2
Table of Contents p4 ASSIGNMENT 1: THE VASE p10. ASSIGNMENT 2: PAVILLION p14. ASSIGNMENT 3: PATTERNS p22 ASSIGNMENT 4: KANGAROO p24 ASSIGNMENT 5: MAGNETIC FIELDS P26 ASSIGNMENT 6: STRUCTURAL P42 ASSIGNMENT 7: REVERSE ENGINEERING P48 ASSIGNMENT 8: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT P50 ASSIGNMENT 9: BRIDGING MERRI-CREEK
3
FIG 1.1
First attempt at using the ‘GRASSHOPPER’ plug-in to rhino, using simple circular geometry to experiment with the different loft functions available and the variations of radius and levels of the object. FIG 1.2
Through this first attempt at ‘GRASSHOPPER’, I learnt the uses of the various connections and how sliders are useful tools to quickly adjust the perimeters of the geometrics used. Main tools used were the ‘MOVE’ function, which allowed ease in positioning the circles; and the ‘LOFT’ function which connected all the circles together creating the vase variations.
FIG 1.3
FIG 1.4
FIG 1.5
4
I did experiment with lofting different shapes, the results produced were illogical and had no functions of a vase. It was a good experiment however to test the behaviour of ‘GRASSHOPPER’.
FIG 2.1
Second attempt at using the ‘GRASSHOPPER’ plug-in in rhino, this time using a different shape to construct my tower and also using more modules to allow more specific adjustments to the overall look and design of the product. FIG 2.2
This time the main function that produced these designs was the ‘ROTATE’ function which allowed me to rotate specific square to produce a twist in different degrees and variations. The slider was used to vary the angle instead of the size of the base shape which I did in the previous definition.
FIG 2.3
‘LOFT’ was once again used to complete the look of the vase. I did try over twisting the shapes which resulted in a cluttered twist at the top of the object. In other words it was as if a rubber band was over twisted and the design simply collapse on itself making it unrecognisable and some what obscene.
FIG 2.4
FIG 2.5 5
FIG 3.1
Third attempt was a simple one which started with a basic shape drawn in rhino, then referencing it to the geometry tool. Using ‘LINEAR ARRAY’ to create more of the same shapes along the ‘Z’ axis that would later allow me to twist each one systematically and achieve the desired form. FIG 3.2
FIG 3.3
FIG 3.4
FIG 3.5
6
Using the ‘ROTATE’ tool to rotate each one individually with the help of the ‘RANGE’ tool that would systematically rotate each by a slight degree each time. The trouble with using certain shapes like this oval was that at certain twist or rotations, when the modules rotate to abruptly and too close to each other, it loses that hollowness within the form. Had to be careful in ensuring it still could function as a vase.
FIG 4.1
Fourth attempt was based on a ‘POLYGON’ which was arrayed in a series along the ‘Z’ axis, there should be another way to array but this is the one I used. Seemed very logical and straight forward.
FIG 4.2
FIG 4.3
FIG 4.4
After the multiple arrays have been done, I added sliders to allow me to control the ‘STEPS’ and ‘COUNTS’. I learnt that ‘STEPS’ will affect the spacing between each geometry and that ‘COUNT’ affect the number of geometric shapes used in the vase. The ‘COUNT’ value has a limit to how low it can go before the figure starts to deform and twist around itself. Next I rotated the various shapes systematically by using ‘RANGE’ which rotated each one by a small degree which was controlled by sliders attached to the ‘DOMAIN’ and ‘NUMBER OF STEPS’ which is not to be confused with the previous ‘STEPS’ used to control spacing. This ‘NUMBER OF STEPS’ slider controlled where the twist or rotation starts in the vase, as seen in fig.4.2, the rotation can start from which ever height I choose. The ‘DOMAIN’ slider controlled the torque and amount of twist put into the structure. Comparing fig.4.3 and fig.4.4, one is obviously more torqued than the other creating two very different designs.
