3.8.15: Connecting Beams with Stitches 🔷

The “Stitches”-multi-component has three states which correspond to three different connection types. Select the concrete type via the drop-down list at the bottom of the component.

Simple Stitch

Fig. 3.8.15.2: “Simple Stitch”-mapping with the same set-up as in fig. 3.8.13.1 but with 15 connections

A “Simple Stitch”-mapping connects two or more beam-sets with truss or beam-elements. It is available via the “Stitches”-multi-component. The input-plug “BeamSets” expects a list of beam-sets which get connected in the order as they are listed. Double entries of sets are no problem. Via “NConnect” one sets the number of connections. There needs to be one parameter per beam-set and connection for specifying the mapping. The numerical range of parameters should be zero to one: 0 is the starting position of the beam-set, 1 its end. In case you fail to provide the mapper with a sufficient number of parameters it will turn red. Read its error message in order to see how many parameters are needed. The input plug “Beam Id” can be used to define the name of the connection elements. Fig. 3.8.15.2 shows a structure with 15 connections resulting from 30 randomly selected parameters.

This “simple”-variant of stitches is also the most versatile one: It gives you great freedom in generating connection patterns by defining the way how a set of parameters is mapped to the set of values that are fed into the “Simple Stitch”. The varieties “Proximity Stitch” and “Stacked Stitch” are limiting the scope of possible patters. This leads to faster convergence in case of optimization with e.g. Galapagos and spares you scripting effort but lacks the full flexibility of the “Simple Stitch”.

Proximity Stitch

Fig. 3.8.15.1: “Proximity Stitch”-mapping with the same set-up as in fig. 3.8.13.1 but with ten connections

The “Proximity Stitch” is a tamed “Simple Stitch” (see above): In case of n beam-sets a tuple of n parameters describes one connection. All parameters are in the range [0, 1]. The first value $p_1$ sets the relative location $l_1$ on the first beam-set. All following parameters $p_n$relate to the restricted interval $[l_{n-1}-min_{Offset} ,l_{n-1}+max_{Offset}]$. Here “minOffset” and “maxOffset” can be defined by the user. The narrower the interval they define, the more regular the structure.

Stacked Stitch

Fig.3.8.15.3: “Stacked Stitch”-mapping with the same set-up as in fig. 3.8.13.1 but with 15 connections

A “Stacked Stitch”-component works along the same lines as a “Simple Stitch”. The difference is, that it maps the given parameters to a geometry in such a way, that no two connection elements cross each other (see fig. 3.8.15.3). The last connection point created serves as the starting boundary of the interval within wich the next connection point is placed and so on.