Final Project

Initially, I wanted to conflate CATIA product and knowledge patterns to generate massive folding structure like above. Not until the end did I realize that this is impossible. Here is my failure process.

This is the pattern I want to genereate. Seems not that hard at first.

the output folding unit is controlled by the open angle and the size parameters

I imagined the red line would be the inputs within the overall framework. All I need is the framework now.

Then I realize I cannot foresee the overall framework, because the it is bottom-up generated by the units, which is completely a different approach compared to the top-down framework layout as previous projects did. 

"Karl, help me!"

"The best way to do folding structure is assembly mode. Even you figured out the framework, you cannot use either powercopies nor knowledge patterns to instantiate your unit because it is assembly mode."

"What the f!"

All right, I can manually make it.

The folding is controlled by the same open angle parameter of all the units. They seems pretty rigid. 

So I fold a physical model to test the flexibility. Apparently within a folding system, each unit behaves accordingly, but seems they could behave somehow differently.

Can I differentiate each unit in CATIA? Not until the end did I realize that my physical model cheated me. The gif animation shown above is the only process that it can behave. It is completely as rigid as we see. Here is my failure process.

"Help me Karl, I want to differentiate the units!"

"David made it, Look!"

So I grab David to learn flexible-rigid sub assembly command, which made his sub-assembly behaves independently. 

It took me quite a while to know that I have to delete the angle parameters and the frame and leave the sub-assembly with triangular panels only.

The opening is controlled by offset length under the highest assembly now. Then I changed the individual open offset length.

Failure! No matter how minor the change I made to the offset, it always make the constraints inconsistent. Only one unit at the bottom changed a bit.

David and I looked at the screen, then the model, for quite a while. Then he said,

"Triangular shape is rigid. You cannot make any difference to the units' openings unless your units are different."

What a learning after doing!

I guess the further exploring maybe create different units in order to fold in a nonlinear way, like Daniel did shown below. He made it in grasshopper with Rigid Origami Simulator. I hate CATIA!