Development of new form finding approach with integrated cutting pattern optimal strategies

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For forty years, International Tentnology Corporation has brought innovation to fabric tension membrane structure technology. From its Headquarter in Surrey, B.C., the company sells its products to rental agencies and industrial commercial users worldwide. The company uses in-house developed computer-aided engineering software, TentCAD, for design and analysis of its innovative fabric structures. TenCAD, developed nineteen years ago is based on nonlinear finite element analysis methods in use at that time. The program has been improved over the past years but its kernel algorithms have not been changed and are still based on out-dated finite element analysis methods. In details, current TentCAD software has shortcomings: prototype full-scale structures manufactured from the data generated often do not conform to the computer model. Differences in shape occur as well as fabric wrinkling. These issues require full scale testing and manual modification, which are both expensive and inefficient. To meet the demands of today's competitive market with the need for advanced, low-cost, efficient structures with complicate curved surface, it is essential to improve the design and analysis capabilities of the TentCAD software.