This definition was designed to facet any surface, into a grid that can the be divided up into perforated panels.  I’ve included the grasshopper file for people to play with, all thats required from rhino’s end is a series of curves to loft and an attractor point.

Perforation Panel Grasshopper File

Note:Version of Grasshopper Needed-(Grasshopper 0.6.0019)

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This little macro is really sweet for skewing rhino models into axonometrics.  Its important to note however that this will actually skew your model, save your model before you do this. (more…)

In my previous articles, my exploration of flocking has remained in the realm of a diagram.  This iteration is the first step in taking those conceptual thoughts and brining them to a more architectural level.   My previous diagrams generated a logic.  The logic consisted of a series of points that responded to one another and a series of vectors attached to those points.  The next step I took was in aggregating those collections of points. (more…)

This Grasshopper definition uses a grid of points to generate a series of curves that respond to an attractor point.  This definition is a great example of using really simple and basic concepts of parametrics to accomplish a more complicated goal.  Essentially, all this definition is composed of is an attractor point that adjusts the curvature of a plane and an attractor point that adjusts the radius of circles that are projected onto that surface.  The small bit of vbscript at the end is used to split the circles from the surface.

Note:Version of Grasshopper Needed-(Grasshopper 0.6.0019)

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I’ve just uploaded a new tutorial based around the grasshopper plug-in for rhino, Louver Tutorial.  For those who don’t know about grasshopper, visit this link (Grasshopper).  In short, grasshopper is a plug-in for rhino that is used to generate parametric objects.  Its more or less a playground for creating relationships between geometries.  In the tutorial, I explain by example how to decompose a surface in order to map points along it.  These points become the start of a louver system, in which all kinds of relationships could be created to organize their generation. 

Note:Version of Grasshopper Needed-(Grasshopper 0.6.0019)

These are the iterations of the previously discussed grasshopper definition.  The system on the left has its ratios(see first article) set to change at each iteration starting at .3 moving towards .8 and then returning to .3 at even intervals.  The system on the right is used as a control it is permanently set to .5.

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Flocking is the subtle organization of part to part relationships. One of the most common examples of this is obviously flocks of birds, such as the starlings at Otmoor(see video after the break). Flocking in that case consists of a couple elements. The first being clustering of parts, so these parts are forming a spatial relationship of proximity. The next being a correspondence to average heading, each of those starlings not only react to the spatial field of the others, but also to the direction in which they are headed. The final element is a collection of average mass, this is almost a example of part to whole, except for the fact that it is less a reaction and more of a product generated by the first two rules. The starlings as a field of objects generate an emergent condition, the first two elements are a reaction, while the center of mass is something else entirely it is an emergent product generated through the complexity of the system.

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-From Judithtatephotography.com

Work has grinded to a halt as everyone prepares for school, many of us have gone traveling.  Our group had one more meeting in the time between this post and last.  I regrettably was not able to make it.  A slight problem arose when a team member added another without consulting the group.  So as a very large team at eleven, we are an even larger team at twelve.  Even with this expansion to our already bloated roster, we have been unable to decide on much or even get much done. We have managed to accomplish a few tasks that were set, mainly the site. (more…)

This is the first tutorial with hopefully more to come.  You can find it in my tutorial section or follow this link Lineweight Tutorial. The tutorial is focused on the workflow between CAD and Illustrator, with the goal being a successful line drawing. This is how I do all of my line drawings. I prefer for the simple fact that what you see is what you get in illustrator, unlike CAD which requires multiple trials before the proper lineweights are applied.