The first two projects are designing stuff for lasercutting and 3D printing. To try to manage everyone trying to use the machines at once, we're splitting into two groups.
You should create a model of a Tufts building at a scale of 1:1000.
There are a few goals here.
You will definitely have to go to a building, measure it with a tape measure (which I will lend to you), write down some numbers, and then go back to your computer and make a model. You might be able to capture some details by taking pictures, inserting them into the CAD model as underlays, and then tracing features in the pictures, but you'll find it's hard to get a picture that isn't distorted, especially with a cellphone camera.
You might think to yourself, "Ah, I'll choose a very small building. That should make it easier!" That's not really true-- if you want an easy project, choose a building with simple geometry. Feel free to ignore or approximate sloped basements and other weird contours along the ground. That stuff is difficult to capture in CAD, and if the bottom of your model isn't flat, you have to print your model upside down or waste a bunch of filament on support material. You can do that if you want, but it's probably not worth the hassle.
Feel free to pick the same building as someone else in the class, but please don't share measurements or CAD models while the project is underway.
The lasercutter only cuts flat stuff, but you should design something 3-dimensional. You could do this by cutting a few 2D pieces and assembling them, or cutting one piece from a flexible material (say, paper or chipboard) and then folding it up. The point here is, like with the 3D printer, to get real experience with the machine, but also to push your CAD skills to make 2D parts mesh into a 3D object. You should expect to cut your project at least twice-- getting stuff to fit together right on the first try is unlikely.
For the 3D printer, the university will pay for filament, so you don't need to worry about that.
For the lasercutter, I'll order you a 12" x 24" sheet of 1/8" acrylic from Delvie's Plastics. (I'll actually order 24" x 48" pieces and cut them down, if you're curious.) You can also use stuff like old cereal boxes, or any other non-corrugated cardboard you can find. If you want to buy some more exotic materials, you could try McMaster-Carr or Amazon. Remember to account for shipping time. Locally, you can also try Michaels Crafts in Porter Square.
In thinking about materials, you should also take into account the thickness of the material you're cutting in your CAD model. Sometimes 1/8" acrylic sheet is really 3 mm thick. You can measure your materials with the calipers in the shop to be sure. Also, make sure your material isn't too thick for the laser to cut through and make sure it's not something that emits poison when you cut it, like PVC. There's a list of allowed materials on the Bray lasercutter page.
You can make more or less whatever you want for this project, provided it has a mechanical element and contains a PCB. If you're not feeling creative, or you're struggling to keep up with your other classes, the baseline project is to make a fidget spinner that:
The due date is at the beginning of class on November 9, 2017. That means that by 3 PM on November 9, you should have submitted your design to OSH Park for fabrication. (The PCBs will arrive in the mail later in November, and we'll assemble them after Thanksgiving, but that's not officially part of the project.)
Due November 21, 2017. You'll work in teams of 2 or 3.
Make a mini-golf hole. The hole will be a red Solo cup. The ball will be a PGA regulation golf ball. We'll play on the weird turf-like floor of Carzo Cage, so you don't have to make the grass surface.
At a minimum, your hole must have:
Additionally, it is hoped that: