Workshop – Lannix Design

Update: Fully CGI Shed Workshop Layout Design!

Nick — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:30:42 +0000

Since the relatively brand-new camera has succumbed to injuries sustained during an altercation with a coffee table, I had some time on my hands. I’d always had it in mind to make a 3D model of the shed and create a layout for the workshop in virtual space before laying down any cold hard cash for shelving, workbenches and/or materials to complete the job. So that’s what I’ve been working on the last few weeks.

As some of you may already know, I like to dabble in 3D animation using Blender and I’ve already used it to create the intro and transition sequences for my YouTube videos. This project has so far proved to be far more ambitious than I originally thought. The detailed shed model took about a week to recreate in virtual space and includes working roller doors and accurately represented colours using details from the manufacturer.

The shed model was just the start of it though. The opening sequence required houses, trees and other details around the yard to be modelled and, being a stickler for details, the materials needed to match their real-life counterparts as accurately as possible. Then, because I like to punish myself, the shed was animated to assemble itself while the camera was moving down the driveway and into the back yard.

A screenshot from the YouTube shorts preview I uploaded to my personal channel.

Click the image to see the video!

This entire sequence took around three weeks from the start of modelling until the twenty second clip was fully rendered. I’ve uploaded a low res preview version to my personal YouTube since I’m keen to get it out there. Click the image above to check it out.

The upside to having sunk all that time into creating accurate models is that they can be reused for subsequent clips, greatly reducing the time to set them up. The downside is that rendering clips in 4K resolution takes a long time. The opening sequence took three overnight sessions to render the 600 frames and it seems that subsequent sequences are taking even longer. I’ve taken measures to optimise the scenes for faster rendering times but I’ll need to get more serious about it if the video is going to be completed this year! It’s not surprising that companies like Pixar and Dreamworks have entire floors of buildings filled with computers dedicated to rendering animated clips.

Although I am happy with the quality of the rendered images, I realise there is room for improvement and I’m hoping to hone my craft for upcoming projects like the office under the house and my bar and games room layout. So subscribe to our main channel if you’re keen to see the end result of what I assume will be months of 3D modelling and rendering, you can see some progress pics in the gallery below.

Smell ya later!

Gallery - Fully CGI Shed Workshop Layout Design!

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If you need more shed related content, check out the video below where I lay down an epoxy coating on the concrete floor! The lining and insulation video will be up as soon as it’s done and there’ll be more to follow as I’m working on setting out all the workbenches and tools virtually to hopefully find the optimal layout for the shed before forking over any cash!

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Lannix Shop Is Now Open!

Nick — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 21:30:25 +0000

I’ve been working on our store website in the background for a long while now. It was to be a place to sell my 3D printed goods and any other items I came up with in the meantime.

Since moving house over a year ago, the 3D printers haven’t been set up for mass producing and they won’t be until the workshop under the house is finally finished.

You’ll know if you follow my blog that I’ve moved to creating content for YouTube as an outlet for my creative energy.

Consequently, the shop will offer fabrication drawings produced in the process of creating the video content for YouTube. You’ll find the drawings are of a high standard and the price is very low in the hopes of getting people interested in my products. I produced fabrication drawings for a living in my previous career as a mechanical engineer and I hope that the quality reflects that.

The site is powered by WooCommerce and has the proven security and reliability that they have built on for many years. So please, if you want to support me and my family, take a look at the online store and check back in the future as the shop is continually updated!

Thanks so much!

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Check out our first video of 2024! I’m working on continual improvement in my video production and I hope it shows. I’m particularly proud of this one.

Also, plans are available in our online store if you’d like to build a treasure chest like this for yourself or a loved one!

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It’s Finally Built! – Shed Build – Part 3

Nick — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:30:52 +0000

As regular visitors would know, I’ve been super keen to get the backyard shed built so we can finally move on with more renovations. I’m pleased to report that last week that it has finally happened!

This means that I’ve acquired enough footage to make a feature video for our YouTube channel. I’ve put a lot of effort into coming up with a compelling story to keep viewers interested while watching the cool timelapse videos I captured during the six-month build window.

If you watch the video and have some advice for me to make future videos more enjoyable, please let me know in the comments here or on YouTube. I’m aiming to make my videos as entertaining as I can and I’d appreciate your feedback!

Check out the link from our YouTube channel

Short version with just the shed build.

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If you haven’t yet, check out our previous videos where we make the logo in Fusion 360 and then animate the logo in Blender. They’re both great tutorials for beginners in 3D modelling and animation.

