Over time, a lot of my research into architecture and scripting/algorithms overlooked – due to the conditions present in my school and country- the ever-important fabrication side of things. It’s easy to get distracted, create nice shapes, and then completely forget that, hey, i have to build them!
As I’ve learned recently, the best approach (and, of course, the hardest) is to go both-ways. Material properties and construction tehniques inform the final product as much as algorithm, concept and anything else does. This is an emerging system, constantly exchanging information back and forth between each component of the design process.
I’m writing these banalities because i feel they need to be pushed up front a bit, especially in my school. Anyobdy can create blobs, what about being able to construct (not sculpt!) them, even at a 1:50 model scale? Thinking of fabrication expands your way of architectural creation not by adding a surplus of superficial constraints (like the over-empasis on concept and/or philosophy that’s highly praised here) but by adding real challanges that, as an architect, you will encounter not at a model 1:50 scale but at real-life 1:1 scale.
That’s why i’ve created a small tutorial-like presentation on how to laser-cut a surface.
- There’s a new nifty script to help you through all of this, which basically creates the joints for you.
- Also, i’m using an older script that would need some tweaking, but for the moment it does it what it’s supposed to : unrolling all given surfaces and numbering them in the process.
- And then there’s the compiled .pdf with the baby steps.
As always, if there’s any questions or curses, drop a line.
NOTE:
CutMyOwnRibs script updated.
