AutoCAD

During the class, I was working on some of the AutoCAD files updating the text on the wedges and the shape of the tabs and wedges.  Also helped out with some of the bending of the first triangles during finals week.

3D Printing model

Nilu, Miya, and I were all working on getting the model ready for 3D printing during the class, and found that making connections between all of the triangles took much longer than we thought.  We got it done though, and I put all the various pieces together.  I checked the mesh file using the commands to see if the object is ready to 3D print; it was a 'bad mesh' at first, but was a 'good mesh' after I cleaned it up.  The only thing is that the file doesn't retain the good mesh state when I save it afterwards, it just ends back up as a bad mesh when I open it again.  So this won't be good for trying to send it off to get printed.  I have also made the triangles a blue color, and the connections a darker blue color, because the 3D printer can print in color.  But there are a few triangles that are off colored, and I can't figure out how to get them to change.  I also put all of the triangles and connections on their own specific layers, but this seems to have made the mesh checking more difficult to carry out.  So I think the best thing to do is to just print the model without color, as there are too many problems with trying to use color.

EX 03 Paneling

When I panel my surface, I get this strange dividing line along the top of my surface. To one side, the panels are upright, but to the other side, the panels are heavily stretched to one side and pointing away from the upright panels. I'm not sure why it's doing this, but I think it has something to do with how I remade the surface. It also seems that the only shape possible with the Panel 3D from 2 Grids command is a triangular pyramid shape. Since you have to create the shape that will populate the surface in the 3D Patterns Manager, it creates a grid for you, and it won't let you connect lines to anything other than it's preset points, how should we create other surfaces than pyramids? I think this paneling tool is great, but I still feel very fuzzy on using it. I watched the Panel 3D from 2 Grids demo video a few times, but he also just used a pyramid shape. I'm getting frustrated...

Digital Fabrication Workshop at Columbia University

I came across this from an Autodesk email; these students at Columbia are doing something very similar to what we are:

http://designreform.net/2008/11/19/orchestration-workshop/

EX 03

I've been having trouble with the seed surface that was given to us. It will select the whole surface when I click on it normally, but when I try to use the paneling tools on it, only part of the surface will select. I tried the approach Calvin used, where he created contour lines from certain slices of the surface, and then lofted between them to recreate the shape. But I kept getting funny shapes when I did this.

So I went ahead and just created a shape that I would like to panel across the surface. I used a small rectangular connection at each interface. This connection would clamp down and hold each larger piece together.

Hoberman Spheres & Geodesic Domes

I have something called a Hoberman Sphere at home, which is a plastic expanding ball. It's method of connecting the pieces could be helpful for us in designing the pieces for the flock wall. It uses pins at certain joints, and what looks like ball and socket joints at other areas. See pictures above and below

http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/HobermanSphereOctahedron/





Geodesic Domes are somewhat similar to what we're doing in this class. This photo below of the connections that hold the dome together could be helpful in how we design our connections. It's basically a section of round tube with holes around the perimeter for bolts. The long connecting members are arranged around the outside of the tube, and the bolts fit into sleeves welded to the long members.


I also found this image of the British Museum in London. The lattice structure covering the courtyard looks very similar to ours, it looks like the size of the triangles change with the distance between the rotunda and the square walls of the inner courtyard, but I can't tell for sure.

EX 01

Here's my field created from 400 aggregates. I started with a image of a tessellation that I found online, and used that as inspiration. I liked the way the lines connected in the tessellation, and so that gave rise to the thin rectangular cut outs on the four sides. I left a small square at the center of the shape to hold the piece together. I colored the aggregates red and the background a shade of gray because it gives good contrast. I then removed an angled slice from each of the four sides to add interest to the shape. I read that the aggregate shouldn't extend outside the 2'x2' box, so I made no connections between the pieces. In order to form a connection with another piece, the aggregate would have to cross over this boundary.