Karl Daubmann introduces parametric modeling with Digital Project.

Digital Project was introduced for its ability to create dimensional constraints and for its ability to create associative relationships among the geometry. Links to tutorials:

Digital Project Theo Jansen Tutorial

Digital Project PowerCopy Sun Tracker

Digital Project Power Copies

Digital Project Unfolded PowerCopy

Digital Project Random Numbers linked from Excel

Foreword

Parametric modeling suggest a mode of thinking beyond software, a methodology of defining explicit relationships, complex behaviors, and unforeseen responses.  New computational tools and network thinking reveal emergent behaviors, which challenge traditional notions of hierarchy in part-to-whole relationships.  Given new thinking and new tools, designers are able to define multiple relationships that can be varied and are able to mutate throughout the design process.

Objectives

You are to make a heliotropic field that is responsive to the movement of the sun. Use this project to build on previous work and to refine your understanding of a heliotropic system. Is it possible that the shadow of one cell might affect its neighbor?  Is it possible for cells work together to share the available sunlight? The power copy demonstration developed a simple form and framework that uses information from the solar chart.  Working with your team, you are to develop a speculative design in Digital Project and a prototype array built with your Arduino materials.


This should be presented as:

• An animation using screen shots from Digital Project.
• An operational prototype of 3 working / related cells.

Obviously the digital representation can include a larger field of components and demonstrate their relationships while the Arduino mock-up will demonstrate the operation of a few cells.