Bridges Conference (Virtual), 2021 – Stefano Arrighi x Phillip C. Reiner

Dandelion Sphere is a polyhedron with successively more complex wireframe shells. The design was developed in the Advanced Geometries Department with Stefano Arrighi. A prototype of the design has node classification algorithms and automated connector generation for complex wireframe structures. The shells are built by expanding on the vertices of the previous shell, creating a geometrically progressively more complex structure, giving the shape a dandelion appearance. Node classification algorithms apply to the wireframe structure's graph representation and identify groups of geometrically equivalent nodes. The algorithms generate 3D connectors for all geometrically equivalent node types with the correct angular relations between nodes. It correctly identifies chiral pairs in the structure (left/right handed versions, at mirror images).

Research:
Algorithms process the wireframe structure graph representation to identify groups of geometrically equivalent nodes. These are processed into 3D connector geometry with the correct angular relations between nodes. The chiral pairs (left/right handed versions, at mirror images) are correctly identified and separated. Algorithms are at a suitable complexity to work with large numbers of nodes repeating in complex layered polyhedral structures.