Seamless Natural Bridge

About me

My name is Finn, I am 15 and about to start my sophomore year at Provo High School in Provo, Utah. Since I was young I have always loved making things. when I was about 9 years old I started to get into making things out of cardboard. As I continued to make things, I picked up skills that have helped me in 3D modeling. As I started to make more complex things out of cardboard it became apparent that the cardboard has its limits. I started to search for other tools that I could use to bring out the creative side of me. I started researching things like woodworking and welding, at that time I knew that CAD was a thing but I felt like it was too hard to learn a CAD program. As high school came around I decided that I should take classes on woodworking and mechanical design. I can now say that mechanical design and CAD design in general are by far my favorite way of flexing my creative muscles.

Software

Fusion 360

Inventor Professional

Midjourney AI

Hardware

3dPrinter

Materials

Light Green Coarse Turf

Model glue

Mod Podge

Dark Green Fine-Leaf Foliage

Paint thinner

Vallejo Ger. Field grey WWII and light green

Small Cardboard Box

When I was initially brainstorming what the bridge would look like and where it would be I immediately knew the perfect place that could use a renovation. This area is part of a state park for the lake. On one side of the bridge are a few pavilions and a grassy area perfect for a picnic or a get-together, while on the other is another grassy area that could be used for field games. One thing that I've noticed as I've been around is that there are a lot of animals that cross through this area. This causes a problem in that there's a road that cuts through one section of trees to another. This can be dangerous for the drivers and more so, the animals. So I set out on making a bridge that could combine the safety of humans and animals, while also making it look natural and inviting.

The first to any great project or design starts with inspiration. for inspiration I thought that I would turn to a generative art AI, I generally prefer to use Midjourney for AI art. After a few minutes of playing with the settings and how I described the image, I was able to get a good concept of what I would want the bridge to look like.

I had a few ideas before I started, some of them were that I wanted grass on the floor of the bridge so that it could feel like the two parks don't end and restart, but more of a continuation from one side of the river to the other. I also wanted the bridge to be easily made for quick installation. Finally, I wanted the bridge to be simplistic so that it could blend in with the environment, rather than having it look more modern. With these ideas in mind, I started 3D modeling.

When I started I thought that this would be a perfect time to push myself and use Fusion 360. I mainly use Inventor Pro because that's what I learned in school but I felt like I could learn a lot if I tried using Fusion 360 more often.

I started by making a simple bridge shape in the beginning just so that I could get a feel for how Fusion worked. I then proceeded to refine the design to make it more defined and more than just an arc. As I continued I noticed that I missed some of the features of Inventor; I felt like I could make something that looked better in Inventor and decided to switch programs.

Though I had now switched programs I didn't throw away any information that I had learned while using Fusion 360. I thought that it would be helpful if I took the design that I made in Fusion and imported it into Inventor. I started making the bridge by taking some of the parts and designs of the Fusion bridge and adding them to the bridge in Inventor. Once I had a nice-looking bridge that I was happy with, I then added it to an assembly with the Fusion bridge. Having the two in the same space helped me to realize some things that I needed to change in the new bridge. Finally after multiple changes in the design I had a final virtual model.

I felt like the only way to fully show the way this bridge could be represented was through building a miniature model. I have a small amount of experience making miniatures but not enough to make a nice-looking model on the spot. I realized that I might need to do some research on techniques and styles. After a long time of researching I felt like I was ready, so I headed to the nearest hobby shop to pick up some materials.

I first needed grass for the areas around bridge and on the bridge. After taking a look around the store I decided on the Woodland Scenics's Light Green Course Turf. The small nature of this turf made the grass in the model look nice and well kept.

Secondly, I needed trees. I chose the Woodland Scenics's, Dark Green Fine-Leaf Foliage. The dark green color of the leaves contrasted and blended nicely with the light green grass.

Thirdly, for glue, I used Woodland Scenics's, Scenic Glue. the reason I chose this kind was mainly because it was the only scenic glue that they had at the store.

Finally, I needed a river that flows under the bridge, For the water effect I used Mod Podge. Mod Podge gave a filled look with a shiny top. The only reason I didn't use some kind of water effect was because I had experience with Mod Podge and I figured that it would look better if I used something I knew. For the color of the water I used Vallejo Light Green and Ger. Fieldgrey WWII. The two colors made the water have a dark emerald green like the river in real life.

To start making the model I got a cardboard box that I had found and cut it to about one inch deep. I then placed filler material in and taped over it making a natural-looking river bank. Taping the filler material over completely, I then started applying a coat of a mixture of dirt and scenic glue, and let it dry for about 24-hours. Once the mixture was dry I painted the green for the river and let that dry before pouring the Mod Podge on top of it. I then finished up by adding the trees and grass. As for the bridge, I added some glue to the floor of the model and applied the grass to the floor of the bridge. Finally, I set the bridge onto its respective place in the model and made some finishing touches to make the grass from the bridge seamlessly link with the grass on the dirt.

I'm really happy with how the model turned out. You might be wondering why the bridge isn't painted. It's not painted because I figured that since it's not too complicated this could possibly be 3D printed on a large scale just like the DAR bridge is.

I'm glad I could be a part of this competition as it helped me learn a lot. I've learned way more about models and how to make them. I've also started using Fusion 360 more often. This has also helped me to see better other ways that I can use my talents in other fields. As I've gone through the design process I've seen the growth in my skills and talents. I would like to thank the Autodesk team for the many programs and tools that they create. I would also like to thank the DAR bridge team for their help in making tomorrow a brighter future. And last but not least I would like to thank James Devlin and Conor Clifton for supporting this competition.