Hello,
I’m a relatively intermediate level GH user but I cant figure out what seems like a pretty simple problem. I’m designing a light feature for an office building that has 651 light fixtures that are all similar but unique. all the individual parts will be produced by cnc in different materials so i need to have a numeric code to label each part so we can assemble and install in the correct location on the wall.
I’d like the order the numbers so they ascend consecutively from top to bottom and left to right. Is there any way to control the way grasshopper assigns the individual curves a number? I’ve found a way to assign unique numbers that can be engraved but I cant figure out how to control the order. It will be important when the piece is installed so it wont become an Easter egg hunt for each individual piece.
ive attached a rhino file with the grasshopper file and some images for reference.
you want to number them singularly because their depth (“how much they stick out from the wall”) is gonna be unique, or because the wall is curved instead of straight, so a portion of them will be unique?
Thanks @inno,
Thats really interesting how you filtered the objects. I didnt know about that. Yes, for this application I think the amount of variability is within the tolerance to consider all the shapes identical with some mirrored. I think that slight imprecision probably comes from the fact that the original pattern curves were generated in illustrator.
Although the shapes are more or less identical, each assembly will be unique because, as you observed, the extrusions will be trimmed by a wavy surface. And also because of the curved section of the wall. So for the assembly and installation teams, all the individual parts of each assembly will need to be coded as will the wall for their placement. I’d like to order them from left to right and top to bottom to make it as easy as possible for them.
as you can see here , the numbers are sort of random. I guess its using the order the curves were created in and i wonder if i can reorder them somehow.
So here is an idea. not quite what you are asking for but maybe worth noodling on. I have the attractor point in the upper left corner. There may be a better place to locate it. Instead of left to right top to bottom scheme, maybe the attractor point is in the center of the fixture? I think left to right and top to bottom could be problematic. Your assemblers could measure from the attractor in real life to get sequence.
Bill
Thanks for this helpful suggestion. I do need it to go in order of install from left to right and top to bottom. but i think this will get me a bit closer.
thanks!
It looks like @inno 's image above gives a good clue how to do this, combined maybe with @cimarronlofting 's idea, because a sensible assembly order could be to follow the rows that the image shows…
mtdelucia,
The left to right and top to bottom scheme is a challenge. I manually colored horizontal courses and it gets weird right out of the gate. For example if you were looking for the location of item number 50 it would not be intuitive at all. IMHO. And the challenge for a solution is that for all horizontal courses but the first you have to exclude items that are already on previous courses. Here is yet another idea that needs some more noodling to make work. I am trying to figure out a way to give attributes to a curve that make it unique. Or at the least sort able. See what you think. index parts.gh (39.2 KB)
late and probably useless reply because consecutive isn’t the same as sequential…or maybe they are? Who knows…as an ‘intermediate’ gh user myself I have the right to not know
Thanks Everyone for helping out. I ended up selecting them one by one in order of install. Ultimately i realized i needed to go left to right and top to bottom but in roughly 24" columns. This made the most sense because the installer would need to be on a ladder and i figured he or she could reach about an arms length off the ladder and work their way down. i definitely learned a lot from all of your suggestions. much appreciated
It would be a nice addition to that component if instead of just searching through the points by proximity, it had different strategies. I think it’s a common problem to have to label a list of parts in a sensible way suited to assist assembly
