How to make a flat surface with adaptive components?

[alex]

Hi everyone,

I am working on a complex project and I need the help of the brightest Revit minds on the internet.

I need to place adaptive components on a bunch of points in space to create a beautiful organic ceiling.

I have used Dynamo to place the points. And adaptive components are then placed on those points, also using dynamo, to create the geometry. 

My issue is that those adaptive components show up curved. I need to show them flat (solid piece of glass).

Flat NOT curved.

See images below.

I hope there is a Revit guru out there that can help me with this issue.

[zemeraloni]

Hi @alex

I think this forum will need a bit more info about your ceiling, it properties and so on.

I would just say than my logic tells that if you would have create triangles the outcome was almost flat already.

If you will keep it rectangular you will need quite heigh mulliions to get the angle of the flat glass.

[alex]

Hi Zemeraloni

Thank you for your prompt reply. I understand what you mean by triangle panels. However the panels are not designed that way unfortunately. What you said about having high mullions is also correct however there will not be any mullions, as this is a decorative piece. And offsets from one edge to another is kind of what the designer is looking for. 

So if you could help me to make the panels flat that would be perfect.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

[Alfredo_Medina]

@alex In which of the views do you see the panels curved?

[alex]

Image Named "1", you can see that it is "curved". Maybe I am using the wrong terminology, warped?  Basically I need it to be flat, like a piece of plywood or glass. 

Hope my answer helps.

Thanks for the help Alfredo.

[barthbradley]

It looks like the panel is adapting to the surface.  In other words, it's an Adaptive Component. Do you not want an Adaptive Component? 

...Can you post a photograph of what you're trying to emulate? 

[ToanDN]

that is impossible to have a planar furface from 4 points that are not on
the same plane.

[Alfredo_Medina]

@alex Sorry, your question is not clear. As suggested above, please provide a sketch of the desired result. The panels in your images are not curved; they are following the inclination of the surfaces that you created. It's not clear how the result could have been different.

[barthbradley]

...you're not by chance speaking about a Repeater's orientation to the x,y,z? The Adaptive Point's "Orients to" parameter setting controls that. 

"Global x,y,z" vs. "Instance x,y,z"

[alex]

Hi Alfredo,

Let me try to explain myself more clearly. I understand this is not straight forward. 

1. I have created a a series of points with using Dynamo. (see image)

2. I need to place panels on these points. (see images)

3. Each panel is determined by the the points which represent the corners. (see images)

4. Lastly i have placed a revit file depicting what i would like the panels to look like.

I understand that the panels are not curved; they are following the inclination of the surfaces that I created. the fact that they follow the inclination is a good thing but i do not want then to bend with the inclination.

Is there a way to get the effect that i am looking for?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[alex]

I couldn't upload a Revit file so please see images of that RVT file below.

[alex]

Hey Barthbradley,

unfortunately not. but  that is needed on other parts of the ceiling, so thanks.

[FAIR59]

this discussion may be of help to you

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/3-points-to-define-a-plane-4th-point-to-defi...

[alex]

unfortunately that solution also bends with the curve. I don't want any bends.

Thanks for the post though.

[Anonymous]

I'm an engineer so I would go about this mathematically.

Perhaps someone can figure out a geometrical solution.

You basically have 4 points that need to be coplanar.

We know that any 3 points in space define a plane. From those 3 points we can define the plane equation, which is this one: 

ax+by+cz+d=0

d=-(ax1+by1+cz1)

(x,y,z) = coordinates of your fourth point

(x1, y1, z1) = coordinates of one of the points in your plane

(a,b,c) = coordinates of the normal vector to that plane in point (x,y,z)

Since you seem to use Dynamo well, what you would have to do is define a plane by 3 known points (these you already have), get the local x and y for the fourth point, use the formula to calculate the z for the fourth point and they should all be coplanar.

I attached a Dynamo (1.3.3) graph that does this, but you will have to adapt it to your conditions. Inside you can change the values for the first 3 points as you want and always have the 4th coplanar.

Probably it can be done easier (both in the Dynamo graph or plain Revit), but this is the first thing I could think of.

[FAIR59]

You have to project your 4th point (free point) onto the plane defined by the other 3 points.

• Determine which 3 points will define the plane. ( point 1, point 2 and point 4)
• Connect those points with straight reference lines ( Draw on Face and 3D Snapping ticked ).

• Create a surface from the reference lines , and untick Visible for the resulting surface (ground plane).

Now we have to find where the 4th point will be projected onto the surface. For this, we need a direction and a distance.

Direction:

• Set the workplane to the surface.
• Place a reference Point on the point 1, the point diagonal opposite the free point. ( Draw on Face)
• Select the placed reference point (r-point) and set the offset to 10feet / 3000mm.
• Connect point 1, the free point and r-point with straight reference lines ( Draw on Face and 3D Snapping ticked).
• Create a surface from the reference lines, and untick Visible for the resulting surface (sundial surface)

• Place a refence Point on the diagonal reference Line between point 2 and 4 (Draw on Face)
• Select the placed reference point
• click Host Point By Intersection, and select the sundial surface. The reference point will now follow the sundial surface along the line.

• Connect the direction point and point 1 with a reference Line (the direction line)

Distance:

• set the workplane to the plane of the direction line parallel to the ground plane

• make a dimension between point 1 and the free point (adaptive points)
• label the dimension as a reporting parameter   [distance_report]

We now have the direction and distance for the point projected onto the ground plane, and can construct that point.

• place a reference point on the direction line. (point A)
• set the workplane to the vertical plane of point A.

• place a reference point on point A (construct point)
• link the offset parameter of the construct point to the distance _report parameter.
• select point A and set the value of the Normalized Curve Parameter to 0.

The flat surface can now be constructed using point 1, point 2, construct point and point 4

[ToanDN]

Create the mass, load it in a project and create curtain systems by faces. Panels of the curtain systems will be flat by default.

[ToanDN]