GERTY 3000 replica - from Moon (2009)
- Thread starter Markus
- Start date
Markus
Sr Member
Thank you for the nice words!
I am not completely sure how to understand your question. The plywood is cut with a laser cutter and the tabs and slots are included in the .dxf files for the laser cutter. I am drawing the dxf files in librecad, based on my hand-drawn sketches. This includes the drawing of the tabs and slots. If this is what you mean "by hand", then "yes".
Markus
Sr Member
Help needed with PostIt stickers!
While preparing GERTY's stickers, I am also looking at the two PostIt stickers.
The left one is easy to read, even from DVD screen captures: "SERVICE ROVER 3 BOOM".
But I am not able to figure out one line on the right sticker. No way to read this on the images on the web - neither from DVD screen captures. So, I got me the BluRay, and here are the two best screen captures that I could make in the whole movie.
I read: "Check Power Assist Unit in Main Dock" plus "OK - Rover 1", "OK Rover 2", and "Rover 3*". The rest is harder, but I assume, it says "Weird Feeling" and, at the bottom "Sort it out". But I can't read the line with the two words in between.
Can anybody help me here?
While preparing GERTY's stickers, I am also looking at the two PostIt stickers.
The left one is easy to read, even from DVD screen captures: "SERVICE ROVER 3 BOOM".
But I am not able to figure out one line on the right sticker. No way to read this on the images on the web - neither from DVD screen captures. So, I got me the BluRay, and here are the two best screen captures that I could make in the whole movie.
I read: "Check Power Assist Unit in Main Dock" plus "OK - Rover 1", "OK Rover 2", and "Rover 3*". The rest is harder, but I assume, it says "Weird Feeling" and, at the bottom "Sort it out". But I can't read the line with the two words in between.
Can anybody help me here?
FingerPaint
New Member
"Weird feeling rover suspension"
Markus
Sr Member
Nice to see how in 3 steps it comes together. Yes, that makes sense: "Weird feeling rover suspension - sort it out". Thanks a lot everybody!
Markus
Sr Member
Painting
Now, GERTY is getting painted. In the movie, GERTY's color depends a lot on the light settings. Sometimes (as in the image of the very first post in this thread) it is more gray, while in other cases (in yellow-ish light) it is more beige. I opted to go with the gray. I am only using water-based acrylic paints: Apple Barrel's Granite Gray and Pavement, and Minwax's Polycrylic for the finish.
I am starting with the dark areas, ...
... and then the gray pieces.
Actually, I needed quite a few iterations to get the boundaries between the two colors done.
Finally, I am adding a few layers of the finish.
Now, GERTY is getting painted. In the movie, GERTY's color depends a lot on the light settings. Sometimes (as in the image of the very first post in this thread) it is more gray, while in other cases (in yellow-ish light) it is more beige. I opted to go with the gray. I am only using water-based acrylic paints: Apple Barrel's Granite Gray and Pavement, and Minwax's Polycrylic for the finish.
I am starting with the dark areas, ...
... and then the gray pieces.
Actually, I needed quite a few iterations to get the boundaries between the two colors done.
Finally, I am adding a few layers of the finish.
Markus
Sr Member
Wow, what an honor! Thank you! I am very much looking forward to his input!
woo hoo markus!!
Markus
Sr Member
Something's missing on the right side...
The enclosure looked pretty good, in particular after painting. But then I found that, in contrast to the beautiful complex shape on the left side, the right side was just flat and boring. So, I decided to add another piece. Get the laser cutter to do its work, ...
... glue, fill, sand, and add two spacers, ...
... paint, ...
... and screw it to the body.
Yes!! This is one of those details that give GERTY its personality.
The enclosure looked pretty good, in particular after painting. But then I found that, in contrast to the beautiful complex shape on the left side, the right side was just flat and boring. So, I decided to add another piece. Get the laser cutter to do its work, ...
... glue, fill, sand, and add two spacers, ...
... paint, ...
... and screw it to the body.
Yes!! This is one of those details that give GERTY its personality.
