Algorithms

For the last week I have been trying to get my head around design algorithms.  I always thought the products from the effects are great and that the endless design opportunities are really exciting. 

For the last thirteen years of using rhino I have always worked in a design led way.  I nearly always begin with a sketchbook and pen.  I decided I wanted to make at least one piece for my shipping container house whereby I have an initial idea and let the computer work out the details of the design.   After spending a few weeks making a cushion cover for my jewellery making stool I decided to recreate the current stool design I have using CAD.  I am currently using a Pakistani rushty stool which I love for size weight and use.  I am planning on taking this basic shape and running algorithms on it to determine my final stool design for the shipping container house.  This is all quite easy to write however I have soon came to realise that this is going to take a little more time to get to grips with than I had originally thought.

 

I began the week looking at software called Dreamcatcher by Autodesk.  I have seen many articles on the internet of how this program has been developed to be able to let a designer run variations on their model to come up with the best design solution.

https://autodeskresearch.com/projects/dreamcatcher

 I really wanted to use this software to develop my idea however after talking to Autodesk the software is not yet available.

I then decided to check out Grasshopper which is a plug in for Rhino.  This is where my mind was blown and I became stuck in the computer for the last five days.  I thought I knew most things about Rhino until I downloaded Grasshopper!  I have discovered that I need to learn an entirely different language.  I would compare Grasshopper to designing through being a virtual electrician.  The commands are very similar to Rhino, however they are wired together in an order almost like coding.  The program allows you to change a design multiple times without rebuilding it every time as you would have to do n Rhino.

After day 3 of teaching myself from youtube video’s I hadn’t got very far in terms of designs, however I had seen a change in my way of thinking and the coding began making more sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhg5WAV0lss

 

By the end of the week I have managed to get a little further, however I definitely need more practice and my design is still not what I am looking for!