Digital Design - Module 02 Semester 1, 2018 Joshua Tsang
868673 Siavash Malek - Studio 20
Week Three
Reading: Kolerevic B. 2003. Architecture in the Digital Age
Kolerevic described three fundamental type of fabrication techniques in the reading. Outline the three techniques and discuss the potential of Computer Numeric Controlled fabrication with parametric modelling. (150 words max)
The three fundamental types of fabrication techniques Kolerevic describes are Addictive, Formative and Subtractive fabrication. Addictive fabrication involves creating a form by adding material together. Building something from nothing. An example of this is 3d Printing. 3D printing starts with nothing, and slowly adds material together layer by layer controlled by a computer that processes a geometry into positional information. The geometry is separated into two-dimensional positional information(xy) across each layer(z) to instruct the 3D printer’s head to know where to place the material. Formative fabrication is the process of creating what you want by deforming and or reshaping a material of choice. An example of this is to heat and steam up wood and then clamping it to the desired shape. When the wood sets, it will remain in the shape that was desired. Subtractive fabrication involves the technique of creating something by the removal of material from a specific volume. An example of this is CNC milling. The machine is given a block of material, and the CNC machine would take away material from the given material until what you wanted to create remains. Computer Numeric Controlled fabrication together with parametric modelling enables an easier workflow for designers to design and iterate faster than ever before. While parametric modelling already enables more creative freedom for designers to iterate and design, without being limited by previous decisions, or having to restart from scratch, in order to change an earlier part of the design process. Together with CNC technology, this allows designers from all fields to quickly get physical prototypes of their designs and also enables the creation of complex surfaces that may have been hard to develop previously.
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Week Three
Surface Creation
The process of scripting and iterating my surfaces was a great experience. For the surface, my goal was to create two surfaces that would create a spiral motion. Grasshopper’s parametric workflow allowed me to jump between each of my initial surfaces throughout the whole iterating process, allowing me to further explore and develop my design to new depths.
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Week Four Panels & Waffle
This final iteration was chosen after iterating many times. It is a combination of all the features that worked in my different iterations in order to create a nice spiralling movement upwards. In addition, from the skin, I’ve learnt that in order to create directional movement efficiently. It is better to have shape be not aligned with the direction but rather have it direct the direction, like how my panels do.
This waffle structure is designed to complement the spiralling movement created by the shell-like panels and the spiralling surfaces. The waffle structure is also aligned with the diagonal lines that divide each individual panel, in order to create a more coherent movement.
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Week Four
Laser Cutting
The process of creating a laser cut file for the waffle was pretty straightforward as that can be done with grasshopper. However, the process of unrolling and adding tabs to the panels is a long and tedious process. Each tab needs to be the adjusted to the right size so that it won’t interfere with the panel or tabs it’s going to be attached. One issue that I ran into during this process, was that rhino apparently unfolds some of the panels the opposite way, resulting in 11 of the panels with the etches on the wrong side.
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Week Five
The iterating process with Task 2 was really enjoyable. I was able to create a variety of designs with a lot of control just by changing a few components around. With the setup in Grasshopper, I’ve created. I am able to offset the base grid with attractors and control each shape’s direction, height, and scale from grid point.
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Week Five
Isometric
I started off designing this volume with the intention of carrying over the form from task 1. The spiralling form allowed me to create a twisting base shape for my boolean shapes to subtract from. After sectioning the boolean model and turning it on its side, this volume of material and space can be interpreted as a structure. This subtractive method was able to create skylight, windows, entrances, and difference in levels together at the same time. The direction of this structure also allows a really dynamic change in lighting in the open areas of the structure throughout the day. Even with the boolean geometry protruding the original shape, the twisting form of the base shape is still highly visible as a form. The intersecting geometry is placed so that it leaves a thin layer of material behind, that creates this facade that creates a boundary between the interior and the exterior of the structure. Areas where the boolean object did not intersect with each other created geometry that connects the two ends of the structure. Which can be interpreted as overhanging bridges/walkways. The thicker volume on the back of the structure can be interpreted as the area that would be filled with interior rooms. Due to its irregular shape, many interesting spaces can be created in this space, such as exhibition spaces.
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Week Six Task 01
Lofts
1.1
(150, 100, 150)
1.2
1.3
(100, 150, 150)
1.4
(150, 100, 150)
Key
1.5
(140, 80, 150)
(78, 128, 106)
(50, 0, 150)
(0, 50, 150) (0, 58, 110) (45, 150, 30)
(35, 20, 90)
(137, 89, 77)
(150, 92, 110)
(115, 130, 90)
(30, 133, 44)
(150, 75, 0)
(150, 150, 0) (52, 150, 31)
(72, 22, 106)
Attractor / Control Points (X,Y,Z) Vector Lines Grid Points
(10, 70, 150)
Offseted Grid Points
(0, 50, 150)
(13, 61, 77)
(150, 98, 0)
(45, 150, 30)
(98, 0, 31)
(35, 20, 90)
(120, 17, 44)
(150, 75, 0)
(105, 0, 30)
(45, 140, 25)
(150, 90, 0)
(35, 20, 95)
(105, 10, 25)
(105, 0, 30) (0, 0, 0)
(0, 75, 0)
(0,0,0)
(115, 130, 95)
(115, 130, 90)
(0, 60, 0)
(0, 75, 0)
(0, 52, 0)
{Index Selection}
{Index Selection}
{Index Selection}
{Index Selection}
{Index Selection}
Paneling
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
Paneling Grid & Attractor Points
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5 (150, 150, 50)
(150, 150, 50)
(240, 90, 0)
(157, 97, 0)
(100, 150, 0)
(100, 150, 0)
(0, 0, 50) (-6, 52, -1) {Y-axis offset}
{Normals offset}
{Attractor Point Locations}
(0, 0, 50) (50, 0, 0)
(150, 90, -90) (50, 0, 0)
(-90, 60, 0) {Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations} (0, 60, -90)
(10, 70, 150)
Task 01 Matrix Throughout my task 1, I was trying to create a form that would create a spiralling movement. So my final design is a combination of all the features and controls that worked best for creating a spiralling movement. For the matrix, there were many more variables and controls then I can show. In addition, my iteration process wasn’t linear to the point where It can be shown in 3 groups. So I’ve decided to show the most significant decisions/features that I’ve iterated through and picked that resulted in my final design. I’ve placed the final one that I’ve picked on the 5th column for all 3 rows.
