Due to time constraints this week (mostly due to not being on campus the entire weekend), I was not able to make as much progress as I would have liked. However, I did almost entirely complete the structure of the cloud and will soon be mounting the LEDs. I also have testing code ready to sample audio signals to see what I can do with them.

First and foremost, I learned what I should and should not let heated thermoplastic touch, as some materials pose no problems, but others it binds to very readily and doesn’t want to come off. After some practice, I had a system down to sculpt small sections of plastic on to the wire frame, one after another. Using smaller portions meant I would have time to place it all before it began cooling, which I learned after some mistakes.

Additionally, while building the top of the cloud, I quickly realized I should finalize a general structural form before just building the top. After doing that, I had to change the top somewhat and crack and re-attach some sections. Luckily the aesthetics of this don’t really matter, since the entire body should be covered in cotton balls.