Guidelines for application of parametric surfaces based on light and shade

Abstract

From the ancient solar clocks to the current photovoltaic panels, man seeks to interact with light. Following the same intuition of using renewable resources, this article presents a study with the creation of bi chromatic images through light and shadow. In architecture, the use of textures in conjunction with lighting has been increasingly used as a decorative element in coatings, panels, murals and facades. With the purpose of proposing guidelines to optimize the application of these textures, parameters of module inclination, image complexity and opacity of the material were selected. With the aid of Rhinoceros software and the Grasshopper plug-in, these parameters were tested in all possible combinations and simulated in indoor and outdoor environments. At the end of the study, it was possible to indicate the sizing of panels for the types of environments, the ideal slope of the module for better contrast between figure and background, the minimum dimensions for texts to be readable and the best level of opacity in the choice of materials. The findings can be used for architects, designers and decorators who need to represent images, texts or to pass any information through textures, light and shade.