FIG 4.5
7
FIG 5.1
The fifth and final attempt was my favourite because it was formed up in my mind before I started to figure out how to have the shapes and forms to be constructed my way. I started out with a 6 sided polygon and wanted to have a thicker wall than before. Since the polygon had 6 sides, it could be surrounded by itself in a ‘honey comb’ like form. FIG 5.2
To get this array I simply used the ‘POLAR ARRAY’ tool which allowed me to adjust the number of polygons around the center shape and also control the radius of the array. Once I had this starting template, I arrayed it along the ‘Z’ axis and lofted the form to get an enclosed vase.
FIG 5.3
The twisting and rotating is the same as previous attempts, using the ‘RANGE’ and ‘ROTATE’ tools, I could twist the form into the desired form. Apart from that, I could still adjust the individual radius of the polygons which allowed me to create openings through out the twist and rotations. Along with the ‘RANGE’ tool, I formed the various vases.
FIG 5.4
FIG 5.5
8
9
THE PAVILION FORM
DIVISION
THE FORM OF THE PAVILION WAS SHAPED WITH 2 CURVES AND 1 ATTRACTOR CURVE WHICH THE FORM WOULD REACT TO. BY FACTORING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ARC AT THE TOP OF THE FORM AND THE BASE, THE ATTRACTOR WAS ABLE TO CHANGE AND VARY THE HEIGHT OF THE FORM AT DIFFERENT AREAS. A THIRD CURVE WAS
NEXT I DIVIDED THE SURFACE IN TO SEGMENTS WHERE I WOULD LATER APPLY THE DESIRED PATTERNING VIA MORPH METHOD. THIS WAS DONE BY DIVIDING THE DOMAIN OF THE LOFT CREATED AND ADDING SLIDERS TO VARY THE NUMBER OF SEGMENTS IN THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIRECTION.
ALSO USED TO LIMIT THE HEIGHT OF THE FORM.
10
MATERIALISATION I WANTED TO CREATE PERFORATION OF A SPECIFIC GEOMETRY THAT WOULD FILL UP THE SURFACE OF THE FORM. THE DEFINITION ALLOWED ME TO USE THE MORPH FUNCTION TO MULTIPLY THE GEOMETRY ONTO THE SURFACE. A PROBLEM I FACED WAS THE INABILITY TO ‘BAKE’ THE FINAL PRODUCT, I’VE TRIED BAKING THE GEOMETRY, THE SURFACE, THE LOFT, BUT THE FORM WOULD NOT COME OUT.
11
THE PAVILION FORM THE FORM IS BASED OFF THE SAME CURVES AS PAVILION 1. THE PRACTICE WAS AN EXPERIMENTATION ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATERIALISATION TECHNIQUES THAT COULD BE APPLIED.
DIVISION DIVISION WAS DONE BY DIVIDING THE SUBSURFACE AND USING SLIDERS TO CONTROL THE NUMBER OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIVISIONS WHICH WOULD LATER VARY THE FREQUENCY OF TRIANGULAR PATTERNING ON THE SURFACE.
MATERIALISATION THE METHOD OF MATERIALISATION USED WAS THE TRI PANEL SYSTEM WHICH BASICALLY MULTIPLIED THE TRIANGLES ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE GIVEN FORM. THE TRIANGLES VARY IN SIZE AND DENSITY BY THE SLIDERS ATTACHED TO THE DIVISION OF THE SUB-SURFACE.
12
13
PATTERN 1 FORM USING A SIMPLE PLANAR SURFACE THAT WOULD BE DIVIDED BY A SERIES OF POINTS INTO SECTIONS DEPENDING ON THE ‘CULL PATTERN’ ASSIGNED.
