Stage 1

Part 1

Modeling Approach: For this part of Stage 1, my priority was to ensure that the image was recognizable, limiting the extents of the arc formation so as to not distort the image too much. I wanted an image that relates to the industry that I work in and provided a good amount of contrast due to the color variation. After looking at different pictures, I narrowed it down between a lunar eclipse and the Milky Way galaxy. The winner is seen below. The square pixels allowed me to get pretty granular to accurately portray the original image.

Parameter Flexing: There are several parameters to flex here that mainly stem from the shape of the arc. One can change the length, height, and overall curvature. The squareness of the pixels will remain the same since the divisions are based on the mathematical formula for arc length. It follows that the resolution of the image can be changed.

Geometry and Reference Photo:

Stage 1

Part 2

Modeling Approach: The introduction of the sine/cosine wave in this part reminded me of waves in the water which led me to choose a cartoon as others have… this one being Finding Nemo! I could see this geometry being in an aquarium and/or museum as a place for tactile interaction. The brighter parts are around the central figures and the coral, so I decided to raise “bricks” by brightness instead of hue. It did take a long time to run to get enough resolution to be recognizable, which is the only downside.

Parameter Flexing: First, the sine wave can be modulated for higher amplitudes and frequencies, but this should be limited due to potential interruptions in the image. The range of the heights of each brick can be changed as well and should only max out to a few feet for practical purposes. The difference between part 1 and 2 is that now we have rectangular bricks instead of square pixels, which imposes limits on resolution in the horizontal direction since the bricks remain in that form factor regardless of wall size.

Geometry and Reference Photo:

Side View

Front View

Stage 2

Modeling Approach: I approached this stage of the assignment by trying to be precise in the amount of inputs. For example, the floor heights being equivalent as the geometry translation height and original height come from the same node. I made the sun-adaptive panels match the underlying panels for a seamless look. For the geographic locations of the sun, I decided to choose my home town of Ames, TX.

Parameter Flexing: Aside from parameters we can change in the initial structure we build from, the panels that react to the sun are of particular interest. The bright (sun-facing) and dark (not sun-facing) colors can be changed by inputting RGB values. I looked up those for pink and navy blue to get the gradient seen below. Furthermore the angle of the shade opening changes with the time of day input. Closer to the sun, the shades close for the home to remain cool. Perhaps, there are solar cells on the back of the shades as well making them more multipurpose.

Geometry at 7am:

Geometry a 4pm (around when I finished):