Constructing a Geodesic dome - which VA parts to use?

VisualARQ
1

Hello!
There’s an interesting constructive challenge I have to meet - I’m doing technical drawings for a private house with roofs shaped like geodesic domes - see screenshot. Diameter of the hemispheres: approx. 7m.

I’d like to create the building with VA and grasshopper.
Now, what’s the best VA object to clad the roof with? Tried most, without luck.

Walls:

  • can have layers
  • cannot be tilted

Slabs:

  • can have layers
  • slab edges are always vertical. Yet these triangle-shaped roof slabs should of course connect to each other with correct miters.

Roofs:

  • can have layers, from VA 2.0 upwards. (Since I had crashes with the beta, I went back to v1.9.)
  • the input curve to the VA roof object is projected onto the XY-plane first, so these ain’t usable, either.

So, I guess I better create the roof with non-VA parts, right?
Thanks a lot!
Best regards
Eugen

2

Hi Eugen, none of the VisualARQ objects would help you in this case, unless you generate a Grasshopper definition and create a roof style from it (in VA 2.0). Otherwise you can create the cells of this dome with rhino polysurfaces or surfaces.
Never the less VisualARQ beams could help you to create the structural parts from the edges.
Regarding the use of roofs in the VA 2.0 Beta, if you experience a crash, please send us the .dmp file to visualarq@asuni.com so we can fix it.
Thanks,

3

Thanks! Thought so…

Anyway, is this something you might want to your roadmap? Extend the exising slab object with the option to have non-vertical edges… connecting with other slabs with correct miters…?

Regarding that crash: I will send it soon.

Best regards
Eugen

4

We have planned to use the “Element” object for these kind of panels. Right now the “Element” can only be inserted from a point, but we will make it possible to create them from curves and surfaces too. So you will be able to use GH styles for generating these panels through the “Element” object.
I don’t think the existing slab object should be used in this situation.

1 Like
5

I see!
And this Element will have layers and miters, too? Would be cool!

Is this something to expect for 2.0 already?

6

[quote=“Eugen, post:5, topic:43260”]
this Element will have layers and miters, too?
[/quote] This will be more complicated to implement but we will study how. Don’t expect it for the first 2.0 release though.

7

Ok! Looking forward!
Thanks
Eugen