CONNECTIONS AS I FOLLOWED THE TUTORIAL VIDEO ONLINE, I REALISE THE VERSION OF GRASSHOPPER THEY USED WAS VERY DIFFERENT, EVEN AFTER I’VE FOLLOWED EVERY STEP CAREFULLY SEVERAL TIMES, THE ‘VORONOI’ TOOL HAD A CONSTANT ERROR MESSAGE. EVEN THOUGHT I COULD NOT COMPLETE THE ALGORITHMIC PROCESS, I UNDERSTAND THE FINAL OUTCOME AND TECHNIQUE USED TO CREATE THE FINAL PRODUCT IN THE VIDEO.
TECHNIQUE AFTER THE SERIES HAVE BEEN CREATED, THE ‘JITTER’ COMPONENT WOULD SHUFFLE THE POINTS INTO RANDOM AREAS, THE ‘RUNION’ WOULD THEN CONNECT ANY REMAINING POINTS THAT WERE SIMULTANEOUS AND NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER. THIS WOULD CREATE A RANDOM PATTERN THAT COULD BE ALTERED BY CHANGING THE PARAMETERS.
14
15
PATTERN 2 FORM USING A SET OF GRIDS WITH MULTIPLE POINTS, THEN CONNECTING CIRCLES TO THEM WITH VARYING DIAMETERS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN OF THE IMAGE SAMPLER.
CONNECTIONS THE DIAMETER OF EACH CIRCLE IS DETERMINED BY THE BLACK AND WHITE AREAS OF THE IMAGE. THE SIZES ALSO VARY ACCORDING TO THE DENSITY OR GRADIENT OF THE TWO COLOURS.
MATERIALISATION PROJECTING IT ONTO A SURFACE THEN USING IT AS A CUTTING TOOL TO PERFORATE THE SURFACE WITH THE PATTERN. SOME OF THE MANY USES OF SUCH TECHNIQUES ARE FACADE ORNAMENTATIONS AND SUNLIGHT CONTROL.
16
17
PATTERN 3 FORM INSPIRED BY TOYO ITO’S SERPENTINE PAVILION, I VISUALISED THE CONNECTION OF POINTS TO CREATE A SERIES OF SURFACES THAT COULD BE DELETED OR ADDED TO SUIT THE INTENTION OF THE DESIGNER.
CONNECTIONS FIRST EACH CURVE WAS DIVIDED INTO POINTS, THESE POINTS WERE THEN RANDOMLY CONNECTED TO OTHER CURVE POINTS. THIS RANDOMNESS WAS STILL CONTROLLED TO ONLY ALLOW CONNECTIONS ALONG A SINGLE AXIS OR FACE. THE LINE CREATED WAS THEN PROJECTED ONTO THE SURFACE AND USED AS A CUTTING TOOL TO DIVDE THE FORM.
MATERIALISATION MUCH LIKE THE ORIGINAL PROJECT BY TOYO ITO, THE PAVILION HAD A SIMPLE LOFTED SURFACE WHICH I ALSO INCOPORATED INTO THIS PATTERN FORM.
18
19
PATTERN 4 FORM STARTED OFF FROM SIMPLE CIRCLES OF DIFFERENT DIAMETER WHICH WAS DIVIDED BY POINTS OF VARYING NUMBERS.
CONNECTIONS BEFORE ANY CONNECTIONS WERE MADE, THE REFERENCED CURVES WERE MOVED INTO DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE ‘Z’ AXIS. CONNECTIONS WERE MADE BY USING THE ‘CROSS REFERENCE’ COMPONENT. BY CONNECTING ONLY THE LEVELS DIRECTLY ABOVE THE OTHER, A SPACE COULD BE CREATED WITHIN THE FORM.
MATERIALISATION THE SURFACE WAS MAD BY USING THE WEAVERBIRD MESH COMPONENT WHICH ALLOWED ME TO CREATE MESHES OUT OF LINES. LASTLY, THE MIDDLE SECTION WAS LEFT WITHOUT A MESH AND INSTEAD MADE INTO ‘PIPES’. THIS WAS AN EXTRA STEP TO VISUALISE HOW THIS ALGORITHM COULD DETERMINE THE PATTERN OF STRUCTURAL CONNECTIONS AND HOW THE MESH COULD BE VISUALISED AS CANVAS THAT HAVE BEEN TENSIONED BY STEEL CABLES.
