REP II.
Portfolio Book
by Minh Nguyen
CONTENTS 1. PATTERN + SURFACE Pattern Translation Site Envelope Surface + Elements Exploded Axon 2. PHYSICAL MODELS 2D Extraction Physical Models 3. RENDERINGS + GRAPHICS Axonometric Diagram Photomontage 4. PARAMETRIC TOOLS Vegetation + Pathway Vegetation + Attractiveness Vegetation + Snow
Rhino GRASSHOPPER Illustrator Rhino Script PHOTOSHOP Panelling Tools
PATTERN + SURFACE
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echnology plays an important role in the design and making a design become a reality. At the beginning of the design when the concepts are just in our brains and then are transformed through our nerves to the hands to draw and sketch the visions. However, in the whole process of the design and construction, architects and engineers cannot use hand drawings to make the idea become a real object. That is why the technology helps to manipulate and develop the idea to a logical and mathematical result. According to the book of Walliss and Rahmann, GIS is one of the most effective software that helps not only the designers but also engineer analyze the site that affect the designs. For example, the project of Gustafson in England, The Diana – Princess of Wales Memorial, was designed by a process from analyzing the language of topography to making concept by clay and then using a variety of software to create and calculate the details of the design before starting to construct. In addition, besides the efficiency of technology in the process of design, designers should not be consistent in simple options. It is called iterative processes that designers need to go back and forth to determine and identify the opportunities and developing ideas from looking back to every clue about the contexts, needs, ideas,... There will be many different ideas that represent different expressions but the most important meaning of iterative processes is to find the most powerful and meaningful. Designer should think about evidence, self-critique to determine the value and acting on the design. In conclusion, the design process must be through various sets of steps and it needs to be repeated to help the designers recognize the big idea, as well as the value of their work when it becomes reality. And the power tool that helps the designers succeed is the technology that makes the design more logical and able to be constructed. As a designer, we should challenge ourselves in different ways to explore the new ideas and trigger our abilities in using technology to analyze and develop our designs. Thinking design as a creative and logical way is the key for designers to succeed.
“Iterative Process� - Christenson Reading Response 1
LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
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TEXTURE + SURFACE - May 2020
PATTERN TRANSLATION
First assignment practicing Adobe Illustrator to trace the pattern of the rocks from an image which is used as the original idea and foundation for the later steps to create a surface. In traditional method, we used to use tracing paper and pen to trace the patterns. However, in a digital way, we use Illustrator as a fast and precise tool to create a new version from the given patterns. We understand the pattern in our own eyes and feelings to decide what we should trace, how much we should trace from the image, and finally using variety of thickness to create hierachy for the “translation”. Then, after tracing the pattern, doing quick conceptual sections from the “pattern translation” to transform a 2D element into a 3D object. The lineworks, the boundaries, the black-white areas from the pattern give us the “hint” to decide the depression and blooming, the mount and pond of the surface. This gives us an overal vision of the surface we are going to create in terms of the shape of the surface, the spaces + the senses + the activities will be created from the surface.
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LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
This part of the book introduces the evolution of digital software and the efficiency of those to help designers, as well as architects, perform their ideas. According to this part, that software is basically based on algorithm and formulas to create different types of lines and shapes that the architects, in general, can create their products faster and accurately. The evolution of digital software began with the first version of AutoCAD that allows the architects to create the 2D drawing only, and then with complicated algorithm and formulas such as Sketchup, Maya, and Rhino which were developed to perform in 3D that successfully help not only the architects but also everyone to work and try on exploring the unlimited creativity in terms of space and surface. Landscape architecture, in particular, was mentioned in using 3D programs to create topography and do a bunch of stuff such as space exploration, spaces analysis, and representation. Since we know that landscape architects have had to work a lot with topography, the development of digital drawing in 2D and 3D have been optimizing the process. If technology weren’t created, we would have struggled and consumed lots of time to process on a project. Besides the digital software, the machines that help to create real small scale models are also mentioned, such as 3D printer, CNC router, and scanning hardware. They have reversed the traditional technique in experiment and exploration of space and surface that inspiring and encouraging. Compare to the past, in ancient time, landscape design now has more complex and extraordinary forms which were created intentionally and respectably. In conclusion, the design process has been easier, faster, and more productive than ever thanks to the continuous development of technology. We can experiment with our ideas as much as we can with the digital software and make it possible to build up in real life.
