C-Tubes: Design and Optimization of Tubular Structures Composed of Developable Strips
We introduce C-tubes, 3D tubular structures composed of developable surface strips. C-tubes can be understood as a generalization of Monge surfaces---a special class of sweep surfaces---towards the recently introduced cone-nets. This observation allows formulating a constructive algorithm to create tubular structures that ensures developability of the constituent surfaces, while significantly broadening the design space. Our novel form-finding tool enables design exploration by solving for the input variables of the constructive algorithm so that the C-tube best conforms to user-specified objectives. We discuss several case studies that illustrate the versatility of our approach for the design and fabrication of complex structures, with applications in architecture, furniture, and lighting design.
EPFL
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
EPFL
EPFL
EPFL
2025-08
44
4
[Forthcoming publication]
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EPFL