3d Printing

As a result of the surface manipulation grid that i performed, I was particular interested in the combination of twisting and rippling the geometry of the guitar.  The resulting surface:

A concern I have is the pocket in the surface that has been developed and getting powder out of it.  As this surface developed, I wanted to make sure to maintain the original seems of the guitar corner.  These seams help to give variation in the surface.  Another thing I was particularly interesting is the effect of melting on this surface.  As I explored this effect, I was surprised to see how well the geometry held up to the modification.

Surface Manipulation

As I began to explore the surface of the guitar, I decided to manipulate one of the corners of the guitar.  I chose this piece in particular due to the fact that this is where many different surfaces and curves come together.  Using this as my base, I ran the geometry through a series of manipulations.  I was particular interesting in twisting, bending, rippling, scaling, and bloating this geometry.  Using 3ds Max, I found the stack modifier particular useful for this exercise.  I was able to explore multiple transformations on the same geometry in a non-destructive process.  Always able to go back to the original geometry if needed.  

I set these series of 4 transformations as part of a grid system.  The base being the center of this grid, and using a morpher  modifier to see how different percentages of two different transformations interacted with one another.  As a rule of thumb for myself, I took each transformation to the point just before the geometry began to tear.  

Versioning

"'Versioning' is an operative term meant  to describe a recent, significant shift in the way architects and designers are using technology to expand, in time as well as in territory, the potential effects of design in our world.  More importantly I find, however, is the idea of iteration.  The fact that with new progress in technology, we have the ability to not only explore new forms, but generate iterations of these forms extremely quickly.  The example was given of the development of the many different types of Fins and Rudders.  A beneficial act to see and compare several different ideas side by side.  However, extremely time consuming.  Technology has allowed us to stream line this process, using pre-defined conditions to generate increasingly different forms.  In a sense an excel sheet for form/ design.  Not only has this technology allowed use to generate this iterations infinitely quicker, it has also allowed us to explore multiple influences at the same time, rather than a linear process.

The question was brought up, and something that I personally wonder, is with this increase in technology, what use are we as designers if a computer is able to generate so many so quickly.  "This is not a call to replace the human act of design with algorithms, but a critical search for a common language between design and execution."  The idea that this iteration is simply a tool for design.  Allowing the designer to explore extremely large variations of a particular design, and to explore conditions normally unobtainable without technology.  Remembering back to the lecture we had a couple weeks ago regarding NADAA.  They were able to use a series of animations to quickly explore a wall form.  I believe that this approach is exactly the strength of this technology.  Empowering the designer to iterate quickly and explore hundreds of possibilities.

There have been ideas of the development of this technology even further to a point where actual floor plans/ construction documents would be able to be seamlessly developed and iterated on.  If such a process was to become streamlined, and as architects, what role would we be able to play?  Will a computer ever really be able to make design decisions?  Is this something we should be scared of, or perhaps open to adapt too?

Project 1A Cont.

     

The following images show the process that I have gone through for the development of this guitar body.  The body has gone through a series of refinement in more accurately representing the curves of the body, and how sharp the transitions are to the main surface.  My first iteration of the body had the curves a lot softer than they are in reality.  In addition to refining the curves of the body, I began to explore the development of more detailed aspects of the guitar.  In this case the modeling of the pickups.  I tried to pay as close attention as possible to the detail of these objects, and as a result, my poly count is currently very high.  I hope to extend the modeling of this guitar into the extension of the neck and fretting of the guitar.  

Project 1A

Guitar Body

For this problem, I decided to explore the development of the guitar.  The surface of the guitar body was particular interesting, and through the process of making was particular challenging to reproduce.  I began the process exploring the development of lofted surfaces.  I began with exploring multiple contours, but as a developed the model further felt limited by the use of the 2d projections.

My second attempt explored, instead, using lofted surfaces to boolean from a solid mass.  I was able to "sculpt" the body of the guitar with a decent amount of control.  I found the result of the operations difficult to refine however.  Do to the complexity of the surfaces, smooth transitions between became difficult to achieve.

Due to this I decided to explore this model through the process of poly modeling.  I began with a very primitive shape of the guitar body, and through a process of vertex control and subdividing, was able to arrive at the example shown above.  Far more than the other approaches I took for this project, I felt that I had the most control over the final result with poly-modeling.  Also, the process of refinement from the simple shape i began with to the detailed model I have now, seemed more intuitive for me.

Skin and Bones

Vidler discusses in this chapter titled skin and bones primarily the idea of a fold.  I found this topic the most interesting, as it discussed the physical nature of the term "fold" as well as the meta-physical.  It really pays in to question the idea that there are many ways to look at something.  Several different perspectives.  This idea of folding, and the architecture that is related to it, is particularly relevant to the connection/ disconnect between the exterior and the interior of a building.  As was explained this idea of disconnect between the exterior and interior of a building is something that is often associated with contemporary architecture.  Buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao came to mind.  Easily identified with the characteristic of folding, yet there is a very distinctive lack of continuity between the exterior skin and the far more regular interior spaces.

There begs the question as to whether or not this connection of exterior to interior is necessary.  As Vidler explains, there is something about a clear connection.  He uses the example of the elephant sculpture.  In the interior of that sculpture, you are able to identify the things that are able to create the exterior surfaces.  Even, if there is not literal connection to the outside, in that you can see out of the interior, you are able to clarify for yourself that you are in fact inside of the elephant sculpture.  

Vilder also talked about the more meta-physical aspect of the idea of folding, comparing it to our soul's.  There is a certain abstraction with this idea in which we are able to make connections to the fact that certain things "overlap".  Not in the literal sense, but more diagrammatically. 

Vilder advocates that digital media serves as an invaluable tool served to generate these new complex forms.  The computer allows us to explore forms to a complexity unobtainable through more traditional means.  This exploration of digital media, provides a platform for exploration; allowing the development of form to push the boundaries of architectural space.  

Reading Assignment 01

Blob Tectonics

In these two readings by Greg Lynn he begins to explain the abstract nature of a form deemed "the blob".  In "Probable Geometries: The Architecture of Writing in Bodies", Lynn begins to explain the ambiguity of the way we as humans attempt to measure shapes.  He goes on to explain that fields such as biology and geology have developed "...convincing geometric descriptions of vague forms."  Forms that previous to such developments have not been able to be described.  More importantly with this discovery, which Lynn describes adamantly, is that it indicates that all geometries are not exact.  It seems that it is only a matter of perspective as to which we are able to deem a shape "exact".  This new ability to define any shape has led to that of architects being able to create what we know as "blob architecture".

Lynn goes on to describe what a blob really is in his article, "Blob Tectonics, or Why Tectonics is Square and Topology is Groovy".   Lynn makes the comparison to the blob to the iconic 1950's horror films.  As he describes, a blob is multiplicity as well as its singularity.  It is one holistic form, however, internally is derived by a multiplicity of conditions.  This idea of a blob developed into isomorphic polysurfaces, or what is known as "meta-ball".  This form of modeling is defined by its relationship to other objects as opposed to conventional primitives such as spheres.

These new forms and perspective on form has pushed the limits of geometry and what is definable.