Box - 05-03-01 - Construction Site

in Workbook 5 Gallery

Student: Aaron Dunk  (GitHub: adunk-wisc)

3 new equipment, the forklift, dumptruck, and driller. The simplest is the forklift, which just has the forks lift up and down. Next is the dumptruck, which can lift it’s bed up at an angle, and open the back hatch to release it’s contents. Had to use groups in the right points so each of the rotations were correct. Finally there is the driller. This has 4 degrees of freedom, (moving both arm segments, extending forearm, lowering drill). Using scale to extend the drill and forearm was the most challenging part, as the forearm scale couldn’t affect anything down the hierarchy.

Student: Arthur JIANG  (GitHub: ArthurJiang628)

I made 3 machines: Dump Truck: orange cab, dark chassis, 6 wheels, silver tilting bed. 2 DOF besides simple movement: bed tilts up to dump, tailgate swings open independently. Cement Mixer: white cab with red stripe, tilted yellow drum on the back, discharge chute at the rear. 2 DOF: drum spins around its axis, chute swings left/right to aim the pour. Mobile Concrete Pump (advanced + creative): red truck with a pump hopper, rotating turntable, and a 3-section folding boom arm with a concrete hose and nozzle at the tip. 6 DOF: turntable rotates 360°, 3 boom sections each fold independently, front and rear outrigger legs extend outward to stabilize the truck. To use it: extend the outriggers first, then rotate the turntable and unfold the boom sections to reach a target area.

Student: Ruben Aguilo Schuurs  (GitHub: BorudaX)

The graphics town construction required:

  • A simple forklift with adjustable fork height
  • A cement truck with a rotating (adjustable speed), tiltable tumble (which, despite being subtle, was geometrically more challenging than expected!)
  • An advanced wrecking ball forklift crane with cabin spin, two-stage individual arm extension, arm tilt, and ball (up/down) extension.

Student: Zijun Zhao  (GitHub: gyt1Kf)

In this construction scene, I added three machines: a truck crane, a forklift, and a backhoe. The backhoe’s front bucket can rotate up and down, while the two rear arms and bucket can also rotate, and the entire rear structure can spin horizontally. The forklift has the fewest degrees of freedom, with only its forks able to move up and down. Finally, the truck crane’s crane can rotate horizontally, and its boom can extend and rotate vertically.

Student: Guanhao Wang  (GitHub: HowellWang04)

I added three new construction machines to the site.

The Dump Truck has a tilting dump bed controlled by a slider — the bed pivots at the rear hinge and lifts the front end up to dump its load.

The Cement Mixer has 4 degrees of freedom beyond position and orientation: the drum spins around its own axis, the drum angle can be adjusted (rear end lower for concrete flow), and the output chute can rotate left/right and tilt downward for pouring. The cab is built with ExtrudeGeometry for a realistic truck silhouette with an angled windshield.

The Forklift has 3 degrees of freedom: the mast tilts forward and backward, the fork carriage raises and lowers along the mast rails, and the forks tilt to secure or deposit loads.

Student: Jiaqi Ye  (GitHub: Jiaqi-Ye)

For this assignment, I implemented three types of articulated construction equipment: a forklift, a dump truck, and an excavator. All machines are clearly identifiable and include articulated components that can be controlled through the UI. I also applied multiple colors and materials to each vehicle to improve visual clarity and distinguish different parts.

All three machines follow a consistent design style and include functional moving components. I further enhanced the models with additional details such as wheels, lighting, and a Wisconsin “W” badge to improve visual quality and overall scene coherence. Specifically, the dump truck features a tilting bed for unloading, an opening tailgate, and rotating wheels, along with lights and warning patterns. The forklift includes a tilting mast, lifting forks, and extendable arms, as well as rotating wheels.

In addition, I designed a Mini Excavator as a third machine. This model uses a hierarchical structure with multiple degrees of freedom, including a rotating cabin, boom, stick, and bucket, enabling more complex articulated motion. Through these designs, along with added lighting, markings, and mechanical details, the overall scene is enhanced both functionally and visually, contributing to a more creative and complete result.

Student: Pavan Thodima  (GitHub: pthodima)