This is the final product of our interconnected wall experiment, minus the interconnecting bit.  Due to time and access to the router this was the most that could be completed.  The process after it was cut on the router involved many layers and was very time-consuming.  The piece was cut twice, the front and back, these portions were glued together to achieve a two-sided form.  It was necessary to cut out the holes by hand and then sand smooth, for a clean finish.  Any notches or uneven edges were spackled, sanded, and then a final coat of paint was applied.  It was framed with pine 1×4 and trim, the whole frame was stained and a final coat of polyurethane was applied.

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This definition is very simple, but incredibly useful.  It sorts a series of points based on distance and then creates connections based on that list.  The only slider in the definition is used to control the number of connections that are allowed.  The purpose of the definition being that it optimizes the placement of connections.

Connecting Points Grasshopper File

Note:Version of Grasshopper Used-(Grasshopper 0.6.0059)

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The interconnected wall stems from work originally proposed by Erwin Hauer, this example has been reworked in grasshopper and tested physically on a cnc milling machine. The definition is used to design panels which do not collide with each other.  It uses curves taken from rhino space to sweep2 a surface.  This surface is extruded; which creates a closed brep that is suitable for a difference component.  A cylinder is subtracted, then the piece is rotated 180 degrees to face the previous piece.  In this stage it is important to make sure that no edges are colliding, this can be done by adjusting either the curves or the radius of the cylinder.  My dimensions responded to the fact that I was cutting the object out of 2″ insulation foam, but all of the dimension can be controlled in the definition.

Interconnected Loop Tile Grasshopper File

Note:Version of Grasshopper Used-(Grasshopper 0.6.0059)

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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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