“Topographic Surface” - Christopher Girot Reading Response 2
Original surface 8
1st Look Draging points individually
TEXTURE + SURFACE - May 2020
SITE ENVELOPE
Practicing basic tools from Rhino in creating surface and manipulate surface. Starting with bounding box and given points that defines the limitation of dimension of the surface to help to set up a surface and then drawing polylines from the points to create the outline of the surface. “Edgesrf� is the basic tool to create surface from open curves. In Rhino, surface is translated into grid/net that easy to control the surface and simple for the computer system to generate the surface. We can rebuild new surface from the existing surface model by adjusting the number of control points on the surface and move them around to create the new looks for the surface.
2nd Look Draging multiple points along short side of the bounding box.
3rd Look Draging multiple points along long side of the bounding box. 9
LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
SURFACE + ELEMENT After practicing creating simple surface from bounding box and points, we start to create our own surface from the pattern in the first assignment. At this time, we are given a surface and we have to transform it into a new look from the pattern. We projected our patterns onto the surface and create “skeletons” for each surface elements of our future surface. This is a hard level because the more complex of the pattern, the more difficult to finish the whole surface without “naked edges”. I had to re-create multiple times to have the best version for me. However, to me, this part challenges our patient and our problem-solving skill. For instance, the pattern from Illustrator inported into Rhino has tons of points and I need to simplify it as much as I can to reduce the number of point. This helps a lot in not only in creating the surface but also reduce the problem of the “naked edges”.
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Given surface
TEXTURE + SURFACE - May 2020
Projecting pattern onto given surface
The final result
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LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
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TEXTURE + SURFACE - May 2020
EXPLODED AXON After creating our own surfaces, we create the exploded axon, a diagram that shows the elements from our surfaces in axonometric. At this time, we take a look back our first idea of the surface: the shape, the space and activities, to select the landform, the vegetation area, and the circulation on our surfaces. This step is way easier than the previous since we have the surfaces already and now we just need to select elements and extract them from the surfaces. In design process, representing the idea of space is really important and how to perform it effective is a hard level. However, exploded axon is an excellent way to do both present the spaces and clarify the idea of our project.
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PHYSICAL MODELS I
n these two articles, the author explains clearly the inherent texture of digital and physical objects and how a physical object is created by a fabrication model machine through a digital object. “Grain” was presented in wood material that forms the trunk of tree and when it’s cut into pieces of logs that we can observe many of grains on the cut surfaces. From this point, the author concludes that physical materials have grain that characteristic textures (through their directions and density of grain) and derives ultimately from the materials’ constituent particles. Because of the existence of grain in each material, their relationships with each other affect the materials’ characteristic resistance to applied forces, or change in their environments: different materials subjected to the same applied force, or to the same set of ambient conditions, will split or break in characteristic ways. So we use these information of material to work on creating physical or digital objects in design. In digitally version, we always create images for representation and making 3D model to illustrate our idea of form, shape and texture. If “grain” in physical objects is millions of small pieces, “grain” in digital objects is pixel (in JPEG) and vector (formed by mathematic). Therefore, there were two types of graphics: vector and raster. Because of the precise of the vector graphics that we use this for fabricating 3D model from digital software (such as Rhinos, Sketch Up, Revit) so the fabrication machine can understand the form and shape of the object through its grain. And because of the different characteristic of material, the result from each one bring different quality of 3D model.
“Grain and The Operation of Fabrication” - Christenson Reading Response 3
LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
PHYSICAL MODELS
Modelling is an effective way to present our project. The collaboration of Rhino and Illustrator at this time is really impressive. From our surfaces, we need to create 3 versions of model: Triangulated, Contour, and Egg Crate. Each one has its own difficulty: the triangulated one took me several times to re-create because the tiny triangle pieces is hard to glued and could be lost while laser-cutting; the contour one is easier but I need to adjust the curves a bit and lay them overlay onto the previous layer that I can glue them exactly; the egg crate model is the easiest but still need to be carefull with creating the gaps that both directions will fit together perfectly. Finally, the results from the original is close enough to each other and especially each one represent in different level of the idea.