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Shed Build – Part 2

Nick — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:30:13 +0000

Formwork & Slab Pour

It all happened at once. It seemed that as soon as the old mango tree had been taken away as a pile of woodchips, we had the concreter coming to prepare the site for his formwork.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I’ve been keen to get the shed happening since we moved in to the new house in December of last year. Things had finally settled down in February after my partner Jade had gone back to work and I became a stay-at-home Dad to my son Emmet.

Long story short, the slab was poured last week on the 20th of April and I’ve been capturing what I can with the new camera. I’ve uploaded a video to my personal YouTube account since I want to make a longer form video for the Lannix Design channel in the future. Please enjoy!

Finally, the slab is down!

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Shed Build – Part 1

Nick — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 21:30:35 +0000

Slab Preparation

The go-ahead was given to the shed builder in February of this year and we were told there’d be a six-month wait til it could be built. Apparently this is normal across the industry at this point for some reason. So much so that we had to go with the only company that actually got back to us with a quote. Luckily, that company, Titan Sheds, has been great to deal with so far.

I’ve been itching to see something happen with it for the last couple of months. A few weeks ago we had the tree lopper in to remove the old mango tree that unfortunately was in the way no matter where we built the shed. The stump left in the ground also had to be removed since the edge of the slab would run right through the centre of it. Aaron was nice enough to take out the large root system that was left as well since we didn’t want it to rot away and leave a void under the slab in the future.

At last, this week we had the concreter come in and prepare the back yard for pouring the concrete. The pour is planned for the 20th April which is tomorrow at the time of publishing.

So far I’ve shot some time-lapse videos of the progress and I’ll continue to do so as the build progresses. Once the shed is up I’ll make a feature video for our YouTube channel so stay tuned for that if you’re interested! For now, enjoy the timelapses and see you next week.

The result of the site preparation for pouring the slab.

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New Workshop Update

Nick — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 21:30:31 +0000

The past three months have been super busy with the renovations to the new house and looking after our new baby. The business has been put on hold since it made more sense financially for me to be working on the house.

Now that the move has happened the new workshop is slated for some modifications and upgrades. Unfortunately, the workshop is now full of all the stuff we never knew we had and needs a whole lot of sorting…

In the meantime, we’ve setup a temporary space under the house to run a few 3D printers and I’m using the laptop in the living room to take care of business.

I’ve even stumbled across some problems with the renovations that could be solved using 3D printing. Stay tuned for updates on that next week.

This area under the house is slated for entertainment room & bar.

The future Lannix Design workshop. Currently a storage area for our excessive amount of belongings.

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Reusing Empty Filament Spools For Storage

Nick — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 21:30:00 +0000

The idea to reuse empty filament spools as parts storage isn’t new. When I first started 3D printing I recall seeing that people had made curved containers that fit within a spool and thought that was a nifty idea. I’d always thought I’d make one for myself once I had a few empty spools laying around so here we are.

Back in the day I was using Tecor filament that was quite cheap and not bad for the money. The Lannix Design 3D printing cabinet is full of custom made ducting parts that I designed and 3D printed to suit what was needed for filtration and dehumidifying. Long story short, I ended up with many empty spools that were the same size and just begging to be turned into something useful.

Design

I need to be able to visualise my projects before I start to make anything so I have something to reference. All parts of the organiser were modelled in CAD before a tool was picked up so that the end result could be seen and any changes could be made.

The finished assembly, now used to house many tiny screws.

Since the major parts of the project were to be 3D printed, CAD modelling was completely necessary. One of the Tecor filament spools was measured with Vernier calipers for accuracy and 3D modelled which aided in creating parts that would fit around and inside it. I took the time to design a drilling template that would help to accurately install the parts containers when the time came which worked perfectly. I’m a big fan of these drilling templates and I’ve used them in all the projects I’ve done that require drilling.

A carry handle was designed to be 3D printed in the orientation that would produce the strongest part. This necessitated a three-piece assembly that screws to the top of the PVC pipe and includes the top handle (ring), the handle support and a press-fit top cover.

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Building

The build was very straight-forward thanks to the time taken to model all parts and create the previously mentioned drilling templates. If you’d like to make one of these organisers for yourself I’ve outlined parts needed below and created a video guide for assembly that’s been uploaded to YouTube. The 3D models are available for download on Printables.com

Materials

The previously mentioned Tecor filament spools and the obvious 3D printing filament are needed to make the parts organiser. In addition to these, you’ll need a 72mm rotary (lazy Susan) bearing and a length of 60mm PVC pipe whose length will be determined by the number of spools you want to use.

Fasteners required are 8Gx20mm and 4Gx12mm timber screws. A small pack of each will be enough for the task.

