Project: Gardens of Versailles

[Datech]

Ok, so a month behind schedule and on the heels of the still technically unfinished Passion, here is The Gardens of Versailles!

The following is the main part of my Future Projects post from a while ago but updated to what I currently have. At the bottom is the newest piece for this case, an image of the CAD file I'm sending off to some waterjet guys for cutting. Enjoy, and I am really trying to get this one done by August. I've got the majority of the component already, and I'm trying to stick to a timetable. As soon as I get Nighttrain's 12mp point and shoot I'll get a bunch of pictures up here.

Here is the outline for my next mod, The Gardens of Versailles. It is now in the last part of the design phase and will hopefully be completed no later than August.

This mod is going to be a surprise for my mother. She knows I plan on building her a computer, and I expressed interest in modding one for her, but we never discussed anything besides possibly making the theme landscaping/flowers. In the summer after 8th grade I had the opportunity to visit France for two weeks with a tour group, and we made a day long stop at the Palace of Versailles. If anyone knows anything about Versailles and the eccentric Louis's that lived there, you know that it sits on a huge parcel of land, most of which is gardens. One place that particularly struck me was the Orangerie, just outside the main palace.

The Orangerie:

So with that in mind, I then chose my components. These may change, but it doesn't really matter:
Purchased, On Order, Will Order
Motherboard: ECS Black Series AMD 780G mobo
RAM: OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-800
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200 Brisbane 2.7GHz
Power Supply: Thermaltake Purepower 500W Power Supply
Graphics Card: POWERCOLOR Radeon HD 3650 512MB
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM
DVD-ROM: Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R
CPU Cooler:ARCTIC COOLING ACF64LP 60mm CPU Cooler
Monitor: ASUS 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor

So here is the sketchup model:

The front of the case I have looks nothing like this, and I have a bunch of other ideas for the sides. I haven't had a chance to update the SketchUp drawings yet, so bear with it and pay attention to the overall design.

I'm going to try and keep the colors dull and simple. I don't want it to be a huge flashy case due to color, I'd rather it be something you can set on top of a nightstand next to a desk and actually look like a representation of the Orangerie. I didn't bother putting the components in the SketchUp case, but the holes will be backed by 1/8" blue frosted plexiglass most likely, and the 120mm fan in the center will glow blue to simulate water throughout the cutout. I am going to have the cutout custom cut at a local metal shop to ensure the complexity stays. I'll probably get the trees at a local train hobby store as well.

As far as paint and color scheme a lot has changed since those initial SketchUps. I still plan on doing some kind of green and beige on the top part with the trees to simulate grass and pathways. As far as the sides though, I still need to do a little research and brainstorming on what I want to do. My case is such that when laid down the power button has an arch around it, so I plan on incorporating the Arc de Triumph around it somehow. For the non-face sides I plan on siding it with some sort of decorative french styled wallpaper or lining. A faux-leather in tan/burgundy with a gold leaf/vine pattern is what I keep picturing as I want this to be a darker colored case. No French pastels or anything like that.

Once again, not sure what direction I'm going to go with the sides, but they hopefully won't just be green. If anyone has any ideas feel free to post them.

And now the final piece. The completed AutoCAD wireframe of the case top. I don't have it textured or anything as I don't know what the water jet guy is going to want. The red rectangle on the pic is the little handhold area that helps you take the case side off. I'm not sure if I'm going to flatten that out of just leave it to be cut into yet.

Thats about all I can think about right now, what does everyone think?

[Datech]

just a question for the landscaping are you going to use train modeling grass, fake water cuz that would be awesome

The water is going to be represented by a blue plexi backing for the window. I still haven't decided yet if I'm going to do a transparent blue or a frosted, but I'm leaning toward frosted as this mod doesn't exactly focus on the coolness of computers (just computer mods).

The grass is probably just going to be the case side painted green and possibly textured. Maybe get two or three good coats of the color I want, then alternate a lighter shade and the same shade in two super quick coats and use a cotton ball as its drying to pop in up. Just an idea though.

For the rest of the landscaping I'm going to just use what I find at local hobby stores. I could probably get a big set online for fairly cheap, but if I don't use all of the stuff in a set then I'll probably never use it again. There are a few local train and hobby stores, so it shouldn't be hard for me to find something unique for the project.

