The Overthinking It Trap

The Need

Recently I got some new glasses, Pepe Jeans branded frames (PJ5202). I chose them because they include a polarized lens that attaches via magnets. I really don't leave the house without sunglasses but I haven't utilized the new glasses with the lens because I run into the issue of not having a good place to store the lens once I need to remove it while out and about. The case that came with the glasses has a slot for it but that is a big case to just hold a thin plastic lens. I wasn't in a hurry to get something going, I generally only use my glasses when in front of a screen, so I don't normally even think about taking them with me. There have been a few times recently I wanted to take them so I decided it was finally time to get something made.

Overthinking It

I have been considering the case that I wanted since I got the glasses a couple month's ago. The ideas I have had started out much more complicated then what I have settled on. It's interesting how much we tend to over complicate things. Part of what prevented me from getting something created sooner was the complexity of what I had in my head. Multi-part boxes and glasses shaped containers, I had all these great ideas, that would look cool and fit the lenses perfectly. These ideas were more like products that could be sold. I didn't need to put 40 hours into the design of this. I needed a functional item that would work.

Simplify It

So this has ended up a very simple design. It's a box, it's a specifically dimensioned box, but it's a box.It doesn't need to be that complicated. A simple box that took me 15 minutes to draw in FreeCAD was enough. It took a couple hours to print. It was almost perfect, I did decide a wanted to make a few changes. I spent another 20 or 30 minutes tweaking the size and getting the edges the way I wanted. It would have been even quicker but I had some issues with FreeCAD adding chamfers. I took the time because it's always good to learn about this stuff. I chose a filament color I liked a little better and hit print.

Perfection is the Enemy of Good

I have heard variations on the phrase.

"Perfection is the enemy of good".

This was certainly the case here. I could have had this knocked out much sooner if I hadn't overthought this. The design wasn't the only hurdle here. I haven't touched any of my technology projects in the last couple of months. But I do think this played a role in it. Once I settled on creating a simple design, it become much easier to find the time and motivation to put plastic to hot-end.

I remember when learning Boolean algebra in school one of the core lessons was on simplifying expressions. This was because as humans we have a natural tendency to over complicate things. So much so that when you learn about this topic, undoing the complications that we add is a necessity.

Time vs Cost

The other thing I frequently find myself considering is how much time and 3d model will cost me. I don't want these designs to be expensive. Prints cost enough when you consider all the factors. Adding a bunch of expense in the form of time doesn't interest me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy designing and drawing models, but at the end of the day, I want it to be practical. I think it's important to consider this as part of the cost when 3d printing items. If something can be purchased "cheaper" then printing, it should be.

The Holder

OK, so without further ado, here are the details on the design and print.

I went with a simple box that is just as big as it needs to be. You could call it a sleeve. It uses the microfiber cleaning cloth that came with the glasses case to protect the lens from the plastic. The lens itself is plastic so it does need protection. The cloth is the right width for the lens and is long enough to just fold it around the glasses, then the lens and cloth slide into the sleeve. Nice and simple. I added chamfers to the edges to try and break the hard edges for pocketabilty.

I have made the model available at thingiverse.com and printables.com

Wrap Up

I ended up happy with a very simple design. I was thinking through these things and wanted to capture them and share them as well as share the actual design in case it can help someone else.