Lego Report Essay Example

Lego Report Essay Table of Contents Title Page1 Cover Letter2 Overview4,5 Outline6 Conceptional Design7,8 Detailed Design9,10,11,12 Durability12 Dimensional Aspect13 Safety14 Refinements15 Reccomendations16 Conclusion16 Appendix17 Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Overview Lego sets have been around for the past 50 years and have been enjoyed by people from all around the world. Very recently, Lego released a website called â€Å"Lego Cuusoo† through which people can create and submit their own ideas for a Lego project. Following the submission of the project onto the website, a voting process occurs; if enough support is gathered, the project moves into the production stage and is then sold through Lego. The revenue is shared with the developer as well. Accordingly, the objective of the MSCI 100 project consisted of entering our own idea of a Lego Project onto the website. The project began with the splitting of the class into teams of 4, each creating their own original idea. Once the ideas from all the groups were presented, a vote was taken to determine which one the class as a whole favoured. We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lego Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The idea that was chosen was â€Å"Winterfell,† an area from the popular television show, Game of Thrones. Each team was then asked to give a rough sketch/design of what the idea could potentially look like, and another vote was conducted. After the final design was chosen, the Lego project was split into different components to work on. Each team designed their own component using the Lego Digital Designer (LDD) software and designed their own special piece on AutoCad Inventor. These special pieces were constructed using a 3D-printer and the project was then put together. Finally, the completed design was submitted onto Lego Cuusoo. Some limiting constraints involved in the process of completing this project included the size and scope of the Lego set. An issue we came across was finding a balance between making a set that was too small and simple; or making a set that was too big and complex consequently making it too costly to produce and purchase. We also had to create a Lego set marketable to a younger generation, as they are the largest consumers of Lego products. In addition, there were also time constraints as we had deadlines at each step of the process. The component that our team worked on was the Great Hall of Winterfell. More specifically, we constructed the outside structure of the Great Hall. This was particularly important to the Lego Project as it was one of the main structures of Winterfell. Our building was not attached to any other building so we didn’t have to consider how it would fit with other components; however, we did have to consider how big the entire project was so that we could create our component to scale, in order for it to fit in perfectly. For our special piece, we designed the gates leading into the Great Hall creating a grand entrance over a simple gate. Lego Cuusoo winner. This idea was the winner of the voting process and thus put into production. Lego Cuusoo winner. This idea was the winner of the voting process and thus put into production. Lego Winterfell Castle Project Outline Structure assigned:| The Great Hall| Structure difficulty:| Moderate| Materials used:| Lego bricks| Structure type:| Framed structure with load bearing walls| Special piece:| The Great Hall Door| Materials used:| ABS plastic| Special piece difficulty:| Demanding, as it required a lot of measurements and thorough knowledge of Auto Cad Inventor| Appendix A Table 1. 1 distances Appendix A Table 1. distances Appendix B Finalized structure Picture 1. 1 Appendix B Finalized structure Picture 1. 1 Finalized Door Picture 1. 2 Finalized Door Picture 1. 2 Conceptual Design Design Alternative: During the conceptual design process, our group had many heated discussions about what the outcome of our hard work would look like. During this time we came up with many interesting ideas that w ere never actually applied to our final product. Some alternatives considered during this process included: 1. Remodeling the door to the Great Hall: The remodeling of the arc on the door allowed for much room for error. The radius of the arc on the door is too big in length, hence giving us problems in putting the whole puzzle together. The remodeling of the door would have allowed for a thinner door, not only reducing the overall production cost but also minimizing the use of materials and increasing production time. 2. Altering the main roof’s support system: Although our structure’s roof looks visually admiring, it does not have a proper support system. A system of beams could be used to support the system to provide stability and load management. This system would provide a good support for our roof, save it from collapsing and prevent major accidents. 3. Shortening the length of the building: By shortening the length of the building, our group could have salvaged valuable time to work on other aspects of the structure. This modification would allow for greater attention to detail and a decrease in the overall cost of production of this component. 4. Eliminating wasted resources: The stacks of Lego brick layers on the roof of the structure waste materials as extra durability could be achieved with a support beam system. It was decided that the roof should be completely remodeled so money and time could be saved. 