AIR
ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK
WEEK 1 LOFTING AND STATE CAPTURE
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The loft tool allows multiple, individual lines to be combine into a wiremesh, or solid surface, allowing for a variey of intricate parametric models. To start my experimentation process with the tool, I first created 3 simple curved lines and lofted them together to visualise the surface I could manipulate. Using the Grasshopper extension, I was able to shift the in individual line geometries and well as move them around the plane to create a broader range of models.
TRIANGULATION ALGORITHMS
Using the Populate 3D tool and deleting the created elements in order to create more geometric designs.
Triangulation Algorithms involved utilising the Populate 3D (as depicted above) and the Populate 2D (as depicted below) in order to create a mesh pattern on the surface of a 3-Dimensional object or 2-Dimensional plane. The populate tool used in conjuction with the Voronoi tool allows for the rapid creation of geometric shapes which can be further removed to create more intricate and minimal designs.
Populate 2D allows geometry to be created on a 2-Dimensional plane.
WEEK 2 CREATING ARCS
Dividing 2-Dimensional curves into points allows a further form to be created between them. By creating points along these created curves allows a complex grid from which to create curved, panelled, parametric models. The use of the polyline tool straightens out the grid lines between points creating a more geometric and coherent structure which eases construction.
SURFACE PROJECTION
The surface projection tool on grasshopper allows for simple fabrication of curved surfaces. The lofted curves are converted into a contour model from which the contours are projected from a 3-Dimensional surface, onto a 2-Dimensional plane. The segments can be placed on the X-axis and formed into a coherent grid from which the laser cutter can fabricate the individual pieces.
GEOMETRIC PROJECTION
Dividing a curve into it’s contour lines and assigning points along the curve allows a series of geometric shapes to be placed along the surface of the curve. By using the orient tool, the shapes (rectangles in this instance) causes the shapes to contort to the form. Further contortion of form can be made by assigning the geometric planes to allign themselves according to the location of a point on the XY plane.
TRANSFORM MENU
This was a difficult concept to grasp as I was unaware how to adequately create a wireframe mesh. The primary issue faced was that any shape I made and turned into a mesh in Rhino, wouldn’t translate across the lofted surface evenly (as depicted by the vast gaps in the final wireframe model). This thus caused the general cohesiont between the surface and the mesh to be lacking. However, the use of transforming a mesh onto a curved surface allows complex parametric models to be create that have more substance than a simple lofted curve. This tool will be a great benefit when a complex form, or intricate pattern is desired across a large surface to add more depth to a structure.
PATTERNING LISTS
WEEK 3 Voronoi to make square grid alligned to geometric bounding surface, with sliders to determine amound of cells in X and Y.
Use of the cull tool in conjunction with the voronoi tool along with a panel of ‘false-falsetrue’ in order to make
RUnion tool to create combined cells (however this grid construction did not have any cells to combine).
Using the offset tool to determine bounding widths around each cell in order to create a frame from which to build the structure.
Voronoi to make grid alligned to geometric bounding surface, with sliders to determine amound of cells in X and Y. The geometry was a trapezium in shape, hence the interlocking grid shape
Cull tool to create non-uniform grid shape, along with a panel input to determine the way in which the grid forms itself, either skipping or maintaining a point. NOTE: The extrude tool did not manage to create a trapezium around the grid, instead it created a default square.
Use of the RUnion tool to connect grid cells, which creates a further complexity of the grid by changing irregular geometry, into further irregular geometry.
FRACTAL TETRAHEDRA
WEEK 4
Original polygon shape which was (supposed to be) used to turn into a tetraherdron to be exploded and replicated.
Extruded and exploded triangular prism, with exploded elements removed. NOTE: removed triangles create hexagonal ends.
Extruded and exploded square (amount of sides chosen through number slider tool).
Extruded and exploded pentagon(amount of sides chosen through number slider tool), the most interesting shape created due to central pentagon.
Extruded and exploded pentagon, with exploded and scaled replicated elements.
Geometry created when scaled and replicated elements are not hidden before being baked.
Error during replication, with geometries deleted.
Upside-down trapezium with major geometry hidden and highlighting replicated geometries.
BRANCHING TREE
A simple 4 branched tree. Increasing circle count to create 3 nodal points).
Connecting the top branch circle directly to arc points and deleting connections with vector points.
Connecting circle directly to upper vector points to create straight line connection and only baking curved surfaces created from reduced factor height.
Reduction in z-axis connection nodal circle directly to start and end points of upper arcs.
Increasing tree count to 20, whilst arcing between all nodes on concentric circles.
Removal of multiple nodal arched connections to top of tree and arching between each to central point.
Attempt to place on grid, base point replicated across z axis with top arcs connecting between each. (3231 surfaces created)
Replication along x-axis and connection between arcs only to nodal start point of each branch.