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The hand thinks while it builds. Only by physically grappling with a material does one truly understand what it wants to become. In c o n t e m p o r a r y l a n d s c a p e architecture, there is typically a separation between the act of designing and the act of making, often causing a lack of practical knowledge of the capabilities of materials and their relationship to one another. To construct expressively means to comprehend a material's physical properties and how its process of production is revealed through repetition and exaggeration. This dissertation attempts to explore the pre-fabrication of landscapes through an iterative process of making by hand with the goal of uncovering material properties that would otherwise remain concealed. It starts with a material exploration on a detailed level, after which the resulting artefact is applied in the larger context of Pretoria. In addition, this exploration attempts to add to the very limited body of wor k c on c e r n i ng l an d s c ap e architectural tectonic theories. / Die hand dink wanneer dit bou. Slegs deur fisies met 'n materiaal te wroeg verstaan mens waarlik wat die materiaal wil word. In eietydse landskapargitektuur is daar tipies 'n verdeling tussen die daad van ontwerp en die daad van maak, wat dikwels lei tot 'n gebrek in praktiese kennis oor die geskiktheid van materiale asook hul verhouding tot mekaar. Uitdruklike konstruksie dui op 'n begrip van 'n materiaal se fisiese eienskappe en die tentoonstelling van sy produksieproses deur repetisie en oordrywing. Hierdie skripsie poog om die voorafvervaardiging van landskappe te verken deur die herhalende proses van maak met die hand, met die doel om materiaalseienskappe te ontdek wat andersins geskuil sou bly. Dit begin met 'n materiaalverkenning op 'n detail vlak, waarna die artefak toegepas word in die groter Pretoria konteks. Verder poog hierdie verkenning om by te dra tot die beperkte kennis van tektoniese teorie in landskapargitektuur. / Mini Dissertation (ML (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Architecture / ML (Prof) / Unrestricted

Companies often require designers to work with and operate between different computer-aided design (CAD) systems. To interoperate between these systems, a neutral design standard for CAD models is needed that allows for generation, customization, and parameterization. Current standards often fail to incorporate file history and design intent. The research proposes a simplified, neutral design format that can be used to generate models in different CAD systems. The format proposes additional functionality not yet found in existing neutral formats or scripts. The system was tested by generating models in both NX and CATIA, then comparing the models for accuracy, flexibility, and similarity of the results. Utilizing the principles established with the neutral framework, a system was developed that facilitates a collaborative CAD modeling environment that supports the interaction of models within virtual reality (VR). A framework is presented that allows for the models to be created and then used in VR without the need for conversion. Strategies are discussed for minimizing the impacts of latency and unit testing was conducted to evaluate functionality. Furthermore, feasibility of using modern game engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot to aid in the development of both VR and physics simulations are discussed. The above foundation and frameworks enhance collaboration in training and simulation in VR environments. This research demonstrates that by using neutral design standards, collaboration could be improved between different software, as well as between different engineers. Common strategies can be used for solving issues with conversions across the design space and integrated into future VR systems. This research will be indispensable to furthering studies of collaboration and design in remote environments.

Architectural and structural design process are closely connected but traditionally done in twoseparate steps in the design process. This requires effective coordination between the two disciplinesand without the right tools problems often arise.The thesis was done by support from structural engineers at Tyréns and in collaboration with astudent from the department of architecture. The aim of the thesis was to investigate if the use ofparametric design tools from both architects and structural engineers could be a way of making thedesign process more effective. This thesis also include test the structural plug-ins of the parametricdesign tools and compare them with the outputs from traditional structural software and handcalculations.The comparison was made for different cases followed by a collaboration project. The cases wastargeting different structural features which in turn gave the knowledge needed to develop thecollaboration project.The case studies consists of five cases where the first two gives an introduction to parametricmodelling. The third case is a steel beam with fully restrained supports loaded by two pointloads. It will compare the displacement calculations between the different software. The next caseis a concrete slab with different supports along edges loaded by a uniformly load. The analysisincludes calculation and evaluation of section forces. The final case is a concrete dome. It is builtup by arches and five supports. The analysis of this case includes calculation and evaluation of thedisplacement.The collaboration project is a concrete structure built up by a curved surface lifted by curvedcolumns. The architect worked with the structure in parallel to this this thesis and targeted thedevelopment process whilst the authors targeted the structural parts and at the same time gavestructural insight to the architect.The results show a difference between the parametric structural tools and the traditional FEsoftware regarding deformation and moments. The hand calculations in the collaboration projectshow that the amount of reinforcement will not work with the given inputs and assumptions dueto practical reasons regarding spacing.The possibility to export models from the parametric environment to traditional engineering software’senables a faster analysis, since the modelling capabilities is limited and time-consumingin these. The structural capabilities of the parametric tools are good enough for deciding initialgeometry and properties but these will probably change when subjected to an more extensiveanalysis.

