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15-294 Rapid Prototyping Technologies
Monday / Wednesday 7:00 ‐ 8:20 PM in Hunt Library 106B (Studio A)
Spring 2024
Units: 5.0, Section: A3
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Course web page:
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/academic/class/15294-s24
Staff
Course Description
This course introduces rapid prototyping to students with no prior
experience in the subject. It is designed to give you three things:
- The skills to design and fabricate artifacts using CAD
(Computer Aided Design) software, laser cutting, and 3D printing.
- An understanding of some of the computer representations and
algorithms that underlie these technologies.
- An understanding of the current state of the art in 3D
printing, and the many ways 3D printing is impacting society, from
aeronautical design to medical technology.
After completing the course you will have access to the IDeATe laser
cutting and 3D printing facilities for the rest of your time here at
CMU. You are welcome to use these facilities for future class
projects, research, or personal projects.
The only prerequisite for the course is moderate facility in Python
programming, equivalent to having taken 15-104 or 15-112 (but not
15-110). There will be two Python assignments.
Learning Objectives
After taking this course, you will be able to:
- Design complex two and three dimensional artifacts in SolidWorks.
- Safely operate a laser cutter and 3D printer.
- Combine fabricated parts with appropriate off-the-shelf hardware such as
standoffs and threaded fasteners to produce functional objects.
- Write Python code to procedurally generate DXF files for laser
cutting or STL files for 3D printing, to go beyond what CAD software alone can do.
Learning Resources
- There is no textbook for the course.
- All software required for this course has been installed on the
IDeATe laptops which can be checked out from the IDeATe lending
booth. You also have the option of installing the software on
your personal laptop. See the Software
Setup page for instructions on how to do that.
- Two recommended books for
those who want to go deeper into the 3D printing are:
- The IDeATe
Resources site has information about IDeATe equipment, courses,
policies, and more.
-
SolidWorks 2022 Essential Training at LinkedIn Learning;
log in here.
Assessments
There are no exams in this class. The final course grade will be
calculated using the following categories:
Assignment #1: Spirograph | 10 points |
Assignment #2: Trees | 15 points |
Assignment #3: Molecule | 15 points |
Assignment #4: Duck | 15 points |
Technology presentation | 5 points |
Materials presentation | 5 points |
Final Project | 25 points |
Attendance | 10 points |
Total | 100 points |
- In Assignment 1 you will make spirograph gears. It teaches you basic SolidWorks skills
and gives you experience with the laser cutter.
- In Assignment 2 you will recursively generate random binary
trees and do some geometrical calculations in Python to turn your
trees into DXF files that you can take to the laser cutter. Now
you'll be able to make more complex things than is possible with CAD
alone.
- In Assignment 3 you will create a 3D model of an ethanol
molecule and 3D print it. This will give you practice working
with 3D shapes in SolidWorks, and teach you how to use the 3D
printers available in IDeATe.
- In Assignment 4 you will write Python code to generate a custom
version of a model rubber duck, which you will write out as an STL
file. This will give you experience working with triangular meshes,
which is a popular technique for digitally representing 3D
surfaces.
- For the Technology Presentation you will research a 3D printing
technology (e.g., stereolithography) and prepare a single slide
and 2 minute in-class presentation describing some recent
development in that area.
- For the Materials Presentation you will research the 3D
printing of an unusual material (e.g., food, tissue, concrete,
etc.) and prepare a single slide and 2 minute in-class
presentation describing some recent development in that area.
- For the final project, which is 25% of your grade, you will
design, fabricate, and document something meaningful to you,
drawing on the various techniques you learned in the course. Your
project will be displayed in the class gallery.
The following letter grades will be assigned based on calculations coming
from the course assessment section.
Grade | Percentage Interval |
A | 90% - 100% |
B | 80% - 89% |
C | 70% - 79% |
D | 65 - 69% |
R (F) | below 65% |
Grading Policies
- Late-work policy: Assignments are due at 11:59 pm on the
date shown in the class schedule. They can be submitted up to two
days late at a cost of 1 point per day. Assignments more than 2
days late will not be accepted.
