BIM & Dynamo
Programming
Design Intent
A major part of Project 1 was the
curtain panel system used on the Shipping and Transport College by Neutelings
Riedijk Architecten. Therefore I decided for Project 2 I would modify the
appearance of the curtain panels. My goal was to create a pattern in the dark
colored squares of the façade. You’ll remember in project 1 the curtain panels
system had a checkered pattern of gray and white metal panels. I hoped to
utilize the 4 metal panels in the one window panel and have each of the four in
every panel of the building façade to respond to the pattern across the whole
wall. I planned to create and control this pattern using the Dynamo application.
Originally I thought I would create just a zigzag pattern instead of the
checkered pattern, to help the viewers eyes go across the building easier.
However, as I began this project I learned a lot and realized a few challenges
and opportunities.
Start
To begin with I realized it was
going to be difficult to utilize the four different panel of the basic window
panel and to get them each individually respond to the pattern of the whole
wall. So I went back to the basics. I removed my custom panel from the divided
surface and replaced it with a basic rectangular panel. I then nested the
material parameter of the rectangle panel into the mass and then began my work
in Dynamo.
I decided to create the pattern
based on a CSV file. So to begin with I selected the form whose divided surface
I wanted to use. I then created a list based on the panels IDs found on that
form. The using number nodes, I then extruded the lists of panel IDs that I
actually wanted from all that were listed. This allowed me to edit only the
walls that I wanted to.
Then, using Excel I created the CSV
file that contained the zigzag pattern that I wanted expressed on the wall
surface.
I have highlighted the boxes that
contain 1, the rest of the boxes in the file contain 0.
This is the resulting CSV file. I
had to edit it a bit to verify three were not any more empty columns or rows in
the file.
Then in the dynamo string of nodes I
was able to set the material parameter so that if the pattern had a 1 in it, it
would appear on the wall as a dark grey panel, and if there were 0s in the
pattern they would appear as white panels.
This
is what the entire Dynamo program for one wall looks like.
This is the resulting appearance.
As you can see the zigzag pattern
came through on the bottom of this wall, however at the top of the wall it is
messed up a little bit. I was unable to figure out why, but my assumption is
that something was mistranslated when the list was transposed and
reversed.
Experiments
As I worked with Dynamo I realized
it wasn’t hard to try out various options of patterns. In the pictures below I
have highlighted the wall that I am going to edit. Then I have showed the excel
file. You will notice that it has changed from the first wall’s file. I found
that is important to have just as many columns and rows of information as you
have rows and columns of rectangular panels in the wall that you are working
in. I have also shown the CSV file in Notepad form. Finally, I had to copy and
paste the first string of nodes for the first wall and then edit it to match
the information needed for the second wall. I have shown the completed sting of
program for the second wall.
Wall working with
Excel
File
Notepad
File
Complete program string for
2nd wall
Result of 2 program strings.
For the 3rd wall I continue the straight line
around the corner. Below I have shown you which wall I’m working with as well
as the string that I used to create it. You will also see that after I utilized
the string to create the appearance I wanted on the 2 walls I completed first, I
would then disconnect them so that the new strings would be the only active
ones, and the old ones would not slow down the changes.
Wall working with
All three strings used
4th wall
experimented with
Program string used for
fourth wall
Final appearance of all four
strings of program in effect.
Appearance of the 4 strings
of Dynamo program
Finishing Touches
After implementing the Dynamo program I was curious to
know if you can go through and edit the panel even though they were controlled
by program. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that you can indeed go in and
edit the panel material manually, one by one. This was great in order to fix
the few messed up panels that had been misinterpreted on the first wall. You
will see them fixed and cleaned up in the picture below.
I was unable to figure out how to use Dynamo on the
angled piece on top of the main base. My only thought on why it wouldn't work
is because the angle was created by a void form. Changing the panels manually worked great to
finish up the changed appearance, as the picture below shows.
Please see the embedded video for a brief synopsis of what is written above
