Dear Talk-ers,
Let me reflect to some of the comments, questions that have come up in this topic. Without any particular order:
What is MaxonForm, what is the Cinema4D eXchange plugin?
MaxonForm is a simplified version of Cinema 4D: all the modeling, but no rendering or animation.
The full MaxonForm package consists of 3 components: The “MaxonForm application”, the “MaxonForm add-on” for ArchiCAD and the “ArchiCAD plug-in” for MaxonForm. With these components you can establish a one-click bidirectional connection between MaxonForm and ArchiCAD
The above mentioned add-on and plug-in can also be used with standard Cinema 4D, if someone already has one. They will also work with Cinema 4D 9.5 to be released this September.
A completely different product is the ArchiCAD-Cinema4D “eXchange plugin”, which is a MAXON product, distributed by MAXON.
You might be confused now: “If I have ArchiCAD and Cinema4D, what is the difference between the “eXchange plugin” and the “Add-on Only MaxonForm” for me?”
“Add-on Only MaxonForm”
1. functionality focuses on organic modeling
2. one click connection between ArchiCAD and CINEMA 4D
3. data transfer is bidirectional
4. Virtual Building environment is also shown in CINEMA4D
5. jointly developed by Graphisoft and MAXON
“eXchange plugin”
1. functionality focuses on rendering
2. the link is only one way: from ArchiCAD to CINEMA 4D
3. the file has to be saved as an .AC4D file and imported into CINEMA 4D
4. developed by MAXON alone
Why GDL?
With MaxonForm you will be able to model any shape. This means
absolutely
any organic free-form object you can think of. ArchiCAD can only support free geometry in GDL objects (It is logical, that to be able create parametric elements, we have to know something about them - we are unable to know anything about MaxonForm objects because of the infinite geometric possibilities.) so elements created with MaxonForm can only be placed in the ArchiCAD model as GDL. This also means that in ArchiCAD these can only be stretched in the X, Y and Z directions, plus the materials are of course also parametric. But any other modification in the shape of the object has to be done with the organic modeling tools of MaxonForm.
For GDL experts: since MaxonForm creates a script and not a binary, with some copy and paste you can easily assemble one object that has even more parameters (maybe different levels of detail, or parts of the object individually resizable…).
2D representation:
The 2D symbol of the GDL object has edge and point status, so you can snap to them and dimension them. Another option is to set a “cutplane” for the object, if you need to represent something on the Floor Plan as if it was cut at a certain height. (Automatic 2D representation of an organic shaped object! – who else can do this?) This also works across stories.
3D:
In ArchiCAD by default objects get 3D hotspots at the edges of the bounding box. To allow exact placement and alignment in 3D, there is also a possibility to place additional 3D hotspots on the model anywhere you need.
Modeling freedom in ArchiCAD?
I have to emphasize that introducing MaxonForm does NOT mean that we stop developing ArchiCAD’s own modeling capabilities. MaxonForm was NOT developed to replace the freedom in modeling and editing ArchiCAD construction elements. MaxonForm is a tool to create free-form organic objects.
Akos
Bezegh
ArchiCAD
Product
Manager
GSHQ
)
