I’ve been meaning to post the iPhone 5 vector for a while now. I also have some older iPhone 4 vectors that I have also been meaning to post.
I am most pleased with the way the “hero” illustration turned out. The iPhone 4 reverse is okay, but chrome like finish of the Apple logo and writing is a hard look to try to represent on a flat static display.
Phone 5, Front View, Black
iPhone 4/4s, Hero View
iPhone 4/4s, Back
As most self-respecting nerds are aware, Star Trek: The Next Generation is being re-released in high-definition Blu-Ray discs, one season at a time.
This show captured my imagination while growing up. I used to watch it with my father, as many young kids did. What I have always enjoyed about Star Trek are the philosophical undertones that came from Gene Roddenberry’s idealistic hopes for the future of humanity.
For the release of each season, two of the best, most memorable episodes from that season in theaters for one night only. I thought to myself that if I’m going to be seen in public going to a Star Trek viewing like this, I may as well look my best for the occasion…
I started by drawing the basic profile of the TNG combadge in illustrator. I used screenshots from the show and pictures on Google to get the shape as accurate as possible.
I then Imported the shape into Autocad Inventor and extruded and shaped the model to look how they appear I the show. Once I had the model finalized, I took an STL file and brought it into Carve 3D software and prepared a tool path for use on our CNC machine using a 1/8th inch round nose bit. The bit is too large for this scale, and so not all the detail seen in the 3D model is in turn translated to the wood model.
The next step was to cut it out then sand it down in preparation for painting. I primed it and used gold metal and silver paint to give it its final appearance. Wood is not ideal for this type of replica because the of the grain, but the result is still pretty good I think.
I tried multiple woods and found the best result with ash. I also tried 3D printing on a Maker Bot but found that the step resolution produced very rough models that were unacceptable. To finish the badges off, they were fitted with a strong rare earth magnet, allowing them to be affixed to clothing.
I just started rereading all the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books which I haven’t read since I was in high school. Although it has the words “DON’T PANIC” in large, friendly letters on the cover, I’ve always been partial to the green character that is on the front of many of the books.
It turns out that this friendly little character is named the “Cosmic Cutie.” What I also didn’t know is that Douglas Adams vehemently disliked him, and tried very hard to disassociate him with the franchise. It turns out that when the books were first published in the United States, the publisher felt that having this green character on the front of each book would help the readers know that these books are part of the same series.
Even if Douglas Adams didn’t care for him, it’s too late and many of us fans have become fond of the little guy. The version you see above was made in Illustrator. I then took him and superimposed him upon a star field for a nifty iPhone background. Maybe not as neat as digital wristwatches, but pretty fun none-the-less.
© 2007-2015 Michael Caldwell