6. Computational Couture¶
Ideation Research¶
Inspired by the artwork and research of M.C. Escher, I set out during Computational Couture Week to explore ways of creating patterns, tessellations, and modular designs using Rhino, Grasshopper, and 3D printing.
Visiting the M.C. Escher Museum in The Hague gave me a deep appreciation for the complexity and precision of Escher’s hand-drawn patterns and tessellations. His ability to imagine and construct such intricate geometries by hand is remarkable. Today, tools like Grasshopper offer designers a new way to approach similar ideas: enabling dynamic, parametric exploration of patterns and geometry that Escher could only have achieved manually.
Examples M.C Escher works with tessalation and perspective
Process Research¶
Computational design focuses on building the system or rules that generate a form, instead of just drawing the form itself.
Parametric design is a way of creating designs using parameters also described as variables that you can control. By changing these parameters, you can quickly create many different versions of a design. This flexibilty in design adjustments can make sense in certain design situations.
An algorithm acts like a recipe: it takes inputs (parameters), follows a method, and produces an output (the final design).
Generative design uses algorithms to automatically create many design options, often inspired by natural patterns like fractals.
3Dprinting There is different ways to 3D print. The choice of which printing method is used may depend on the designs usage and material.
3D printing technologies¶
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) Melts plastic filament and lays it down in layers. It’s the most common and affordable type.
Materials:
- PLA (Polylactic Acid): Easy to print, biodegradable, great for models.
- ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene): Strong and heat-resistant, used for durable parts.
- PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol): Tough, flexible, and food-safe.
- TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane): Flexible and rubber-like.
- Nylon: Strong, slightly flexible, good for mechanical parts.
SLA (Stereolithography)Uses a laser to harden liquid resin into solid layers. It creates smooth and detailed parts.
Materials:
- Photopolymer resin: A liquid that hardens under UV light.
- Standard resin: For detailed models.
- Tough resin: For functional parts.
- Flexible resin: For bendable items.
- Castable resin: For jewelry and molds.
- Dental/biocompatible resin: For medical use.
DLP (Digital Light Processing) Similar to SLA, but uses a digital projector to cure entire layers of resin at once — making it faster.
Materials:
- Photopolymer resins.
- Standard, tough, flexible, castable, dental — same types as SLA.
SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) uses a laser to fuse together tiny powder particles — usually made of nylon or other polymers
Materials:
- Nylon (PA12 or PA11): Strong, durable, slightly flexible.
- Glass-filled nylon: Stronger and stiffer than regular nylon.
- Aluminum-filled nylon: Gives a metallic look.
- TPU powder: For flexible parts.
Binder Jetting prints a liquid binder (like glue) onto layers of powder (such as metal, sand, or ceramic). prints a liquid binder (like glue) onto layers of powder (such as metal, sand, or ceramic).
Materials:
- Metals: Stainless steel, copper, bronze, titanium, etc.
- Sand: For casting molds and cores.
- Ceramics: For art, tools, and technical parts.
- Composites: Some systems mix powders for unique effects.
PolyJet (Stratasys) printing directly on fabric using a resin
Materials:
- Photopolymer resins, jetted in tiny droplets and cured by UV light.
- Can combine multiple materials in one print!
- Rigid opaque materials (e.g., Vero): Hard, colorful surfaces.
- Rubber-like materials (e.g., Tango/Agilus): Flexible and soft.
- Transparent materials (e.g., VeroClear): Glass-like appearance.
- High-temp resins: For testing heat resistance.
- Digital materials: Mixes of resins to create custom textures, colors, and hardnes
Design ways within 3D printinng¶
When designing for 3D printing, there are different ways to move from digital design to a physical object. These approaches depend on whether the design starts in 2D or 3D and how it’s made into a real form.
3D Computational → 3D Print - You design directly in 3D software (like Rhino, Blender, Fusion 360, or Grasshopper) and send that model straight to a 3D printer. - Key idea: The digital 3D model becomes a physical 3D object — a direct translation from digital to physical.
