#topological optimisation

Prototype for a 3D printed House. photo by Julia Kubisty

Matter is redistributed along principal lines of stress while structural agency is embedded through a procedural based logic of connections. What emerges is a thick layer of a porous, fibrous construct.  Dissolving geometry through an abstract material articulation, resulting in a non-geometrical structure that is materially efficient, with a high degree of transparency and stiffness, while being extremely articulated, tactile, and ornate.

SoftKill algorithm combines the empirical and real-time character of a particle-spring setup with the computational model of finite element analysis found in typical Topological Optimization methods. Particles in a volume are redistributed(either added or removed) through calculating spring force on particles. Subsequently a non-mathematical method is used to trace directionality and structural flow through the structure. Agents are launched in a tension and compression vector field and seek their path between the origins of the applied forces, displaying direction in the structure, forming lines of stress.

Additive Manufacturing makes the fabrication of topologically optimized structures feasible. Topological Optimization is an algorithmic method in which materials are removed or added in order to meet a prescribed set of performance targets, thus producing a complex topology. The optimization process tries to reach the most optimal topology, which is the minimal amount of material to meet a uniform stress distribution. The end-results of an optimisation process are often extremely intricate, fibrous geometries impossible to fabricate using traditional manufacturing techniques.