Cad-based tool for automated panel cutting of prefabricated facades

Abstract

The development of prefabricated facades, using architectural concrete panels or GRC panels, starts by cutting facade maps included in the architectural project. The aim of the architectural department is creating a design of the panels, taking care about the viability in terms of dimensions, weight, location, etc, and also looking at the cost of the execution. With this aim we develop an ad-hoc tool to automate the process. The software, based in AutoCAD, allows the architect to obtain the maps for the final panels and its locations using a graphical interface. The interface prompts the user for all the geometry of the facade selecting it from the drawing or creating it at the moment, including: frameworks, pillars, structural lines, design lines, expansion joints and no paneled areas (windows, doors, etc.). These will be the input data for the cutting algorithm that defines the geometry of each panel. To run the cutting process, the architect must input some parameters about the panels, such as maximum size, type, etc. The algorithm divides the surface of the facade into the smallest units that can be considered and generates the micro-panels layer. By using these micro-panels, the algorithm decides which ones should be together to conform the final panel planning, attending some criteria: viability to fix the panel to the structure, weight, dimensions, total number of panels, number of similar panels, etc. When this process is finished the interface shows a detailed resume of the costs, as well as the panel's drawings.