This was initially developed to for mesh analysis on 3d scan data. The algorithm works locally on mesh vertices by calculating the angle of edges against the vertex normal.

It is a stripped down implementation of this method by Szymon Rusinkiewicz.

Min Radius, Mean Curvature, Gausian Curvature

meshCurvature version 0.31 (updated 17.12.2013) there was a bug: name ‘spline’ is not defined – fixed

A planking path discribes the path a linear stip of material would take when laid out over any form. It assumes that the material of the plank can bend and twist but has a high sheer resistance. Once the start point and direction is defined the plank path is set.

On conical formes the plank path is also a geodesic line.

gPlanks is a geometric algorithem that works by setpping in alternating Pythagorean triangals along a given mesh. Each plank starts by finding the closest point on a mesh to a given start point. The start direction is set by the cross product of a given direction vector and the normal of the start point mesh. In the current version it cuts strips short when reaching an edge or sharp corner. I might throw an error when calculation a normal that is collinear to the direction vector. Version 0.24 was developed and tested in Grasshopper 0.90052

gPlanks version 0.24

A mechanical representation of the algorithm is available at Shapeways

This was a test done for the Architecture and Performative Design specialization at the SAC. It test performance of kite flight and was used as a basic simulation tool to evaluate different design options of tetrahedron kites digitally before building first prototypes. The study is part of a research agenda on modular performative systems.

The video shows a simulation done in Maya nCloth overlaid with a CFD box.