Monday, 20 October 2014

My Final Renders

So after finalising my geometric bridge I have put it into Indigo to render some scenes. Due to a lack of time, unfortunately I was not able to add entourage to my renders or work over them to make them look more realistic. I have managed to get a hold of James' tree house skeleton model to try and create the sense that my bridge will have supporting elements to it. My renders are as follows:


 







Group Final Renders

So I have given Carla an almost completed model of my bridge in order for her to create some renders of the space they have designed.. 










Sunday, 19 October 2014

Final Geometric Bridge Development

So I have finally finished my geometric bridge design for my group's public space. It has taken me a while to get to this point due to the fact that I am too picky and I have kept changing elements within my designs, and then scrapping a lot of them due to the fact that I simply stopped liking them. Below is the design process for how I got to my final bridge..

So first off I have changed the form of the bridge by changing it from having a curvature element to it, to simply being straight and geometric. I felt from my last design, that combing the straight, geometric elements with the curvature was too difficult and the result was not as cleanly constructed. This being said, I have then decided to create an enclosed bridge that will use geometric glass panes along the length of the bridge. In order to make the framing for my glass panes, I have created these angled triangles that are all equal distance apart.

From the images above, I have then replicated this idea but flipped each of the triangles so that they cross each other to create these diamond shapes that will act as the glass panes. I missed taking screen shots for the next step in the design process, but what I have done from this step is create a new group and cover each whole face and outlining where the lines where the triangles crossed. I then used the offset tool in order to create a border for each of the diamonds which would then become the framing for my glass windows.

As I stated above, this is how the framing turned out after I had offset each of the diamond shapes. This has subsequently meant that I have a shape inside the frame that I have painted a translucent material in order to create the glass look.
Another angle of the enclosed glass framing for my bridge. 
The next step was to outline the shape of the floor that my bridge will have. I have hid the groups containing my glass framing so that it was easier to work on and create my stairs and ramp that will allow access to the over bridge. I wanted to keep in mind all accessibility so that people whom are suffer from a disability can still use my over bridge. I have in turn created this basic design in which the stairs protrude out of the concrete ramp block to create the look as if they are floating. I experimented with a bunch of different designs for the stairs however I with the complex looking glass frame, if I made the stairs too complicated in it's design, my bridge became quite overwhelming. 




The last thing I had to consider was how my bridge was going to stand. I had to consider the same problem that I had above in which the simpler the better which lead me to finally design this concrete beams that protrude out of the concrete ramp blocks. I have also extended the ramp blocks further underneath the bridge in order to help take some more of the stress way. Within these concrete support beams, I have added some l.e.d strip lighting in order to create a bit of ambience at night.

The following are some perspectives of my final over bridge design. Next step is to render some of the scenes.







Friday, 17 October 2014

Geometric Bridge First Attempt

So I have mocked up this rough model trying to incorporate a geometric element into the design. It hasn't turned out very well due to trying to combine the curvature form it must follow, with geometric elements. But any who, below are some images of how it came out:



I have then just chucked some wood textures on it to try and give it somewhat of realism. The geometric triangles would have glass or something similar to James' pattern for his tree houses. This would be for safety purposes as well as aesthetic purposes. 



Thursday, 16 October 2014

Geometric Design

So following finishing off my bamboo bridge - obviously without safety railings, I have talked to Carla and James and it has been stated that we need to have a coherent design aesthetic throughout our space. Due to James finishing off his tree house dining platform thing, he has designed the shell with a very geometric structure. In order to create coherency, Carla and I have to alter our designs accordingly. I do not have a lot of time between now and hand in, and due to the fact that I am still not 100% I will try my best to design something but it must be noted that it will not be my best work. 

Below are a couple of images from James' blog showing his tree house design and what I will need to try and design my bridge to follow:






Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Bamboo Bridge Idea Finished

So the last few weeks as the previous post has stated, I have been quite sick in hospital and subsequently my project has taken a huge hit. I have decided to finish off the bamboo bridge idea that I was in the middle of creating before I got sick..

Following my test that I did earlier, I wanted to design the bamboo bridge model using the three main walkways that would need to be connected more directly for our space to work. The rest of the pathways would have been incorporated (if I did not get sick) into our design would have be on ground level and would have been amongst the trees to create an immersive experience.

This is the design process to make the bamboo bridge I have at the moment:
I have begun by creating two components, first for the 'y' form that the bridge will follow in order to link the different walkways, and secondly the arched component to rise the bridge above the ground so people can walk under it.
I have begun by making a bamboo component and then copying and pasting it a hundred or so times around a point with an angle of about 7 degrees. This gives the allusion of a nice smooth turn, however due to the fact that the bamboo components are straight, getting them to follow this sort of form without overlapping one another was near impossible.
I then repeated this but flipped it so that it replicated the arch and transitioned into one another a lot more fluidly. I began with a straight ramp but when the two walkways met, let's just say it didn't work at all. This is the best I could do. 
The next step once I had the above form for my bridge, I then began to make the bamboo follow the other component that I made earlier to create rise in the bridge.
Once both components are removed one gets this result.
Once both components are removed one gets this result.
I then chucked my sketch-up model into Indigo renderer to see how it looked like once rendered, turned out not too bad to be honest. There are flaws with the construction of this design, however unfortunately I could not find a way around these as hard as I tried. This was a cause of both a limit in the programme and also my knowledge of the programme. If I had more time, I feel as though I could have tidied the model up a lot more, but unfortunately I do not have that luxury.