iBamboo: Proposing a New Digital Workflow to Enhance the Design Possibilities of Irregular Bamboo Materials—From Scanning to Discrete to Topological

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The transcript suggests a method to address the limitations of raw bamboo by integrating digital technologies such as 3D scanning, XR (Extended Reality), discrete algorithms, and topology optimization on using bamboo as a rapidly renewable material efficiently in construction and furniture design to enhance sustainability and circular economy.  The below suggestions aim to make the transcript more effective and target a broader audience.

1. To increase readings and citation scores of the paper, it is recommended adding more keywords such as circular economy and Extended Reality (XR).
2. The authors need to define that the paper focuses on using bamboo in furniture design and not in buildings.
3. It is recommended adding a line or two by the end of the introduction defining the research problem and as an introduction leading to the research aim.
4. Add an introductory paragraph for section (2. Background) explaining why the following digital design technologies are explored and how this is related to the research framework. These technologies are mentioned in the abstract, but it is essential to elaborate on them within the main research body.
5. Be constant in using (Fig) of (Figure), as both are used, such as Figure 1, 3, and Figs 2, 4, 5...
6. Refer to Figures 2, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 18 within the text.
7. Fig 2 is referred to in Section 3.2, while it was not referred to in Section 2.2.3, where it essential shows.
8. There is no Fig. 19 as mentioned in line 482.
9. The sentence in lines 50–51 can be rephrased to: Ngai Hang Wu (2019) of Bartlett School of Architecture led his team to develop a system for digital construction of bamboo (Fig. 1).
10. Paragraph in lines 476-478 needs to be revised.
11. While the digital design technology and simulations give acceptable results, the study would benefit from empirical testing of real-world structures built using the proposed workflow.
12. With a focus on furniture design, more exploration of load-bearing structure, testing, and comparative analysis with traditional materials would strengthen the argument. Otherwise, authors need to clearly specify that the paper's main focus is on using bamboo in furniture design and not in buildings. Furniture design is not mentioned in the abstract.
13. The authors used some statements that indicate the framework can be applied to buildings, such as (bamboo building solutions" (Lines 18, 573), (driving the construction and design industries towards greater flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability (Lines 554-555).
14. The word (circular economy) has been only used twice: once in the abstract and the other in conclusions (Line 557). It is recommended to elaborate on how the adaptability and innovation of bamboo using the proposed workflow will enhance the circular economy.
15. It would be beneficial to explore the economic viability of integrating the proposed workflow into mainstream construction and furniture design, especially if related to the circular economy.
16. Interesting conclusions; however, they could be more effective if the authors suggested some specific design solutions or typology to be as guidelines for other architects and interior designers.

 

Author Response

Comment1:To increase readings and citation scores of the paper, it is recommended adding more keywords such as circular economy and Extended Reality (XR).

Response1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have added circular economy and Extended Reality (XR) in the keywords

Comment2: The authors need to define that the paper focuses on using bamboo in furniture design and not in buildings.

Response2: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have define the paper focuses on using bamboo in furniture design.

Comment3:It is recommended adding a line or two by the end of the introduction defining the research problem and as an introduction leading to the research aim.

Response3: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We added the research problem and aim in the introduction.

Comment4:Add an introductory paragraph for section (2. Background) explaining why the following digital design technologies are explored and how this is related to the research framework. These technologies are mentioned in the abstract, but it is essential to elaborate on them within the main research body.

Response4: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We added a paragraph to explain this.

Comment5:Be constant in using (Fig) of (Figure), as both are used, such as Figure 1, 3, and Figs 2, 4, 5...

Response5: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. All the figures are constant now.

Comment6:Refer to Figures 2, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 18 within the text.

Response6: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. 

Comment7:Fig 2 is referred to in Section 3.2, while it was not referred to in Section 2.2.3, where it essential shows.

Response7: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Adjustment is made.

Comment7:There is no Fig. 19 as mentioned in line 482.

Response7: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Adjustment is made.

Comment8:The sentence in lines 50–51 can be rephrased to: Ngai Hang Wu (2019) of Bartlett School of Architecture led his team to develop a system for digital construction of bamboo (Fig. 1).