20
21
KANGAROO RELAXATION WITH ANCHOR POINTS
22
KANGAROO RELAXATION WITH TENSION CABLES
23
KANGAROO RELAXATION & MAGNETIC FIELDS
24
25
ORGANIC STRUCTURE INSPIRED BY CORALS AND ITS DESIGN AS INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES HELD STRONG BY A LAYER OF HARD SKIN. THIS DEFINITION AIMS TO CREATE A BENDING STRUCTURE FRAME CAPABLE OF HOLDING MOST OF ITS LOAD BY ITS FORM AND RELYING THE REST ON ITS MATERIALS
26
CURVATURE IN STRUCTURE INSPIRED BY THE WAVES AND CURVES MADE BY RIPPLES, THIS FORM SEEKS TO FLOW GENTLY BUT MAINTAIN A STRONG STRUCTURAL LOOK.
27
DOME LIKE STRUCTURE DOMES ARE ONE OF THE BEST FORMS THAT CAN EASILY SUPPORT ITS OWN WEIGHT AND SHEAR FORCES. IT IS STABLE AND EVEN IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
28
29
ABSOLUTE TOWERS CREATED BY A SERIES OF ROTATING OVALS JOINT TOGETHER BY AN ORIENT CONSTANT INTERNAL STRUCTURE..
30
ROTATION EACH OVAL ROTATES BY A SET DEGREE AND PRODUCES THE TWIST LOOK OF THE BUILDING. THESE OVALS ARE BASED OFF THE ORIGINAL FLOOR OVAL AND CAN BE UNIFORMLY CHANGED IN SIZE AND RADIUS.
STRUCTURE THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE TOWER REMAINS IN ONE ORIENTATION BUT HAS BRANCHES OF BEAMS AND STRUCTURAL WALLS THAT EXTEND AND RETRACT TO THE EDGES OF THE OVALS DEPENDING ON THE ROTATIONS.
31
FORM CREATING THE OVALS AS A START BASE THAT CAN BE EASILY CHANGED WITH PARAMEER INPUTS.
32
TORQUE & TWIST GRAPH PARAMETER TO CHANGE THE INTENSITY OF THE TORQUE AND THE START/ END OF THE TWIST.
MATERIALISATION THE SLAB IS A THICKENING OF THE BASIC ARRAYED CURVES. THE GLASS IS AN EXTRUSION OF THE EDGES. THE GLASS IS A SET BACK EXTRUSION AND PANAELISED.
33
BRIDGE OF PEACE A BRIDGE IN GEORGIA THAT IS ONLY SUPPOERTED AT BOTH ENDS, IT SPANS 150M AND HAS A SEPARATE ROOF STRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS ITSELF WITH THE HELP OF ITS STRUCTURAL FRAME AND THE FORM IT TAKES.
FORM THE INTERSECTIONS OF 2 CURVED SURFACES CREATES THE FORM AND SHAPE OF THE ROOF. THIS CAN BE CHANGED ACCORDING TO THE PARAMETERS OF THE 2 ORIGINAL SURFACES
DIVISION BY DIVIDING THE SURFACE, POINT ARE ATTAINED AND LATER USED TO CREATE THE FRAME WORK AS WELL AS THE PANELS THAT WILL CLAD THE STRUCTURE.
FRAME FRAMES TRAVEL HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY ACROSS THE FORM. ONE DIAGONAL DIRECTION IS ALSO CREATED TO ACT AS BRACING FOR THE STRUCTURE.
GLASS PANELS THE POINTS OF THE DIVISIONS ARE USED TO CREATE 4 POINT SURFACES THAT WILL BE STRAIGHTENED AND PANELLED ACROSS THE FRAMES.
34
35
FORM 2 SEPARATE DEFINITIONS THAT ARE RELATIVELY SIMILAR BUT OVERLAP EACH OTHER TO CREATE A NEW FORM.
