To better pursue my interests in Rhino, I have decided it would be interesting to examine what sort of tools are available to me to generate less traditional shapes as a generalized tool for landscape and architectural design. I was made aware of scutoids, a new platonic solid that was discovered in an attempt to better understand how cells cluster in eggs. Named after a scutellum of a beetle, the scutoid is an odd shape that can best be described as a mix between a frustum and a prismatoid, each surface boundary being a polygon, with the two end polygons being joined by a y-shaped or curved connection. I have read through the original paper, Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three dimensional packing of epithelia, and while I cannot say I am entirely familiar with all the mathematics involved, I am certain I can recreate it in Grasshopper, due to projects created by Rhino user veronikam and Rene Medel. This shape seems to be abundant in the microscopic world, and I believe that it can be used for bio-mimetic uses, particularly in the construction of structures in the built environment. The shapes can be generated via algorithms to make a series of very closely connected solids. If possible, I would like to create a primitive tool that can sit alongside the others to quickly and effectively make the scutoid more available for use in designs. I will need to better my understanding of the math involved, but it seems to be an appropriate challenge. For further reading, check out my current bibliography down below. 

Current Bibliography:

Pairs of Packable Scutoids

https://mathgrrl.com/hacktastic/2018/07/pairs-of-packable-scutoids/

Scutoid (Parametric House)

https://parametrichouse.com/scutoid/

Let’s Model some Scutoids and figure out this mechanism of Biology!

https://youtu.be/V0t2XgVUK9U

Scutoids - a new shape in your body

https://occupymath.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/scutoids-a-new-shape-in-your-body/

Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05376-1

Creating Scutoid cells in Grasshopper- based on voronoi cell diagram

https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/creating-scutoid-cells-in-grasshopper-based-on-voronoi-cell-diagram/76109