Parametric Modeling Applied in Wooden Trusses 3D Rendering

The analysis of the wooden roofing structures, historical trusses in particular, is present in scientific literature in many contributions, both in the disciplinary field of building science and construction technology, and in that of practical technology and restoration. Nevertheless, few studies systematically investigated the real behavior of these construction systems counting on experience and diagnosis in the field (Tampone, 1996) (Barbisan and Laner, 2000). This is justified by various factors, obviously including the fact that roofing structures are hidden and difficult to access, not attracting the attention of technicians and researchers, unless in case of severe problems of deterioration or obvious damage with consequences on people's safety. The roof is the area of the building most prone to deterioration and fire and is characterized by strong transformations and large substitutions over time. The theme is therefore downgraded to an issue of minor importance for restoration, since the matter of study is no longer authentic or otherwise difficult to date. The interest is preserved only if these structures are left exposed and decorated or if they support valuable ceilings, for example frescoed surfaces. One of the main reasons for this lack of attention, however, lies in the fact that wooden roofs are typically indeterminate structures, whose safety depends mostly on the materials’ quality and on the characteristics of knots and joints. In other words, it pertains to the art of building, to the practice of carpentry and for this reason it eludes scientific and analytical interpretations, if not at the cost of large approximations. The study proposed here is based on an accurate geometric and material survey of all constructive elements and proposes the application of generative algorithms aiming at reconstructing a three-dimensional model of historical wooden trusses starting from a laser scanner survey. On the one hand, the analysis aims to give importance to this kind of constructive elements, neglected in the literature, identifying also new functional types, on the other it is used as an effective investigation protocol, with high diagnostic capability due to the wide use of technologies.