3D Computational → 2D Print → 3D Garment/Object - You start with a 3D digital design, but instead of printing it directly, you flatten it into 2D pieces (like patterns or panels). These 2D parts are printed, cut, or fabricated, and then assembled into a 3D form. - You use 2D fabrication methods (printing, cutting) to build up a 3D form from parts — like assembling puzzle pieces.
2D Computational → 3D Print - You start with 2D digital data (like a drawing, photo, or pattern) and use software to convert it into a 3D form that can be printed. - A 2D input (image, line, or map) becomes a 3D printable model through computational transformation.
Projects¶
Circle packing using Grasshopper
I was interested in how to created ciruclar patterns within a form and through this toturial I followed along and created a parametric design for it using grasshopper.
- Youtube toturial Circle Packing Grasshopper
The grasshopper algorithm for cirle packing using a Black and white image to divide the circles sizes
After I had followed the video for guidance on how to create the algorithm for circle packing, I was able to adjust the parameters to create the patterns I desired. For example I was able to play around with where the circles would increase and decrease in size as well as trying out different black and white photo refereneces.
I also played around with changing the shape that I was usign for the circle packings border.
When I had a design i was happy with I had to extrude it by first offsetting the lines and also flatten the data trees for the orignal and offset lines so i could extrude them all together.
After doing this I was able to extrude the lines and bake the pattern. I found that grouping the objects when baking was a smart way to keep the pattern intact in rhino before exporting it as a stl. for 3D printing.
I tried preparing the file in both Prusa and Bambulab slicers. In the end I ended up printing it on a Bambulab A1.
I also did an experiment with adding transferpaper with sublimation ink to the print bed to transfer color to the print. I made the printer stop half way through so i could change the filament to from transparent to black TPU.
The paper stuck to the print but i was able to was it off and you could see the sublimation print stuck to the tpu.
3D Model 1
Grasshopper files for created for circel packing 2
Tessellations
Next I tried following along a video showing how to create tessalations with hexagons and stars, as well as how to make attraction points for the patterns.
Link to the video series I followed from Youtube Hexagon tessellation
First I did the hexagon tessalations by following instructions and creating this algorithm. 3
I added and attraction point and played around with the different locations and sizes of the cells within the tessalation pattern.
After playing aroudn with different parameters for the hexagons shape, size and attraction point I baked the pattern without grouping the cells together. I did this so i would be able to try and unroll one of the cells in rhino. I unrolled and replaced the parts to make the pattern take up less space in case i would lasercut it out later.
Moving on to star tessellation i had to add extra points on the hexagon shapes to create stars and change their shape parametrically. 3
I then tried adding the stars to different tessalation patterns than hexagon.
Escher tessellations
Apperently there is a plugin for Grasshopper called Parakeet that makes it easy to make tessalations inspirede by Eschers Methods. I downloaded the plugin and played around with drawing different 'Escher' tessellations.
¶
Creating base for parametric star/shape
Moving on I tried (with help) to create a star shapr that could change the lines and point on and eventually use as base for a modular design.
This is the algorithm for the parametric shape/star
Adjusting different parameters i created two different shapes.
I baked two shapes that i reworked in Rhino to make the able to connect as modules after printing.
I then selected and exported them individually as stl. files so i could import them into my bambulab slicer.
Part 14
Part 25
Next I imported first the 3legged shape and change the infill pattern to concentric, changed the filament to generic tpu and sliced the form.
I had to load the black tpu onto the 3D printer. I did this by following the steps on the display of the bambulab A1 printer.
To experiment further with the printing onto sublimation print on transferpaper, I created a files with a pattern to fit the thicker star 3D module.
First I tried placing the the print from taking a screenshot of the modules layout in bambulab and placing the colorprint on top of the screenshot in Illustrator. I should have checked the measurements of the bambu biuldboard a bit better because my measurements where made with 25x25cm and the actual board is 25,6x25,6cm
Before starting the print I placed the transferpaper by wrapping it around the boad so it was stuck in place between the board and the magnets underneath. This actually worked just fine. My measurements of the placement was off though.
To fix the alignment I tried another way around by taking the color print and placing it as an image under the 3D shapes in Rhino.
This worked a little better but would still need adjustments.
When all my parts were printed I washed off the paper as on the other example and connected the thicker starshape with the three legged black shapes.