Once again, I'm super afraid this case can go from cool to cheesy in a matter of seconds, so I'm trying as hard as I can to keep it clean and fresh with the design and materials. If you have any product suggestions or general ideas for the sides let them fly.

I should be getting the camera this week, so you'll have pics to base your suggestions on soon.

[Datech]

If it's not going to be a low-profile computer, why go with that cooler? (If it is, nice.)

Not sure I understand you. Are we talking about the CPU cooler or the case fan?

If you mean the CPU cooler, feel free to suggest another one. This is the first time I've done anything that wasn't an Intel 775 chip. I just found the first decent rated cooler for my chip on Newegg and went with it.

If you mean the big 120mm case fan on in the center, it seemed appropriate to me. This is still going to be a basic computer shape, and case fans in the side like that don't exactly hurt. Plus, what better to fill the spot of a big circular pool than a case fan that surprisingly fits the dimensions really well? When I was basing the CAD drawing on the overhead shot I was afraid of what the final measurements of the pool would be in relation to the garden. Turns out it was right at 112mm, which is good enough for me for a 120mm fan.

Another thing I haven't mentioned yet: I plan on mounting the case on top of some stylish Victorian-type feet, possible ball and claw style. This will let the case stand off its resting place a bit and allow a little extra airflow out the unseen bottom part.

[Datech]

So between my website and starting to get jobs for my Need A Techie service I finally got a chance to do an update here.

First off, I'm beginning to get quotes back from cutters. So far all of them are waterjet cutters, but it has been suggested that I seek plasma cutters and other machinists. The quotes so far range from $110-$155, so we'll see where the final one lands.

Second: Pictures!!! Ok, they aren't really that exciting. It's just the case I'll be modding and the gear I have so far. If you are reading this and not just looking at the pics, please respond to the questions I have for each pic.

The case:

The back and side where the window will be:

Front. The arch on the side is where I plan to model an Arc de Triumph. Now that you see the front, feel free to throw other ideas out for it. What should I do with the drive bays? Maybe the ornamental Gates of Versailles?:

Arc Close Up:

This is the bottom of the case as a tower. Since I'm doing a desktop, this is going to have to be painted and prettied up. What do you think I should do with it?:

The back of the front bezel. :

Apparently this little crystal lights up as it has molex connectors. I would assume a blue LED, but I haven't plugged it up yet. This could be beneficial for the arc and power button:

Again:

Graphics card:

Mobo:

CPU:

PSU:

RAM:

That's it for now. I'll hopefully do the photoshop concepts tomorrow night. I'm liking the idea of the arc on the left with the power button and the golden gates overlaying the drive bays. Let me know what you think.

[Datech]

Long awaited update! For those of you that know me a bit more personally you know I've been trying to tie up a lot of loose ends lately. However, I finally have time to mod again, and I will be working on this case non stop til Wednesday. Also, for the pics this time I resized em so you won't have to worry about 1.6MB photos. Without further ado, here's what I've got so far:

Got some new toys and materials. I bought a mini vice and a nice little Xacto kit for half price at hobby lobby. I also got some florist foam and some other, denser foam for help with the arc:

Teehee florist foam:

Turns out this vice is almost useless because of the size of the arc:

Lovely little triple tool, 10 attachment Xacto set:

The dense foam and a miniature Arc I got in France when I was in 8th grade:

Had to use two pieces of foam to make the base of the arc:

Went and got some more toys today. Borrowed the future father-in-laws super Dremel set, picked up some Great Stuff, Bondo, nice LED flashlights, bigger vicegrips, and a decorative candle holder (upside down)!

So what am I going to do with decorative candle holders? Mod it of course!

What I did was cut the legs off the candle holder and split it into four separate feet. Since there were anomalies in the original mold there were bubbles and air pockets when I cut the thing open, so I used my newly found Bondo and Dremel skills to round those out:

I will use the decorative feet on the corner of the case for a nice stand off:

I'm also going to use the part that actually holds the candle to support the center of the case:

Here is my workshop, on my small balcony at my new apartment:

One step of the bondo job on the Arc:

I've pretty much finished the bondo on the arc now, but I'm going to give the inside one more coat and sand it a bit more before another pic. Instead of telling you what I'm going to do next, I'm just going to promise you that I'm going to keep working tomorrow and post more pics tomorrow night.

