3D Printing, Laser Cutting and Mechatronics
Being the nerd that I am, when it became a thing in the 2010s, I had to get involved with 3D printing. For a long time, I had access to machines at school or at work and could satisfy my craving by using, maintaining, and hacking those. In my most recent job, we don't have a printer, and I was beginning to feel the hole in my life. Then they came up with a single desktop machine that does FDM 3D printing, laser engraving and CNC cutting, and my heart melted. So I teamed up with my dad and we bought one of these babies, and I am very happy with all that I can do with it! The machine is the Snapmaker 2.0 and I absolutely recommend it (not sponsored)!
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As a result, in addition to creating lots of accessories for my costumes, I can now create custom objects for my family, friends and for clients. Combined with my basic mechatronic skills, I can also make some fun animatronic or interactive props for LARPs. Here are a few examples of what I have been doing.
My brother draws these amazing ambigrams of names, and he asked me to make some plaques with his username, Tumbleweed, made with several types of wood. The machine allows to do laser engraving and then cuts the wood to the desired shape. A few coats of varnish and they are ready to go!
I made this pulsing light crystal game piece for Obscur, the new LARP by Hydre, in Morges Switzerland. The energy of the crystal dies when it is removed from its monolith, so the players have to find a way to maintain its powers if they want to use it to cast a spell.
It includes a press button, some LEDs and a strip of Adafruit Neopixels, and the big challenge was to make it waterproof. I 3D printed the base to set up the LEDs and button, then repurposed a tupperware to put all of the hardware into. I did the electronic design and assembly, and my friend @purple_fox_swiss then made the fake stone encasing that it was set in during the LARP.
I also made these LED circles for the Obscur LARP. They are integrated into the meteorites that occasionally fall from the sky. While they emit a purple light, they are harmful to players if touched, but when enough time has gone by, they turn green to indicate they are ok to harvest for minerals.
They are also made with NeoPixel strips that are programmed in python using an Adafruit QT Py board.
I love making these kinds of props!
For a project I am working on right now, I need a specific lace-like pattern that I have not been able to find a suitable replacement for, so I decided to draw it myself and laser-cut it from this fusible fabric, in order to be able to then transfer it to my fabric. It was an experiment, but it worked out and I am very happy with the result. Stay tuned for the final look on the finished dress.
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