••• relaxation form finding

Form finding by dynamic relaxation in processing. This sketch is using the particle system to simulate a simple suspension model and embed it into an interactive tool.

With the interface of the tool, the designer has the opportunity to control the form finding process. It is splitted in a 3d view and a section for control panels:

• The height map visualizes the height of the roof, calculated in the physical model (y-values). The base points (blue) can be shifted and varied in number, while the model is adapted in real time. The center of gravity of the construction is represented by a green dot. The optimal center of gravity, calculated by the supports can be compared visually.
• The stress map shows the calculated tension that occurs in the physical model of the gridshell. The girder depth is calculated by the tension of the surface at each point.

The structure can be modified by the smoothing algorithm:

• a gaussian blur filter on the y-coordinates of the points.
• the height correction, that brings the base points back to y=0 and stretches the structure to the original height by manipulating the initial shape (take a look to the video above for a demonstration).

screenshot of the processing sketch