From sketches to tested objects.

Four projects showing how the work changed as the constraints became more real: dimensions, materials, manufacturing processes, print cost and assembly.

Fusion 360 CADTechSoft 2D manufacture filesResin + laser prototyping

Explore all 119 diary pages ↗

Cyberset's illuminated orange diffuser and layered octagonal frames — **Cyberset**Layered plywood, acrylic and warm illumination.

01 · Foundation

Measure, draw, make.

Brief Learn core workshop processes, then design a Bauhaus-influenced keyring for laser manufacture.

Bauhaus research, measured drawings and TechSoft vector work were used to test a keyring design. This remained an experiment; no physical version of the keyring was made.

Construction-method research and measured drawing.
Bauhaus visual research translated through shape extraction.
Material thickness and joint geometry treated as design constraints.

Inspect the drawing-led 3D reconstruction ↗

Digital reconstruction of the unbuilt Bauhaus keyring experiment — Bauhaus keyring · digital reconstruction of an unbuilt design experiment.

02 · Fantasy Light → Cyberset

Originality became a design decision.

Brief Design and make a light around the theme of fantasy for a defined user and setting.

Early routes included a Peter Pan scene. Visual and product research, silhouette studies and five physical revisions led to Cyberset: an original layered cyber-sunset light.

Inspect the TechSoft-led 3D reconstruction ↗

Cyberset with warm orange illumination — **Cyberset** · plywood, acrylic and warm illumination.

Sketchbook development comparing visual references and explaining the choice that led to Cyberset — Choosing the original route and defining the layered plywood method.

Build photographs and final photographs of the illuminated Cyberset light — **Original evidence:** assembly, surface finishing and the completed illuminated form.

03 · Organic Forms → Mushroom Tissue Stand

The first CAD answer was too expensive.

Brief Respond to “Organic Forms” with a tableware design for an identified target audience.

Biomimicry, product and price comparison, user needs and material experiments shaped a tissue, toothpick, salt and pepper stand. A solid mould half was then redesigned from roughly £50 of resin to a printable shell estimated at about £9.

Mushroom Tissue Stand with open tissue tray and slotted wooden cap — **Mushroom Tissue Stand** · three heads with separate functions. Explore the assembly and tissue feed ↗

Fusion 360 development of a two-part mould, ending with a costly solid resin-print design — **First version:** solid mould geometry, alignment holes and print estimate.

Fusion 360 redesign showing a hollow printable shell and the lower resin estimate — **Redesign:** shell construction, printable walls and a materially lower estimate.

Initial estimate>£50one solid mould half

Revised estimate≈£9one printable shell

04 · Angles → Light Fixture · externally set assignment

One design across two CAD systems.

Brief Respond to the externally set theme “Angles” and resolve a final outcome during the ten-hour practical exam.

Artist synthesis, customer and retailer mapping, force research and material experiments informed the concept. Fusion 360 established the layered assembly and 6 mm LED-strip clearances; TechSoft and card prototypes then exposed spacing and alignment problems.

Research distilled into texture, perspective, structure and pattern.
Fusion 360 for the layered assembly and component clearances.
Card prototypes used before committing to final materials.

Explore the light fixture in 3D ↗

Angles light fixture with cyan illumination and layered geometric details — **Angles light fixture** · cyan illumination.

Sketchbook diary showing the ESA design developed in Fusion 360 and TechSoft 2D Design — Fusion 360 assembly translated into TechSoft cutting layouts.

Sketchbook page showing laser-cut layouts and card prototypes for the ESA design — Card prototypes used to adjust the base layer and visual alignment.

Progression

The work became more testable.

01
Draw accurately
Use dimensions and material thickness to make a design manufacturable.
02
Build early
Use physical prototypes to expose assembly and visual problems.
03
Change the answer
Redesign when cost, printability or alignment shows that the first version is weak.

More engineering work.

See the interactive CAD models, 3D-printing timeline and production-tooling work on the main engineering page.

Design & 3D ↗Email Jonathan ↗