Response8: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Adjustment is made.

Comment9:Paragraph in lines 476-478 needs to be revised.

Response9: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made.

Comment10:While the digital design technology and simulations give acceptable results, the study would benefit from empirical testing of real-world structures built using the proposed workflow.

Response10: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. The test will be developed in the next stage.

Comment11:With a focus on furniture design, more exploration of load-bearing structure, testing, and comparative analysis with traditional materials would strengthen the argument. Otherwise, authors need to clearly specify that the paper's main focus is on using bamboo in furniture design and not in buildings. Furniture design is not mentioned in the abstract.

Response11: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made.

Comment12:The authors used some statements that indicate the framework can be applied to buildings, such as (bamboo building solutions" (Lines 18, 573), (driving the construction and design industries towards greater flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability (Lines 554-555).

Response12: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made. This paper mainly focus on furniture design.

Comment13:The word (circular economy) has been only used twice: once in the abstract and the other in conclusions (Line 557). It is recommended to elaborate on how the adaptability and innovation of bamboo using the proposed workflow will enhance the circular economy.

Response13: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made. 

Comment14:It would be beneficial to explore the economic viability of integrating the proposed workflow into mainstream construction and furniture design, especially if related to the circular economy.

Response14: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made. 

Comment15:Interesting conclusions; however, they could be more effective if the authors suggested some specific design solutions or typology to be as guidelines for other architects and interior designers.

Response15: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Reviosn is made. 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article presents an important approach for integrating irregular materials into a scientific construction process. Bamboo has been a favorite construction elements but difficult to be integrated with computational design methodology. Therefore, a process and algorithm will be essential for explanation of concept. I am enjoying reading this article and found the content is very interesting, However, there are some items that is needed to be resolved before acceptance.

First of all, the pictures in the diagram such as Figure X is not clear to be recognizable as Figure X. These pictures are advised to be re-made with higher resolution or with another enlarge version in additional figures that can be further explained clearly. 

Secondly, the algorithm such as discrete generation should be rewritten with pseudo code to be meet with technical standard of this journal.

Thirdly, the process diagram in this article that combines both status such as 3d scanning with data such as Nurbs or point clouds needs to be refined as two diagrams: one is stages or steps,  another is data flow with operators (like grasshopper plugins).

Fourthly, all the software or grasshopper plugins should have their own references and citations to be indicated as the source of intellectual property.

fifthly, the references are not consistent with the standard of this journal that are needed to be refined. Authors are advised to pay extra attention to the authors list of references that are very confusion.

Sixthly, the  conclusion should also address the issues learned from this research particularly and give our audience some advise on the drawbacks of this approach.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

I only have small issues regarding of the content. I have no problem understanding the content.

Author Response

Comment1: First of all, the pictures in the diagram such as Figure X is not clear to be recognizable as Figure X. These pictures are advised to be re-made with higher resolution or with another enlarge version in additional figures that can be further explained clearly. 

Response1:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have have fixed all the figure numbers and explaination.

Comment2: Secondly, the algorithm such as discrete generation should be rewritten with pseudo code to be meet with technical standard of this journal.

Response2:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have updated the pseudo code.

Comment3: Thirdly, the process diagram in this article that combines both status such as 3d scanning with data such as Nurbs or point clouds needs to be refined as two diagrams: one is stages or steps,  another is data flow with operators (like grasshopper plugins).

Response3:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have re-edited the diagrams to make it more clear.

Comment4: Fourthly, all the software or grasshopper plugins should have their own references and citations to be indicated as the source of intellectual property.

Response4:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have cited all the plugins.

Comment5: fifthly, the references are not consistent with the standard of this journal that are needed to be refined. Authors are advised to pay extra attention to the authors list of references that are very confusion.

Response5:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. 

Comment6: Sixthly, the  conclusion should also address the issues learned from this research particularly and give our audience some advise on the drawbacks of this approach.

