Interactive Rind Modeling for Architectural Design

The paper presents a new modeling technique for architectural design. Rind modeling provides for the easy creation of surfaces resembling peeled and punctured rinds. We show how the method‘s two main steps of 1) creation of a shell or crust 2) opening holes in the crust by punching or peeling can be encapsulated into a real time semi-automatic interactive algorithm. We include a number of worked examples, some by students in a special modeling workshop that demonstrate the ease with which a large variety of intricate rind shapes can be created. Rind modeling method allows us developing a user-friendly tool for designers and architects. The new tool extends the abilities of polygonal modeling and allows designers to work on structured and consistent models for architectural design purposes. Rind modeling gives architects and designers a processing flexibility. It can be used in conceptual modeling during the early design phase. It can also be efficiently used for creating variety of shell structures for architectural design.