Zoetrope ARTS657.001

A zoetrope is something that spins and creates a 3-dimensional animation.

Printer Paper

Pencil

TinkerCAD

Ultimaker Cura, USB, Ultimaker 3D printer, CPE filament, scraper

Sandpaper

Acrylic paint, paint brushes

Cardstock Paper

Thin sheet of wood

Glue (Hot glue or superglue)

Laser Cutter

Utility Knife

Adobe Illustrator

Ruler or Base Slice Stencil

Record Player

Dark Place

Small Light Source

Think of different ideas for zoetropes that would look cool. Keep in mind that you want your zoetrope to be in a continuous loop that cycles fluidly. Changes should be gradual and smooth. Also keep in mind that all of your pieces will have to be attached to something. Sketch and plan out what you would like to do for your design.

Materials: printer paper, pencil

Picture 1:

Decide how many frames you would like the zoetrope to be and how large you want it to be. Use these details to calculate how big each “slice,” or fraction of the base is, so you know how much room you will have to work with for each frame. Our group's project had 12 slices and a diameter of 12 inches.

Picture 2:

Plan what you want to be in each frame. You want to create a continuous loop and you want about the same amount of movement happening from one frame to the next. The second picture shows an example of a design that could work with 8 frames. Do not make the changes from one slice to the next too drastic.

Materials: paper, pencil

To digitally design your pieces that will be displayed on your zoetrope, go to TinkerCAD. For each block, select what you want and place it. To move something up or down, drag the cone-shaped piece in the direction that you would like it to go. To scale something, adjust the square points. Drag the points to the extent that you wish to change the size of the figure. You can copy and paste figures and make changes to them as necessary.

Material: TinkerCAD

Once your design is complete, click “Export” and save it as an STL.

Material: TinkerCAD

Open your file on Ultimaker Cura and make any adjustments as necessary, such as changing print settings or rotating your object(s). Click “Slice” and save your design to a USB.

Materials: Ultimaker Cura, USB

Plug the USB into the 3D printer and print! Use a scraper to remove the objects from the printer when they are ready.

Materials: USB, Ultimaker 3D printer, CPE filament, scraper

Use sandpaper to smooth down the sharp/rough edges.

Material: Sandpaper

Download the templates for the siding and base of your zoetrope on Adobe Illustrator. Use the laser cutter to cut the base out of the wood and the siding out of cardstock paper. Use a utility knife to cut further if necessary.

Materials: Adobe Illustrator, utility knife, laser cutter, cardstock paper, thin sheet of wood

Paint your pieces to look how you want them to. You can paint your 3D-printed art, the base, and the wall of the zoetrope.

Materials: acrylic paint, paint brushes

Now it is time to put everything together! Use a ruler or stencil to plan out where to place your pieces and glue all of your parts on. You want each slice to be the same size and you want your objects to be visible through the slits in the siding. All of the pieces must be attached to something.

Materials: glue, ruler/stencil

Enjoy your zoetrope! You can watch it using a record player, a dark place, and a small light source. (You can use the record player to spin it and the small light source to see the inside of the zoetrope while in the dark area.)

Materials: record player, dark place, small light source