Shape Computation Lab

Modifying a Gear in DrawScript

Tzu-Chieh Kurt Hong

02/20/2019

This video shows the editing of a visual script to generate a mechanical gear in the Shape Machine. On the left, the template for the DrawScript mode of Shape Machine is shown with four shape rules to specify the design automation. When the visual program is run, the rules are applied sequentially to: 1) draw an initial circle defining the outer radius of the gear; 2) offset a second circle to define the inner radius of the gear; 3) subdivide the outer radius to specify twelve parts; and 4) generate teeth at each of the twelve parts. In this design workflow, the designer changes rule four in a drastic way. This time the subdivision of the part and the subsequent drawing of two teeth generates a new design of a gear with twenty-four teeth. A variation of this rule four is tried again to generate a new design of twenty-four extended teeth. A large number gears is easily generated, each following the sequence of four rules visually programmed in the DrawScript mode.

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