flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Plotting on the go: 3D-printed mechanical compass can print CAD drawings with high precision

Plotting on the go: 3D-printed mechanical compass can print CAD drawings with high precision

Design student Ken Nakagaki has adapted a device to work with CAD software to replicate digital files on paper.


By BD+C Staff | December 5, 2014
Photo courtesy Ken Nakagaki
Photo courtesy Ken Nakagaki

Dezeen shares the project of design student Ken Nakagaki, who has adapted a device to work with computer aided design (CAD) software to replicate digital files on paper.

The device, named Comp*pass, uses a mechanism similar to how traditional compass is used to draw a circle. Nakagaki told Dezeen that the original concept came from a sense of feeling curious about how it would feel like to draw a square using a compass.

Using a Bluetooth connection, the device transmits shapes from an electronic device such as a computer or iPhone to be drawn on paper, giving it the same precision as drawings produced using CAD software.

A 3D-printed ABS resin was used to make the prototype device. It contains a rotary encoder to detect the rotation angle, a servomotor to regulate the radius of a pen, LEDs, a switch and a micro controller.

Dezeen has the full story.

Related Stories

| Aug 14, 2014

8 do's and don'ts for completing an HVAC life cycle cost assessment

There are many hurdles to overcome when completing a life cycle cost assessment. RMF Engineering’s Seth Spangler offers some words of advice regarding LCCAs.

| Aug 14, 2014

Life cycle cost analysis using energy modeling

A life cycle cost analysis helps a school district decide which HVAC system to use in $198 million worth of future building projects.

| Aug 14, 2014

Museum of Mayan Culture draws inspiration from temple design [slideshow]

The Museo Maya de América in Guatemala City will be the world’s largest museum of Mayan history and culture, at 60,000 sf. 

| Aug 14, 2014

How workplace design can empower employees, businesses

Focusing on recent work at Follett and Zurich, CannonDesign’ Meg Osman reveals the power of research, strategy, change management, and measurement to transform businesses for the better.

| Aug 13, 2014

UIA commits to phasing out CO2 emissions in built environment

The International Union of Architects, representing approximately 2.3 million architects worldwide, has unanimously adopted the 2050 Imperative committing to environmental and social sustainability. 

| Aug 13, 2014

ADD Inc. to merge with Stantec

The deal, which helps Stantec strengthen its capabilities in the buildings business on the East Coast, is expected to close in September.

| Aug 13, 2014

Campus UX: Why universities should be creating 'branded environments' on campus

When most colleges and universities consider their brands, they rarely venture beyond the design and implementation of a logo, writes Gensler Design Director Brian Brindisi.

| Aug 12, 2014

Vietnam's 'dragonfly in the sky' will be covered in trees, vegetation

Designed by Vietnamese design firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects, the building will be made up of stacked concrete blocks placed slightly askew to create a soft, organic form that the architects say is reminiscent of a dragonfly in the sky.

| Aug 12, 2014

First look: Calatrava's futuristic Main Building opens at Florida Polytechnic University

The $60 million structure is wrapped in a bright-white, aluminum pergola for dramatic effect and solar shading.

| Aug 12, 2014

Shading prototype could allow new levels of environmental control for skyscraper occupants

Developed by architects at NBBJ, Sunbreak uses a unique three-hinged shade that morphs from an opaque shutter to an abstract set of vertical blinds to an awning, depending on what is needed.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021