5. One alternative that we came across was the complete different idea for our Special piece. During our initial brainstorming stages, many group members wanted to use regular doors for our structure and use medieval dragon as the unique piece. Although the dragon would have been a great addition to our structure, it made many things much difficult. The dragon required a completely redesigned roof and required much more raw materials then the door. The dragon would’ve increased the production cost and production time greatly. Since the dragon created many problems in our planning stages we decided it was an inefficient choice. 6. One of our group members suggested a completely different structure and complete remodeling of the structure. The structure that was suggested was much more appealing as a whole but did not capture the originality of the Game of Thrones’ Great Hall. As this box set is to attract Game of Thrones fans, this idea would have not attracted as many fans as we would like. The revenue would have dropped while the production cost would be increased. Detailed Design The Great Hall is a significant part of the Winterfell castle and holds special significance due to the importance of its structure. This structure is shown in detail on many occasions during the television series and described with great imagery in the book series as well. Our group tried to manipulate and duplicate the precise details of the Great Hall so this Lego box set would be on every Game of Throne’s fans Christmas wish list. The structure of the hall is designed to show the intrinsic details of the Winterfell castle. The beautiful door of the Great Hall, which is also our special piece, was designed to focus on the beauty and detail of the structure as a whole. The walls of the Lego Great Hall were created using Lego bricks that were chosen to show and duplicate the texture of the original walls of the Great Hall walls shown in the television series. Due to the Great Hall’s significance to the Winterfell castle, we tried to add as much detail as possible to the doors, as they are the first thing a person would visually admire. The door is solid and contains two bars on each side in order to fit in with the hinges designed with the structure. The handles used for the door are two inverted swords which represent the warrior culture of the Winterfell population. It was attempted to keep the theme of the Great Hall as true to the original as possible, but a few changes were made to add extra detail to the Lego structure. In addition to the doors, the roof is also another big component of the beautifully designed Great Hall. Details such as covering it with brown Lego bricks and adding torches to the edges were meant to represent to medieval times and add a mythical touch to the roof of the hall. Overall, there were many changes that were made to the original design that we started with to bring out the real beauty of the Great Hall’s structure. Before: Initial Structure DesignPicture 1. 3 Initial Structure DesignPicture 1. 3 After: As shown in the image above, it can be seen that the initial design had two doors. This idea was changed when we decided to make one door, also becoming our special piece. The special piece would add extra detail to our structure and make it more visually appealing. Originally, the roof was still not completed as we could not decide to do with the roof. At first it wasn’t very visually appealing, so we decided to add a brown roof with torch poles to make the structure a bit more interesting even though these details weren’t included in the original design. There was also another base added to the structure to helps connect Lego blocks and provides a firm, strong base for the whole structure itself. The structure was remodeled because these alterations make the structure seem durable, stronger and less prone to break down. The dimensions were also adjusted a little, as shown in the front part of the structure where it was thinned down and the back part of the structure where it was shortened in width; however the length of the structure was increased. These changes were made for the hall to looks as close to the original Great Hall as possible. Not only was the original Great Hall structurally altered, but there were many arguments that occurred so the unique design of the special design could be finalized. Initial Unique Piece Design Picture 1. 4 Initial Unique Piece Design Picture 1. 4 Before:After: Special piece After much deliberation among our group, the doors were completely redesigned from the original. Because the structure of the building was changed, new dimensions had to be created for the special piece. We added greater detail to the handles of the door, the texture of the door was changed and lines were added to make it more visually appealing. The purpose of adding the doors was to incorporate the warrior culture of Winterfell to the whole castle. The changes made to the door required more raw material, but were extremely useful as it allowed for durability and provided great stability. Special Piece Facts Model Materials Used| Support Materials Used| Production time (in hours)| 1. 82 in3| 0. 25 in3| 1:14| Table 1. 2 Table 1. 2 Results of Tests Many tests were performed on our Lego special piece; the unique piece was tested for durability, safety, and for its dimensional aspects. The results of these tests were recorded and analyzed by our team. Durability After discussion among the group, we decided to test the durability of our unique Lego piece. We tested this by dropping the door from various heights and recorded the results: Distance from the ground (cm)| Observations| 0| The Special piece was in good shape; no visible damage could be seen. | 40| The piece moved further from the initial drop zone but stayed in good condition. | 60| The door Bounced off the ground, and the special piece was chipped slightly. | Table 1. 