Books to Bricks 3

By switching from UDF scripting to Assemblies, I feel I am able to maintain a higher level of control over the placement of each brick. As the system currently sits, the 5 courses of block wrap around to follow a predetermined line, which in my studio project will be the perimeter of the building. I am also able to control the amount of space horizontally between the blocks, from a gap of 0 to a full 16" (each block is modeled as a 8x8x16).

So now that I have a handle on the overall spacing and contour of the system, I will look for ways to vary the spacing as some sort of function within the block pattern. I am also going to play with setting blocks back and forward instead of directly on top of one another.

Books to Bricks 2

For this week, I created the framework and the actual bricks that will be put into my final studio project. Though this is a start, there remains to be some concerns. First and foremost is the geometry these brick arches create, which is currently impossible/unbuildable without permanent shoring. This however can be fixed via the way the initial spline is set up, with each arch landing at a specific point where the load would be transferred down to columns or other vertical supports. Second, the UDF surf file for each brick is set up in a way where the lateral dimension changes depending on the steepness of the line. This prevents the bricks from overlapping, but creates a wide range of lengths, which would not be possible under the strict modularity I am proposing. Going foreward, I will focus on greater control over the brick dimension and spacing as well as playing with vertical stacking to create structure.

From Books to Bricks

For the final project, I will be applying Digital Project to my final Studio assignment for this semester. The assignement requires us (3G3) to design a library in Chicago. For this assignment, I will be looking at turning books into CMU blocks. The design of the library will be built upon the use of these blocks, as well as having a series of cavities for th ebooks to sit in (outside) until they are moved into the book crusher. The combination of books and bricks will dictate the skin of the library. As of now, I have a basic Rhino model of the outdoor stacks, but I have not begun design of the primary library structure, which will house a community center, auditorium, and office space.

Examining the modularity of block, as well of book shelving/the books themselves will be of the most importance. Since the blocks will be manufactured on my site, they do not have to be the classic 8x8x16 that a typical CMU is cast to.

Knowledge Patterning!

I now realize that trying to model anything having to do with the City of Arts at this point in time is not going to work. So, building upon my experience in class last week (see above), I decided to keep working with the udf surface I created. As you can see above, the udf undergoes a abnormality around the center of the framework where it flips upside down - which I believe is why the red error shapes occurred on the left side. This was experienced whenever I tried to draw lines normal to a plane which was set up between the two frame curves for my surface udf (using the 4 points to define my square surface). It seemed that whenever the ratio along the curve reached 0.5, the shape would flip upside-down, then right itself again around 0.7. To correct this, I created a new surface between my two framework lines and then created a plane normal to that. I could then draw my lines normal to this plane without fear of having them flip on me.

So, once this was fixed, I created a new framework geometry based on a cone. I envisioned a drill bit that could extend fins out depending on the width of the hole needed, much like a belling bucket for digging caissons.



As you can see below, the fins on the cone extend out as they wrap around the framework. I was also able to play with how skinny or how wide the actual cone was, though the fins would always raise and lower between 0 to 10 ft. I also attempted to create an alternate udf surface where the fins extend along the framework instead of normal to it, but this did not work. After creating all new udf curve and surface files, as well as a new design file, the process ended in failure by having multiple error messages regarding loops and missing information, though I an confident I did not deviate from my previous successes. Also, if there is a way to modify the surface udf file and plug it back into the design file without re-creating all the associated files, I would like to know!!! Anyway Please see the below pics of the work that was completed (note that the geometry began to unravel as a added more curves and surfaces).

Week6 Check-in: City of Arts

For this week, I refreshed my ability to create curves through scripting as the tutorial directed. The execution of creating the curves went well, with no problems upon the point of running the script other than some naming issues which were quickly resolved.

Going forward, I would like to use this technique to model the City of Arts in Valencia, Spain by Santiago Calatrava. Looking at the skeleton of the structure, each member looks to be composed of a series of archways connected by smaller perpendicular arch windows.

Marina Bay Sands Modification

This weeks assignment was driven by the Marina Bay Sands project in Singapore. Specifically, the three towers (see attached picture) are shown in three different states, with the two slabs that make up the structure of each tower opening and closing together. The each part in the paramod model can open or close depending on the thickness value. Height is controlled by a function much like the tutorial, though in this particular project their are two vertical points of reference, one for each row of twin slabs orientate in a different direction opposite one another. The grid these shapes are based on can be adjusted, though the program was getting bogged down during 'filming' and would freeze up if any attempt was made to change reference points. Practically speaking (sort of), this model could act as a bridge which closes down to restrict traffic, or as a single development with each section in a different state of motion much like the Sands project.

Week 4 - Solar Chinmey's heating up!

