Parametric Tower
Scale: 1:1000
Material: 4mm PMMA (Floors), 10mm PMMA (Core)
Installing Rhino3D and Grasshopper
Please refer to this page for downloading and installing Rhino and Grasshopper as well as an in-depth introduction to Rhino and Grasshopper.
Download the Grasshopper Definition
After successfully installing the software you can download the Grasshopper definition for this tutorial here.
Individual Design Exploration
- Open Rhino7 and load the grasshopper file.
- Use the sliders in the four pink boxes to adjust the overall shape of the tower (Fig. 1).
- Explore your design options in realtime in the Rhino viewport (Fig 3).
- Once you are done designing double click the design / fabrication toggle in the pink bubble.
- Right-click the component “Lasercurves” and press “bake” to generate the curves for laser-cutting.
Optional: Measure your material thickness and adjust drawings accordingly!
Laser-Cutting Preparation
- Go to top-view in Rhino and print to PDF (Ctrl+P).
- Check your document size and line weight according to the specifications.
(Use the how to export a PDF guide for Rhino if you run into any problems)
Making
- Download the PDF-File for the core and the base form here!
- Laser-cut both files (the one you created (4mm) and the one you downloaded (10mm)).
- Sand the 10mm core with 150 grit sandpaper to create a translucent matte finish
. - Square off one end of the core using the disk sander.
- Use a paintbrush and dichloromethane to adhere your core to the base
(the part with the engraved square)
Assembly
- Slide your laser-cut pieces down the core.
- Once all the pieces are on the core, score a line on the core to indicate the full height.
- Remove some of your floors and cut your core to size
(leaving an extra 0.5mm or so) - Slide the floors back onto the core except one. Use the Sanding jig, provided with the core and base PDF file to sand your core to the final size.
- Add your final parts to the core
FINISHED!
Examples
