DESIGN STUDIO: AIRSEMESTER ONE 2015

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOKKEVIN L HUYNH

DESIGN STUDIO: AIRSEMESTER ONE 2015

KEVIN L HUYNH #639492STUDIO: 13TUTOR: BRAD ELIAS

CONTENTS

A.6 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

4

4

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES 001- OCTREE

A.6

Above: Foster + Partners, City Hall(2002)

The Octree component is used to partition three-dimensional space by subdividing space according to a set input or into eight octants. In this case the Octree component was used to approximate curvilinear geometry, by fitting boxes on the surface of geometries that lead to interesting patters on the original geometry.

The pattern could be manipulated by changing the seed values, either increasing/ decreasing the number of points generated on the surface or increasing/ decreasing the group value on the Octree component. The most successful variation is an increase of points generated and decrease in-group size, this lead to large amounts of boxes, however small in size, that resulted in a approximated surface where the original geometry could be depicted.

Points: 100 Group Size: 4 Points: 100 Group Size: 2 Points: 1000 Group Size: 4 Points: 1000 Group Size: 2

Points: 5000 Group Size: 2

5

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES 002 - KANGAROO PHYSICS

A.6

Grid: 50/50Force: -20RestLength: 0

Grid: 50/50Force: -20RestLength: 2

Grid: 50/50Force: -20RestLength: 1

Grid: 15/15Force: -20RestLength: 0

Grid: 50/50Force: -10RestLength: 0

Grid: 50/50Force: -5RestLength: 0

Grid: 20/20Force: -20RestLength: 0

Kangaroo Physics allows the simulation, optimisation and form-finding of geometries within the grasshopper environment. Spring physics allows the creation of simple forces, the principles of Hooke’s law spring and the use of these forces to simulation material behaviour in the real world.

Through experimentation of the component linked to the Kangaroo physics component, different forms were generated, all fundamentally governed by the laws of spring physics. Changing the grid size allowed more springs to be present within the mesh, resulting in a more organic form. Meshes of smaller grids were more ‘tight’ and “in tension.” Changing the unitary force vector increases the effect of gravity on the springs, where the magnitude of the resultant force caused the spring or mesh to be stretched or compressed. Additionally increasing the rest length of the lines within the mesh allowed the mesh to ‘slack’ further.

Investigating mesh behaviour under different load through the use of Kangaroo physics allows the generation of “fabrics” like surfaces. Through suspending a mesh between columns and anchoring the naked edges allowed the simulation of the mesh under a unitary force.