How to use your Desk Top
Publisher as a Building Tool
A Manual by Gary Robert McKay
Index
Technical Manual Sample
1. Cover
2. A Building
and Construction System
3. Designing a
Template in MS
Publisher
Designing a template in
MS Publiser
MS Publisher as a
Drawing Board
2 MS Publisher
as a drawing
board
4 Types of
parts for MS
Publisher
5 How to write
component
instructions
Laminating
Creating Open Units
D-Unit tower parts supplied free with this manual.
The tools to use
Engineering in Paper — open ended exploration
6 Three kinds
of parts to use
in MS Publisher
7 Making Apertures
8 Laminating
9 Using Auto
Shapes for
constructions
in MS Publisher
10 Creating
Fabric Pages in
MS Publisher
11 Tools to Use
Proof of concept: Designed
and built with MS Publisher
® the XP2A-4 rocket in
flight, Cygnet, Tasmania,
11/01/09.
12 About the
Author
13 Instructions
for D-Unit Tower
Free EIP Parts Board D-Unit Tower
The prototype craft and
launching system are now in
the collection of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
(TMAG).
14 D-Unit template
15 D-Unit template graphics
ready
16 D-Unit template for apertures
17 Braces
DU-1 D-Unit solid planes
DU-2 D-Unit open
DU-3 Graphics ready
DU-4 60º Brace
DU-5 60º Brace
© 2012 Gary Robert McKay with additional images by Maurice Sartorelli. © 2009 Maurice Sartorelli. All rights reserved. Content being instructional pictures and text are the copyrighted property of the author. All templates are copy left, open source and can be freely used and passed on and you may publish their development. All references to MS Publisher ® and product screen shots are for the purposes of review only and I have no association with Microsoft Corporation. I just wish them well!
Education purchasers have all of school rights.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 1
2. A Building and Construction System
Summary
Engineering-in-Paper builds component by component from
computer drawn parts and print-outs.
It can be
material by
print outs
as
applied to any flat
using the
This manual outlines a simple approach to making
with print outs that is, in fact, a building and construction system for paper or any flat sheeting.
sheet
Computer
Drawn
The first section of this manual deals with the technical aspects of building using MS Publisher ® as
an example..
Part
On this page are the basic terms used in this manual.
We call the technique Engineering-in-Paper (EIP).
Glue Tab
Brace
Plane
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 2
3 Designing a Part in MS Publisher ®
Summary
Use of planes and glue tabs to create a part using
the shapes using the example of the MS Publisher
drawing system. This is the development of a rocket
nose cone.
We show how the nose cone on this rocket was designed.
Step One
Cone shape to correct size—matching
fuselage– is imported from shapes.
Left: the
part on the page and below on the cutting
Step Two
Glue tabs established at top and
bottom of plane. The tip of the
cone is a unique interleaving trian-
Step Four
The object in Step
Three
Step Three
The shape in step
two is copied, pasted and rotated to
create required
Is grouped an overdrawn
to be graphics ready.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 3
4 MS Publisher ® as a Drawing Board
Summary
How to use MS Publisher 2007 as a
drawing board.
Set position on page
Set size of object Rotate object to tenth of degree
Measurement toolbar
can be dragged
onto to top tool
Below: Use of Basic Shapes to create parts
Plane
Glue tab
Plane
Tip: hold down shift key when
placing and sizing triangle for
equilateral form.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 4
5 How to write component
Some people like words, some like diagrams so part instruction are best
in both forms.
This is the tail plane stabiliser for the OST Z2 Rocket - and is our most complex
part to date.
Note that direction of fold has to indicated and followed carefully by the builder.
Z2-10 Tail Plane Stabiliser
ABC
D
I
Interleave and
glue together
U
U
Meet and glue
R
U K
J
D
L
D
IKLNOQ
Glue to tail
plane wing
RST
Grey Areas
Glue to tail
Remove (Cut)
D
E
M
U
D
A
D
B D
I
K
J
S
U
F
N
U
C D
R
U
U
G
D
H
D
O
P
Q
U
T
U
E
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 5
6 Three kinds of parts
In the OST approach there are three kinds of parts.
Summary
There are
three kinds of EIP
Parts
Solid plane drawings clearly showing planes and
glue tabs. Used during development and prototyping—and also to see where things go.
Open units ready for the cutting of apertures
Graphics ready drawings which have no internal
lines to interfere with the placement of graphics.
