New SmartGeometry video

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:13:48 +0000

An interesting video outlining keypoints of the latest Smart Geometry and IaaC has been recently posted on Vimeo. Made as a documentary, quite succintly (11mins) it shows what the event was really about. It also explains how Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia works.. definitely worth watching.

SmartGeometry 2010 from ON i ON comunicación on Vimeo.

(I am featured in 8th minute;-)

Smart Geometry 2010

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:03:34 +0000

Smart Geometry Workshops and Conference, held in Barcelona’s IaaC this year was a huge success. Over four days of workshops, hundreds of small and large scale (1:1) prototypes were designed and (!) manufactured using laser cutters, milling machines and various robots. ‘Working prototypes’ challenge was to build and test architectural models, thus proving their usability and functionality, which wasn’t easy within such limited time – but quality level of produced work was incredibly high.

All fabrication techniques were pushed to their limits, with new approaches re-invented on the fly, or manufacturing processes reengineered and applied in completely different way. One of most spectacular examples was KUKA robot employed to cut styrofoam bricks, as shown below :

(video of the process can be seen here)

Workshop consisted of ten clusters : Deep Surfaces, Nonlinear Systems in Biology and Design, Manufacturing Parametric Acoustic Surfaces, High Tech Design – Low Tech Construction, Parametrics and Physical Interactions, Curved Folding, Explicit Bricks, Rapid R&D to Rapid Assembly, Design to Destruction, Inflatable Fabric Envelopes.

My contribution in whole ‘creative mess’ was to co-tutor Parametrics and Physical Interactions cluster, together with Hugo Mulder (Arup), and Flora Salim (SIAL, RMIT). Its aim, was to provide participants with tools to extend virtual parametric modelling to physical world. We used sensors (light, movement, ultrasound, camera object tracking) as inputs, and various actuators, light emitters and multimedia projections as physical outputs. Short, but concise summary of the workshop is shown in video below :

Information on Smart Geometry Workshops and Conference can be found at www.smartgeometry.org

More photographs:

Grafik cover video

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:50:35 +0000

Very recently I was involved in writing Processing program, that was supposed to generate graphics for front cover of ‘Grafik’ magazine. Actually, the program was used on entire issue, producing vector fields from page context – images and text blocks, but most interesting part is dynamic flow.
In this collaboration with computational designer Jonathan Rabagliati, we overlayed particle system on top of generated vector field, creating network of ‘flows’, moving through page context. Some of the agents, in dense neighbourhoods start releasing ‘trails’ wandering through screen, omitting obstacles and trying to find their best way.

Process is illustrated in this video :

result may be seen on the cover of June 2009 issue.

Generative growth video

admin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:38:38 +0000

I posted a video on vimeo.com, illustrating some of generative techniques described below.

Realtime particle-tracing in Processing

admin — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:37:40 +0000

Recently I started developing processing-based application for realtime particle tracing, shooting rays in specific direction and calculating bounces off voxels.

To read more click here

Phototropic growth

admin — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 15:45:40 +0000

[EN] In this section I’d like to present results of my recent researches in domain of constructions that are ‘breed’ with use of artificial intelligence. Shown constructions have been created by programs simulating ‘virtual playground’, in which all real
world properties have been recreated (gravity and other external world circumstances influencing general shape of the construction). It mainly regards creating ‘phototropic’ growth, which develops object in direction of light source and opposite to this of gravitational force. Additionally few other rules have been implemented, for example constructions automatically
entwine already existing elements of virtual world (boxes), and constantly optimize themselves ; in cases where material and connections are placed disproportionally, nodes are moved to where more material is needed to transfer forces. Nodes keep nearly equal distances between, which makes construction consist of (almost) regular tetrahedrons. Usually after few
minutes of simulation ‘breed’ object may be exported to modeling program, then rendered or 3d printed.

[PL] W tej sekcji chciałbym zaprezentować rezultaty moich ostatnich poszukiwań w dziedzinie konstrukcji ‘hodowanych’ niejako przez użycie algorytmów sztucznej inteligencji. Przedstawione konstrukcje zostały stworzone przez programy
symulacyjne tworzšce ‘wirtualny wiat’ w którym odtworzone zostały warunki podobne do tych naturalnych (grawitacja i zewnętrzne oddziaływania wpływajšce na kształt konstrukcji). Głównie chodzi tutaj o stworzenie wzrostu ‘fototropicznego’, czyli takiego, który rozwija obiekt w kierunku wiatła i przeciwnym do grawitacji. Dodatkowo obowišzuje tutaj kilka innych reguł, na przykład konstrukcje automatycznie ‘oplatajš’ istniejšce elementy wirtualnego wiata (kostki), oraz same optymizujš siebie – tzn. w przypadkach nieefektywnego rozmieszczenia węzłów, przenoszš je tam gdzie potrzeba więcej materiału do transferu sił. Węzły zachowujš zbliżone odległoci od siebie, co powoduje, że konstrukcja składa się głównie z czworocianów zbliżonych do foremnych. Zazwyczaj po kilku minutach symulacji wyhodowany obiekt można wyeksportować do programu modelujšcego i wyrenderować bšd wydrukować w trzech wymiarach.

above: screenshots from
animation, which can be downloaded here
[13megs], pdf file with entire dissertation project may be downloaded from here

page above explains some
intricacies of how object was grown, click to download 2000×1415 sheet

……………………………………

More constructions

admin — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:35:29 +0000

other constructions modeled previously, with non-developmental algorithms

Presented structure can be easily panelized with triangles

Previous version of the latter looked like this :

AAC Dissertation

admin — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:33:45 +0000

Few words about my academic project. As a part of my dissertation work I am experimenting with various algorithms simulating growth of forms. Most if them are inspired by nature, some of them are just pure math, but most importantly they seem to produce quite interesting effects.

Constructions shown below have been generated in Generative Components, part of Bentley’s Microstation software. Currently I am developing processing application simulating ‘growth’ of construction elements, which will be interfaced with GC and rationalized (quad-based wiremesh construction will be covered with cell-like circular elements).

Illustration of the concept (click to enlarge).