Companies often require designers to work with and operate between different computer-aided design (CAD) systems. To interoperate between these systems, a neutral design standard for CAD models is needed that allows for generation, customization, and parameterization. Current standards often fail to incorporate file history and design intent. The research proposes a simplified, neutral design format that can be used to generate models in different CAD systems. The format proposes additional functionality not yet found in existing neutral formats or scripts. The system was tested by generating models in both NX and CATIA, then comparing the models for accuracy, flexibility, and similarity of the results. Utilizing the principles established with the neutral framework, a system was developed that facilitates a collaborative CAD modeling environment that supports the interaction of models within virtual reality (VR). A framework is presented that allows for the models to be created and then used in VR without the need for conversion. Strategies are discussed for minimizing the impacts of latency and unit testing was conducted to evaluate functionality. Furthermore, feasibility of using modern game engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot to aid in the development of both VR and physics simulations are discussed. The above foundation and frameworks enhance collaboration in training and simulation in VR environments. This research demonstrates that by using neutral design standards, collaboration could be improved between different software, as well as between different engineers. Common strategies can be used for solving issues with conversions across the design space and integrated into future VR systems. This research will be indispensable to furthering studies of collaboration and design in remote environments.

Today, designing in digital environment is far less limiting than the physical reality that the product will end up in - stresses and forces, physical material properties, manufacturing possibilities, economic considerations and etc. are to a large extent not present in digital design tools. With many of these being directly computable it would make sense to introduce these restrictions from the physical world to the digital design environment. By doing this with we could take account of the inevitable restrictions from the very initial design phases and considerations, hopefully enabling us to make better informed decisions and designs. / Idag, designar i digitala miljön är betydligt mindre begränsande än den fysiska verkligheten att produkten kommer att hamna i - spänningar och krafter, fysikaliska materialegenskaper, tillverkningsmöjligheter, ekonomiska överväganden och etc. är i stor utsträckning inte finns i digitala designverktyg. Med många av dessa är direkt beräkningsbar det skulle vara meningsfullt att införa dessa restriktioner från den fysiska världen till den digitala designmiljö. Genom att göra detta med vi kunde ta hänsyn till de oundvikliga begränsningar från mycket ursprungliga utformning och överväganden, förhoppningsvis gör det möjligt för oss att fatta bättre underbyggda beslut och designer.

Paper is one of the elements used in our everyday life under its different forms; from the office use, newspapers, books, post-it, different packaging… it is ever present. The mass production of paper is made possible today by the industrial paper mill. One of a key component affecting the quality of the paper is the forming fabric used as a filter in the preliminary stages of paper manufacturing. The TCR Transcent is such machine used to produce the forming fabric and TEXO-AB assures two third of the world production of the machine. Given the ever increasing customer demand, machine variants and technological need, it is imperial for TEXO-AB to implement a time-efficient and responsive design system. This is made possible by shifting from traditional design to a logic based parametric design. The TCR loom model provided by the method followed in this report allows among other benefit a reduction of up to 28% in the time taken to design a new machine while still attending to the customization element providing a unique machine for every customer. The use of the model will afford designers more time to focus on other essential tasks, schemes and strive toward continuous improvement in terms of quality and technology.

Nowadays, there is a big strive to achieve faster and more accurate results of designing buildings in construction companies. Construction companies that work with the design part are continuously searching for methods to increase efficiency in the working process. Autodesk have introduced a software that uses parametric design to provide input to Revit models and to retrieve and manipulate the outcomes of Revit models. The Dynamo software uses visual programming and is connected directly to Revit where the user can gain access to Revit’s data structure where parameters can be controlled and manipulated. This research consists of two parts. The first part shows how 2D Autocad drawing can be converted into 3D Revit models. This is done by using the 2D geometry as reference lines for placing BIM objects. The second part shows how the BIM model can then be used to analyze different elements with Dynamo. The calculations of element cost, weight and thermal transmission losses of floors, walls and roofs are used to illustrate this possibility. All the main goals were achieved and are presented in the report for engineers to utilize. The report illustrates the basics of Dynamo, shows examples of how to it can be used while sharing the scripts that were used for this research. The report also encourages other competent students to continue where this thesis ended. Even though several tasks were achieved in this thesis, there are still much more to learn about parametric design and visual programming.

The aim of this paper is to show how the spine of a PDE surface can be generated and how it can be used to efficiently parameterise a PDE surface. For the purpose of the work presented here an approximate analytic solution form for the chosen PDE is utilised. It is shown that the spine of the PDE surface is then computed as a by-product of this analytic solution. Furthermore, it is shown that a parameterisation can be introduced on the spine enabling intuitive manipulation of PDE surfaces.