Minimal Surfaces

I've been reading alot about minimal surfaces in the last week or so and find them incredibly interesting. I'm thinking about incorporating them into my assignment for an advanced computing class, but am still quite unsure as to what programs and plugins are out which can generate and produce complex minimal surfaces.

I did read some other discussions on minimal surfaces on the forums, so hopefully this thread could get a good talk going on minimal surfaces and their application in architecture or architectural theory.

Check out this installation done at the Sydney Customs House in Australia.

The instalation actually quite closely mirrors something that i have in mind for my project, so any thoughts letting me know if this is at all possible to replicate would be appreciated. :)

Link: http://www.archdaily.com/10233/green-void-lava/

and quick image

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Mirtschin on September 29, 2009 at 1:54pm

Hi Sean,

The solver will deal with any "topology" or connectivity.
I'm just a bit confused about where the actual constraint is. If you constrain the upper and lower (circle) edges with a planar surface (or caps) within, the minimal surface won't move from that planar surface. (it's akin to a straight line being the minimal curve between two points). A planar surface is the minimal surface connecting a planar curve. And for the red circles cut out of your big cylinder, I think an inner diameter will be needed of a smaller radius to prevent it necking too much. Do you have any images/sketches of the final goal? Or is that part of the investigation. I'll take a look at this tomorrow.

Cheers,

Jon

Permalink Reply by Sean on September 29, 2009 at 11:25pm

Alright, i've thought more about it as i was going to bed last night and i think i've got a new, better way to tackle it.

Instead of using a cylinder as the base shape, i'm considering using a sphere. The whole investigation takes on a much more 3 dimensional feel now, which was what i was aiming for in the first place. I'll try and do a quick sketch now and scan it in, so it easier to visualise, and someone can tell me if its destined to fail or not. :)

In the sketch the pink areas represent the outer limits of the sphere that contains the minimal surface. All the shaded pink areas lay on the outside, however some are lower down in the sphere, which is why they are inside the dotted pink line.

Thanks again,

Sean

Permalink Reply by Jon Mirtschin on September 30, 2009 at 12:38am

I was also thinking about this, I think your sphere starting point will work fine, I was also thinking a polygon (which is probably easier for me to develop a meshing routine for, maybe not if Rhino can give a decent mesh) where the naked edges are the restrained starting position. I think the sphere would probably give a better result. Feel free to post a sphere to try, else I'll try something later on.

Permalink Reply by Massimiliano Trave on April 30, 2011 at 6:05am

Hi jon i'm sorry, i cannot download the file from this link http://ssi.wikidot.com/local--files/downloads/cylinder%202.zip

Permalink Reply by Jon Mirtschin on April 30, 2011 at 9:42am

I've checked, I don't have access to the files referenced to these posts (I used a computer at my previous job).

I'll recreate them when I get a moment, if you have anything more specific to what you would like to work on either post or email to me.

Cheers,

Jon

Permalink Reply by Massimiliano Trave on April 30, 2011 at 10:30am

Thanks for your reply jon ,I wanted to only study this file in order to know more the use of geometry gym about this question, thanks for the availability if I have questions i contact you.

cheers,

Permalink Reply by Jon Mirtschin on May 2, 2011 at 1:45pm

I did a blog post on a similar model, does this help?

http://geometrygym.blogspot.com/2010/03/costa-minimal-surface.html

Permalink Reply by Al Krever on May 2, 2011 at 7:05pm

I've attempted to run this definition and get a null mesh out of sdrMSM. What am I doing wrong? Does it need other parameters, etc?

Thanks

Permalink Reply by Jon Mirtschin on May 2, 2011 at 10:16pm

Hi Al,

Run the rhino command sdrZZLicenseRequest and follow the prompts. I offer my work free for academic use and license it for commercial to sustain full time development.

Cheers,

Jon

Permalink Reply by Liberty Moonbeam on November 28, 2009 at 11:53am

Hi Jon,
since I also have a kinda minimal-surface-related problem, i thought i d write to you, i hope its ok... I would like to simulate a bubble structure and after some research i found out that the weaire-phelan-structure kinda comes close to this problem.. I found some stuff on this on the surface-evolver site, but somehow i cant get the program running on my computer (windows xp), meaning i can open the program but no file. all it shows is the mathematical definitions but no graphic interface... or is that all the program can show? i would be thankful for any advice!
Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Sean on October 4, 2009 at 12:40pm

Video.

Not the final piece, but to be included as process work for the project.

Attachments:

Animation 1.avi, 10 MB

Permalink Reply by Ivan Kiryakov on October 15, 2009 at 10:43am

hi
i followed this discussion...
found this on the net http://www.jftesser.com/portfolio/Universal_Connector.html
it is interessting approach maybe someone will come up with an idea how to do something like this with grasshopper?