The tool aims to optimize window panel placement on facades to minimize the number of different-sized panels required while maintaining aesthetic appeal and structural integrity.
Intended users
- Architects
- Facade engineers
- Building designers
Need you’re trying to provide a solution or support for
In a recent job interview, a prospective employer asked if I could use Dynamo to tackle a common architectural challenge: fitting specific-sized window panels into unique facades. They emphasized the need for a tool to optimize panel placement and minimize the use of different-sized panels, as conventional methods often result in the utilization of numerous disparate panel sizes, leading to inefficiencies in material usage and design time. This sparked an idea: to create a user-friendly tool that allows architects and designers to adjust facade geometry effortlessly while ensuring optimal window panel configurations.
The crux of the problem lies in the intricate interplay between facade geometry and window panel configurations. The challenge is enabling users to seamlessly adjust the facade's geometry while ensuring that the window panel layout adapts in real time to maintain an optimal configuration. This necessitates the creation of a versatile tool that not only facilitates the manipulation of facade shapes but also the placement of window panels in a manner that minimizes the number of different-sized panels required.
This tool aims to streamline the design process, reduce material waste, and enhance the overall quality of architectural projects.
Inputs
Design Variables:
- Facade geometry (control point locations)
- Available window panel sizes (range of sizes available)
- Maximum and minimum dimensions for custom window panels
- Maximum allowable distance between support points for window panels
Underlying logic of the model you’ll implement
- Generate Facade Geometry:
- Define Control Points: a series of control points representing the panel's corners or key points, the vertices of the facade shape
- Create Lines: connect the points with straight lines, forming the edges of the facade shape
- Create Closed Loop: make sure that the lines form a closed loop by connecting the last point to the first point
- Extrude Geometry: extrude the 2D shape formed by the connected lines, creating a 3D form, allowing height specification for any design requirements.
- Adjustment Parameters: add sliders to adjust the positions of the points, as well as the height of the extrusion
- Generate Placement Grid:
- create a grid of points on the facade geometry to serve as potential locations for window panel placement, evenly spaced and aligned with the facade surface.
- Window Panel Placement and Optimization:
- Define parameters:
- use input nodes to define parameters such as the maximum allowable distance between support points.
- Develop Placement Algorithm
- generate a grid of points or reference lines on the facade geometry
- identify potential locations for window panel placement based on the defined parameters
- Generate Window Panel Geometry
- create window panel geometry (Rectangle.ByWidthLength, Extrude) that can be modified by an algorithm.
- Optimize Panel Configuration
- create algorithm minimizes the number of unique window shapes while covering the whole facade
- Output Spreadsheet Data:
- compile the dimensions and quantities of each window panel used in the optimized configuration into a spreadsheet
Outputs
- Facade Geometry
- Window Panels Geometry
- Revit Model of Optimized Window Panel Configuration - The final layout of window panels is optimized to minimize material waste and maximize structural stability while adhering to design criteria and constraints.
- Output Spreadsheet - A spreadsheet of all included panels, including dimensions and quantities, providing users with a comprehensive overview for further analysis and documentation.