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Project 1: Idiosyncratic Plotter

Due: Tuesday April 21st 2026

Design Brief​

Plotters are one of the earliest forms of computer numerical control. They consist of computer controlled drawing machines that automatically execute a 2D drawing based on a series of computer-generated instructions. Traditionally, plotters are designed to work autonomously for general applications, however in practice artists, engineers, and researchers modify plotters and other drawing machines through collaborative human machine interaction, hacks and modifications, and reimaginings. Each of these examples takes the concept of a general purpose drawing machine and converts it to support an idiosyncratic workflow, outcome, or style of work.

Your task is to use Stepdance to reinvent your plotter from a general mass-produced machine to a specialized tool or system optimized for a specific kind of outcome. You will be provided with a range of input devices (encoders, buttons, potentiometers) and basic drawing media. You must modfiy your plotter to include an operating program and interface that is tailored to a specific kind of output. You should aim to satisfy the following design dimensions:

  1. Specificity: Your drawing tool or system should be "good" at producing certain kinds of output, and by extension, "bad" at producing other kinds of output.
  2. Variation While holding to the prior principle of specificity, you should be able to produce more than one kind of output with your system- e.g. some aspect of the interaction or control interface should enable variation.
  3. Liveness You should be able to determine some elements of machine behavior in real time, either through manual control, live input, or generative behavior in your program.

Project Deliverables​

  • Proposal: A description of your target outcome. (See below)
  • Functioning System A modified pen plotter with a novel control interface and interaction produced using Stepdance.
  • Output A minimum of 3 drawings or other perceivable works produced with your modified plotter.
  • Documented Code Complete commented source code for your Stepdance program, uploaded to your team Github.
  • Development Documentation: Step-by step documentation including text, photos, and video showing your prototyping process and final results.
  • Reflection Short reflection on project 1 reflection slide. To be completed following the in-class critique.

Project Details​

Milestone 1: Proposal​

  • Due Date: Tuesday April 7th
  • Submission: Readme file on Github.io website.
  • Requirements Describe your envisioned machine and outcome. Include a description of the target outcome or process you want to support, the interaction you aim to support and any technical requirements beyond what you have been provided in your basic kit of parts. " Include at least three images or sketches to help communicate your idea. You may also include links to external projects and documentation that help illustrate your idea. We will review these proposals in class. You will have 7 minutes to present your idea.

Milestone 2: Final Presentation​

  • Due Date: April 21st
  • Format: 10 minute in class presentation of the working system and resulting artifacts. Optional but strongly encouraged- allow other members of the class to interact with your system.
  • Requirement: All documentation should be complete and online by start of class.

Class Critique​

Each presentation will be followed by 10 minutes of class critique. The class will critique the resulting projects on the design dimensions described in the project brief. Students are asked to put away all phones and laptops unless they are using them to present during critiques.

  1. Specificity: Could the works produced with this tool be easily created with a standard plotter or other mass produced machine? Why or why not? Do the output works share some degree of stylistic cohesiveness?

  2. Variation What is the nature of the variation of the output? environmental? manual? machine generated? Have the authors seemingly reached the ceiling and walls of the tool with their example outputs or would other variations be feasible? What would be required to support them and how might this new functionality conflict with the specificity of the original tool?

  3. Liveness How much do live interventions shape the resulting outputs? Is the effect of the live intervention predictable? sculptable? Could someone master it?

Inspiration​

See the inspiration page for more examples. Of particular note:

  • Sensor Controlled Plotting: Video

  • Cory Haber: Instagram

  • Drawing Operations: Project Page

  • Entropic System: Artist Website

  • Mechanical Interventions: Project Page

  • Painting with Plotters: Project Page

  • Tools, Tricks, and Hacks: Exploring Novel Digital Fabrication Workflows on #PlotterTwitter: ACM Paper Hannah Twigg-Smith, Jasper Tran O'Leary, and Nadya Peek. CHI 2021.