Response6:Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have adjusted the conclusion.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article presents a novel digital workflow for designing and fabricating structures using irregular bamboo materials. By integrating 3D scanning, discretization algorithms, and topology optimization, the authors offer an innovative approach to addressing the challenges posed by bamboo’s natural irregularity. The research is both timely and relevant, especially given the growing focus on sustainable materials and computational design in architecture and engineering. That said, there are a few areas where the manuscript could be improved before it’s ready for publication.

The use of topology optimization in this workflow could be more rigorous. The finite element analysis (FEA) behind topology optimization assumes that each unit is a solid structure, but the authors used bamboo voxel units in the optimized shape, which actually violated this assumption and led to a significant deviation in the performance of the structure and the optimization results. I suggest that the authors can clearly state that topology optimization is only used for form design and acknowledge that this design method may have a significant impact on the performance of the final structure. At the same time, it should be clearly stated in the article that the structural performance of the final design will be explored as part of future research.

The authors mentioned that the mesh was converted into a point cloud before converting it to a NURBS model. But in fact, why not convert the mesh directly to a NURBS model? Converting from a point cloud to a NURBS model is much more complicated than converting directly from a mesh. Because the mesh itself contains structured geometric data, while the point cloud is just a discrete, irregular set of points, it needs a lot of additional processing, such as surface reconstruction, noise filtering, and interpolation, to convert it to a smooth NURBS model. Converting directly from a mesh may be more efficient and less computationally burdensome. In addition, each conversion step, especially from point cloud to NURBS, may introduce errors due to inaccuracies introduced during interpolation and smooth approximation.

In the results section, the authors mainly present the generated designs, but lack a quantitative evaluation of the optimization results. There is no comparison between the proposed method and traditional bamboo construction methods, and no analysis of the structural performance of the generated designs, which raises some questions about the feasibility of these designs. I suggest that some quantitative indicators, such as material utilization efficiency, structural stability, or weight reduction, be included in this section. In addition, a comparative study with traditional bamboo construction methods can also more clearly show the advantages and limitations of the method.

The article also mentions the use of XR (virtual reality/augmented reality) technology to assist in design, but does not specify how it is applied or what practical benefits it brings. There is no explanation of how XR is integrated into the workflow, and there is no experimental verification or user feedback to prove its effectiveness. Is XR used for real-time visualization, interactive assembly guidance, or for structural analysis? To enhance this section, the authors can include some specific cases or experimental results to show how XR plays a role in the design and manufacturing process.

The description of the discrete algorithm is a bit vague, making it difficult to understand how this method generates and assembles bamboo structures. The article does not provide detailed steps of the algorithm, nor does it clearly list the key parameters, constraints, and rules used in the generation process. I suggest that the authors explain more clearly how the algorithm works, preferably providing a structured explanation, or even a flowchart or pseudocode to help understanding.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Language issues:

(1)"Currently, the construction industry is still one of the industries with the highest carbon emissions (39%) and energy consumption (35%) in the world." Issue: "Currently" and "still" together are redundant. 

(2) "This system demonstrates the design potential of digital technology for sustainable unconventional bamboo materials and provokes architects to think about sustainable architecture." Issue: "provokes architects to think" is an unclear phrase.

(3) "Despite its superior properties, including resistance to bending, lightweight, fast growth, and biodegradability, bamboo's full application in the construction industry remains limited by these challenges." Issue: "lightweight" should be "light weight" in this context.

(4) "Discrete generation technology exhibits significant advantages in modular building design." Issue: "Discrete generation technology" is unclear; should be "Discrete design generation technology" or "Discrete generative design technology."

(5)  "This allows for the study of the discrete generation of bamboo rods, addressing the material limitations of bamboo and providing corresponding solutions(Fig.3)." Issue: Missing space before "(Fig.3)."

(6) The manuscript mixes British and American English spelling, such as "analyse" (British) and "optimization" (American). I jsut list some of errors here.

Many other issues should be carefully checked and revised.

Author Response

Comment1: The use of topology optimization in this workflow could be more rigorous. The finite element analysis (FEA) behind topology optimization assumes that each unit is a solid structure, but the authors used bamboo voxel units in the optimized shape, which actually violated this assumption and led to a significant deviation in the performance of the structure and the optimization results. I suggest that the authors can clearly state that topology optimization is only used for form design and acknowledge that this design method may have a significant impact on the performance of the final structure. At the same time, it should be clearly stated in the article that the structural performance of the final design will be explored as part of future research.

