Module 3 liaoyu zhou ddf

DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2017 M3 JOURNAL - PANEL AND FOLD LIAOYU ZHOU

784143 Alison Fairley + TUT2

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Introduction

After M2, we went back to explore more about the basic units from our precedent. By using more consistent units system, we achieved a more stable structure. Then we started to produce digital version of the design, which influenced our overall form of design. We were changing to simpler geometries, which enables panelling tools to have regular cones for production. We also tested different materials that have the mirror effect.

Buildability is our main focus in this stage, also we conducted different tests both in physical and digital world.

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cone system exploration

digital manipulation & form adjustment

material testing

fabrication

final model

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In M2 prototype we are trying to use Kaleidoscope effect on a facious mask, which will hide the user in her environment in a bar, when some unwanted stranger approach. But the structure is not working as good as our pricedent. We think this unit is too complicated to be controlled and connected. We decided to go back to our princident to reconsidered our aimming effects and the admired simplicity of the pricedents.

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Design Development

surface forming following the precedent connect units together through flipping inwards and outwards cones to form surface

curve forming exploration - connect cones with the same direction can create curvature. the curved degree changes with different unit sizes.

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Design Development + Fabrication of Prototype V.2

physical model following this pattern to form surface

the curve forming by join two units with same direction

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roof plan

A brief demonstration of the way it might work on the face

front elevation

isometric view left elevation

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Reading Respond WK6 Architecture in the Digital Age - Design + Manufacturing/ Branko Kolarevic, Spon Press, London c2003

1. 3 dimensional scanning techniques: Scanning is part of reverse engineering, which use machine to input real-life geometry into computer.

2. 2 dimensional fabrication: This method is using machine to cut sheets of material into designed shape, and then assembling these flat pieces together. 2D method is generally cheaper way to fabricate compared with 3D method, but is unable to perform cut with angle.

Methods: plasma-arc, laser-beam, water jet, and laser cut.

undercut that cannot be cut with 3 axes

3. 3 dimensional fabrication: 3D method usually cut the material as a whole, which means the outcome is a unified piece.

- Subtractive fabrication: milling of 3d solid, CNC milling(4 or 5 axies machine) - Additive fabrication: stereolithography (SLA)- light sensitive liquid and laser, Selective Laser Sinter (SLS)laser beam melts metal powder, 3D printer, laminated object manufacture (LOM), Fused deposition modeling (FDM), Multi-jet manufacture (MJM)

laser cutter Photography by Fablab

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Reading Applied to Design

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630.00 We use laser cut to fabricate our model with greater control in terms of each units. There are rastered numbers on each piece of the cutout helping us to locate our pieces on the model.

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Reading Respond WK7 Digital Fabrications: architectural + material techniques/ Lisa Iwamoto. New York: Princeton Architectural Press c2009 Digital design and fabrication empowered designers to see the final result of the design and can be used to quickly make precise physical model to test and improve the design as well. Designer can also be involved into the construction stage due to the digital tools can provide sophisticated detailing.

Digital fabrication now advocates using sheets of material with precise cut, and assembling them to become curved surface which is cheap and quick than before. Different design system can be used to reach this goal such as sectioning, tessellating and folding.

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digital fabrication for tessellation

digital fabrication for folding

Reading Applied to Design

We use rhino as a software to conduct and visualize our design, but the pure computation which might produce some design that won’t work in real life.

Therefore, we use physical model both as inspiration and troubleshooting method.

Our design process closely is linked with the fabrication.

After the testing of the physical model, we usually can find new possibilities and problems and then change the design.

Our design is both using the folding and tessellation technique, to cover a curvy surface with folded cone units. We also noticed that the perfect tessellation of a curvy surface requires a high level of precise detailing, which can only be provided by using digital tools. In our case, we use laser cut to quickly produce these detailed pieces

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Prototype Development - digital variation We encountered lots of problems in this process and we switched from panelling tool to grasshopper. Eventually we decided to fabricate two layers of our designed cones in rhino and then stick them together which made our digital design a bit different from our final prototype.

The process of digitalization is really important for us, not only as a tool of visualization and fabrication, but also a way to adjust our geometry and rationalize our pattern to be more buildable.

#1 sweep 2 - surface generation

grid generated - surface domain no.

panel custom 3D - using cones as

offset grid

base unit

#2 old model - lacking structural strength to sit on body

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lofting - forming base surface

generate grid on surface

offset the grid

The other main issue is the units produced by panelling tool are usually warped, therefore, we are shifted to simpler and straightforward geometry to resolve this problem. I think a more rational geometry also highlights the beauty and rhythm of our pattern.

Problem: The surface has a complex geometry which results in we had really strange cones on the surface(cannot be rolled). We also realized this structure is hard to sit on human’s body.

Solution: generate simpler surface and add support of the structure, so it can sit on user.

variation of base cones

We used loose loft to produce simpler geometry on this iteration and redesigned our form to be a ring-like structure, which can tie to user’s neck.

Problem: cones are still warping on the short end due to we cannot reduce cone number on the short end. panelling tool - place cones on

problem - cones are warping on

we tried meshing the surface but

the grid

the short end

the result stayed the same

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#3 we tried to fix the warping units

generate grid on the sphere

offset grid

by using standard geometry.

panelling tool - place base cone on according to the grid

prototype testing in grasshopper Seems the problem is not solved in rhino, we shifted to grasshopper, and tried to build the cones out of lofting which can ensure each cone are unwarped.

In this way, we can unroll the units easily and fabricate.