Teaser: I decided what I'm going to do with the sides, and it should be awesome!

[Datech]

I'm having a hard time getting this arc how I want it. Spent a lot of time on it today, so I really don't have many pics. I took the main case side to the waterjet cutter today though, should have that back next week. Yay!

Did a little work on the bottom. What the 'bottom' was:

Mockup. I filled in the holes on the feet, and I tried to get them level. Without a belt sander I'm at a loss for a way to get all the pieces perfectly flat together.

Standing mockup. Looks awesome IMO:

Case front before:

After:

Sanded it a bit more, this is where the arc will go:

That's some great stuff!

This is where the design of the arc will go:

Little more bondo, got a lot more to do:

I've got some big stuff to do to this case tomorrow, I'm stoked. Hopefully it will turn out well.

[Datech]

Ok, so super fun updates!

All taped up:

The first freehand one:

Took me about 10 minutes to draw these:

30 minutes later:

About two hours later:

I spray painted it a nice gold, and I think if turned out well. Special thanks to Luke122 for turning me on to the design:

Here is the material I'm going to cover the sides in:

I'm headed out on vacation soon, so I won't have time to put the wrap on or take pics of the finished front. I also bought a two stage gold crackle spray paint to do the feet with, and that should turn out well too.

[Datech]

Update!

The incredible watercut I got from Atlantis Waterjet!

Leo helping again:

Trying to put the covering on:

Base coat of green:

Looks damn good on the case:

Slight mockup:

Trees I'm considering for the case:

Mockup with the vinyl:

I started masking off the areas for the second coat, but ended up peeling a small piece of paint off because I'm impatient. More to come tomorrow hopefully!

[Datech]

So time for an update.

First we will take a slight detour and I'll show you what we worked on last weekend. Crappy old folding table, completely sanded (by hand):

My buddy doing us justice:

Finished project:

Ok, now back to your regularly scheduled program! So I had some problems painting the top of the case. Basically, I didn't take the time to sand the thing and I was just putting layer after layer of paint on top of paint. It kinda went like this:

So I gave up for a day or two and worked on the front of the case.

Leo helped:

I also became extremely frustrated with my arc. I learned that unless you have a bunch of straight edges to push the bondo up against, it is really hard to sand bondo straight. I bought some cheap Lexan sheets at Home Depot and I'm going to make the skeleton out of that. Primer should be a good color for it, and the great stuff will be used for the molding:

Time to go back to the top. I sat down, and in about an hour I had it sanded down to this:

Since the cutout is so delicate I didn't bother sanding it too much and went ahead with the painting:

Wonder how its gonna turn out... Lets take a look at the new hardware real quick! Xoxide had a good deal on a supposedly super silent cooler for AM2's, so I bought that and an LED fan and got them in today:

I might do a review on the cooler as it seems super interesting. I also picked up a hard drive and DVD drive finally. I have yet to decide exactly how I'm going to integrate the optical drive. I'll work on that tomorrow most likely.

On a related note, I feel really good about my color choices so far:

OMG, whats this? I actually did it right?

Well, much better than I had done, but there are a few spaces I need to touch up. No worries though, it works for me.

And her:

More to come later!

[Datech]

Another update! Tomorrow my mom's birthday, and I will hopefully have it done by next weekend.

Got the plexi in:

Tried to get a pattern to cut out:

This was the best solution I had, support the glass with a bowl, center the cutout in the bowl, cut.

The bowl thing worked, the free hand saber cut didn't really work. I'll fix it later.

Hey, where'd all that tape go? Thank you Guerrilla Glue! Case sides are now done.

I also completely redid the arc, here is the proof of concept.

But how, pray tell, should I construct the actual arc? I didn't have a lighter, so I tried a frying pan and some aluminum foil.

Worked perfectly:

And once again, thank you Geurilla Glue!

Since the sides weren't all perfectly seated I reinforced it with a little bondo work:

Fits well:

I then sanded all the sides down and made everything nice and flush:

Check the difference:

I still have two other little panels to put in on the thing, but they should come easily. Once I put those on I'll take the time to decorate the arc and hopefully call it finished. After that, finish the front of the case, make sure the top fits, get the glass cut how I want it and secured, then actually put the components in, then its done!

Yea... next week...