Nesting Fabrication

Positioned at the intersection of the computational modes of design and production, this research explains the principles and applications of a novel fabrication-informed geometric system called nesting. Applying the nesting fabrication method, the authors reimage the construction of complex forms by proposing geometric arrangements that lessen material waste and reduce production time, transportation cost, and storage space requirements. Through this method, appearance and performance characteristics are contingent on fabrication constraints and material behavior. In this study, the focus is on developing design rules for this method and investigating the main parameters involved in dividing the global geometry of a complex volume into stackable components when the first component in the stack gives shape to the second. The authors introduce three different strategies for nesting fabrication: 2D, 2.5D, and 3D nesting. Which of these strategies can be used depends on the geometrical needs of the design and available tools and materials. Next, by revisiting different fabrication approaches, the authors introduce readers to the possibility of large-scale objects with considerable overhangs without the need for nearly any temporary support structures. After establishing a workflow starting with the identification of geometric rules of nesting and ending with fabrication limits, this work showcases the proposed workflow through a series of case studies, demonstrating the feasibility of the suggested method and its capacity to integrate production constraints into the design process. Traversing from pragmatic to geometrical concerns, the approach discussed here offers an integrated approach supporting functional, structural, and environmental matters important when turning material, technical, assembly, and transportation systems into geometric parameters.