36
GLASS PANELS USING THE 4 POINTS OF EACH ISOTRIM, THE PANELS ARE FORMED AND MADE INTO STRAIGHT PANELS INSTEAD OF CURVED ONES.
STRUCTURE LINES DRAWN FROM CONNECTION OF THE POINTS CREATE THE FRAME WHICH IS THEN ‘PIPPED’ TO CREATE STEEL TUBES.
37
BEIRA-RIO STADIUM A STADIUM IN BRAZIL CONSTRUCTED OUT OF STEEL FRAMES, A PTFE MEMBRANE AND GLASS AS A SKIN.
FORM CHANGES IN FORMS CREATED BY VARIATIONS IN HEIGHT, WIDTH AND RADIUS OF THE BASE OVAL.
38
FUNCTION CHANGES IN FORMS ALSO AFFECTS THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE STRUCTURE. THE ROOF HAS TO ALWAYS HAVE SUFFICIENT COVER OVER THE SPECTATORS.
CONCLUSION FROM BUILDING THIS DEFINITION, SEVERAL LESSONS OF GEOMETRY CAN BE LEARNT AS WELL AS STRUCTURAL PRINCIPLES. A 3 AXIS SUPPORT AS COMPARED TO A 2 AXIS SUPPORT, AND CIRCULAR NETWORK OF FRAMES CAN ACT AS A BOND FOR ALL STRUCTURAL MEMBERS AND BECOME MORE STABLE WITH A SMALLER FOUNDATION FOOTPRINT. 39
FORM 3 SETS OF OVALS USED TO CONSTRUCT THE BASE AND HEIGHT AS WELL AS THE EXTENT OF THE VERTICAL CURVES OF THE FRAMES THAT WILL BE MADE LATER.
40
FRAME THE FRAME IS CONSTRUTED BASED OFF A SINGLE CURVE WHICH IS ROTATED ON AXIS ON BOTH SIDES THEN CONNECTED BY A SERIES OF POINTES AND THEN “PIPPED”.
MEMBRANE LOFTS ARE CREATED ALONG THE FRAMES TO SIMULATE MEMBRANES.
41
CANARY WHARF CROSSRAIL STATION FORM A VISUALISATION OF THE FRAME WORK REVEALS THE SIMPLE INTERSECTIONS OF VARIOUS DIAGONAL LINES THAT WRAP THE FROM CREATING THE STRUCTURAL FRAME. ETFE PILLOWS CREATE THE SKIN THAT LAYS ON THE FRAMES. THIS CAN BE SIMULATED WITH PANELS OR FURTHER MATERIALISED BY KANGAROO PHYSICS.
PARAMETERS SOME PARAMETERS THAT MUST BE ABLE TO CHANGE IS THE CURVATURE AND DENSITY OF FRAMES.
42
IMAGE REFERENCE THE PROJECT IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THERE WERE NO AVAILABLE PLANS TO REFERENCE OFF. THE ONLY RELIABLE SOURCE WERE PHOTOS FROM THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM AND FROM THE INTERNET. A ROUGH FORM CAN BE CREATED AND NUMBER OF FRAMES CAN ONLY BE SPECULATED.
43
STEP 1 CREATING A SERIES OF CURVES THAT COULD BE PARAMETISED TO BE ADJUSTED LATER.
STEP 2 ROTATING THE EDGE CURVES TO FORM THE END SHAPES OF THE FORM SIMILAR TO THE CASE STUDY.
STEP 3 LOFTING THE ENTIRE FORM TO CREATE THE BASE FORM. THIS WILL LATER BE USED TO CREATE THE SURFACE MATERIAL AS WELL AS THE FRAME THICKNESS.
STEP 4 THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE LOFT IS CREATED TO MAKE A SET NUMBER OF POINTS AND DIVISIONS.
STEP 5 DIAGONAL LINES ARE DRAWN BY FINDING THE CENTER OF EACH SQUARE GRID. THIS FRAME IS DRAWN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS OF THE DIAGONALS.
