"Raycounting" Uses Light to Generate 3D Form

By by Susan Smith

A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Design and the Elastic Mind, features a rapid prototyped model by Neri Oxman. Oxman, an architect, experimental designer and Presidential Research Fellow at MIT, turned to ARRK Product Development Group (San Diego,  CA) — a full-line rapid product development company — to create a transparent model of her design, entitled “Raycounting,” which employs 2D planes as they are informed by light to generate 3D form.

Oxman said her project was inspired by one of the first rapid prototyping technologies from the 1860’s known as photo sculpting. The method was developed to regenerate accurate 3D replicas of an object by projecting multiple prints of different angles and carving them relative to the reference artifact. “Raycounting” takes this process beyond photo sculpting to allow light to pass through 2D planes to generate 3D form.

“I find pleasure and satisfaction in understanding nature,  and the way in which natural forms evolve to function the way they do,” said Oxman. “Natural forms have an elegance that results from an integration between the different elements that affect their generation: light, temperature,  humidity, structural load. Combined with a given material, there’s always a very specific way in which form emerges. These processes fascinate me.”

“With Raycounting I was particularly inspired by the interrelation between light and curvature. And the idea that by determining a certain setting, you may propose for a way in which to generate curvature such that light is absorbed within it in a certain way. This can be applied to a building skin, for instance.”

The piece designed specifically for the MoMA exhibition is just one example of an idea that nourishes many aspects of Oxman’s work lately.

Using a combination of programs, she was able to generate the form for “Raycounting.” The process included scripting the routines by which to calculate the angle, distance and orientation for each point on a given surface from a light source. This code was written as a Visual Basic script with no third party included before fabrication. Starting with a clear vision, Oxman knew she needed to make some changes before the design could be prototyped. Most importantly, the piece needed to be translucent so that light could be reflected in specific ways and to make it presentable for a MoMA show.

ARRK’s design engineers embraced Oxman’s vision. Altering the CAD design to get rid of the internal surfaces while preserving the original design structure, they chose a resin material to ensure the translucent appearance. Plus, to match the slightly “unfinished” aesthetic that Oxman was aiming for, ARRK intentionally aligned the part in the design stage to eliminate the need for smooth finishing processes.

Oxman said that she and the ARRK designers “had fun.” “There was a common understanding purely on the level of the effect I wished to achieve through the design. And our exchange has been challenging, specifically because the effect (of light hitting the surface) is the result of what is actually happening in the code,” Oxman said.” It brought down the discussion to the level of visual impact, and I honor that as a value in its own right. The engineers have also been amazingly helpful in figuring out ways in which to cap the spatial pockets such that they would be filled with resin. I enjoy this solution incredibly because it begins to negotiate the structural stability of the form with its light effect.”

An SLA material that allows light to pass through it provided the transparent quality the model needed. After it was completed, “We sandblasted it for a frosty look, to demonstrate that artsy look she was wanting but also to allow light to pass through,” said Sarah Woellert, marketing sales coordinator for ARRK.

Material choice was one of the constant variables, according to Oxman. “From day one there was an understanding that we were looking for the type of material that would actually fit the effect that I was looking to achieve. And this is where physics ties to scale and geometry: the density of the material affects the way in which light filters through it. The denser it is or the more volume it occupies per section, the more opaque it becomes.”

Oxman believes the project informs all her work by offering a method to incorporate natural forces and explore the ways in which they may contribute to the creation of form. “This topic is very close to my heart (and my thesis) and I am hoping to be able to generate more work based on these ideas. Raycounting may offer only one example of such endeavors. But you may choose to count heat, or vapor, or weight. The traditional view of Architecture postulates that form comes first, and the way it may perform in its natural environment is something to be considered by the engineer. In my work I attempt to bring those disciplines close together, and bridge the boundaries that exist across scales of preoccupation.”

Woellert said that rapid prototyping stereolithography allows the customer to create a physical model which will let them know whether their product is going to be manufacturable or not, and to identify potential problem areas. “With this being a more artsy project, we were able to use skills we have to make it very show quality.” The MoMA exhibit demonstrates that the customer can get a physical model of exactly what they’re looking for.

“I still take joy in staring at the gradients of color that filter through,” said Oxman. “There is something about it which reminds me of the living. Something of life.”

Design and the Elastic Mind, which includes Neri Oxman’s project, “Raycounting,” will be on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City from February 24-May 12, 2008.

Design and the Elastic Mind is a showcase of cutting edge design, and displays designers’ abilities to “grasp momentous changes in technology, science and history that will demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior…”

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/