Project : Lupine

[Tech-Daddy]

Ok so I have been browsing computer mod stuff for a few weeks now. Ii plan on doing something for my wife's as a surprise. This thread, this PC made me sign up here. Very awesome. It was hot enough to grab my interest and have me sign up, but when I saw the etching of the wolf and moon on the side of the case I was blown away. It actually invoked emotion (no not cry ) but it did make me feel something, and no other PC has ever done that. They have just been neat or cool. This was art. Great job. Simply amazing.

Thank you. I will pass these comments on to my wife. It is still her daily driver, and whe will not take her fingers out of it!

I am very happy that it stuck a chord with you, and my hope is that it has somehow inspired you in the pursuit of your wife's surprise.

Good luck and drop me a line if you have any questions! I'll do my best to help.

Regards,
-=TD

[nailz]

Just read through this entire thread, and I have to say that the lighting on the moon is absolutely astounding. You didn't detail with pics how you managed to do the LED lighting though. I was a bit disappointed there, because as I get ready to mod my first case, I'm using a lot of these logs for inspiration and as tutorials.

Otherwise, This is a rockin themed case, and one of the prettier ones I've seen!

[Tech-Daddy]

Well then.... without pics.... let me tell you how I did it.

Keep in mind that acrylic is a natural conductor of light. Once you get a light source into it, it will follow the acrylic to it's endpoint... assuming the light source is strong enough and the acrylic is of a good optical clarity.

Now, if you have no etching and you side light a piece of acrylic, the light just passes through it, as the light beams just pass from one side to the other... unobstructed.

*buuut*

if you introduce an interruption, something that could alter the pathway of the light... like say an etch on the back of the acrylic... then the light passing through the acrylic will be reflected off of whatever was etched. Effectively, the etching introduces interruptions in the light path.

I had the images laser etched on the back of the acrylic for two reasons:

1) To keep the front nice and smooth
2) so that the light passing through the acrylic from the side would have plenty of surface area to reflect off of.

If you look closely at the right side edge of the window, level with the moon, you can faintly make out 4 white led light sources. You may not see the LED's, but you can make out the light cones from the LED's themselves. They are firing their light into the side of the acrylic as I drilled tiny holes where the LED's were embedded into the acrylic window. So the LED light actually exits the LED and is already being captured by the acrylic.

That light illuminates the moon, and to a lesser extent... the wolf spirit. The wolf spirit is more illuminated by the cast off light of the moon, which was the perfect effect I Was aiming for.

Make sense?

[nailz]

Definitely, thats a brilliant idea. (no pun intended!)

Thanks for the writeup.

[Tech-Daddy]

glad to help!