The 3D models were printed with extra perimeters for strength and at a slower speed to give the best finish. Click the Printables logo below to download the models for 3D printing.

3D models are available for download on Printables.com.

Tools

Only basic tools are required including a drilling machine of some sort, a 3mm drill bit, a Philips screwdriver and something to cut your PVC pipe to length.

Assembly

The build process has been outlined in the linked YouTube video. It’s a very easy project if you’re interested in making one for yourself.

Take a look at the gallery below to see the finished product. It was assembled in one day once the parts had been 3D printed.

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Conclusion

This project was designed to highlight the fact that it isn’t necessary to throw away your old filament spools to landfill. Although they are made of ABS plastic that can be recycled, reusing them is better than recycling in that no energy needs to be used to melt them down and mold them into something else. I’m hoping I can come up with more projects in the future that involve using parts that would otherwise be thrown away.

Until next week, ciao for now.

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Lannix Design LED Sign Concept

Nick — Tue, 17 May 2022 21:30:21 +0000

I decided to build a sign for our workshop to show off our CAD skills and showcase a practical use for 3D printing. I first saw the concept in a YouTube clip and thought it looked like a fun project and it would spruce up the workshop wall.

The design consists of a black rear housing for each letter that will contain LED strips. A white 3D printed face plate is then attached which is semi-opaque, allowing light to radiate through. Examples of other people’s signs look amazing and I’m confident that this one will be too.

As of today, all of the lettering parts have been 3D printed and now mounted to a backboard. The next step is installing the LED strips which is proving impossible at the moment since they’ve gone missing in the couple of years since I bought them!

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Video demo of the design concept stage

Gallery - LED Shop Sign Concept

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August 2021 – More Enclosure Upgrades

Nick — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 21:30:29 +0000

Air filtration, heat and humidity management are an important part of maintaining high quality 3D prints. All through the year the humidity in Brisbane can be quite high so it’s important to control the climate in the workshop.

An air filtration unit has been installed in the enclosure and a dehumidifier is on its way which is designed to work in tandem with the filter.

The intention is to have an Arduino controller with a touchscreen that enables the three compartments in the enclosure to be filtered independently and shut off when not in use. The touchscreen allows control of the blast gates shown in the picture gallery below to seal any section of the enclosure that isn’t in use. A temperature and humidity sensor in each compartment will assess the conditions and the Arduino will automatically route humid air through the dehumidifier/heater and filter.

Because of the unusual size of the blast gates, the ducting needed to be designed from scratch in CAD and 3D printed. The plus side of this is that everything fits perfectly and was able to be installed without issue.

One of the rear ducting pieces on the printer

Gallery - Bespoke parts for enclosure ducting

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July 2021 – DIY Tools

Nick — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 21:30:23 +0000

I have always been a DIY kind of guy which is why I decided to pursue a career in engineering. The Lannix Design printing enclosure was fully mapped out in CAD software before a tool was picked up.

Building the enclosure required the use of conventional tools but I realized a better result could be achieved with the use of custom designed templates for perfect hole positioning. Again using CAD software it was simple to model what was required and print them overnight. Too easy!

House renovations were also underway at this time so I tried my hand at solving some problems we faced as we were working. The tiles on the vanity splashback stuck out too far, preventing the tap shroud from screwing on. I designed an extension for it and printed several test pieces to try until we found the perfect fit. Problem solved!

The tall basin in the vanities meant that a standard length caulking nozzle wouldn’t reach behind it to make the silicon seal. Once I had modelled the thread section in CAD and confirmed that it fit well, the body was extended to 150mm overall which was the perfect length. Job done!

CAD and 3D printing are the perfect combination for getting any job done around the house or workshop. Let me know if there’s something I can do for you!

Drilling template for perfect door handle positioning

Workshop – Lannix Design

Update: Fully CGI Shed Workshop Layout Design!

Gallery - Fully CGI Shed Workshop Layout Design!

See more of our work

Lannix Shop Is Now Open!

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It’s Finally Built! – Shed Build – Part 3

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Shed Build – Part 2

Formwork & Slab Pour

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Shed Build – Part 1

Slab Preparation

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New Workshop Update

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Reusing Empty Filament Spools For Storage

Design

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Building

Materials

Tools

Assembly

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Conclusion

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Lannix Design LED Sign Concept

Gallery - LED Shop Sign Concept

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August 2021 – More Enclosure Upgrades

Gallery - Bespoke parts for enclosure ducting

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July 2021 – DIY Tools

Gallery - 3D printed tools produced at Lannix Design

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