Leonardo Da Vinci Research

Background

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, just outside of Florence in Italy. He loved to observe nature and showed a talent for drawing from a young age. His father arranged for an apprenticeship for him in the Florentine studio when he was fifteen with the acclaimed painter Andrea del Verrochio.This was were his talent for art blossomed.

Talent

Leonardo was not only talented at art, but also for engineering andat science. More than 500 years ago, he designed weaponry, buildings and machinery, as well as studies on nature, mechanics, anatomy, architecture and many other things. He designed:

• Flying machines
• Robots
• Submarines
• Underwater breathing apparatus
• Automated bobbin winder
• Len-grinding machine
• War machines (tank, cannons etc.)
• Viola Organista
• Parabolic Compass
• Bridges

He had also done the majority of the groundwork for the artificial heart valve, as well as creating some excellent paintings.

Engineering and Inventions

Leonardo mastered mechanical principles. His work wasn't appreciated as to how amazing it was until after he had died.

The Tank

Leonardo's tank sketch, although looking finished, had a flaw with the mechanics: the tank would only rotate on the spot and not progress forward. Only one of the gears needed to be changed to make it work properly, but it is rumoured that Leonardo left this error in his design on purpose: to prevent his machine from being used by unauthorised people. His notebooks also show cannons aimed to hurl things at the enemy.

Viola Organista

According to old records (that have survived) this musical instrument was the first bowed keyboard instrument to ever be invented. Leonardo's original idea was to use rotating wheels that were pulling a looping bow, perpendicular to the instrument's strings.

Parabolic Compass

The parabolic compass stemmed from Leonardo’s interest in geometry. In terms of structure, the compass is a rectangular cone, with the only mobile part being the 45degrees inclined arm. 

Three-Barrelled Cannon

Unlike previous cannons, which could only fire one shot at a time before reloading, Leonardo’s canon allowed three shots to be loaded at once, for more frequent firing. It was also more light weight and had large wheels to allow decent mobility during a hectic battle. 

I have focussed some more in depth research on these four inventions only because they are the four that I have narrowed it down to as modelling possibilities. I will do some more research in the form of mood boards for three of them and think practically about which one would be the best for me to model and animate, in terms of my own skill level in 3DS Max and as to how impressive the model will look when it is finished.