Coffee Cup Generator
Introduction
For this assignment I chose a coffee cup, although any given object could probably lead to exciting explorations using this process. The design of coffee cups and mugs have stagnated as of late, which is a shame as there’s so much potential, given that every mug can be uniquely designed to hold a particular kind of liquid, and be a perfect fit for every unique hand. My hands are slightly larger than normal which makes it tricky to hold my cup, and my french press holds just that little bit more coffee than my cup, which means I can’t get a perfect pour! Although not the biggest problem in the world, the same issue becomes a lot more problematic when it comes to shoe sizes or standardised clothing standards, which can be quite exclusionary.
Process
With the aim of generating new cups forms, I looked to the craft of wheel pottery for inspiration. Pottery on the
wheel affords for new kinds of organic forms with every creation. The same amount of clay can be used to create
cups with different forms yet with the same capacity. To make each cup unique, the shape and form of the cup would
be defined by the volume it needed to contain. I also wanted to make the sketch functional, so I added a layer of
coffee preparation over it. The sketch would not only design new forms of cups, but also provide the amount
of
coffee needed for various kinds of coffee preparation.
I started off with some drawings, laying out the various elements of the sketch, and making a to-do list. The
coffee preparation styles were researched, and the ratio of the coffee to other parts were mapped out on the
vertical axis, and the volume of the coffee itself on the horizontal axis. I connected the values to the mouseX
and mouseY, so by moving the mouse around, I could see how many grams of coffee I would need to prepare a certain
amount of coffee with a specific preparation style.
I realised that perhaps it wasn’t necessary to create something which is volumetrically accurate, and something
which gives a visual impression of the same is good enough. Working with curveVertex driven forms
created uneven
shapes, and so I switched to using shapes on Elena’s advice. I used surface area instead of volume to create the
forms, and so even if the end result wasn’t accurate, it was still relatively proportional. After some
experimentation with shapes, I realised that I might be better off creating shapes using vertex, to have finer
control over the forms of the shapes, and a thick stroke to make the shapes look organic. I visually ‘cheated’ by
making the length of the radius on the rim of the cup the same as the base of the cup, to create predictable forms
which could clearly still be identified as a cup or a mug.
This was the final algorithm which helped me calculate the shape of the cups:
volume = round(map(mouseX, 0, width, 20, 1800));
let tw = textWidth(volume + 'ml') / 2;
//Calculate total volume of drink
volume = round(map(mouseX, 0, width, 20, 1800));
let tw = textWidth(volume + 'ml') / 2;
Learnings
When I first thought of creating generative coffee cups, I had envisioned making wheel pottery esq complex forms, which would adapt to the volume of the coffee. Although I wasn’t able to create something as complicated, I’m happier with the forms that are currently being generated. The forms are simpler, but they look like they could be made, and are comfortable to hold as well. This is especially true for the smaller forms, as the complications lead to very interesting forms, of which some look particularly appealing to drink out of. The different kinds of forms also question the way we currently hold our cups. I’ve never found handles to be easy to hold on to, with mugs always being easier and more intuitive to grasp. Some mugs are to be held from the bottom, and some from the top, which could be a function of the temperature of the liquid it holds. It’s also interesting to note how the size of the rim affects which sort of liquids the cup is used for. Cups with smaller rims are preferred for liquids which need to be consumed slowly, in sips, whereas cups with wider rims are better for liquids which can be consumed quickly, such as water, or to be used for pouring.