ABSTRACT
This paper presents a computational tool that is designed to streamline the geometrical modeling of complex brick structures, particularly brick assemblies on single and double-curved surfaces. Developed as a PoliBrick plugin in Rhino software, this tool reduces modeling time and allows users to create complex brick patterns and stereotomies through parametric control. PoliBrick enables parametric modeling on all free-form surfaces. By entering the geometrical information of the types of bricks and naming the block models, users can create different patterns such as basket weave, stretcher bond, herringbone, and other brick combinations with the available tools. This method has been tested and verified on various samples of ancient vaults and domes. The plugin can be used by common users as a helper for the modeling part of structural analysis of curved structures by implementing the tool in any type of software with the methodology preferred, such as finite or distinct elements.