Response1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have made clear statement in the session.

Comment2:The authors mentioned that the mesh was converted into a point cloud before converting it to a NURBS model. But in fact, why not convert the mesh directly to a NURBS model? Converting from a point cloud to a NURBS model is much more complicated than converting directly from a mesh. Because the mesh itself contains structured geometric data, while the point cloud is just a discrete, irregular set of points, it needs a lot of additional processing, such as surface reconstruction, noise filtering, and interpolation, to convert it to a smooth NURBS model. Converting directly from a mesh may be more efficient and less computationally burdensome. In addition, each conversion step, especially from point cloud to NURBS, may introduce errors due to inaccuracies introduced during interpolation and smooth approximation.

Response2: Thank you for pointing this out. We explained in the corresponding session.

Comment3:In the results section, the authors mainly present the generated designs, but lack a quantitative evaluation of the optimization results. There is no comparison between the proposed method and traditional bamboo construction methods, and no analysis of the structural performance of the generated designs, which raises some questions about the feasibility of these designs. I suggest that some quantitative indicators, such as material utilization efficiency, structural stability, or weight reduction, be included in this section. In addition, a comparative study with traditional bamboo construction methods can also more clearly show the advantages and limitations of the method.

Response3: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. The evaluation will be developed in the next stage.

Comment4:The article also mentions the use of XR (virtual reality/augmented reality) technology to assist in design, but does not specify how it is applied or what practical benefits it brings. There is no explanation of how XR is integrated into the workflow, and there is no experimental verification or user feedback to prove its effectiveness. Is XR used for real-time visualization, interactive assembly guidance, or for structural analysis? To enhance this section, the authors can include some specific cases or experimental results to show how XR plays a role in the design and manufacturing process.

Response4: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment.We provided some cases and explained how we encoporate the xr in our workflow.

Comment5:The description of the discrete algorithm is a bit vague, making it difficult to understand how this method generates and assembles bamboo structures. The article does not provide detailed steps of the algorithm, nor does it clearly list the key parameters, constraints, and rules used in the generation process. I suggest that the authors explain more clearly how the algorithm works, preferably providing a structured explanation, or even a flowchart or pseudocode to help understanding.

Response5: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. The flowchat and pseudcode are added.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Basically this revision has corrected all the comments I have. However, there is only a slight issue about the references: Some authors are full name but some are not. Also some references are not available on line. Other than that I have no further comments.

Author Response

comment1: Some authors are full name but some are not. Also some references are not available on line. Other than that I have no further comments.

response1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have referenced the authors with their full names. All the references have reedited with the web links.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks for the revision. However, there are still some errors.

1. An extra word, 'Acknowledgments', appears on Page 20.
2. A space is missing on page 5, line 227. 'Figure3' should be 'Figure 3'
3. Spcaes are missing on page 3, line 100, line 111, line 119 and line 128. (A lot of similar errors on other pages)
4. It is suggested that the keyword 'Extended Reality (XR)' should be 'extended reality' for consistency.
5. After first stating the abbreviation for ‘Extended Reality (XR)’, there is no need to state it again (see Page 18, Line 561).

Please carefully go through the article several times to avoid language or format errors.

After these errors are addressed, the article could be accepted.

Author Response

comment1: An extra word, 'Acknowledgments', appears on Page 20.

response1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have added the acknowledgments with funding infomation.

comment2: A space is missing on page 5, line 227. 'Figure3' should be 'Figure 3'

response2: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have added the space.

comment3: Spcaes are missing on page 3, line 100, line 111, line 119 and line 128. (A lot of similar errors on other pages)

response3: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have adjusted the format.

comment4: It is suggested that the keyword 'Extended Reality (XR)' should be 'extended reality' for consistency.

response4: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have adjusted this word.

comment5: After first stating the abbreviation for ‘Extended Reality (XR)’, there is no need to state it again (see Page 18, Line 561).

response5: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. We have adjusted this word.