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Question:

How does the branched lattice block work?

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Applies to:

  • Lattices

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Answer:

The Branched Lattice block has an input for Start points, End points, Layers, and Thickness. The Start points refer to where the lattice begins from and the End points are where the lattice ends. The Layers input refers to the number of times the lattice can ‘branch’ or ‘split’ to achieve the most optimal lattice structure. Zero layers create a lattice with no branches. Higher values try to create branches equal to the Layer value, but it is limited by the number and location of the End points. The block is also intending to create the most optimized structure given the input variables, so the structure may not always change when the Layers variable is changed. It won’t add another branch if it’s not needed. The image below shows a simple setup with one Start point, five End points, and no layers. Zero Layers mean we don’t want any branches coming out of the original lattice beams. first branching.jpg We can then change the Layer value from zero to one. This means that the lattice can now branch off one time from the main beam to reach the end points. lattice 1 layer.jpg Changing the Layers to two only slightly changes the lattice structure. This is because there isn’t an optimal solution to create two branches with the given End points. 2 layers.jpg When you change the Layers input to 3, we can see that the block now utilizes the ability to add extra branches. It now starts from one main beam before branching off, instead of starting from two main beams. 3 layer.jpg Now if we add multiple start points, you can see how the block will react to create an optimized structure. multiple start points.jpg Sometimes the Branched Lattice block merges two lattices together when you aren’t expecting it. To work around that, we suggest using a Custom Block. The Custom Block processes Lists differently, which eliminates any merging. You can download the custom block here.

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Keywords:

lattice question start merge point end branch branched layers