Graphics ready
Externally
marked
ruler guides for
scoring folds
area
Solid plane drawing—see where everything goes
Graphics ready part
Aperture marked face—see instructions next page
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 6
7 Making apertures
Summary
Creating apertures in D-Units
and other structures.
B
B
A
A
A
B
Red lines indicate to cut
Underside of TAB A glues
to Plane B
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 7
Laminating
Summary
This is a desk top version of laminating two flat
sheetings together.
The example is aluminium foil but works with
other materials e.g. plastic films like Glad Wrap ®
Use pastes (e.g. glue stick) rather than adhesives
Above: Proto-type rocket launch stand
made with paper laminated with
Cut excess from print out and smear non-printed
side with glue stick. Pay particular attention to
areas which will become the edges of the part.
Use scissors to cut shape— the shearing effect of
the scissors helps to seal the edges
Placement of 60 degree brace
Smooth foil onto pasted area.
Two laminated parts ready for assembly
Trim off excess foil, turn over and use printed
lines to score in fold lines
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 8
8 Using Autoshapes for constructions in MS Publisher ®
2V-1
2V-2
AS2V-2
AS2V-1
2V-3
To personalise
Autoshape from
toolbar:
Format>
Autoshape>
Fill: Colour<
Fill Effects>
Then choose from:
Gradient, Texture,
Pattern, Picture or
Tint
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 9
9 Creating Fabric Pages in MS Publisher ®
Summary
Use graphics to turn paper into a patterned fabric.
The watch tower form left is made with the Page
Background in MS Publisher set to White Marble and with a
random Filled Shapes.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 10
10 Tools to Use
Summary
Simple hand tools to use on the
marked up cutting board
Any 2D drawing system can be used to create parts i.e. manual
or computer based drawing. From manual drawings one can
photocopy parts.
We use MS Publisher because it is a common denominator
drawing system—and does the job very well.
Tools:
Steel Rulers
Scissors
Blade Cutter
White Ball Point—Fine —or same colour as paper or card (.Any
biro can be used but blue or black lines, for example, tend to
look messy).
Chop Stick
Glues Adhesives and Pastes
Alligator nose pliers for firming glue tabs
All kind of papers foils and plastic films
Use white ball point pen to score
fold lines.
Use a white fine ball point to score fold lines
because it does not damage the paper surface.
The accuracy of the folds determine the
accuracy of the construct.
Well lit working area
Computer Printer.
Note: The styrene copolymer of printed laser printer inks
unsticks at contact with acetone adhesives. All models in this
manual are made on ink jet printers when this glue is used
Note: Acetone glue (e.g.Tarzan’s grip) not recommended for
children in school years K-6. Use glue sticks for this age. It’s not
just for health reasons—acetone glues can be a disaster for
clothes and furnishings.
Warning: sniffing glues and solvents only makes you ill.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 11
15 About the Author
Gary Robert McKay is a Tasmanian teacher and
writer and a student at the School of Art and the
School of Management at the University of Tasmania.
He first developed the rudiments of Engineering –in
-Paper whilst managing a small printery and publishing company. Retailers wanted a way of organizing product of the counter top and finding nothing
“off the shelf” he developed his own, drawing parts
on an engineer’s drafting board and photo-copying
the results.
He noticed that the system could be adapted to
other purposes and used these in his own teaching
practice during the nineties.
In 2006 he decided to develop this early work with
computer drawn parts and began the work that was
to become Engineering-in-Paper. He has developed
it as a bullding and construction system for any desk
top publisher though his personal preference is MS
Publisher
Born in 1952, he lives in Hobart, Tasmania and is
the father of four children.
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 12
16 Instructions D-Unit Tower
Summary
D-Unit is made from three diamond shapes
Unit is
reinforced by 60 degree brace
Units
other to
make
tower.
assemble of top of
each
Can be
stabilised
with paper
streamers as “guy wires”.
This is a D-Unit made from three diamond
shapes
U
D
D
U
D
U = Upward fold
Made strip of three diamond shapes
Bring ends of three diamond shapes as a strip
and glue.
D
= Downward fold
Paper clips
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 13
OST Templates Copyleft
DU-1 All planes shown
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 14
OST Templates Copyleft
DU-2 Apertures marked
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 15
OST Templates Copyleft
DU-4 Corner brace all planes shown
DU-5 Corner brace graphics ready
How to use your Desk Top Publisher as a Building Tool 16