Surface 16
Triangulated Model
PHYSICAL MODELS - May 2020
Contour Model
Egg Crate Model 17
RENDERINGS + GRAPHICS A
s a landscape architecture student, eidetic photomontage or collage is not a new definition in representation, but in the reading of Belanger and Urton that reveals many interesting facts about the way we express the conceptual ideas to the people and this is really helpful to designers in making a visual communication. What is eidetic photomontage and how did it was created? Photomontage is a broad term describing any image composed of extractions from photographs, and possibly various other media that helps designers to communicate with the audience, customers, investors about their conceptual ideas. This type of visual communication was originated from the Dada Art Movement of the early 20h century that the Dadaist exposed their ideas of the reunite art with the concerns of people’s ordinary existence. The special message of their works is more about the affecting change than in creating static objects of art. Since then, photomontage has become popular in contemporary practice and academic applications with the rise of digital software in design, such as Photoshop, AutoCAD and 3D rendering software. However, it is because of the popular and such a crafting product that anyone can easily create, people seem not understand the methods and the disciplines of a photomontage should be created. Some criticism revealed that the lack of clarity of purpose and aesthetic led to fail to express the idea in terms of space, intangible factors and quality of the product. So, what discipline should we follow and consider to create a successful photomontage? In facts, there are two cues of an eidetic photomontage: compositional and affective characteristics. The compositional cues are about the physical factors that impact on the photomontage: ambiguous frame, scale and perspective distortion, extracted image fragments, and abstract surfaces are combined to bridge the represented world and physical world. The affective cues are about the intangible factors that represent the meaning of the artwork in terms of place, emotions, activities, and culture. Therefore, the value of eidetic photomontage is the capacity to communicate conceptual and abstract aspect of design; and the agency to express the novel forms of thought, creativity, and imagination.
“Eidetic Photomontage” - Blake Belanger and Ellen Urton Reading Response 4
LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
Going back to the exploded axon, we color the layers and add landscape textures onto the axon surface to represent a real vision of our surfaces. As the same time, the exploded axon is no longer extracts the types of landscape but take into the activities and functions of different areas. If the previous exploded axon is bored with the monochrome version, and now it is transformed into a vivid and livable version that tells a lot about he idea of the space. After reading the article about the eidetic photomontage, I was inspired a lot about the none framing perspective photo, the “weird� color pallete can be used to emphasize the atmosphere of the space and also the time. Personally, I feel this type of representing is abstract and effective in pointing out the main idea of the space. I combine rendering photo from Rhino and lineworks, overlay textures and set up trees, plants and peoples to tell the senses of space and activities happening there.
AXONOMETRIC DIAGRAM 20
RENDERINGS + GRAPHICS - May 2020
PHOTOMONTAGE
Perspective view around the pond
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PARAMETRIC TOOLS
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aking the similarities of the form of architecture and landscape architecture in terms of geometry, pattern, and mathematical concepts that emphasize the potential of parametric modeling in design thinking which establishes the relationship between the design, process, and information. What does a parametric system do in the design process? It creates a new design process, ‘recursion’, that using the output from applying function becomes the input of the next iteration. Compare to the traditional process which designers have to develop their variety of concepts by re-experimenting, adjusting every single details manually, and now that the parametrical design process helps to do that process more precise and efficient just by changing functional input information of the design and the results are updated in real-time. This doesn’t mean that designers will totally depend on the technology, they are responsible for their parametric models which means they have to design their own scripts and codes based on their inputs of the concepts. At this point, we are not going to change our career to IT, but we manipulate the way technology communicates and processes to create our design concept. There are many kinds of software that help designers create their works that use different types of programming languages, and Grasshopper is one of those developed for Rhino 3D rendering which helps to communicate a complex design problematic to a programming consultant. What can parametric systems work in landscape architecture? Parametric consistent with the dynamic media of landscape architecture that create the relation and organization of structures that convey the idea of change over time of the landscape. In other words, parametric software enables the modeling from numerical information in terms of forces, quantity and direction in order to generate organizations with other elements that once an entity changed, the neighboring entities will be affected reciprocally. Therefore, it requires the landscape architects have to explicit identification and define parameters to maintain functions during the construction that when we need to adjust the information, we know where and what we should change so as not to change the whole idea of the design, or to experiment different ideas while exploring the changes and potentials solutions. It closes the problematic divide between site analysis and design generation that led to a clarification of performance-orientated results which are conceived as “directive” rather than “prescriptive” in landscape designs. In conclusion, parametric systems create a new design thinking and process in landscape architecture that led to the efficiency and precise results.
