Lightsaber hilt modeled by the calculus concept of rotating a curve around an axis to create a 3D shape. Modeled in Fusion 360 and 3D printed in silver PLA.
I had always wanted to CAD model a lightsaber, however it was a daunting task. The organic, cylindrical shape and sharp detailed segments were not encouraging to a completely amateur CAD modeler. Learning about the concept of rotating a curve around an axis to create a 3D shape in AP Calculus, however, made me think that this same concept could be used to precisely model cylindrical objects like lightsabers. Sure enough, after modeling the outside curve, I was able to rotate it around the axis in Fusion 360 to instantly create a cylindrical shape that followed the outline perfectly. In a short amount of time, I was able to model this based off of Qui-Gon Jinn’s lightsaber in The Phantom Menace.