BID Lab Opening, May 14, 2004BID Lab Opening, May 14, 2004

BID Lab Opening, May 14, 2004BID Lab Opening, May 14, 2004

Design, Technology, and

the Human Experience

(the positive side)

Carlo H. Séquin

Computer Science Division

Technical Designs …Technical Designs …

CCD Camera, Bell Labs, 1973 Soda Hall, Berkeley, 1994

RISC chip, Berkeley, 1981 “Octa-Gear”, Berkeley, 2000

Aesthetic Designs …Aesthetic Designs …

What is the role of the computer in:

aesthetic optimization,

the creative process ?

Collaboration with Brent CollinsCollaboration with Brent Collins

“Hyperbolic Hexagon II”

Brent Collins: Stacked SaddlesBrent Collins: Stacked Saddles

Scherk’s 2nd Minimal SurfaceScherk’s 2nd Minimal Surface

Normal“biped”saddles

Generalization to higher-order saddles(monkey saddle)

““Hyperbolic Hexagon” by B. CollinsHyperbolic Hexagon” by B. Collins

6 saddles in a ring

6 holes passing through symmetry plane at ±45º

= “wound up” 6-story Scherk tower

Discussion: What if … we added more stories ?

or introduced a twist before closing the ring ?

Closing the LoopClosing the Loop

straight

or

twisted

Brent Collins’ Prototyping ProcessBrent Collins’ Prototyping Process

Armature for the "Hyperbolic Heptagon"

Mockup for the "Saddle Trefoil"

Time-consuming ! (1-3 weeks)

““Sculpture Generator I”, GUI Sculpture Generator I”, GUI

V-artV-art

VirtualGlassScherkTowerwithMonkeySaddles

(Radiance 40 hours)

Jane Yen

Collins’ Fabrication ProcessCollins’ Fabrication Process

Example: “Vox Solis”

Layered laminated main shapeWood master pattern

for sculpture

Slices through “Minimal Trefoil”Slices through “Minimal Trefoil”

50% 10%23%30%

45% 5%20%27%

35% 2%15%25%

One thick slicethru sculpture,from which Brent can cut boards and assemble a rough shape.

Traces represent: top and bottom,as well as cuts at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4of one board.

Profiled Slice through “Heptoroid”Profiled Slice through “Heptoroid”

Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (1)Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (1)

Assembly of the precut boards

Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (2)Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (2)

Forming a continuous smooth edge

Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (3)Emergence of the “Heptoroid” (3)

Smoothing the whole surface

The Finished The Finished “Heptoroid”“Heptoroid”

at Fermi Lab Art Gallery (1998).

Various “Scherk-Collins” SculpturesVarious “Scherk-Collins” Sculptures

Rapid Prototyping by FDMRapid Prototyping by FDM

Hyper-Sculpture: “Family of 12 Trefoils”Hyper-Sculpture: “Family of 12 Trefoils”

W=2

W=1

B=1 B=2 B=3 B=4

““Cohesion”Cohesion”

SIGGRAPH’2003 Art Gallery

Snow-Sculpture, 12 Feet TallSnow-Sculpture, 12 Feet Tall

International Snow-Sculpting ChampionshipsInternational Snow-Sculpting Championships

Breckenridge, Colorado, January 2003

““Whirled White Web”Whirled White Web”

Silver Medal Winner, Breckenridge 2003

““Whirled White Web”Whirled White Web”

The Design Component:

Find a shape that has some aesthetic qualities as an abstract sculpture.

The shape should (roughly) fit the given snow block dimensions: 10 10 12 feet tall.

The shape must be strong enough to hold up as a snow sculpture.

The sculpture has to be constructible by a team of five during a 4-day period.

Also need a good title and a good story…

The Role of the Computer (1)The Role of the Computer (1)

Exploring different possibilities.

The Role of the Computer (2)The Role of the Computer (2)

Fine-tuning the most promising design

The Role of the Computer (3)The Role of the Computer (3)

Making a detailed 3D model

The Role of the Computer (4)The Role of the Computer (4)

Preparing construction drawings

Plenty of manual steps too …Plenty of manual steps too …

Making templates from computer prints, (magnified with the classical grid method)

Removing lots of snow …

Day 1Day 1

Day 2: Making a TorusDay 2: Making a Torus

Day 3, pm: Flanges, Holes Day 3, pm: Flanges, Holes

Day 4: Geometry RefinementDay 4: Geometry Refinement

Day 5, am: Surface RefinementDay 5, am: Surface Refinement

““House Cleaning”House Cleaning”

““Whirled White Web”Whirled White Web”

Conclusions (1)Conclusions (1)

The computer plays an important rolealso for “Esthetic Engineering.”

Virtual Prototyping can save time and can tackle sculptures of a complexitythat manual techniques could not conquer.

Conclusions (2)Conclusions (2)

The computer is not only a great visualization and prototyping tool,

It also is a generator for new ideas and

an amplifier for an artist’s inspiration.

Inspiration: Inspiration:

Brent Collins’ Brent Collins’

“Pax Mundi”“Pax Mundi”

UI for “Viae Globi” ShapesUI for “Viae Globi” Shapes

Many Related Sculptures May EmergeMany Related Sculptures May Emerge

Discussion TopicDiscussion Topic

What can we do in BID

to help bridge the gap between

Art and Engineering ?