Overview
In this assignment, you’ll use the surface of the structure that you created for your Module 3 assignment and enhance it in two ways:
- Mapping color values from an image onto the surface to change the properties of the surface panels. We’ll explore changing the color as well as changing the thickness of the panel elements to create an embossed or debossed effect.
- Computing the directness of the surface panels to the sun’s position and changing their properties based on these values.
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The teaching team is working on examples to demonstrate similar workflows using Grasshopper. If you want to get started right away, please use this Revit model and Dynamo Graph which creates a simple Revit surface by lofting model curves to complete this assignment using the Dynamo workflows:
Steps to Complete
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For 2 Units
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Step 1 – Apply Adaptive Panels to the Surface of Your Shelter from Module 3
- Subdivide the surface of your shelter into a UV grid and provide sliders that will enable you to easily vary the number of panels in the U and V directions.
- Apply a very simple adaptive panel that provide an instance parameter to change the height or thickness – for example, the Rect Seamless Panel-4pt – to the grid.
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Step 2 – Map the Colors from an Image File to the Adaptive Panels
- Select an image file and use the Read Image File node to sample color values from the image.
- Map the list of color values to individual adaptive panels using the Override Element Color in View node.
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Step 3 – Provide the Ability to Mirror or Flip the Image as Desired
- Provide the ability to mirror or flip the image as desired by changing the order of the color values in the list. To do this, you’ll need to build the logic to support transposing and reversing the values in the list (as needed) to create the Mirror and Flip effects.
- Add a few Boolean nodes to enable your users to apply the mirror and flip effects as desired.
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For 3 Units
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Step 4 – Adjust the Thicknesses of the Adaptive Panels to Create an Embossed or Debossed Effect
- Use the Color Brightness node to sample the color brightness (ranging from 0 to 1) from each of the colors in the list of sampled color values from the image.
- Use these brightness values to compute a thickness for each of the adaptive panels.
- To create an embossed effect (image is cut into the surface), start with a standard panel thickness and compute a reduction to subtract from that thickness. You may want to include a magnification factor to strengthen or reduce the effect of the embossing.
- To create a debossed effect (image is raised from the surface), do just the opposite. Start with a standard thickness and add to the thickness based on the brightness value.
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Step 5 – Add Logic to Enable Your Users to Quickly Choose Between an Embossed or Debossed Effect
- Add some node logic to enable your users to choose between the embossed or debossed effect.
- Tip: For an example of how to do this, be sure to check out Step 2 in Example 4.3.A.3 (which uses a combination of a Code Block to enter a value, List.Create to gather alternate streams of values, and List.GetItemAtIndex to select the stream to use).
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For 4 Units
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Step 6 - Create a Duplicate of Your Dynamo Graph for This Part
If you’re continuing the assignment for 4 units, save your Dynamo graph with the image data mapping (for 2-3 units) as a file named Module 4 Assignment - Part 1. Then use the File > Save As command to create a new file named Module 4 Assignment - Part 2 to complete this last part of the assignment.
You’ll need a separate file, because your work for this part will use different logic for assigning the color and parameter values than the node logic that you built for Part 1.
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Step 7 – Evaluate the Directness of the Surface Panels to the Sun
- Create a custom node (or use the one from the class examples) to evaluate the directness of the surface panels to the sun.
- Use our examples from class as a starting point.
- Remember to include a check to flip surface normals that are pointing in the opposite direction.
- Map your computed directness values to a range from 0 to 1.
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Step 8 – Provide Visual Feedback using Color to Indicate the Directness of the Sun
- Create a custom node to map the directness values to a color range – for example, green to red.
- Override the color of the surface panel elements based on the directness values.
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Step 9 – Adjust the Surface Panel Geometry based on Directness of the Sun
- Change your surface panels to another adaptive family that offers a parameter which will change its geometry based on an instance parameter -- for example Rect_Panel with Resizable Opening or Rect_Aperature Panel.
- Adjust a parameter of the surface panels based on the directness values – for example, the panel opening size or a feature (like a PV panel) that is hidden or displayed based on the values.
Submit
- Please create a folder named “Module 4” within your personal folder in our Autodesk Construction Cloud project.
- Then, upload these items to your Module 4 folder using the web interface:
- Your Revit project (.RVT) file
- For 2 or 3 units: Your Dynamo graph (.DYN) file for Part 1
- For 4 units: Your Dynamo graph file for Part 2
- Create a link to your Module 4 folder:
- Right-click on the Module 4 folder in the file tree (at the left side of the interface) and choose Share from the pull-down menu.
- Choose Share with Project Members, then switch to the Link tab.
- Click the Copy button to copy the link to your clipboard.
- Create a new posting on this Notion page — Design Journal Entry: Rise or Shine — including:
- Images/screenshots showing your surface with the effects applied:
- For 2 units: a first image showing your image mapped to the surface
- For 3 units: a second image showing your embossed or debossed surface
- For 4 units: a third image showing your panels adapting to sun directness
- A brief description of your design outlining the parameters that can be used to flex and dynamically change your structure
Please the following naming convention for your uploaded files:
"#ofUnits_NameAndLastName_Module#".
For example:
4units_DanielDiaz_Module4.rvt