How to build a Manganese "Supercrystal".

Recently I runned into Aranda/Lasch's experiments on crystaline forms, for example their "1774 Series Fauteil" from 2007. Now I'm doing some experiments on my own with this crystal. I've managed to build it in Rhino (wich actually took a while), but I would like to give it a try in Grasshopper. Now, since my major isn't exactly maths (I'm in architecture) I would probably need some help on how to go about with building this in GH.

When I built it in Rhino it probably took me about 30-50 separate "actions", so I guess there must be an easier way. I'm thinking that I probably would want to build a pyramide first, and the trim the corners with smaller pyramids.

What would your approach be?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by taz on February 11, 2010 at 2:22pm

You can build the supercrystal in GH but what parameters do you want to be able to control? What possible variations are there on the form?

The bigger issue is do you plan on arraying them? Getting them to tile as building blocks to create a form or mimic a surface may be difficult.

Permalink Reply by Stencil on February 11, 2010 at 2:41pm

I was thinking I would build the crystal first and then look at tiling, but you right of course; the strategy for building the crystal depends on how it will be tiled.

Actually, I'm not really sure what I'm after. I'm writing an essay on parametric modelling and ran into Aranda/Lasch, and just wanted to play around with these crystal to try to understand the logics of this form. And I was thinking GH could be useful in some way.

I'm planning on contacting A/L and ask them what role parametric tools played in the makings of this, but my guess is that they made a script that produced this crystal and tiled it x times and that's it. No parameters involved. And then, of course, a great deal of manual modelling to create the actual objects; tables, chairs and so on.

Thanks for having a look anyway, and for pointing this out!

Permalink Reply by taz on February 11, 2010 at 2:55pm

Well, you could also check with Jon Mirstchin.

His plug-in will do tiling for crystalline structures. I'm not sure if it can do custom arrangements or just water cube style packing...

http://geometrygym.blogspot.com/search/label/Tessellate

Permalink Reply by taz on February 11, 2010 at 3:10pm

I think the chipboard mock-up is cooler than the actual finished aluminum piece!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arandalasch/3191899946/

Permalink Reply by Stencil on February 12, 2010 at 10:56am

I agree. The chipboard mock-up makes it a little more... human. :-)

I've attached a replica of the Aranda/Lasch chair in Rhino, if anyone's interested in these crystal structures. I think I'm done with it for a while... After 10 hours of manually modelling this chair from 3 different photos I feel a little bit nauseous.

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