CHAPTER 06
T IA INI
L T A R G ET C U R VE
DIG
ITAL SIMULATION TT PA
ERN GENERATIO
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TOP BOTTOM APPROACH
EVALUATION
DESIGN
DESIGN FITNESS - VOLUME HEIGHT - STRUCTURE
PREPARATION OF THE CODE FOR THE KNITTING MACHINE
B IN
A R IZ A TI O N
BOTTOM UP APPROACH
PR
E DE
FIN E D P A TT
ERN
DIG
IT AL SI M U L A TIO
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I_086: DESIGN to FABRICATION diagram 06.01. DESIGN ELEMENT In the previous chapter the design system that was developed is a linear element. This element is able to bend in all directions according to the assigned surface pattern of the knitted cushion that holds and constrains the multiple inflatables. The inflatables are the main activation force and are constrained by the custom knitted fabric. The linear nature of the element is due to the fabrication process of knitting: unlimited extrusion in one direction. The elements can be multiplied and connected into several clusters. The connection typology between elements can create various spatial and surface situations: from separate elements to the merged wide surface, which is created when single elements are connected side by side.
06.02. DESIGN TO FABRICATION The Design to Fabrication diagram demonstrates the process from the first design to the final fabrication of the real object. In the beginning the design stage is split in two: a bottom up and a top down approach. The differences between those are in the initial input information. The bottom up process requires the pre-defined pattern, that can be inflated at a later stage. The Top Down requires a target 3d curvature. After a few iterations, when the digital simulation visualisation fullfills the design requirements, the binary pattern can be generated. At this stage of the process, the 3d mesh is unrolled into flat 2d pattern with the indication of the porous zones highlighted in black. The pixelled black-and-white image is a code that can be used by the knitting machine for the fabrication of the custom 104