Category: Blog

We will look at your silhouettes this week and finish up the box assignment.

Please make sure you have joined OpenLab and created a portfolio site. When you have set up the site, create a post that includes your sketches and photos of your completed silhouette and answers the following questions:

Title: 

Software/Tools/Materials:

Description (3-4 sentences giving the person looking at your work insight into your creative and technical process. For example: What was the inspiration for your character? Does it have a name? Super powers? What details did you decide to include/remove at different stages? What was the most challenging part of the process and how did you troubleshoot it? etc.)

Put the URL for your post on Blackboard.

Upload your sketches for the box and the ai and dxf file to Blackboard.

This week you will finalize your silhouettes and we will start cutting them out with the vinyl cutter, in paper and as stickers.

We will also start working on creating a box design. Start with a cube, then you might want to adapt it to a shape that you could use with your character.

There are sample files of shapes on Blackboard.

If you haven’t done it already, sign up for an OpenLab account and join the course.

Open Lab  is an online platform where the College’s students, faculty and staff can come together to learn, work, play and share ideas. The platform was first started at CUNY’s City Tech and was launched at BMCC in Spring 2019. This site was created on Open Lab and will be your main resource throughout the semester. You will post your work on this site once you’ve created an account. You can also browse Open Lab to look up other courses, to connect with faculty and students and to create a portfolio.

Creating an Account

1. To create an account on OpenLab, you will need to be able to access your BMCC email account.  If you don’t have one, have never used one, or have forgotten your username and/or password for an existing account, you’ll need to contac the BMCC helpdesk : 212-220-8379 helpdesk@bmcc.cuny.edu ; RoomS141 (199 Chambers Street). You may also reset your password by going to https://cunyportal.cuny.edu/and clicking on “Account & Password Reset”.
2. Once you are sure you can access your BMCC email account, go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu).  Click on the Sign Up button on the right of the screen.
3. On the next screen, fill in the following fields (apart from the BMCC email address, all of this information can be changed later by visiting Settings under My OpenLab):
   1. User name (this can’t be changed, so choose wisely)
   2. BMCC email address
   3. Password for your OpenLab account (this doesn’t have to be your BMCC email account password–in fact, it’s always good to use different passwords for all sites)
   4. Display name (this is the name displayed on your profile page, and used to sign posts or comments; it can be changed after signing up)
   5. Your first and last name (these will not be displayed on the site)
   6. Your account type (student, alumni, faculty, or staff)
4. Once you’ve done that, click Complete Sign Up.
5.  At this point, a confirmation email will be sent from the OpenLab to your BMCC email account.  Visit your BMCC email account, and look for an email from the OpenLab.
6. Click the link you find in the email from OpenLab, and you’re officially a member of the OpenLab. After clicking on the link, you will be at the activation page shown below.  Your activation key will be prefilled, and all you need to do is click the Activate button.
7. You do not need to go through this process again.  When you want to come back to the OpenLab, simply go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu), and log in with the username and password you created in step three.

Joining this Course on Open Lab

1. Go to the MEA 211 course site
2. Click on the +Join button under the course photo

Creating a Portfolio/Profile

By creating a Portfolio on OpenLab, you will be setting up a Portfolio Site and an associated Portfolio Profile page.  Think of your portfolio as a place to save, share and organize your work – in this course and beyond. The steps below will take you through naming your Portfolio, writing a short description, and uploading an avatar for your Portfolio Profile page.  You will also choose a URL for the Portfolio Site and Privacy Settings for both the Profile and Site.

1. After logging in, click My OpenLab in the main menu. Then click + Create a Portfolio in the right-hand menu.
2. On the first Portfolio creation page, you will see a space to enter your Portfolio name.  It will already have a name filled in, based on your first and last name, but you can change that if you wish.  We recommend that you follow this format: FirstName LastName’s Portfolio (for example, Jane Smith’s Portfolio).
3. Next, enter a description of your Portfolio.  You can always change this later, so if you don’t have a description prepared, just type something in as a placeholder.
4. Check the appropriate boxes for your school and department.  These are required.
5. Click Create a new Portfolio site and choose a site URL.  Like your name, this text box will already be filled in, based on your name.  However, you can enter a different site URL if you wish.  Once created, the URL cannot be changed, so consider it carefully.
6. When you are finished, click Create Portfolio and Continue.
7. Next, set your privacy settings for your profile and portfolio site. When you are finished, click Next Step.

Adding a Post/Project to your Portfolio

In this course, you will create a portfolio post for each new assignment and link to it on Blackboard (and/or the discussion board when appropriate – see below). The following steps walk your through how to create a new post:

1. Go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu) and log in.
2. Go to My Profile. Click on the link to your Portfolio site will be on the top right.
3. Click on the little  + icon on the top of the page. This will create a new post.
4. Give your post a title (this will be displayed in bold at the top of the page that will be generated
5. Create your post. It may contain text, images, videos and other types of media.
6. To finish and submit your post click on Publish.
7. By default, your new post will automatically appear on your portfolio’s home page.
8. You can edit and delete a post (or page – such as About Me on the main menu) by going back to its Edit mode (found on the side and bottom of the page/post). The title and content can be edited and Move to Trash (on the right) will delete the post/page.

Welcome to MEA 211! This week we will have introductions, get a tour of the equipment in the Makerspace, start work on the first assignment. Please sign up for an OpenLab account as well.

Introduction to digital fabrication.

Prototyping

Documentation

Working with vector graphics

First Assignment: Sketch a Character Your sketches for your character will be due on Thursday on Blackboard. Please use a scanning app or a scanner to capture the images digitally. If you have set up your OpenLab portfolio, create a post with your sketches there as well.