Markus
Sr Member
GERTY's Eye
In the movie, GERTY seems to have an adjustable iris in it's eye. I thought about this for a moment, but considered this to be too complex. An adjustable iris element costs about $20, and for the Arduino to operate it, I would have to connect it to a (noisy?) servo. Instead, I opted to approximate that effect simply by dimming an LED.
I am using a powerful 8mm 0.5W straw hat LED, that I also used previously for my HAL 9000 replicas, but here in blue. And I thought it would add a lot if this LED was positioned behind a glass lens. So, I searched for a lens to fit the existing opening of 7/8" (22 mm). I found an (almost) perfect fit: a lens with an outer diameter of 24 mm (at the bottom - so it won't fall through the opening), and inner diameter of 22.5 mm (so, I just had to widen the opening at the base by a tiny amount), a height of 10.4 mm (this is rather thick, and looks great), with a focal length of 14 mm (not that it matters, but that's what it is). For this lens, I built the holder that is seen in the pictures. I varied the number of rings that I use for the spacer (between LED and lens) until the LED light through the lens looked best.
In the movie, GERTY seems to have an adjustable iris in it's eye. I thought about this for a moment, but considered this to be too complex. An adjustable iris element costs about $20, and for the Arduino to operate it, I would have to connect it to a (noisy?) servo. Instead, I opted to approximate that effect simply by dimming an LED.
I am using a powerful 8mm 0.5W straw hat LED, that I also used previously for my HAL 9000 replicas, but here in blue. And I thought it would add a lot if this LED was positioned behind a glass lens. So, I searched for a lens to fit the existing opening of 7/8" (22 mm). I found an (almost) perfect fit: a lens with an outer diameter of 24 mm (at the bottom - so it won't fall through the opening), and inner diameter of 22.5 mm (so, I just had to widen the opening at the base by a tiny amount), a height of 10.4 mm (this is rather thick, and looks great), with a focal length of 14 mm (not that it matters, but that's what it is). For this lens, I built the holder that is seen in the pictures. I varied the number of rings that I use for the spacer (between LED and lens) until the LED light through the lens looked best.
Markus
Sr Member
Thanks!
This is the stage of a build that I love most: When, after a long time of planning, the personality of the prop starts to materialize.
Markus
Sr Member
Speakers
Just a minor step today:
To play audio clips (like playing GERTY's voice clips), I am connecting a little 3W amp (a PAM8403 module with built-in volume control) to the RaspberryPi. This amp provides audio output to two speakers, that I extracted from two cheap PC speakers that I found at a thrift store.
These have nice, strong magnets. In the past I found that it makes a real difference, to avoid using tiny speakers. Although the sound requirements are not too high, it is nice if there is at least a little bass (or better "lower mid") response, as this makes GERTY's voice sound much fuller. The speakers are mounted in the wider, right piece (where I cut the speaker grilles).
Just a minor step today:
To play audio clips (like playing GERTY's voice clips), I am connecting a little 3W amp (a PAM8403 module with built-in volume control) to the RaspberryPi. This amp provides audio output to two speakers, that I extracted from two cheap PC speakers that I found at a thrift store.
These have nice, strong magnets. In the past I found that it makes a real difference, to avoid using tiny speakers. Although the sound requirements are not too high, it is nice if there is at least a little bass (or better "lower mid") response, as this makes GERTY's voice sound much fuller. The speakers are mounted in the wider, right piece (where I cut the speaker grilles).
Markus
Sr Member
I just posted this in the "Entertainment and Movie Talk". But those who like "Moon" (and are following this thread) will probably also like this, so I'm posting it here again:
"Archive" (2020) - is released online tomorrow (DVD on Aug 11) - the first feature-length movie by Gavin Rothery (who designed GERTY - and more things in "Moon")
The first reviews look promising!
"Archive" (2020) - is released online tomorrow (DVD on Aug 11) - the first feature-length movie by Gavin Rothery (who designed GERTY - and more things in "Moon")
