Stothard Design: SKE Course Day 14

We returned to working with Solid Works, and began to familiarise ourselves with the commands and tools available on the software to ensure we could use these new skills to draw our IKEA chair.

Through beginning with a simple 'jenga' block drawing, we were able to create a rectangle with precise measurements. Once completed, we imported the block into the assembly side of the software and 'mated' the blocks together to create new shapes.

Once a part has been created you can edit it, like the one above with a hole in, and the hole will appear in all parts on the assembly document, saving time on editing multiple pieces.

A dowel rod created to fit into the hole in the jenga block

Mated jenga blocks with dowels

We then moved onto drawing parts for a basic chair. Once assembled we created a render. Creating this simple chair and render really helped us visualise how we would go about creating individual parts for our IKEA chairs, and how they would look once completed.

In the afternoon we moved onto designing for a customer or target audience. Many KS3 students tend to design for one of three groups; themselves, their friends or their families. This activity helped us as teachers understand how to analyse potential target audiences and how we can apply this with our students. We used ID cards and worksheets to create a story behind a cartoon person, encouraging us to really analyse the image given, but to also use our creativity and knowledge to create a realistic character.