Walking Elephant 3D Zoetrope

thingiverse

Video of zoetrope in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E09L5mKf18 Three-dimensional models of functioning three-dimensional zoetropes have been created, each consisting of 10 distinct poses of a walking elephant. A stepper motor and LED strobe light, both controlled by an Arduino device, are employed in this version to achieve a dynamic effect. Future enhancements to the design are planned to optimize its performance further. The optimal viewing experience for this animation can be obtained in low-light conditions; however, ambient light may introduce slight smudges into the image. To produce high-quality prints, the elephant models should ideally be oriented upside down. Unfortunately, these models were initially exported at an unsuitable scale of 0.3 and thus require resizing. Once resized, the elephant models must be carefully attached to inserts using a glue gun, before being inserted into the disk assembly. It is crucial that the elephants are arranged in a specific sequence - namely, in ascending order from pose one through to pose ten. In cases where alignment is challenging or when specific poses refuse to cooperate, a hair dryer can be employed to melt and reposition the adhesive as necessary. The primary function of inserts within this zoetrope rig lies in their ability to enable different animation sequences. Nevertheless, for simplicity, users have the option to permanently attach the elephant models directly to the disk itself; this approach obviates the need for printing inserts altogether. Further information about the project is available at http://www.cthackerspace.com/lets-not-ignore-the-elephant-in-the-room/.