Frames

Description

Frames is a browser-based authoring tool for creating ornate frames. It generates vector templates suitable for laser cutting, which are sized to fit devices such as iPhones and iPads.

Concept

I’ve often found myself fascinated by ornate picture frames—both because that kind of decorative craft feels like it is beyond me and because I’m intrigued by the practice of wrapping ornamentation around something that in itself is supposed to be interesting and beautiful. Because of the difficulty I have with creating elaborately lush designs on my own, I decided to explore options for generating them with software.

Technology

The authoring tool uses Raphaël and dat.GUI to interactively build SVG templates, which can then be sent to a laser cutter or opened in vector-based editing software such as Adobe Illustrator.

Interface

Status

The software side of this project is definitely at proof-of-concept stage, but should be robust enough for people to experiment with. I have only generated templates for the iPhone 4, so no guarantees are made that the other devices are at the correct dimensions.

Credits

This project was completed for Danny Rozin’s Designing for Digital Fabrication class at ITP. The on-screen images are royalty free wallpapers from various sites.