42
In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. This answer is strange, not only for the reader but even in the Story itself. But there is maybe a deeper meaning to this answer. The author of the novel is Doulas Adams. It is said that he knew about computers and coding. In ASCII language 42 is the designation for an asterisk. In programming, an asterisk is used as a wildcard. It can be everything you want. The Computer from the Story was asked what the true meaning of life is. The answer was typical for a computer: 42 (which means everything you make out of it).
As I read this text, it was clear to me that I wanted to make a poster with a huge 42. A long-cherished dream for a fan of the Hitchhiker series. The only thing missing so far was an idea. Until now.
The 42 should of course be an eye-catcher. Having just started working with Adobe Dimension, I wanted to apply my knowledge directly. First of all, I thought it would be enough to display the 42 just in 3D. But I quickly realized that it had no appeal. Even if I liked the first result, the 42 had to be more abstract. It shouldn't be too obviously recognizable as 42.
I thought of a system I could represent numbers using elements that were as simple as possible: Ball, short or long capsule
Even if not all numbers can be implemented properly, the 2 and the 4 fit.
Abstract enough that you can't read the 42 without context. But if you know what it's about, it's obvious that it's 42.
Luckily my laptop survived the rendering. :-)
Thanks for reading.
