Laser cutting is one of those tools that makes me feel like anything is possible—you design something on a screen, and suddenly it exists in real life.
But for me, it wasn’t that simple. I’m not very good at turning 2D shapes into 3D forms, so I started with something that felt manageable: a dodecahedron, made of twelve pentagons, each with a snowflake pattern. It sounded simple enough. I quickly ran into something unexpected—units. The laser cutter uses inches, but I only think in centimeters. I had to convert everything, calculate precise edge lengths, and make sure every piece matched perfectly. Even a small mistake would mean the shape wouldn’t fit together.
Laser cutting makes me feel like anything is possible—you design something, and it suddenly becomes real.
I started with a dodecahedron, twelve pentagons with snowflake patterns. It sounded simple, but it wasn’t. I had to convert everything from centimeters to inches and make sure every edge was exactly the same, or it wouldn’t fit.
After finishing the design, I uploaded it to the Collab Art lab computer and aligned it with the wood using the laser cutter’s camera. Then I waited about 30 minutes for it to finish cutting.
Once I had all twelve pieces, I assembled them and placed a light inside. The snowflake patterns lit up and cast soft shadows—it turned out really beautiful. Now it sits in my dorm.