Getting down to it

I hope to get a lot done this weekend. Pics of the most recent work will be posted later today (front panel has been cut out and is marked for cutting holes), and the most recent render is in the pane on the right.

Since I soon have to disassemble the PC for test-fitting into the mod, that's probably going to be the last render. I'll be setting up the old PC again so I can continue to browse and post while I'm working, but it just doesn't have enough power to render the model in it's current state anymore (unless I let it run all freaking day). I think I've got it where I want it now. The VFD got moved to the top so the DVD and HDDs can be mounted together and in the right place (also helps airflow to the blowhole), and the ball got moved up a bit so it clears the motherboard components (don't know what happened in the render with that steel face inside the ball at the top; I can't find it in the model). Fixed the USB ports which I noticed weren't showing up for a while. I'm not entirely sure about the mounting of the USB ports yet; I might use some kind of chrome faceplate or something.

Here's today's optimistic to-do list:
1a) get some 3/4" angle again, to use for drive mounting and such
1b) assemble drive mounts into frame
2) start cutting on front panel (finish when plasma ball arrives; need exact diameter before cutting hole)
3) start sanding/bending/cutting on the outer shell so I can paint it soon.
4) test the PAE-SATA adapter before tearing PC down (it arrived yesterday)

Flattening & Render 2.0

OK, before I move on to today's activities, let me get you caught up on what I did the other day with the bread machine.



Here is the piece as flattened as I got it by bending. Clamped it down and went to work on it with a mallet.

Then, using an old case panel clamped to it as a straightedge, I got it down to this with the nibbler:



Here is the render I promised yesterday. This is pretty much final. Certain componnents will probably move a little when I start physically laying them out, but it will basically look like this.



Also, remember that the DVD bezel is going to match the front. I'm just having trouble getting rid of the UV map in blender so I can use a texture; not worth the effort at this stage in the game.

About to get started

I fucked up in my measurements somewhere along the line. Not sure where I went wrong, but I intended for the thing to be 9.5" deep all along. When I went to start laying out where to cut/bend the sheet metal, I measured the depth again and got 10", which is what I remembered from the first time I measured. I looked at my model for reference and saw that I had made it 12" deep. That's not cool. Upon further investigation, I realized that it can't be any less than 10".

So, I reworked things, as opposed to going out and finding another appliance to tear apart that would give me a big enough sheet. I shrunk it to 10" and eliminated the protrusion, replacing it with chrome trim (I plan to use the stuff they sell for car doors; it's cheap and easy to work with). Since it would have been too much, I eliminated the existing chrome I had on the front and sides. I think it turned out OK; I'll post the render later, or tomorrow (don't feel like it right now).

I also measured out on the sheet where the pods and window can go, laying it out so that I can cover up one set of vents already in the sheet, cut out the one above it for the window, and leave the top set in place. I updated the model with the new positions and added the vents. Then, I used an old case panel as a straightedge and nibbled the sheet down to the length I need, leaving about a 1/2" margin to bend over (more than I need, but I wanted to make sure I had enough).

Bending is going to be a pain. I wonder if I should get a brake. I might be heading to Cedar Rapids again tomorrow anyway; might make a quick HF stop if I decide I need one.

Back to it tomorrow!

Tomorrow, I'm finally back to modding. I'll continue flattening the bread machine, and start work on the frame.

Tonight, I added the little "current status" pic on the sidebar of the blog. I updated my render a bit to show more accurate window dimensions, since I realized I hadn't resized it when I moved the molding up. Not 100% sure on that, but it's closer to what I want.



I'm still a little torn on the molding. I definitely like it, but it just doesn't meet the front edges right. I might do a render without the molding on the sides, and a totally different window shape, assuming I think of something I like (or someone suggests something...).

I also did a quick render from the side view, through the window. This was just for fun; please don't mind the imperfections in my model that are very obvious here. :-P

Render 1.6b

So, have you guys seen welders and stuff where the top/side edges protrude a little past the front face? They usually have rounded edges, so I've been thinking about them while working on my model. I'd been convince that all the edges rounded would look better, even though it would be incredibly difficult to pull off and make the seams look right.