The concept for this weeks assignment was the shape of the solar chimney. Placed on a grid of intersecting splines running diagonally, two separate geometries of power copies were utilized to create the array of shapes. The taller green shapes would intersect one another as the grid expanded vertically if it were not for the shallower tan shapes placed between them.

Using a grid based on diaganol splines allowed for points that could be isolated in groups of three, facilitating the geometry of the triangle much better than an orthogonal grid. The openings in the tops of the green and tan shapes are related to the length of the hypotenuse of each triangular outline. The same goes for the height of the green chimneys, however the height of the tan chimneys stay constant as to avoid rising up and intersecting the green ones.

In the placement of the first set of green shapes, the power copy function worked quite well. As the grid expands upwards though, the planes that the green shapes sit on tilt at varying degrees, causing conflict. As the shallower tan shapes were created to avoid this, the power copy function did not only ask for 3 points (as the green power copy function did), but asked for 3 points and 3 vertices. Though this did not prevent the work from getting done, it did make picking points twice as long as an activity, so it would be helpful to learn how to avoid this situation for future uses.

Tutorial 3 - Building Blocks

This weeks assignment to create a solid was plagued by a multitude of failures...however, their were glimmers of success hidden deep inside. The trapezoidal shape was chosen as a way to create structures that could move in any of the x,y, or z planes by linking up through their sloped faces. It was discovered however, that the multi-solid command only creates shapes that can have their planes "contact constrained" on the two parallel surfaces (top and bottom, not any of the sides). In an attempt to overcome this, I created another plane on one of the faces and played around with the "Symmetry" command (as shown below). The symmetry command however creates cloned shapes that lose their initial information regarding the various sketches and planes put into them, and thus became worthless in the effort to create dynamic shapes through the initial part relationships. These relationships include keeping the top an bottom triangular shapes sized as a function to one another. A vertical height bar also moved the top plane up and down.

As I moved on from the symmetry function, I attempted to create a new trapezoidal shape with a curve much like the pipes from the example. However, I lost the ability to make permanent constraints and was unable to link the modified sketch to any relationships. Also, the sketches began to disappear, even though "hide/show" was never selected. These sketches existed, but could not be seen unless the mouse scrolled over them (and they were not made to be construction lines either). They were completely useless. As I exited the sketch mode, I also noticed that the "multi-section Solid" disappeared from my 'part' page and could no longer be accessed. It still existed on the tree, but could not be made visible...which in turn caused me to lose my solid shapes on the 'product' page as well (right two images below).



I did however back up a copy of the initial part, and so I went back to work skewing and changing the solids in order to see the way in which they acted on one another. A new problem quickly arose however, as the constraints I placed on the solids in the 'product' page quickly became useless with small yellow exclamation marks next to one another. I left them alone and made new constraints which seemed to work as I updated the original shape. All the constraints had to be limited to the top and bottom parallel planes, making for a vertical structure. Though I could tilt the object by placing the flag on it, the solids were not intelligently related, and so they are kept in vertical orientation.

Though I am unsure why I lost so much info/control of my sketches as the night went on, or why I can no longer make permanent constraints (I think we went over how to fix that in the first week), but I have learned how to set solid shapes up in relation to previously made parts. Going forward, I would like to find out how to take advantage of all sides of a solid, and not just the top and bottom planes. Setting up a plane on one of the sides after making the solid did not seem to help, and so I assume the key lies into how the shape is actually constructed from the onset.

Tutorial 2 - Wichita House Mod

In creating this structure, the roundness of the base was held as constant while the emerging structural supports manipulated. The height each support was tied to the length between the outermost and innermost circles on the ground plane. A mid point circle was created in this plane as well, which when moved, changed the shape of the structures above (see diagrams showing constraints at bottom). All members maintained their angular orientation from one another, so to prevent twisting of the structure.

In all 5 variations, the base kept its original shape and location, while the structural members were pulled, skewed and collapsed per the relationship with the ground plane below.

Based (loosely) on the Wichita House, the design features a window and 2 vent stacks that change in size as the surrounding members expand further away, of contract closer together. The stacks also shrink in height as their radius is reduced.

Tutorial 1 - Sketching the Plan

Plan: Wichita House by Buckminster Fuller

The floor plan of the Wichita House was created using a set of constraints that defined the distance of each room element (bathrooms, bedrooms, tables, couch) in relation to the exterior circular building envelope.

By changing the diameter of the exterior wall, the house essentially pulled itself apart into a donut shape where the room elements either gathered together or floated away.

At the most extreme end of the progression, the Wichita House has divided itself into a vast circular hallway broken up by rooms perpendicular to the flow of traffic. More abstractly, the movement of the elements parallel the movements of galaxies within our own expanding universe. Given a large enough area, rooms will eventually become their own fully independent entities with no possible interaction between themselves.

Exterior Diameter values were 3.1 (original), 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.0 units.