STEP 6 A MESH IS CREATED WITH THESE LINES TO JOIN THEM AS ONE PIECE.
44
STEP 7 AN OFFSET CREATES THE DEPTH OF THE FRAME AND BOTH LINES ARE LOFTED TOGETHER TO SIMULATE THE DEPTH OF THE BEAMS IN THE STRUCTURE.
STEP 8 USING THE WEAVERBIRD PLUG-IN, THE LOFT IS THEN THICKENED TO CREATE THE WIDTH OF THE BEAMS OF THE STRUCTURE.
STEP 9 THE CORNERS OF FRAME INTERSECTIONS ARE THEN USED TO CREATE TRIANGULAR PANELS.
STEP 10 IN THE FINAL STEP, THE PANELS ARE PLACE TOGETHER TO CREATE THE SKIN OF THE FRAMES. THESE PANELS CAN BE REMOVED OR ADDED BASED ON THE DESIGN CRITERIA. AN IMPROVEMENT THAT COULD BE ADDED WAS THE MATERIALISATION OF THE PANELS INTO ETFE PILLOWS THAT ARE INFLATED. THIS REQUIRES A FURTHER STEP IN THE KANGAROO PLUG-IN.
45
CURVE PARAMETERS THE GRAPH ALLOW EASY MANIPULATION OF THE CURVE USED TO CREATED THE FORM OF THE ROOF.
CREATING THE LOFTED FORM END CURVES ARE ROTATED OUTWARDS AND A LOFT IS CREATED WITH THE CURVES.
46
PANELING SURFACE FROM THE DIVIDE POINTS, THE COORDINATED OF EACH POINTS ARE SPLIT INTO 4 (0,1,2,3) WHICH CAN BE SURFACED TO CREATE INDIVIDUAL TRIANGUAR PANELS.
FRAMEWORK WITH THE DIVISION OF THE LOFT, THE POINTS CAN BE CONNECTED IN THE HORIZONTAL, VERITCAL AND DIAGONAL DIRECTIONS TO CREATE THE FRAMEWORK SIMILAR TO THE CASE STUDY.
47
RIVER LINK PODS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSAL AT MERRI CREEK, THE STRUCTURE SEEKS A FLUID FORM BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF A GRID SHELL STRUCTURE.
Karamba Form Finding
The use of anchor points, forces and point positions to alter and create variations of forms with different outcomes.
48
Mesh into Space Frame
A set algorithmic process that creates a space frame from any form..
Form Finding
Use of Grasshopper plug-ins such as Karamba to simulate loads and stresses on different forms.
Structural Bracing
A set algorithmic process that calculates number of elements needed to for the bracing of each form.
Membrane Application Using points on the form to create a simple surface that can later be made into different materials.
49
BRIDGING MERRI-CREEK V1.0
A DESIGN BASED ON THE INFLATION OF THE KANGAROO PLUG-IN TO CREATE A ORGANIC FORM THAT IS STRUCTURAL AND DESIGN BASED.
ALTHOUGH I’VE EXPLORE MUCH INTO DIFFERENT PARAMETRIC DEFINITIONS AND TECHNIQUES, I FOUND THAT A SIMPLE DEFINITION USING KANGAROO’S INFLATION WAS SUFFICIENT IN CREATING MY DESIGN. A SIMPLER MORE CONSTRUCTABLE DESIGN IS BETTER THAN A COMPLEX UNBUILDABLE ONE. 50
51
BRIDGING MERRI-CREEK V2.0
A SECOND DESIGN ALSO USING KANGAROO’S INFLATION ALSO UTILISED GRAVITY AND THE INFLATION TO CREATE SMOOTH CURVES THAT BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER.
52
53
BRIDGING MERRI-CREEK V2.0
A SECOND DESIGN ALSO USING KANGAROO’S INFLATION ALSO UTILISED GRAVITY AND THE INFLATION TO CREATE SMOOTH CURVES THAT BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER.
54
55