3D modeling is a key tool in the maker toolkit and HackLab is full of makers who are skilled in the process.

Lawrence Temple, a longtime member of HackLab, taught a class this past August explaining the fundamentals of measuring the real world and using CAD software.

“In the maker community, there’s a lot of different ways that [3D modeling] can be used,” said Lawrence.

He mentioned three different uses of 3D modeling that are commonly deployed in HackLab; art, 3D printing, and machining.

“Anything that exists in three dimensions, you can model,” he said.

The first thing that Lawrence taught is how to measure things with precision. He spent an hour and a half of the three-hour class teaching participants how to use calipers to accurately measure objects in real life so that they can be recreated in a CAD program. Participants measured the dimensions of their cellphones and created models of them on their computers. Those models could then be used to create cases.

Lawrence, a software engineer by trade, wanted to get into 3D modeling to build a Gameboy Macro – a project where you modify a Nintendo DS Lite by breaking off the top screen, making it into a big Gameboy like device. He first learned how to model at the Fort York branch of the Toronto Public Library and then taught himself more using YouTube videos.

He spends some of his time at HackLab on his 3D modeling projects. He’s made a few different projects using the skills he has taught in the class, one of them being light fixtures, the results of which can be found in HackLab. The fixtures are thin-walled and clear, created in a vase style for aesthetic purposes. Through the design process he has been able to make different light diffraction patterns. His favourite fixture diffracts the light in a flame pattern.

From teaching the class Lawrence has learned that there are multiple ways to approach the same problem in design.

“You can basically approach [3D modeling] as many ways as you would draw a picture,” he said. “Some of it is intuition and some of it is tools.”

Over the next few months, we will be posting about the myriad of projects that people get up to at HackLab. Make sure to check back regularly for updates!

It can be hard to get information about social services in Toronto for people who are experiencing homelessness. They may not have regular access to the internet and pamphlets are notoriously easy to lose. Zach Donsky, a long-time member of HackLab, thought that there was a better way.

In 2018, Zach created Chalmers Cards, a set of wooden squares that have an abundance of important information laser-cut into them. They are tied together by an elastic hair tie that also makes it easy to attach to pants or a backpack and can be distributed by workers within the social services system. The cards can be easily and cheaply produced in maker spaces across the city and print files can be found on the project’s GitHub. It takes around three hours to make eight sets of cards and the materials cost around $1.

“Access to social services is not as easy as I think it should be,” said Zach.

Information is available online but is not often in the simplest terms. Most of the resources recorded on the Chalmers Cards are accessible through 24-hour toll free phone numbers. You can find contact numbers for TeleHealth, shelter referral, legal aid and more. Many people experiencing homelessness do not have regular access to computers or the internet, so phone numbers are often their best option for accessing services.

“A lot of social services documentation is available on the internet,” according to the Chalmers Card website. “But getting on the internet is a real chore when you don’t own a computer.”

The cards also contain brief guides on getting government identification and financial aid – no access to a computer required.

More than 1000 cards have been produced and distributed since the project was started.

Todays post is not quite what you think it is about, but the chosen title will make more sense as you read along. Hacklab has been around for a while on the maker/hacker/creator/incubator scene and could be seen as one of the original terminals that now make up part of the Mesh network that is our community in Toronto.  As I have witnessed over the few years I have been visiting, making, and working within the community. I have seen how those who come to explore discover us or other parts of the community, and bounce around absorbing and finding the right fit. Many times those who are new to the community or those who are well versed in the community, have multiple links to the Mesh network by frequenting many of the other spaces beyond Hacklab’s walls. This is where I should note at times Hacklab has played host to other new groups in the community, be it the Haskell Users group, or the occasional DIY Bio group.  I hope that Hacklab and other spaces in the community will play host to other groups that will ever increase the diversity of the community Mesh. The cross talk between each space informs one another through the sharing of ideas and others being partially mixed into others creating a noise of ideas and thought, spawning new projects that use the resources available at times of multiple spaces, and memberships.      To get a better idea of the diverse community that has flourished within Toronto, I would like to draw your attention to a side project entitled Hacking-the-city, of mine that has been slowly creating an larger picture of the community, and those which influence and flow into others within the Hacker community.  I have used pinterest simply to keep it semi organized and to attempt to create a visual idea of the community, as well as small description of the organization. If you as the reader can think of an organization, group, or other part of the community that I have not mentioned please tell me so I can pin them to the board. Cross talk may take some time to get really going, the intention is to visit other spaces with members of the community that frequent the lab and to get a sense of the other parts of the community threw photography. This I envision being a little difficult and taking time due to how does one accurately depict a community, or project via a lens. This is a constant challenge at Hacklab due to some projects are not easily conveyed. How does one take a photo of someone programming and convey what it is they are doing, or what the program is? To stage a photo or to shoot candid, which method is the more truthful and accurate? I look forward to this project and hope to share what I capture with you all soon. This past weekend the folks at The Ultimate Workshop, played host to some Hacklab members to work on a joint project.  See below for a sneak peak at an upcoming blog post on the Retropopulator.