topic Re: GDL Scripting the Following in Libraries & objects

GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Wed, 24 May 2023 11:01:08 GMT

I am trying to make a parametric door leaf that can be used in multiple projects. It's a custom cabinet door, but it will be saved as a custom door leaf. I attached a picture of the profile that I don't know how to GDL script. I am hoping someone on this website can explain to me how this would be possible. The goal is to model that profile and have it be parametric.

I have been drawing through GDL script to make my custom cabinet doors, but I don't know how to script this.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

sinceV6 — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 19:11:48 GMT

Hi.
If you are thinking of scripting this as a profile to be extruded along a polyline, look into "Additional status codes" in the GDL manual.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 19:26:34 GMT

That's just it. I really don't know how to go about doing this kind of profile. Thanks for the tip. I will check that!

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 20:32:57 GMT

I tried extruding along a polyline and I got an error when turning the corner.
I attached a screen shot of the problem.

The problem is that when I try and turn a 90 degree turn the outside edges don't form a corner (my script is off a bit so it's not a perfect 90 degree turn, but the problem would still be the same). They instead turn at angles.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 20:35:19 GMT

Here's another view attached.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 20:45:08 GMT

I've tried another way, but I am having trouble. I ALMOST got it though. Can anyone help me with this problem?

I attached a photo of how far I have gotten. I want to do the intersection tool so I can get the corners. I made the curves out of "PRISM_". I made each curved piece into a separate group. I then try the Intersect Group option and I can never bring the new group into the project. I am not sure what to do. I'll post the code that I have up to the point of it working.

GROUP "RCLeft"
J7=1
R=1
H=3
ADDx R
ADDy -R
!9
PRISM_ 9, H,
-R, R, 15,
COS(180)*R, SIN(180)*R, 64+15,
COS(165)*R, SIN(165)*R, 64+15,
COS(150)*R, SIN(150)*R, 64+15,
COS(135)*R, SIN(135)*R, 64+15,
COS(120)*R, SIN(120)*R, 64+15,
COS(105)*R, SIN(105)*R, 64+15,
COS(90)*R, SIN(90)*R, 64+15,
-R, R, 15
!20
MATERIAL "Mtl-Zinc"
DEL 2
ENDGROUP

GROUP "RCTop"
J7=1
R=1
H=3
ADDx R
ADDy -R
ADDz -R
PRISM_ 9, H,
-R, R, 15,
COS(180)*R, SIN(180)*R, 64+15,
COS(165)*R, SIN(165)*R, 64+15,
COS(150)*R, SIN(150)*R, 64+15,
COS(135)*R, SIN(135)*R, 64+15,
COS(120)*R, SIN(120)*R, 64+15,
COS(105)*R, SIN(105)*R, 64+15,
COS(90)*R, SIN(90)*R, 64+15,
-R, R, 15

DEL 2
ENDGROUP
!45
PLACEGROUP "RCLeft"
ROTy 90
ROTx 270
ADDx -R
PLACEGROUP "RCTop"
DEL 3

!Here's the code that I am having trouble with below.

Corner01=ISECTGROUP{2}("RCTop", "RCLeft")

PLACEGROUP Corner01
KILLGROUP "RCLeft"
KILLGROUP "RCTop"
KILLGROUP "Corner01"

!I can't bring the intersected corner into existence. I would really appreciate
!some help or if anyone can direct me to some information.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

Ignacio Azpiazu — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 21:40:33 GMT

Look up the GDL Cookbook 4, by David Nicholson-Cole. The PDF is freely (legally freely) available all over the Internet.
Check out especially TUBE and TUBEA, and just for the heck of it PUT&GET.
That is if you want to go the way of the tube —with what you already know, it seems to me that you might be able to do what you want by creating a block/prism/whatever and subtracting shapes from it. (I may be getting your overall intent wrong though.)
Also, in case you are fed up with scripting polylines from scratch, check out 'stealing' from Archicad.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 21:50:08 GMT

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that PDF.

Also, I am trying to create shapes using Solid Element Operations (they might be called a little different in GDL, but I can't remember at the moment) and assemble them into the overall form that I want. The model would have to be parametric, so I thought that could be possible with the way I was trying.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

sinceV6 — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 23:26:17 GMT

Hi.
Don't take my word for it... as I haven't tested, but I think you should put your transformations inside group definitions. There's no need to place groups to do operations. Once they are defined, you call them directly to the operations, and they are called in their defined positions. Read the GDL documentation, if I remember correctly, there's an explanation in group definitions regarding transformations and even an example of this.

