2.5 Modular Parametric Tesselation Tutorial

This tutorial turns the parametric principles of section 2.2 into a working file. The exercise builds a modular tessellation, a surface composed of repeated interlocking modules whose density, size and orientation are driven by parameters rather than drawn by hand. It is the geometric logic behind the Kinematics dress of section 2.2.2 and behind most 3D-printed and laser-cut garment surfaces.

Work in Grasshopper with Rhinoceros, or in Blender Geometry Nodes if an open-source environment is required. The sequence is the same in both. First, define the base surface, either a simple developable panel or a region taken from a body scan. Second, generate the tessellation grid and expose its density as a parameter rather than fixing it. Third, build one module as a reusable component and instance it across the grid, so that editing the single module regenerates the whole surface. Fourth, drive one local attribute, module size, thickness or aperture, from an attractor point or from a data field such as a pressure or wear map, so that the surface responds to information rather than to taste. Fifth, prepare the output for manufacture: verify wall thickness and connection tolerance, then export for 3D printing or laser cutting.

Deliverable: one parametric definition, two rendered variants generated by changing parameters only, and a three-line note stating what each parameter controls and which manufacturing process the geometry has been prepared for.

← Previous Next: Choose your track →