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Week Six Task 02
Grid Manipulation
1.1
(200, 200, 200)
1.3
1.2
1.4
Key
1.5
(0,0,0)
Attractor / Control Points (X,Y,Z) Vector Lines Grid Points Offseted Grid Points
(-200, 200, 96)
{Attractor Point Locations}
(-200, -200, -200)
Distribution Manipulation
2.1
{Attractor Point Locations}
(-100, -100, -100)
{Attractor Point Locations}
2.3
2.2
(-100, -100, -100)
2.4
{Attractor Point Locations / uvN}
(-200, -200, -200)
2.5 (140, 80, 150)
(140, 80, 150)
(10, 70, 150)
(10, 70, 150) (75, 75, 75)
(75, 75, 67)
Shape Transformation
{Volumne Gravitational Centres}
{Random Attractor}
{Attractor Point Locations}
3.1
3.2
3.3
{Attractor Point Locations}
3.4
3.5
(140, 79, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(75, 75, 67)
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
(140, 79, 150)
(140, 79, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(75, 75, 67)
{Attractor Point Locations}
(75, 75, 67)
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
Task 02 Matrix All the design decision I made in task 2 was also in order to continue the form of this twisting motion. I’ve decided to use my Task1 skins as a guide to form my task 2’s base shape, as it created a really nice twisting form as the base. In addition, I ’ve also decided to go with pointy shapes like task one, as a tool to direct directional movement. However, while attempting to create a similar form, since this is a subtractive process, The ways the shapes are used are quite different. In fact, opposing to how my task one shapes point down to direct an upward movement. In task two, my pointy shapes point towards the direction of the movement, as negative space creates quite the negative effect.
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aneling Grid & Attractor Points
673
Week Six
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5 (150, 150, 50)
(150, 150, 50)
(240, 90, 0)
(157, 97, 0)
(100, 150, 0)
(100, 150, 0)
(0, 0, 50)
Task 01 - Final Isometric Views
(0, 0, 50) (50, 0, 0)
(-6, 52, -1)
{Y-axis offset}
{Normals offset}
{Attractor Point Locations}
(150, 90, -90) (50, 0, 0)
(-90, 60, 0) {Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations} (0, 60, -90)
Design Matrix 1:4
With this structure orientated with the skin facing east and west, depending on the time of day, the lighting created inside can be just pure diffuse light entering the perforations of the panels, or broken down strong direct light from the top during midday.
(10, 70, 150)
Perforations on faces that face downwards control the type of lighting that can enter the volume. Only diffuse light/ bounce light from the top and or side of each panel will be able to enter the volume from the side.
Not only is the waffle structure designed to enforce the spiralling movement upwards. The waffle structure connecting the two skin is also designed to create interesting broken down direct light from the sun during the day.
Like scales, each individual panels’ tips are directed downwards towards the bottom left of each skin(as shown by the vector lines). However, overall it creates a directional movement towards the top right of each skin, as the most prominent face appears to be pointing towards the top right. Perforations are smallest at the top right and increase in size towards the bottom left of each skin when viewed from the exterior. Together with how the wholes faces downwards and towards the bottom left of each skin, This enforces the spiralling movement that is created by the scale like panels.
The waffle structure connecting the skins are designed to be aligned with the diagonal lines that run through each panel. This creates a stronger more coherent and movement in the entire structure.
Exploded Axonometric 1:1 0
20
60mm
10
pe Transformation
(140, 79, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(75, 75, 67)
(140, 79, 150)
(140, 79, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(10, 71, 150)
(75, 75, 67)
(75, 75, 67)
Week Six
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
{Attractor Point Locations}
Task 02 - Final Isometric Views
Design Matrix 1:4
This thicker space can be interpreted as the area that would be filled with interior rooms. Due to its irregular shape, many interesting spaces can be created in this space, such as exhibition spaces for example.
Areas where the smaller intersecting geometry interacts creates a more dynamic and nonuniform exterior that would create abnormal interior room shapes
The solids left behind can be interpreted as a structure of some kind. This subtractive method was able to create skylight, windows, entrances, and difference in levels together at the same time The direction of this structure also allows a really dynamic change in lighting in the open areas of the structure throughout the day
Areas where the boolean object did not intersect with each other created geometry that connects the two ends of the structure. Which can be interpreted as overhanging bridges/walkways.
The intersecting geometry is placed so that it leaves a thin layer of material behind, that creates this facade that creates a boundary between the interior and the exterior of the structure
Even with the boolean geometry protruding the original shape, the twisting form of the base shape is still highly visible as a form.
Axonometric 2:1 Solid boolean using 3.5 morph itteration. 0
20
60mm
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Appendix Process
Here are some images showing the process of the construction of my task01
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Appendix
Process
Fig.7
Fig.8
Here are some close ups of some interesting parts of my GH script Fig.7: Task 01- Creating notches between 3 waffle structures Fig8: Task 01 - Deconstructing Panels and adding perforations to specific panels Fig.9: Task 02 - Controlling the different variables for the boolean shape
Fig.9
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