Project E128

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Part 2: PERHAPS THE MOST INSTRUCTIVE AND ENTERTAINING ARCHERY VIDEO I HAVE EVER SEEN.

If you ever wondered what the compound bow is, how it works, what goes into it, and nearly EVERYTHING associated with it, then you need look no further than the 2008 video created by 4 engineering students at UC Berkeley for a class project.

The professor for the class, Dennis K.Lieu, is an archer and coach for the UC Berkeley team, wrote this explanation:
" It was produced as a class project in my advanced engineering graphics class at UC Berkeley. The class is E128. The emphasis of the class is on 3-dimensional modeling and technical animation. The project assignment was to select a device of moderate mechanical complexity, and create an animation that shows how it is assembled and how it works. If you go to Youtube and search on E128, a few more of my class projects come up. I've been teaching the class for over 10 years, and have accumulated about a hundred such animations in my library. All the animations are public domain, via a verbal agreement with the students at the beginning of the class."

"The compound bow video was produced by 4 engineering students in my class who are also members of the UC Berkeley Archery Team. Keaton Chia is currently a senior in mechanical engineering, recurve archer, and captain of the UC Berkeley Team. Alexandria (Alex) Gray is a senior in mechanical engineering and compound archer. Vivian Chu is a senior in electrical engineering and recurve archer. Emily Cheng is a senior in mechanical engineering and compound archer. The computer model of the bow and its accessories was made by reverse engineering Alex's bow. It was completely disassembled, and each part measured. The modeling was done using Pro/E and Solidworks. The animation was done using 3D Studio and Animator, and a few other programs in between. Alex's bow is back together now, and it does seem to be working properly. "

Prof. Dennis K. Lieu
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Dean of Student Affairs, College of Engineering
Faculty Advisor and Coach, UC Berkeley Archery Team
University of California, Berkeley

Professor Lieu has many such videos and you can find them by using YouTube's search feature for the keyword e128 .

Name: Vivian Chu
Age: 21
Year: Class of 2009
Major: EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
Bow style: Recurve

Experience with the project:

The project required us to choose some object and demonstrate how it works. This includes the assembly and operation of the object. After
considering many random objects, we decided to pick an object related to archery - a straightforward choice given that our entire group was on the
Cal Archery team. A recurve bow was deemed too simple for the requirements of the project and so we chose to model our group member's bow. Alex
graciously allowed us to take apart her bow, after promising we would put it back together correctly again.

This project really made me appreciate both the simplicity as well as the complexity of the bow. I was in charge of modeling the sight and it
didn't occur to me until then just how many little bits and pieces go together. However, seeing all the parts fit together helped me finally
understand how the compound bow works.

Even though we spent countless hours and a few sleepless nights on this project, I am very proud of what we accomplished. I am happy to have had
such an amazing group to work with. I believe it might have been disastrous if we didn't all get along so well considering how much time we
spent together. :)

Also a big special thanks to Steven Hendler. I don't know where we would be without his help and expertise. E128 has been one of the most
worthwhile classes I have taken at Berkeley, so many thanks to Professor Dennis Lieu for making it so.

That should be enough :P I'm not sure if any of it will be redundant with what the other guys write but yup yup. Let me know if you would like me
to change any of it, like making it shorter or whatnot.

Thanks!
Vivian

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2nd: Nara by E.S. Posthumus
3rd: Clubbed to Death by Rob Dougan
4th: Pompeii by E.S. Posthumus
5th: Still Alive by Jonathan Coulton from the game Portal

Likes and dislikes about the project: Building the 3D parts was probably the most rewarding part of the project because those are the building blocks to the rest of the video. Animating was fun too, and I think I had a bit too much fun with the camera in finding a bunch of interesting angles to see the parts with. The final render was nerve-wracking because of time limitations. We have the Portal music at the end of the video as a bit of an homage to some archery friends of ours who stuck it out with us during those long rendering nights by playing the video game Portal to keep themselves and us entertained.

Other hobbies: I like to draw and make costumes in my spare time. Props can be especially fun to make. Working with 3-dimensional stuff can feel more rewarding than sketches or digital work.