- Make-up work policy: Students can make up work if they
miss a deadline due to illness.
- Re-grade policy: If you believe your assignment was
graded incorrectly, please contact the TA who graded it. We will be
happy to take another look.
Course Policies
- Attendance policy: Attendance is worth 10% of your
grade. A sign-in sheet will be circulated at the beginning of
each class. You will be allowed 3 unexcused absences without
penalty. Additional absences incur a 10 point penalty. Excused
absences include illness, academic conference attendance, and
participation in certain university-sponsored activities such as a
team sporting event. Job interviews and other personal activities
do not qualify as excused absences.
- Academic Integrity and Collaboration: The work you
submit in this course must be your own. You are welcome
to help or receive help from your fellow students on general matters
such as how to fix a SolidWorks error, but you may not share your
SolidWorks files with other students, collaborate on writing Python
code, or in any other way submit or take credit for work that is not
purely your own.
For final projects, it is common to take inspiration from and build
upon the work of others. This is permissible provided that you
cite your sources and explain how you went beyond their work to
make the project your own.
- Class Communication: We will use Piazza as our primary
means of online communication. Please ask questions via Piazza
rather than emailing the instructor or TAs directly, so that your
fellow students can benefit from the discussion. Sometimes a
classmate may be able to answer your question more quickly than the
instructor or TAs.
- Use of the IDeATe Facility: Please read and become
familiar with the
IDeATe lending
and purchasing policies, which can be accessed
at resources.ideate.cmu.edu. Please
note that fines may be imposed for late return of equipment.
The IDeATe facilities are shared student resources and spaces. As
such, all members of the IDeATe community are expected to be
respectful of the equipment, the spaces, and fellow students and
their projects. Always clean up after completing your work, put
things back in their correct place, and leave the lab in better
condition than you found it.
- Reporting Problems to IDeATe: if you encounter problems
with the laser cutters or 3D printers, please talk to the staff in
the IDeATe lending booth, or email help@ideate.cmu.edu. That account
is monitored by multiple staff persons and is the quickest way to get
help.
- Purchase of Materials: While we will provide you with
some materials, you may need to purchase additional materials to your
final project. For convenience, some materials are available for
purchase at IDeATe Lending (Hunt A29). Additional materials, such as
wood, can be purchased at the CMU Art Store in the Cohon University
Center. Scrap materials, located in the bins opposite the laser
cutters, are free for anyone to use.
- Accomodations for Students with Disabilities: If you have
an accommodations letter from the Disability Resources office, I
encourage you to discuss your accommodations and needs with me as
early in the semester as possible. I will work with you to ensure
that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that
you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but
are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I
encourage you to contact them at
access@andrew.cmu.edu.
- Statement of Support for Students' Health and Well-Being:
Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle
this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol,
getting enough sleep, and taking some time to relax. This will help
you achieve your goals and cope with stress.
All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. There are
many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of
the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for
support sooner rather than later is almost always helpful.
If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult
life events, or feelings of anxiety or depression, we strongly
encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services
(CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at
http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Consider
reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help
getting connected to the support that can help.
- Diversity Goals: It is my intent that students from all
backgrounds and perspectives are well served by this course, that
students' learning needs are addressed both in and out of class, and
that the diversity of experience that students bring to this class
is viewed as a strength and benefit. It is my intent to present
materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender,
sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race,
and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please
let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you
personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if
any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events,
please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.
Course Schedule
Please see the course schedule page for a
list of lectures, assignment issue dates, assignment due dates, and
office hours sessions.
How to Succeed in This Class
The best strategy for doing well in this class is to start on the
assignments early so you have time to seek help if you get stuck. The
tree and duck assignments involve Python programming and some
mathematical reasoning, so if your trigonometry skills are rusty this
will be an opportunity to review your high school math. For the
spirograph and molecule assignments, you will need to follow the steps
very carefully and make sure that your results match the pictures
exactly. If one step is done incorrectly, everything that follows
will be off. You'll figure it out eventually, perhaps with help from
a TA, but it's easier to spot your mistakes if you aren't under
deadline pressure and have time to put the assignment away for a bit
and come back to it.
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