DIY : Planning My Smart Mirror Build – Mitchell Marino – Medium
3D Modelling and Blueprints
I took the approach of designing the mirror around the size of the display, which I obtained beforehand. After measuring the monitor display panel, I created a 3D model and some blueprints which would serve useful when building the mirror.
3D Modelling with SketchUp
I used the free software SketchUp to create the 3D rendering of my mirror. I found the software to be intuitive and full featured. In just a few afternoons of YouTube tutorials and reading the SketchUp online forum, I felt competent in creating basic 3D models — something that was previously completely foreign to me!
Developing a 3D model of the mirror helped me in the following ways:
- I could see how the mirror will look on a basic level, before I had anything tangible.
- I was able to experiment with many different designs, while re-using many of the same 3D components I made.
- I was able to derive concrete measurements from the final model.
Needless to say, I will be using SketchUp to model any similar projects in the future.
LayOut
To create detailed blueprints of my mirror I used the free software, LayOut. LayOut is part of the SketchUp suite of products, and is used to create documentation for SketchUp models. Since it is designed specifically for SketchUp models, it is easy to use once you have learned SketchUp.
I made a blueprint for each angle of the mirror I thought would be useful for me, in addition to cross-sectional blueprints. Although my final build for the mirror differed slightly from the blueprints, they were incredibly useful in helping me build it.
Checkout this PDF containing the full blueprints if you would like to see more!
Thanks For Reading!
Thanks for taking interest in my project! Check out the main post for this project, encapsulating the entire process of making the mirror: How I Made a Smart Mirror that Integrates with Google Drive™
Or, check out the next step in the process: Software Setup for My Smart Mirror
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at mitchelltmarino@gmail.com.
Google Drive is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions. I am in no way affiliated with Google.
