ARCH1291 - Visual Studies II FALL 2013 Assignment 1: Digital Subtractive Cube ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION This assignment will examine space-making through a subtractive process. While many of the concepts will match the assignment that students are currently working on in Foundations II, this Visual Studies II assignment will use digital tools rather than manual tools to perform subtractive operations. Students are encouraged to think of them as separate but related assignments, and should strive to identify the different design opportunities inherent to manual carving methods versus digital Boolean methods. Assignment 1 asks the student to transform a 1’ cube through a series of subtractive Boolean operations in Rhino 5, a freeform (“NURBS”) surface modeler. They are limited to the use of spheres and ellipsoids as their subtractive objects in order to create spaces that bear some resemblance to classical vaulted, domed, and arched spaces. Students should maintain a balance between carving out enough of the cube’s volume to create dynamic, potentially inhabitable space while avoiding excessive carving wherein there is no space but rather an object, and one that’s not recognizable as having started as a cube. New Rhino skills that build upon what was learned in Visual Studies I will be introduced:

• Rhino 5 UI (User Interface) • Rhino 5 object types (point, curve, surface, polysurface, extrusion, mesh, etc.) • Boolean operations (union, difference, intersection, etc.) • Geometry transformations (move, rotate, scale, array, etc.) • History-enabled commands

ASSIGNMENT RESOURCES Rhino Primer

• http://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/12101291coordination/primers/ Video Tutorials for Assignment 1

• http://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/12101291coordination/assignments/ INSTRUCTIONS

1. Examine three different methods of orienting primitive objects for Boolean difference operations: a. Orientation by Object Snap (end, mid, point, one shot snaps, etc.) b. Orientation by Transformation (rotate, rotate 3d, mirror, etc.) c. Orientation by Array (linear array, rectangular array, polar array, etc.)

2. Produce ten iterations of the Boolean difference objects using the individual methods above and any combination

therein.

3. Each study must demonstrate a methodical process by showing each and every step spaced at even increments in your Rhino file. You will need to record all steps as we will be referring to these steps for later assignments. Furthermore, this ensures that you can always go back to a previous step if you make an error or decide to change your design. Remember, not every iteration needs to go back through every single step – some iterations may be variations of the last few steps of a process.

4. Save the iterations in an even matrix on the default XY CPlane and use the following file naming convention: 1291_FA13_A1_[student surname].3dm. Use proper layer management as demonstrated in class. Incremental saving is also recommended for any digital assignment.

5. Upload the assignment as a Rhino (3DM) file to the course Dropbox folder.

GRADING To receive a grade, your Rhino (3DM) file must be submitted to your Dropbox folder by the beginning of the next class. Assignment 1 will be graded as follows:

1. Followed file naming convention 10% 2. Modeled cube to proper dimensions 10% 3. Demonstrated understanding of 3 orientation methods 10% 4. Completed ten iterations 40% 5. Showed process by maintaining every step in each study (matrix layout) 10% 6. Exhibited good layer management 10% 7. Used proper modeling techniques to create closed polysurface results 10% 8. EXTRA CREDIT: Maintained object history throughout assignment 10% EC