For this project I was commissioned by Alchemy Arts to create a CAD model and engineering drawings for a large sculptural tree they wanted to build out of steel for the 2022 Winter Lights Festival in Tacoma, WA. They needed to have their design approved by a structural engineer prior to installation, so I helped with generating solid body and wireframe models using Rhino to replicate the fabrication methods the artists hoped to use. I was involved in communicating with the artists and remote engineering team to help get necessary approvals for installation permitting.

This design was fascinating and challenging because the intention was to create many small metal snowflakes out of bar and tubes then weld those snowflakes together into a larger tree form. I got the opportunity to experiment with some new commands in Rhino, particularly the wrap to surface command, that were quite helpful in projecting 2d patterns onto curved surfaces and generating joined 3d wireframes. This project pushed my modeling capabilities and offered a good opportunity for me to apply my CAD skills to an artistic, creative build. 

Thank you Heather and Fez for the inspiration and the fun collaboration!