DIVA is Awesome and Everyone Should Use It
We’ve been playing around with the DIVA plugin for Rhino and Grasshopper for the past month. DIVA stands for Design Iterate Validate Adapt which is similar to the approach that we take with parametric modeling.
By looking at a large number of iterations it often is possible to tease out patterns of performance which can help to find a “satisficing” solution and help designers to develop a better intuition about how to approach a problem.
Med Mart 3: Daylighting the Atrium
In this post, we move into the interior to talk about how we are using daylight inside the building. A major feature of the design is a large central atrium with a four-story structural glass wall facing the Mall. While providing a good amount of natural light to the atrium, this entirely glazed edge also contrasts greatly with the three other non-glazed walls. We knew we needed a strategy to more effectively balance the light levels throughout the space, and our goal was to achieve that with natural lighting.
Form Finding with Flexible Modules
Panelizing free-form surfaces is usually done using a large number of uniquely shaped pieces. A free-form surface can also be approximated using a predetermined module. The advantage is being able to limit the number of unique pieces necessary to fabricate that surface.
For this experiment, the module was flexible between panels, but each panel is rigid. A set of forces are then established between each module to control the relationships between modules once they are pulled to the base surface.
Grasshopper Analysis Key
This is a quick post about a definition that we’ve put together to create an analysis key in the Rhino viewport. The key will automatically update to the current view when the timer component is activated. There is the ability to control the size, position and colors of the analysis key.
PDX Video: ScriptJigs
I recently gave a talk at Portland State University’s Fridays@4 lecture series. I focused on the relationship between parametrics and performance analysis and gave demos of using Grasshopper, GECO, and Ecotect. The video in this post – recorded during the talk – is an overview of the process and how we use these tools in practice…
Seattle EUG: ScriptJIGs
I will be presenting at next week’s Seattle Ecotect Users Group meeting. I’ve been asked to speak on the topic of “scripting.” I’ll explain how LMNts has been employing Grasshopper as a sort of “digital script jig” to guide other tools, including Ecotect. Specifically, I’ll present a number of case studies on how analysis data is brought back into our design environments and how/why/when it is used to inform decisions.
Virtualwind Workflow
Virtualwind is an architect-friendly Computation Fluid Dynamics simulation tool. In a previous post, we briefly outlined the steps involved in setting up a Virtualwind study. This video goes through the entire workflow from start to finish: from cleaning up the geometry in SketchUp to create a watertight model…all the way to visualizing simulation results.
Grasshopper to ANSYS
If you’ve played with Grasshopper then you know how much fun it can be to throw the sliders back and forth and watch your geometry change. What if you wanted to get analysis data for everyone of those iterations? Parametric modeling eases the task of generating multiple iterations, but it can be a bit laborious [...]
TAS Ambiens Workflow
Though Ambiens is technically a piece of CFD software, it allows for rapid modeling (when you get used to its quirks) and very quick simulations (often less than 2 minutes). After playing with Ambiens for about an hour, you should be able to run relatively complex studies…which is a-typical of most airflow modeling software…so as quirky as the software is, the “bang for the buck” is fairly good.
Virtualwind 3D Wind Flow: Quick Review
I’ve spent a bit of time putting Virtualwind through the paces. Looks like a winning piece of software. First thing to mention is: Virtualwind is intended for simple CFD studies, pedestrian-level wind for example, not complicated mechanical system studies. Second thing to mention is: it has a SketchUp plug-in…so keep this in mind as well.