Blog 4: Dynamo Project

Term Project Outline

Schedule:

              Week 5

                             Submit project outline

                             Learn basics of Dynamo

                             Write a simple pseudocode

              Week 6

                             Create Revit model of building and HVAC system

                             Create appropriate Revit families

              Week 7

                             Use Dynamo to place light switches next to doors

              Week 8

                             Use Dynamo to calculate HVAC pressure drops

              Week 9

                             Finetune, problem solve, troubleshoot

                             Submit project and project reflection

              Week 10

                             Final presentation

Description:

              Starting in week 5, we will begin to learn the basics of Dynamo. Neither of us have previous experience with the program so we are both learning it from the very beginning. Week 5 will be used to familiarize ourselves with what the program can do and ways to use it efficiently.

              Since this project will require us to have a Revit model, we will use week 6 to create this model. While we both have used Revit before we feel that spending a whole week on the model and the HVAC system will allow us to get the model done and overcome any roadblocks we run into. We will also use Revit to create families that we will need for this model.

              Weeks 7 and 8 are where the bulk of the Dynamo usage will take place. We decided to work on the two Dynamo tasks sequentially rather than simultaneously so that we can one task fully completed rather than two tasks in progress. We decided to attempt the light switch task first as we feel that this would be more representative of the depth of what Dynamo can do.

Our project is to use Dynamo to make a code that places a light switch next to every door in a model building. Given that the group completes this task quickly, we will proceed to create an additional code that takes a Revit model with an HVAC system and calculates the pressure drop. Beyond that it relates directly to IB and would challenge us, we chose this project because it fits our interests and gives us important experience that we otherwise might not get until we enter the workforce.

The idea for the project came from Kayleigh (from Burohappold); she recommended the light switch code as a great intro project to Dynamo. Both of us wished to use Dynamo as we see it as a tool that we would like to use in the future and will likely have to use. Secondly, we thought of several layers of complexity we could add on to the light switch code: how to approach doors placed next to corners or windows, what if a door is not present and an opening/gap in a wall marks the entrance to a room, and so on. We were uncertain how quickly we could learn the language and how much skill and knowledge would be necessary to accomplish the entirety of the project. The addition of a program to calculate pressure drop of a duct system was added because we both are focusing in HVAC systems and of course want to apply Dynamo to something directly relating to our other studies. This could be a great tool to use wherever we end up working, and certainly a great talking point to bring up in interviews.

Both parts of the project relate to intelligent buildings because they are both components of automated building design. They would allow for the design of buildings with less human input, allowing for less time spent on modeling and basic elements of design. Both the task of placing light switches and analyzing HVAC ducts are relatively simple tasks but require many repetitive actions. These codes will have a computer to quickly do these tasks.

The main challenge that our group faces is quickly learning and applying the Dynamo program to our problem. From my experience with other coding languages, one can always run into an unforeseen problem that requires a significant amount of learning and experimentation at any part of the coding process. Discovering that we hit such a barrier is a challenge that I unfortunately anticipate facing. Beyond this, there are the many possible locations of doors where a logical place for a light switch cannot be simply placed a short distance from it; i.e. the aforementioned possibilities in the first paragraph. Creating a code that can recognize all these situations is another pitfall I foresee. Hopefully, the group is able to overcome these challenges.

Alynne Jeanty,

Your outline is wonderful: I can clearly understand the view you are presenting and agree with the logical steps you are taking to back it up. I wouldn’t recommend including a personal comments section in an otherwise scholarly article even though you did denote it as a small subsection of the overall piece. You also have a good variety of sources already, which is a great start.

Qiaodan Lin,

Making a model and then discussing it is a good approach to topic that involves a prediction of the future. This way you can see for yourself what technology or design features are difficult to implement or would not work out as well in reality as they do on paper. You’ve got a clear outline of the specs for your building and started to develop your discussion, so you seem to be well on your way to getting your project done.

Nick Maloney,

I am interested to see how your project turns out; you’ve outlined a lot of work that you plan to do with your group, but I think that it is reasonable. The work you plan to do is outlined clearly. You will certainly get a lot of valuable experience about this project and I look forward to seeing the final result.