, I was able to print it inside the 8" build envelope of the MK4S.

This prototype has many imperfections, and some elements are just plain "wrong" -- like the curved inside of the volute channel (instead of flat).

The #ovolo is lacking #eggsAndDarts because I had not yet made the distinction between a #tectonicSurface on which the #decorativeElements rest, and a #virtualSurface that encloses the decorative elements. My calculations at the time always seemed to differ from those in #Scarlata's book. But as the physical #3DPrint shows, it is perfectly OK to go for a minimalistic look — even if it means a ribbon shorn of #braids. It's the distinctive design of the core tectonic elements that has the greatest impact.

I used brown silk filament for the braids, because, why not? For this prototype, I printed them separately and glued them to the #scroll.

Also, the scrolls are misshapen because I had not yet figured out the correct geometry. It would be another 4 years of tinkering with my #CAD design to finally get my #Eureka moment — and that's when I decided to start this series.
Tectonic vs stereotomic are also reflected in 3D modeling vs 3D sculpting. "This is the closest we've seen to the film concept of "mechanical reproduction" or a "shot-for-shot remake" in architecture." Thanks! Most casual onlookers enjoy looking at the decorative elements, but recoil from math and technical diagrams. I've tried to downplay the math aspects, but clear technical diagrams can't be avoided if somebody wanted to recreate these in their own lab.
You're doing a really great job explaining the process with contemporary tools AND the history. You are hitting a really good spot to balance clarity for a public audience and detail for a technical audience!
This is really cool. We're all taught in school that the Classical Orders came out of the translation of wood construction (tectonic) into stone (stereotomic). Then translating that yet again to additive manufacturing is a shift to... let's call it a rheotomic (continuous, flow-based) construction. We love it. This is the closest we've seen to the film concept of "mechanical reproduction" or a "shot-for-shot remake" in architecture. Super cool.
i did not expect this manifestation of all the calculations and considerations somehow
now i think of all the sculptors and stonemasons and the incredible perfection of their realizations over the centuries
the abstraction is no less fascinating
I have unreserved respect for the designers who could "see" the geometry (even those of occluded objects) without the aid of computers, and the craftspeople who diligently chipped away at the stones with hand tools to realize these designs to perfection!
there are always many ways to approach a matter, abstract or manifest...human achievements are mostly based on some form of cooperation...who created the tools, built the fountain?...and yet the idea, the ability to think is always the, originally abstract, basis...consciousness is limitless, but each human being is only one facet, i think...perfection is easier to reach in the abstract or dreaming maybe...and decay is always programmed in