2. Digital bodies

Nadia Attmore- Cover Art

This week’s emphasis was on creating a digital body using computational tools. The purpose was to investigate how the human shape may be transformed into digital geometry and tangible objects.

Research & Ideation

In week 2, I set out to develop my own mannequin body form as a symbol of my design approach and not just for decor.

I looked online for STL files of a woman's body, that had specifically the upper body that included the neck and ending just past the top thigh. While my initial goal was to use Meshmixer to 3D print the form, I found that the process would have taken too long and after considering it wouldn’t have 100% corresponded with my concept of constructing.

Because of the way Iris van Herpen handles the human body as both a digital landscape and a sculptural base, her work became an essential resource for this week. Her ideas frequently begin with body scans, anatomical mapping, and 3D-printed structures that modify or extend the shape beneath them. Rather than treating the body as a neutral surface, uses it as a venue for research. C hanging muscles, duplicating bones, or creating movement that resembles organic systems. Her approach shows how the physical body, when captured digitally, can become a creative tool for design rather than just something to fit clothing onto. This relationship ties directly with my cardboard mannequin concept and my greater interest in the body as the structural and emotional foundation of fashion.

References & Inspiration

My inspiration came from the fact that fashion is continuous creation and not an instantaneous process. It's trial and error, reconstruction, and shaping. Creating the mannequin out of the laser cut cardboard slices felt figuratively powerful, building piece by piece. Each layer becomes a part of the foundation, just as every experience shapes who we(I) are as designers and individuals.

Tools

- Cults3D
- ThinkerCad 
- Laser cutter
- Cardboard sheets
- Hot glue

Process and workflow

Laser cutters use vector based lines, prepare your pattern like this:

File Specifications: • Format: AI, SVG, DXF, or PDF • Stroke Weight: 0.001 in or hairline • Hues: Red (#FF0000) = cut Blue (#0000FF) = engraving Green = etch / score (optional)

Organize the Card/Material Sheet:
• Fit pattern pieces tightly to reduce waste. • Don't duplicate any lines; keep them open. • To lessen misalignment, group smaler parts together.

Output: Clean vector file placed inside the laser cutter’s bed size (e.g., 24” × 18”).

Setting up the Materials: 1. Place material on the honeycomb or grid bed. 2. To hold it flat, use metal weights or magnets. 3. Move the laser head to the upper-left corner of your material. The crucial step is to focus on the laser.

Most machines use a focus stick or auto-focus.

Manual Focus: 1. Lower the bed till the focus tool fits beneath the nozzle. 2. Raise the bed slightly until the nozzle meets the focus stick. 3. Remove the focus stick. 4. Your beam is now focused for the sharpest cut.

Automatic Focus • Select "Auto Focus," and the machine will automatically adjust.

SETTINGS EXAMPLES (EVERY MACHINE DIFFERS)

Acrylic (⅛”) • Power: 85–100% • Speed: 10–20% • Passes: 1 • Air assist: ON

Cardboard (Which is what I used.) • Power: 30–50% • Speed: 80–100% • Passes: 1

Fabric • Power: 10–20% • Speed: 100% • Passes: 1–2

felt • Power: 25–40% • Speed: 40–60%

Ruun the Job:

1. Close the lid.
2. Be sure the file name on the screen is the correct file set you want to run.
3. Press START.
4. Watch the entire cut and do not walk away.
5. Carefully remove the items for small sections, use a scraper or clean residue with isopropyl alcohol if needed.

Step

Downloading & Opening Meshmixer

Go to the Meshmixer website and download the program.

Open Meshmixer → a blank workspace appears.

Select Import → choose your STL or OBJ file (mine was a female torso from Cults3D).

Navigating the Workspace

Right-click + drag: rotate model

Scroll wheel: zoom in and out

Shift + right-click: pan across the screen

This makes it easier to check every angle of your model.

Cleaning Up the File

Once your model loads:

Go to Select → hover and click the parts you want to highlight.

To remove something: press Delete on your keyboard.

To smooth rough or jagged areas:

Go to Sculpt → Smooth → adjust the brush strength.

Lightly brush over uneven areas.

This is useful if your STL has artifacts or hollow pieces you don't want.

Step

Adjusting Size & Scale

Go to Edit → Transform

Use the axes to scale the model up or down.

You can also type in exact measurements if you need a precise height/width.

This step is crucial if your digital form needs to match realistic human proportions.

Making the Model Solid (for Printing or Slicing)

If your STL is hollow or has gaps:

Go to Edit → Make Solid

Choose:

Accurate for clean edges

Fast for quick prototypes

Adjust Solid Accuracy and Mesh Density sliders until the model looks clean.

This prevents printing failures or slicing errors later on.

Using the Plane Cut Tool

If you want your mannequin to stand upright or have a flat base:

Go to Edit → Plane Cut

A cutting plane appears — move or rotate it to the level you want.

Choose:

Cut (Discard Half)

Slice (Keep Both) if you need two parts.

This is great for creating a clean underside for laser-cut pieces or 3D printing.

Step

Repairing Holes

If your torso or anatomy model has holes:

Go to Analysis → Inspector

Meshmixer finds gaps automatically.

Click Auto Repair All or fix them manually.

This ensures your file is fully closed before slicing.

The process was both repetitious and calming.

Cut→Number→Glue→Repeat.

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