Today at the hardware store, I happened to walk by the welders, and they happened to have one assembled in that manner. Upon seeing one in person again, I decided that was actually the perfect look. I also decided it would be cool if the front face had a brushed aluminum/steel finish. What do you think?



Sorry the inside doesn't look like much from this angle. I added some stuff to the inside for reference; the big, round block you see there represents my CPU fan/heatsink.

In person, the protruding edge will obviously have some thickness to it, and will look a little better than that. The only thing bothering me now is the interference between the protrusion and the chrome. Should I just leave it this shape and skip the protrusion? Or should I make the protrusion shallower (by about half), and let it pass through the chrome molding (I had it that way before and liked it, but it was hard to see the protrusion in the render)? Hrmm.

I also removed the antenna to check the look; damn, it does look better. Now, what to do about a handle?

EDIT: Oh yeah, pretty major difference: it's taller. Since the size is not limited by the dimensions of the case I hacked apart (back in the first couple of posts...yeah, changed my mind about that, by the way) originally, I decided to make it closer to a cube. By making it about an inch taller, the height is now the same as the depth (not including the front protrusion) of 9". The width is 10.5" due to the size of the motherboard; I could scale it to a cube that size, but that would be just a hair bigger than I want.

Render 1.1

Some updates to the render.



I got some great suggestions from Ond on BYOAC; whose amazing Retro-futuristic arcade cabinet (check it out if you haven't seen it) is being done in a style very similar to what I'm going for. He's one of many builders on those forums whom I truly respect for their talent and efforts, so I was grateful for his advice.

I'm really torn on the "spring antenna." I agree with a couple of people who have said it doesn't seem to fit. Although it's definitely part of the era's "decor" when it comes to these things, it's really part of a more distinct style that my design doesn't embody. However, I thought it would make a cool handle. And I still think it does, but probably not for this case.

The problem is, I definitely want a handle on top. Anyone have an idea for something more fitting? I'm kind of at a loss; guess I have to look at more pictures.

As for the other mods, Ond had suggested rounding the edges (which I had originally wanted, but only today thought of some methods for building it that way), moving the fan to the center, and replacing my "glowing orb" with a plasma ball.

The front edges will be rounded as well as the top (assuming my ideas work out), it's just really difficult for someone at my skill level to model in Blender after the base cube has already been modified. My "orb" was going to be a sound-activated thing, which I still think is a cool idea, but I think the plasma ball would be equally cool so I thought I'd stick it in the model to have a look. My model of it looks like shit, but you get the idea. I wonder if one of those lumin discs would be just as cool; I'm a little apprehensive over putting glass components into my case. Either way, I just need to find one about 3" in diameter.

Moving the fan wasn't an option before, since it wouldn't have cleared the DVD drive. Moving the drive down and finding a slim fan would have just made it, but the airflow would still be blocked. I had previously considered going with a slim drive; I revisited this idea and decided on getting a USB case to convert my old laptop's drive.

Any other thoughts/questions?

EDIT: I know the DVD drive image is squashed; I tried cropping the UV map in blender to just the drive tray bezel so it would look like a slim drive, but it didn't work. Also, note that I plan to paint that bezel to match the case. That will be in a future render.

First render

Here is my first draft (finally).



The render isn't 100% perfect, but you can't really notice the worst of it from this angle anyway.

Suggestions welcome!

EDIT: By the way, it's hard to tell, but that pinkish stripe on the side is supposed to be glowing red. It's going to be a back-lit strip of translucent plastic. Really hard to make the lit-up pieces look right in Blender. The orb on the front is kind of the same way; the inside lighting is going to be UV.

It's a computer

My package did get here yesterday; who knew? Naturally, I built the machine last night (into an old case) so I could test all the components and get Windows/Kubuntu installed. It will be easier to finish my Blender project with this one, too (building a sweet 3D model of the case before I start cutting and grinding).

Will post gear pr0n later tonight. (You might call it "softcore," since it's nothing terribly fancy.)