...So...It Begins...

In continuation from my last blog post, the measuring and modelling of the retractable pen has begun, and it seems to be going pretty well so far.














(The pen, dismembered on the chopping block... and just imagine that there is a small metal spring lying alongside its kin; it seems to have momentarily disappeared into the void...)




Instead of taking the measurements of the individual parts and immediately digitally modelling the corresponding piece, I opted instead to take the measurements and record them on a word document (a process that has both its benefits, such as having a handy list to refer to, instead of remeasuring a part, and its downfalls, like mixing up the measurements by constantly looking at the wrong numbers for a part then modelling much too large...)

Not every part has been modeled as of yet, but all the measurements have been taken and recorded.

 

(The Ink Tube: a simple tube... filled with ink...)

The metal... nib? part of the pen was modeled by taking measurements of the diameter of the tube shape at both extremities of the tapered tube, then using the Loft function to join them into a solid shape. The Shell command was then used to hollow out the tube, then a sphere was inserted into the tip to create the appearance of a working ball pen.
(Initially, this had been one of the parts made by looking at the incorrect measurements on my measurement sheet, but the use of the Scale command quickly fixed that problem.)

(The Rubber Grip: describes itself, does it not?)

Simple tube with with the raised 'grippy' texture created by using the Sweep1 command to create rings that are then arrayed along the length of the tube and boolean unioned to create a single piece.

The 'clicky'? piece was the hardest so far:

   

(The 'Clicky' Piece: the small piece of plastic that fits over the ink tube and interacts with another piece to create the clicking sound of the pen and to retract the nib)

The varying lengths and widths of the internal and external shape were laid out, then their outlines finalized. These were then revolved to form the 3D shapes. The internal cutting tool is put in place and the command BooleanDifference is used to create a hollow space.

  

(Please ignore the blue circle that somehow avoided deletion)

A similar process is then used to cut the notches and other details.

 

(Tah-dah!)

I think there might be a few discrepancies with a few of the measurements that must be remeasured, and my model of the spring has to be reworked, but so far, so good (I think...)