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create panel on surface and

based on the points to draw

scale the circles and move them

extract points

circles

according to the central points

extract two layers of grid on

based on the points to draw

scale the circles and move them

panels

circles using two points distance

according to the central points

as diameter

We tried to use existing geometry in rhino but the warping problem is not solved.

delete some cones to create

problems - the form is largely

problems - the two ends of the

desired form

following the shape of sphere and

sphere is highly warped

quite different from the form we want.

We can have regular and unrollable cones in grasshopper, but there are great troubles with the intervals it creates.

loft - cones are no longer warped

problem - scale cones by each

the huge intervals are more obvi-

but intersected.

row, when they are no intersect,

ous when cones’ sizes change

the intervals are huge

sharply.

loft - cones are no longer warped and not intersect as well

some are working

Problem: In grasshopper version, these cones are not continuously linked one with another, as a result, there will also be gaps between some rows in real life when we assembly the model.

some are still getting great intervals, due to perfect straght cones’ definition only works on square grids with the same size

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Prototype Optimisation - Fabrication testing

lofting - simple geometry

laser cut two sets of the pattern with 3 different units’ sizes Material: black card large units are cut on 300 GSM card, medium and small units are on 200 GSM for a testing 16

3 different base units

grid length

These cones are in semi-circle format and tricky to stick together. Therefore, we stuck two pieces together to extend the length.

We are supposed to fabricate longer pieces and larger cones for the future.

flat - conected by tw

layout different pieces before glue them together

We realized that 300GSM will be to stiff for our model and hard to perform the curve.

200GSM is perfect.

wo Seems 3d custom in panelling tool is producing warped cones which cannot be unrolled as well. We explore one new method use the orient command in rhino. With some limitation like you can use only one size cone and no attractor, but producing not warped and unrollable result. We are having the same size units using orient, which is lack of variation. Therefore, we used 3 different base cones to create variation and produce the desired result that there is a short side with smaller cones.

We fabricated two sheets of this pattern and made them both inwards and outwards cones to assembly our desired pattern, which is hard to produced in rhino. In this way, our physical model is different from its digital representation.

representation of sets of inwards and outwards units that will come together in physical model

However there are some part of the cones are intersected with each other in rhino. After we tested in physical model, it does not create problem for us.

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Material testing mirror spray: spray after all the pieces are cut

black card: 300MSG too stiff to form the curve 200MSG flexible and structural

effect on polypropylene: silver but not reflective mirror foil: apply to card after has be to cut manually

effect on perspex: reflective but too stiff to bend reflective card 1 mm: reflective but too shiny which makes it look cheap. effect on transparent paper: reflective but without structural value and has to be really clean before spraying 18

quite stiff as well similar to the 300 MSG paper finger prints sensitive

Glue testing

transparent tape: ugly marks

super glue: too watery and easy to leave a large area of marks structurally strong

mirror paper 0.5mm: flexible and sturctural

Final Choice

highly reflective with good quality

UHU: structurally strong leave little marks when used carefully

Final Choice

finger prints sensitive

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Connection & Curve Forming

300MSG large unit which forms straight surface.

Because the card is too stiff, it can only form curvy surface on a larger scale

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The pattern of cone is influenced by the square grid generated on the rhino model, which is denser than the original in the precedent.

It is more suitable for our design purpose to block and reflect

200 MSG medium and small units which can create curvy surface.

The point of making a sucessful model in this scale is making small units and use thiner card

This is the original pattern in precedent, which creates larger intervals between units.

To make sure our model can make it turn on the cornor, we decided to place two cones with same direction. Therefore, we can reach our intended result.

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2nd Skin Final Design We used the panelling tool orient in grasshopper to achieve this final continuous outcome. We laser cut this template for two sets of units to flip them inwards and outwards to form a solid structure.

For our intended effects, we need to make the units larger to reflect more of the environments. However, in our last model, the large units are hard to bend into the desired curvy shape. Therefore, we manually create the turning corners for the large units. For the smaller units, we keep their original curvy form from using the labelled changing units, which is more natural and wanted shape.

base unit

roof plan

front elevation

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representation of built model

left elevation

right elevation

On one side, blocking the approaching stranger, by reflecting environment and the strangers’ face on the larger units On the other side, see and talk to friends, and giving the users ability to flip their facing sides by their own motions

laser cut model units - desired more curvy and continuous result

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Fabrication Sequence 24

laser cut two sets of units’ sheets

rastered numbers on the back to help locate each units and ease the assembly process

taking cutouts off by its

use UHU to glue cones

layout the pieces into its pattern and prepare for assembly

started to put all the piec we are wearing gloves to

sequence

ces together o prevent finger prints

putting pieces in their categories

the general size variation of different units - each cutout is slightly different

final model

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Assembly Drawing The turning corner uses two inwards cones to make the turn.

The pattern of normal surface

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This diagram represents the way the units layout out before it comes into a 3D volume.

larger units forming the long end to block and reflect stranger better

two rows of same units to form the turning corner

units are gradually become smaller on the short end.

large units - rigid to perform the curvy surface

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general unit sizes’ variation

intended effect of reflecting figure’s face

small units’ details on the friends’ side

turning corner joint

blocking side

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composition from back

intended effect in a bar - blocking this dancing man

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2rd Skin

long end - blocking and reflecing stranger

short end - user can see and talk with friend

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short end - user can see and talk with friend front view, one eye is cover, one is not - ability to choose

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Appendix

Fablab unimelb. laser cutter. accessed May 8, 2018. <https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/maker-spaces/fablab>.

Kolarevic, Branko (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age - Design + Manufacturing. London: Spon Press, c2003.

Iwamoto, Lisa (2009). Digital Fabrications: architectural + material techniques. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, c2009.

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