Hi #HuggedbyOcti Makers.
We have seen Makers from all over enter the competition, some are 3D designers by trade while others are trying something new for the first time.
I have 3 quick questions for all the people who entered the competition.
)?Hi DIYE team and Community.
âWhat inspired you to take part in the competitions (if it was something besides the awesome prizes )?â
The main reason I took part in the competition was to test my abilities and do something a little beyond my comfort zone. I have always designed practical parts and modelling something that was more of an art piece was pushing the boundaries for me. 
âWhat part of the modelling did you enjoy the most?â
The most enjoyable part of the modelling process was definitely the rendering. As mentioned before I almost exclusively model practical parts and the process is generally colourless and boring. To finally be able to see your creation with colour and texture was very satisfying. 
âIf this was your first time 3D modelling then how did you find the experience?â
Although itâs not my first time 3D modelling, I definitely did some things for the first time in the modelling process. I used AutoCAD which is almost always used for 2D technical drawings with 3D modelling used in a complimentary manner.
I found the experience extremely satisfying because I went into it the mindset of âletâs see if I can do itâ and I did it. AutoCAD isnât as efficient as other dedicated 3D modelling softwares out there and the process became more of an expression of art than just knocking up another job. Like those artists that make hyper-realistic paintings in Microsoft Paint or who make portraits by turning string on nails; efficiency goes out the window and the process is more about proving to oneâs self that it can be done.
This was really a cool project to be apart of and I grateful for the opportunity.
Thank you DIY Electronics. 
Hi DIYE,
Will try to keep things brief, since I have a nack for writing essays. 
Donât see a lot of 3D related content locally all that much, so seeing a competition open locally was really what made me all fuzzy. Most international competitions arenât generally open to folks from South Africa. After seeing the DIYE competition, I had to take part in it for the fun of it, but also, gave me another excuse to make something sci-fi, and be able to share it here as opposed to on some foreign website. 
Enjoyed all of it, every last bit of it I enjoyed making, from the initial design/modeling through to posing the character, making materials and rendering him, and then making a 3D printable of him. The last one was particularly enjoyable, since it is something new to me, modeling for 3D printing, knowing that these ones and zeros can actually be turned into a real object you can hold in your hands, just surreal, and hopefully something Iâll never get used to experiencing, holding a once digital object, in your physical hands.
While not new to modeling, but relatively new to the wonderous world of 3D Printing, the creative freedom helped a lot, and made it more enjoyable as a whole. Despite rules and guides being something to help in the direction of creating 3D content, it is really great to have creative freedom when youâre in an industry that generally wants everything âjust soâ. All round, was fun, and much more straight forward to model for 3D printing than what you initially get as an impression. (Granted, not sure how much trouble you guys may have had printing the models. 
)
A new challenge, and challenge is good, it helps to grow, whether you win or lose, you grow from the experience of taking part in it. The prize is a bonus, the experience gained is the long term reward.
So for what it is worth DIYE, thank you for giving us an opportunity to grow, and in the process, perhaps even win something! South Africa needs more 3D in its life. 
The prizes were obviously a big drawcard, but the opportunity for a bit of friendly competition with local designers was not to be missed!
Having the creative freedom to interpret the 2D design into 3D, while adding my own flair and interpretation to it. The 2D design had just the right amount of detail (i.e. not too much), to inspire everyone without restricting creativity. And of course I clearly never really grew up and just love making toys 
This wasnât my first design, but it was fun nevertheless, the time pressure meant that I couldnât get stuck in my usual analysis-paralysis mode and had to made fast decisions and stick with them.
Seemed like a fun challenge. Could I do it, and if so, how would I go about it. I read the rules, once I did, I immediately had the idea. After I had the idea, I couldnât very well just not make it, so dove in. The prize wasnât really the motivation, but would sure be a great addition.
No particular part stood out beyond bridging the artistic gap and having a project coming out the way you wanted.
Nope. Was my first time designing something like this for purely aesthetic reasons though. I normally only design functional parts with little to no thought to aesthetics. I just make it work and make it ergonomic and ânot uglyâ.
To be honest, the most fun was watching the other participants do their thing and see what they came up with. The quality of the work was really excellent. Nice to see such talent hiding out here in SA
I have always loved 3D designing but in my field of work (jewellery CAD design) thatâs very structured and rule driven designing, this competition gave me the chance so expand on my desire to do more of a fun, cute and different design. It gave me the chance to push my creative self to do something different. Even though I do design more than just jewellery, I have never tried making a mascot/figurine, and just as I hoped to start a new project your competition came across my page.
Being able to tri something new and letting my mind go on a journey of who Octi is. In my mind he is a living âWall-Eâ like figure, there to fix anything but he is a sweet and friendly alien like Octi machine and a friend to the 3D community. But he is also cool, and weird and different but human-like with sneakers to blend in. Basically I enjoyed the journey itself, to design something new and different.
This was not my first 3D design but my first design for filament-printing. This is the part that keeps my heart racing as I still donât actually know if mine will print but I did do my absolute best to keep that in mind while designing. 