Custom Hanging Paper Star Lantern
- Material List
- Design Preparation
- Template Details
- Setting Up the Template in Illustrator for iPad
- Designing (Adobe Illustrator)
- Navigating Illustrator for iPad
- Designing for the Zund - Mistakes to Avoid
- Using Essential Tools
- Fabricating (Zund)
- Transferring Files to the Zund
- Using Zund Cut Editor
- Using Zund Cut Queue and Cut Center
- Assembly
- Assembling Your Star
Working off of a standard template, students will add their own graphics to their paper star panels using Illustrator on the iPads. Once the students are satisfied with their design, it will be cut and creased on the Zund, after which students will tape their panels together to construct their star, and insert the pendant light.
At the end of this workshop students will come away with a custom paper star lantern they can hang up at home.
Material List
(for a class of 5 students)
Supplies | Quantity | URL |
Colored Cardstock Paper | 30+ sheets | |
Adhesives (Double-stick tape) | 2 rolls | |
Dimmable 15ft Pendant Lamp Cord | 5 | |
4w E26 Lightbulbs 12pk | 1 |
Design Preparation
Template Details
The final Star Lantern will be made out of 5 foldable panels to be cut out on the Zund. Students will customize one panel and cut out 5 copies. The template needs to be pre-downloaded on the iPads being used so students all have access to the same file.
The file for this panel has 4 layers: Cut, Crease, Guide, and Cut: Drawing.
Layers Cut, Crease, and Guide are locked, students should only interact with the Cut: Drawing layer.
It is important to leave the layer names and layer order the same, as that will make the Zund setup process smoother.
The panel template layout shows the path for creasing in red, cutting in blue, and usable drawing space in green. 5 panels are needed to complete the star, with each panel becoming one 4-sided star point.
Setting Up the Template in Illustrator for iPad
If students don’t already have the template file on their iPads, it can be AirDropped from the instructor’s computer. By default this file will open in the Photos app. The file can also be transferred via USB-C thumbdrive.
In the Photos app, select the ‘Share’ icon in the top-left corner
In the following pop-up menu, select ‘Save to Files’, then select ‘On My iPad’ as the save location.
Open the Illustrator app. You may be prompted to log in. [do students have their own CC accounts?]
Once logged in, select ‘Import and Open’ in the bottom left corner. Select ‘On My iPad’ and then select the template file.
Designing (Adobe Illustrator)
Navigating Illustrator for iPad
In Figures 7 & 8 essential tools have been highlighted in the left and right toolbars. Starting on the left:
- Selection Tool - selects whole paths and groups
- Direct Selection Tool - selects anchor points and allows you to adjust the shape of paths
- Pen Tool - Makes straight lines by tapping or curves by holding and dragging
- Pencil Tool - Draws freehand and then converts into a vector
- Shape Tool - Creates shapes like rectangle, ellipse, or star
- Text Tool - type out text
- Shift Button - modifies the behavior of other tools when held down
On the right toolbar:
- The Layer icon at the top of the toolbar shows the layers in the document, as well as visibility and locked status.
- The layer ‘Cut: Drawing’ is unlocked, all student work should happen on this layer.
- The Repeat Tool can repeat shapes in different patterns, along a path, or mirror shapes along an axis. This will be important for copying designs from one segment of the panel template to another.
- The Shape Builder Tool/Combine Shapes Tool can add or subtract overlapping shapes in different ways. It will be used mainly to build closed shapes using multiple different paths
Designing for the Zund - Mistakes to Avoid
When making paths for the Zund to cut, there are a few considerations to take into account. The file and paper examples below shows what to do in the right column and what to avoid in the left column.
Things to avoid, in order:
- Open paths, lots of disconnected strokes - makes for a messy cut and tearing of the paper. Stick to simple, closed paths for the best result.
- Shapes within shapes - if there is no paper connecting a shape to the rest of the panel it will fall out. Create bridges by using the eraser tool to keep shapes attached to the panel.
- Un-outlined text - make sure to outline your text before you send the file to the Zund, or it will come out robot-style.
- Crunchy or spindly fonts - takes 3x or more time to cut out, can harm the cutting tool on the Zund. Stick to thick, simple fonts for best results.
- Floating letter-holes - like with #2, disconnected shapes will fall out. Use the eraser tool to create bridges to hold up floating shapes.
- Complicated/dense shapes - Shapes with lots of short lines, zigzags, or small detailed portions will take longer to cut out. The example in the left column below took almost 3x as long to cut as the example in the right column, despite being a similar size.
Using Essential Tools
This section will cover some tools in more detail.
Pen Tool
Using the pen tool, tap to create a point. As you create more points they will connect automatically, creating a polygonal shape. Tap on the first point to connect the path and complete the shape. Make sure to make a closed shape if you want it to be cut out all the way.
Pencil Tool
Using the pencil tool, draw a freeform shape. If the end of your path is relatively close to the beginning, the shape will automatically close. Tapping with the pencil tool will create points connected by straight lines.
Select Tool
Tap on a shape or path with the Select tool, and you will see a grey toolbar appear beneath the selection. Important functions here include ‘Duplicate’, which will make a copy of the selected item, and delete.
Additionally, the handle sticking out of the top of the selection box can be moved to rotate the selection.