3 Table 1. 3 From these results, we can conclude that the special piece is very durable. The special piece exceeded the group’s expectatio ns and proved it would stay in good shape for some time. Durability is a key factor in the design of our piece, and will therefore meet the customers’ expectations. Dimensional Aspect Other than durability, we also tested whether the piece fit into our designated structure (which is the Great Hall). We conducted this test by using common Lego pieces to measure to see if our piece fit in the building. The result was perfect and our unique piece fit perfectly, no changed were required. The Great Hall door was exactly 6 Lego bricks wide and 6 Lego bricks tall as it were desired to be. The main problem we came across regarding our Lego piece was that the bars on the door did not fit perfectly with the hinges that were designed. The bar that was designed with the door was too short in length to fit with the conventional Lego brick hinges. Safety The door was tested for safety as many Lego pieces are tested for choking hazards. Our special Lego Piece was made child friendly and cannot be swallowed or bitten. The length, width and the durability of the product ensures that the door cannot harm children in any way. Discussion of Results From the above result, we found out that our unique piece, the main door of the Great Hall, has fulfilled and exceeded all of our expectations; it has proven to be a great addition to the Great Hall. It did well in our durability test, which shows the part won’t break apart when dropped from 50 centimeters above ground. The material that makes up the piece (the ABS plastic) is a major contributing factor towards its durability. In the second test, we also got a satisfied result. This test shows us that the door was made to correct dimensions and fits in the Great Hall. With research on the dimensions of the common Lego piece along with the help of the Autodesk Inventor, we were able to make the door perfect in regards to the dimensions. Autodesk allowed us to experiment with many different creative ideas and still make the piece to exact dimensions. The only result that was unsatisfactory was that that our door did not fit in the hinges that were specifically created to hold the door in place. This was due to improper measurements that were taken during our initial design process. Picture 1. 6 Picture 1. 6 Picture 1. 5 Picture 1. 5 Bad measurements led to the bar seen in the image, failure to fit in the hinge. Left: HingeRight: Bar Bad measurements led to the bar seen in the image, failure to fit in the hinge. Left: HingeRight: Bar Refinements Based on all the testing and detailed analysis, many changes could and need to be made to the special piece and the structure, such as: 1) The bar on the door that was originally supposed to fit in the hinges needs to be completely redesigned to perfectly fit in the hinge. 2) The arc that can be seen in structure, which is required for the doors placement, was designed too short and no wiggle room was left; if the structure of the arc was altered to be made wider, the door could fit in much more easily. ) The door could be made a little more visually attractive; our group mainly focused on the durability and liability of the piece. 4) The roof’s complexity doesn’t allow it to be very durable. In enhancing the visual aspects of the rood, we were left with no choice but to compromise its durability. During the building process our group will try to add reinforcement to the roof, this could be done by adding poles from within the structure to withstand the weight of the roof. Recommendations Despite our satisfaction with the design of the structure and the special piece, there are some suggestions that we recommend. Our first recommendation is increasing the size and thickness of the bars on the door so that it fits the traditional Lego hinges. We also recommend customizing the door to make it more visually appealing; this can be achieved by adding design and colour to the door. In addition to the special piece, we recommend improving the design and structure of the Great Hall. These improvements could include adding more bricks to make it more compact and sturdy, and adding pieces on the inside of the structure. The Great Hall is such an important component of Winterfell and its interior is just as important as its exterior. By adding Lego people as well as other pieces such as tables and chandeliers on the inside, the detail and attractiveness of the Lego set would increase dramatically. In order to allow consumers to view the inside of the Great Hall, the roof of the hall could be made easily detachable. Overall, we believe that our structure and special piece were constructed well, but the recommendations explained above would include and enhance the details and perfect the overall project. Conclusion Through this Project, All members of group 14 have learned many things such as feasibility assessment, establishing the design requirements and brainstorming ideas before starting the preliminary design process. This project taught us the basics of engineering, as this project required brainstorming, calculating error margins and overcoming problems that prevent the next stage building processes. Appendix Appendix A, Picture 1. 1, Winterfell Castle Sketch Picture 1. 1pg 6, 10 Picture 1. 2pg 6, 11 Picture 1. 3pg 6 Picture 1. 4pg 11 Picture 1. 5pg 15 Picture 1. 6pg 16 Lego Cuusoo Picturepg 5 Table 1. 1pg 6 Table 1. 2pg 12 Table 1. 3pg 13