The First 3D-Printed Steel Bridge

51–52 of 52 posts

Re: The First 3D-Printed Steel Bridge

#51

Post by wheelie_boy » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

opencl wrote: post #33

wheelie_boy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An interesting thing that's happening alongside 3d printing is the emergence of visual programming languages specialized for geometry, the most popular being Grasshopper.

Is it really the most popular? It's a plugin for a $1000 CAD program which seems to dramatically limit who can use it.

Yes, it has by far the largest user community.

If you do a google image search for 'grasshopper geometry' or 'grasshopper architecture', you'll see a lot of buildings designed with grasshopper, including many which have been constructed.

There are other interesting things going on, like automated construction with robots or laser cutters. For example, theverymany builds massive organic structures out of laser-cut metal pieces, and the living (new york) did some interesting things with robotic placement of bricks.

New design tools specialized for automated manufacturing methods.

Re: The First 3D-Printed Steel Bridge

#52

Post by devilshaircut » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 6:43 PM UTC

skookumchuck wrote: post #41

reneherse wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hard to look at the history of aircraft and think aesthetics have nothing to do with the shapes designers choose. Aesthetics may not be the driver, but it's definitely an input in the process, to varying degrees.

> Hard to look at the history of aircraft and think aesthetics have nothing to do with the shapes designers choose. In my reading about the history of aircraft, aesthetics have nothing to do with it. Performance and cost are everything. For example, the elliptical wing of the Spitfire is often mentioned as a big part of the beauty of the design. But the elliptical planform is the most efficient wing design (the Mitsu…

A bridge designed on purely utilitarian principles would not be 3D printed.

Art makes us think about what could be - and imagine a future of solutions that are utilitarian in new ways, or address needs we didn't know we had.

There is beauty in engineering. There is also beauty in pure imagination.

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