You're not seeing the result because
1. The geometry of the two initial groups would overlap the result; so just place the groups to check positions.
2. There might be missing parameters in ISECTGROUP{2} <-- version 2 of the ISECTGROUP command.

Another thing you can do, is to look into CUTPLANE. For the type of thing you are trying to do, it'll be far easier to do: in essence, you'll define two cut planes for each piece, and trim an extended piece to 45° at the ends. You could even do it once with some clever scripting and place the result in the required sides.

Hope that helps.
Best regards.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

sinceV6 — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 23:42:14 GMT

Hi.
Try this code to understand. Make a new object and paste in 3D script.
You can play with the transformation variable tr at the beginning. Try 0.75 for example.


tr = 1

GROUP "BLOCK1"
BLOCK A, B, ZZYZX
ENDGROUP

!ADD tr,tr,tr  !<-- You can uncomment this and won't have an effect on group definitions, but will do in the general object transformations

GROUP "BLOCK2"
ADD tr,tr,tr
SPHERE A/2
DEL 1 !<--- keep an eye on transformations inside groups
ENDGROUP

!!This block will place groups in defined positions, and apply a transformation to the sphere group, but won't work for ISECT command.
!MODEL WIRE
!PLACEGROUP "BLOCK1"
!ADD tr,tr,tr
!PLACEGROUP "BLOCK2"
!DEL 1

MODEL SOLID

INTER = ISECTGROUP("BLOCK1", "BLOCK2")
PLACEGROUP INTER

!!This block will show original groups positions. Comment this to hide groups.
MODEL WIRE
PLACEGROUP "BLOCK1"
PLACEGROUP "BLOCK2"

Best regards.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:11:43 GMT

Thanks for the help! I attached a picture showing the successful ISECTGROUP.
I'll look into the CUTPLANE as well.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:16:29 GMT

I have been trying to figure out how to do what I am trying to do with the TUBE tool. TUBE is very confusing. I can't seem to figure out what the path points represent. I got the shape I wanted from the TUBE tool with trial and error, but I need to make the shape parametric. So, I am confused on that since I don't really understand how the TUBE tool script works. It appears to me that I am struggling with the path of the TUBE and not the polyline profile. Of course, I could be wrong and maybe I drew the profile wrong.

Do you, or anyone, have any enlightenment for me with regards to the TUBE tool? It's really upsetting that I can't figure it out!

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

sinceV6 — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 18:57:24 GMT

Hi.

Play with this in a new object and paste in 3D script:


x=1
y=2
status=3

!array of points and status info
DIM pt[][]
pt[1]=0
pt[1]=0
pt[1][status]=0

pt[2]= -0.1				!<-- play with this value, positive and negative values.
pt[2]=0
pt[2][status]=0

pt[3]=0
pt[3]=0.1
pt[3][status]=0

PUT pt

TUBE 3,						!<-- cross shape # of nodes
8,							!<-- path nodes + 2 tangent nodes
1+2+16,						!<-- mask, this example includes edges to see where path starts and ends

GET(nsp),
!!!pt[1],pt[1],0, 	!<-- these are the points passed through PUT/GET, values were stored in array
!!!pt[2],pt[2],0,
!!!pt[3],pt[3],0,

0,0,0,0,					!<-- orientation node for first path surface, used 0,0
A/2,0,0,0,					!<-- first path node, begins at A/2, look 3D to see this
A,0,0,0,
A,B,0,0,
0,B,0,0,
0,0,0,0,
A/2,0,0,0,					!<-- last path node
A,-B,0,0					!<-- end orientation node. Defines orientation of last face, replace (-B) with 0 to see how it changes shape

LIN_ A/2,0,0, A,-B,0		!<-- just a line to indicate how the last orientation node is defined here. This is NOT the normal of the last face,
							!--- but the face that would generate if the path continued that way. A bisector face, in essence.

Hope that helps you understand a bit. Read the GDL documentation. But actually read it... I'm talking about those deep plunge reads that need to be done to completely understand technical text. I can say that the docs are really good, but too technically accurate and not very every-day-user friendly They need 110% attention to understand thoroughly.

Best regards.

Re: GDL Scripting the Following

toman311 — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 21:31:21 GMT

Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate it! I've read "Introduction to Object Making with ArchiCAD: GDL for Beginners". It looks like the same author wrote the GDL Cookbook. I plan on reading the GDL Cookbook when work is slower, which, right now, it is! Hopefully I'll get to read it before the office gets ridiculously fast again.

I attached a picture of the cabinet door I was wanting to make just to show you what I did with your help. There's a lot of parametric abilities with this cabinet.