Surface Discretisation with Rectifying Strips on Geodesics

Abstract

The use of geodesic curves of surfaces has enormous potential in architecture due to their multiple properties and easy geometric control using digital graphic tools. Among their numerous properties, the geodesic curves of a surface are the paths along which straight strips can be placed tangentially to the surface. On this basis, a graphical method is proposed to discretize surfaces using straight strips, which optimizes material consumption since rectangular straight strips take advantage of 100% of the material in the cutting process. The contribution of the article consists of presenting the geometric constraints that characterize this type of panelling from the idea of “rectifying surface”, considering the material inextensible. Experimental prototypes that have been part of the research are also described and the final theoretical results are presented.