mesh(+)

Introducing mesh(+), a collection of two and three dimensional mesh subdivision effects for Grasshopper

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Mesh(+) is a set of user components which produce surface effects from mesh faces using variable methods of subdivision and normal based three dimensional distortion. These effects come in two categories, two dimensional face subdivision and three dimensional face effects. The two dimensional effects consist of a series of face subdivisions which stay on the same plane as the mesh face, but provide a series of options for different proportions of subdivision and the creation of openings in the mesh faces at the center or vertex corners of the face. Each component has variable inputs which allow for the manipulation of the subdivision proportions. The three dimensional transformations which create subdivisions of each face that move off the plane of the face along its normal provide variable controls for the production of pores, bumps, wedges, hairs, and other surface deformations from triangular or quad faces. Additionally two other categories of components provide some simple features for mesh creation and analysis. Test components return indexed numbers and corresponding points that display either the index of the mesh face, the index of the vertex in the mesh or the vertex sequence on each face. Create components provide two simple means for creating meshes. The Loft component takes a series of equal length point lists and created a quad face mesh from this grid of points. The Cap component, designed to fill the edges of open volumes  such a cylinder or lofted mesh, takes a list of points and creates a triangle at the averaged volume center point and triangulates a mesh.

This component set was developed with the intentions to take its output geometry and use it as an input for Weaverbird  subdivision operations. Initially developed for experimentation with the Makerbot Replicator 2 and as a resource for students at Pratt Institute to introduce the idea of subdivision modeling, these components are about creating distinct distinct effects with simple easy to use and highly variable controls.