“Performative Systems” - Christenson Reading Response 5
VEGETATION + PATHWAY LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
CONCEPTUAL IDEA: “Into the wood� is the sense of this journey when creating a pathway inside the wood. Comparing to the existing vegetation with the vision after implementing the pathway, the trees keeps growing along the pathway. The sequence plans show how spontaneous of vegetation grow naturally and interact with the new pathway over time. The layers of vegetation also create the depth of the view along the pathway and how it change the appearance every seasons that make people delve into the beauty of wilderness. TECHNICAL OPERATION: - Using Paneling Tools to create grid of point from existing surface. - Create curve as pathway and recreate grid of point from existing surface and attractor curve. - Using Rhino Script to deselect random points and multiply them. - Using Rhino Script to copy circle into 3 types of grid of point to present the location of the trees. - Export the objects to Illustrator to adjust linework and adding riveredge line and pathway line on the 3 diagram. - Using Transform Each to scale in different range to present how the trees grow over time.
Existing vegetation 24
Phase 1: Applying Pathway
Plan view of the Wood area
Phase 2: Development
PARAMETRIC TOOLS - May 2020
Into the Wood 25
LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
Existing vegetation
Implementation Grid Planting
The Mixture CONCEPTUAL IDEA: The transition of new type of tree into the spontaneous existing trees increases the curiousity of people when they are interacting with nature along the pathway. The circles represent for the level of attractiveness before and after the new layout comes in. People can see the existence of the new grid of trees along the pathway in relation to the theme of existing tree that create the contrast in vision and increase the depth of view because of the effect of the grid. The angle of the pathway is where people feel more illusive because of the multi-grid appear at the same time. TECHNICAL OPERATION: - Using Grasshopper - “Line attractor and repel” to generate the spontaneous vegetation layer along the pathway. - Using Grasshopper - “Line attractor and repel” to generate the grid vegetation layer along the pathway. - Overlapping the layers to create the sequences. - Using Paneling Tools to create grid of point. Then using Rhino Script to deselect points and copy circle into points. Create 3 versions of this. - Export the plan view to Illustrator and adjust the lineweight and transparent of the lineworks. - Using Transform Each to scale up the circle to emphasize the change of attractiveness.
Plan view of the Artist’s Tree Garden 26
PARAMETRIC TOOLS - May 2020
The Artist’s Tree Garden
VEGETATION + ATTRACTIVENESS
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LA 5377 - REPRESENTATION II - Portfolio Book
Winter
Early Summer
CONCEPTUAL IDEA: The relationship of weather and the appearance of vegetation through the year is represented by the sequence of diagrams from mid-winter to summer. By the cold weather and the weight of snow that imply pressure onto the vegetation: the leaf falls off, the grass is fallen down and covered with heavy pile of snow. Then when it is warmer, the snow starts to melt and transform into water which let the grass start to grow up again. When the snow is completely melted, the water level reach its peak and covers all over the surface that create a scene of a swamp or wetland. TECHNICAL OPERATION: - Using Paneling Tools to create grid of point - Creating components as tree, grass and form of snow and water. - Using Paneling Tools to generate new surface with components that create tree layer, grass layer, and surface layer. Also using Rhino Script to deselect random point to create layers with purpose. Renew layers with different modification. - Overlapping 3 layers with each other to create 3 sequences. - Export the objects to Illustrator to adjust linework and adding riveredge line and pathway line on the 3 diagram.
Plan view of the Wetland 28
Summer
PARAMETRIC TOOLS - May 2020
VEGETATION + SNOW
Change over time of the snow 29
THANK YOU