Holding down the Shift button while selecting objects will allow you to select multiple objects at once.
Direct Selection Tool
Selecting a path or shape with the Direct Selection Tool will reveal its anchor points and handles. Both of these can be edited with the Direct Selection tool.
Hold down the Shift button to select just some of these anchor points to isolate them and their handles. Adjusting the handles will turn hard corners into filleted corners, as seen in Figure 13.
Anchor Points can also be moved around independently, by selecting and dragging with the Direct Selection tool.
Combine Shapes Tool
After selecting two or more shapes or paths with the Select Tool and Shift, On the right toolbar, select Combine Shapes.
This tool can be used to have one shape cut out of another, to isolate the intersection of two shapes, or to combine them into one
Repeat Tool
The Repeat Tool has several different modes, although we will focus on ‘Mirror’ and ‘Blend’.
Mirror
Starting with ‘Mirror’, select your shapes you wish to repeat with the Select Tool and Shift button. Then, select Repeat > Mirror.
A mirrored copy of your selected shapes will appear, with a dotted reflecting line between them. On this dotted line there are three handles. The two outermost handles adjust the angle of the line, while the center handle moves the line around. Using these three handles, place the reflecting line where you want your shapes to reflect over.
Blend
Select your shape you wish to repeat with the Select Tool. Then, select Repeat > Blend.
A linear blend of your selected shape will appear, with two anchor points on either end. Drag these anchor points to place the blend where you would like.
Then, to adjust the number of shapes in the blend, move the instance slider on the right up or down.
Replace Spline
If you want to have your blend follow a path that isn’t a straight line, start by selecting both the blend and the desired path with the Select tool and Shift button. Then, in the properties menu in the right toolbar, select ‘Replace Spline’, and your shapes should snap to the new path.
You can choose if you want your shapes to maintain their orientation or orient to the direction of the path, as illustrated in Figure 20.
Fabricating (Zund)
This portion of the process should only be performed by staff persons who are at least Level 1 Certified on the Zund.
Transferring Files to the Zund
Hide the Guide layer by clicking the eyeball icon.
Connect a USB-C flashdrive to the iPad. Select the ‘Share’ icon in the top right corner, and select ‘Publish and Export’ > ‘Quick Export as Ai’ > ‘More’ > ‘Save to Files’, and select the flashdrive as the location and hit ‘Save’. Then, remove the flashdrive and connect it to the Zund.
Using Zund Cut Editor
Importing the File
Next, open Zund Cut Editor. In the top-right corner, select File > import file, and select the student’s star panel. Once imported, hit cmd+a (or ctrl+a) to highlight all of the paths, and then hit space to enable moving, and drag the path into the workspace.
Setting the Material
In the top-left corner, select the pencil icon under the Material tab, and then select ‘Paper’. The colored cardstock normally used has a thickness of 0.012 inches, but for other paper material thickness can be measured with a digital caliper. Input the material thickness, and input the length and width of the paper sheet, then hit ‘OK’. You should see a blue rectangle the size of your paper sheet appear on the work area.
Ordering Layers
Drag-and-drop the layers into the order shown in figure 24 (Crease, Cut: Drawing, Cut). This will make it so that the work is held in place until it is ready to be cut out of the main sheet.
Setting Methods
Double-click on each layer to ensure the correct cutting method is applied. For the ‘Cut’ and ‘Cut: Drawing’ layers, the method should be Thru-cut, and for the ‘Crease’ layer, the method should be Crease, duh.
Copying Panels
Making sure all three layers are set to visible, hit cmd+a > cmd+c > cmd+v > space, and drag the copied panel over next to the original. Repeat this process 5 times until you have 5 identical panel copies all arranged within the blue rectangle. See figure 26 for example.
Once you are satisfied with all of the above conditions, select the ‘Send to Server’ icon in the top-right corner (See Figure 27), and then open Zund Cut Queue.
Using Zund Cut Queue and Cut Center
Cut Queue
In Zund Cut Queue, double click the project file that you just sent. This will open Zund Cut Center.
Cut Center
In Cut Center, make sure that the underlay option in the top left corner is set to ‘no underlay’. Then, press the ‘Online’ button on the Zund console, and hit ctrl+i on the keyboard to enter Interactive Mode. In Interactive mode, move the module carriage with the keyboard arrow keys, place laser at bottom right corner of your material. Then right click anywhere in the workspace and select set reference point.
Once you’re done, press the Start button at the bottom right of the window, and the Zund will carry out the design.
Assembly
Assembling Your Star
Folding
Once your shapes have all been cut out and removed, fold each panel along the creased lines. The two short flaps at the bottom should be folded out, while all the other crease lines should be folded in.
Taping
apply a strip of double-stick tape to the long flap you folded in, and fold the excess over the pointed section on either end, making sure to line up one edge of the tape with the outside edge of the flap, as the inside will be hidden inside the star.
Line up this outside edge with the far edge on the other side, to make one point of the star.
Repeat this process for the short flaps, placing the tape facing outwards. See figure 28 for example.
Lastly, once you have completed the above steps for at least two points of the star, take attach one to the other by lining up the two taped short tabs with the inside edge of another star point, like in figure 29.
Template