SCREENING: Pattern + Prototyping with Grasshopper

SCREENING: Pattern + Prototyping with Grasshopper | 2012 July 21-22

Description:
This two-day intensive Design and Digital Fabrication workshop will focus on the performative capacity of screening devices to regulate light and view while simultaneously producing both ornamental as well as material effects. The workshop will make extensive use of our Digital Fabrication equipment, coupled with Parametric Patterning techniques in Grasshopper for Rhinoceros. In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, participants will explore issues pertaining to the Coordination of Fabricated Parts through Unique Object Attributes, Baking Objects with User-Defined Attributes,  Nesting Optimization with Rhinonest for Grasshopper, as well as the precise creation and manipulation of Computational Geometry through parametric modeling interfaces.

The workshop will begin with an examination of a set of Parametric Schemas as a means of identifying a suite of conceptual approaches to the regulation of light and view. Site-Specific Influencers such as Solar, Shading, Air Flow, and Viewing requirements will serve as Catalysts for the Parametric Articulation of a series of screening devices through shifting, perforating, and graduating Patterns. Emphasis will be placed on consistent organization of data through Lists and Data Trees and best practices for Professional Workflow Integration, File Modularity, and Data Visualization in Grasshopper.

SCREENING will focus on the Grasshopper, supplemented by the add-on Rhinonest as a means of fully integrating fabrication logics into Parametric workflows.  The workshop is structured to allow each participant time to iteratively develop design prototypes, moving quickly from digital design environments to material artifacts and back again. As the next installment in the modeFab series, participants in this workshop will be introduced to and work directly with a large-format CNC Laser Cutter to develop scaled and 1:1 Component Assemblies. This workshop, particularly well suited for intermediate users, offers an in-depth and rigorous expansion on the topics of Algorithmic Design, Computational Geometry, and Parametric Modeling through the lens of Digital Fabrication and Prototyping with Grasshopper. As part of a larger online infrastructure, modeLab, this workshop provides participants with continued support and knowledge to draw upon for future learning.

Attendance will be limited to provide each participant maximum dedicated time with instructors.

Participants should be comfortable with the fundamental concepts of parametric design and general usage of Grasshopper.

Topics:
- Parametric Design :: Fundamental Concepts and Essential Skills
- Data Structures :: Working with Lists and Data Trees
- Patterning Logics :: Shifting, Perforating, and Gradients
- Pressures + Influencers :: Working with Attractors, Image Mapping, and Data Sampling Strategies
- Material Strategies :: Folding, Lamming, and Lapping
- Detailing :: Connection Logics and Tolerance
- Coordination :: Logical Naming, Cut Order, and Sheet/Part Management
- Fabrication Workflows :: Layouts and Nesting with Rhinonest