topic Re: How to create a superellipse. in Modeling

How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:12:40 GMT

Hey all, this is my first post, so I hope it falls in the right place.

I'm looking for a way to draw/generate a 2d superellipse (or something close- as the shape might not be precisely this) in plan- perhaps then after extrude it and round the edges to form the basic shape of a building.

Is this possible?

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Erika Epstein — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:11:45 GMT

You could start with the soccer field in the Library.
Please add your OS and AC version to your profile. Answers often vary dependent upon these variables.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:17:44 GMT

Hey Erika,

Sorry for the delayed response. It wasn't my intention to create the stadium itself, just a 3d massing model and a 2d axonometric diagram.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:21:30 GMT

Hmm... my sig didn't update...

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Erika Epstein — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:05:43 GMT

Well, given your pic...
This should be in the GDL section. Look in the GDL manual under the HELP menu in archicad. You'll find examples of how to use superellipse formulae.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:02:13 GMT

It looks like the mesh tool should do the trick.

Here is a quickie for example. I used a copy of the mesh with an SEO to get the underside of the shell. This works fine for shallow slopes but would be much trickier in steep sections.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Erika Epstein — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:12:09 GMT

I'm not sure what borki is after. From his second post, I was wondering which superellipse shape he is trying to build. Is it this Superellipse?
Or ?

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:52:06 GMT

Thanks for replying both,

I'm not completely sure it is a superelipse, but my impression is that the curves seem to bend in a way that it isn't simply a line abruptly altering it's angle/slope as it begins a curve- that the shape itself is uniform in some mathematic way/formula.

Make sense?

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:46:55 GMT

My point was just that if you know the geometry you can probably get the mesh to work. Its a matter of getting the contours right.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:54:43 GMT

Thanks Matthew,

This was closer to what I did, but I didn't think to use the mesh option- great idea- now I need to go play with it a bit, GDLs too.

Thanks again to both of you:)

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Thomas Holm — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:00:16 GMT

Erika wrote:
...Is it this Superellipse?
Or ?

I'd guess this one:

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:07:48 GMT

Oh, I give.

Though it does seem to be a little shifty from pic to pic.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Dwight — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:16:29 GMT

This looks like a job for "complex profile"

Set up your 2D path, magic wand the wall on it. Here it is.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Dwight — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:05:16 GMT

And another form based in that section.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:47:37 GMT

I'll have to look into the complex profile function- I've never used it.

I should probably also look into some more advanced tutorials- seems like I've only scratched the surface with the one that comes with the program.

Thanks)

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Dwight — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:35:55 GMT

Tutorial? Schmoo-torials!

After you read this:

complex profile stuff

you are up-to-speed

You really need Experimentorials™ for this.

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Dennis Lee — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:38:21 GMT

borki wrote:
Hey all, this is my first post, so I hope it falls in the right place.

I'm looking for a way to draw/generate a 2d superellipse (or something close- as the shape might not be precisely this) in plan- perhaps then after extrude it and round the edges to form the basic shape of a building.

Is this possible?

Did you try this object?
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=2084

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:10:13 GMT

It would be realllly cool if there was a library part that created the shape in 2d. With a couple of of 2d hotspots to control the superellipse parameters.

Make Piet Hein smile.

Any GDL wizards up to the challenge?

Re: How to create a superellipse.

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:10:59 GMT

Look, here's the parametric formula.

A superellipse may be described parametrically by
x = a*cos^(2/r)t

y = b*sin^(2/r)t.

The restriction to r>2 is sometimes made.

Superellipses with a=b are also known as Lamé curves or Lamé ovals, and the case a=b with r=4 is sometimes known as the squircle. By analogy, the superellipse with a!=b and r=4 might be termed the rectellipse.

Wouldn't this be a cool shape to have in one's palette?

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Superellipse.html