AI + GDL

[Patrick M]

I spent way too much time trying to teach chatbots, like chatgpt and gemini, the gdl help manuals/cookbook/etc... every script they threw at me was total garbage.
It turns out the 'full version' of claude is actually really useful for generating scripts, and even includes help guides for setting up parameter lists and trouble shooting bad script!

I threw a complex light fixutre together with a cut sheet, manuf. image, and a basic parameter:
"I need a light fixture from the attached cut sheet and image. It needs hotspots for each arm's angle and length. It needs a parameter for pendant length from the ceiling and a hotspot at the mounting point. max polygon count should be 15,000"

I didn't even need to request a 2d symbol, but I have no doubt it would edit the symbol to be whatever I need it to be given a few revised prompts.

I definitely recommend claude for GDL assistance!

object attached, for anyone curious.

Operating system used: Mac Apple Silicon

[Patrick M]

oh, and the object it fed me the script for was only 6,000 poly. If I 'morf barfed' this, it would have been easily 20,000 poly, and would have been static, except the hang height! this is a game changer for me!

[Karl Ottenstein]

Awesome!!  Just an incredible result, Patrick.  Thanks for sharing this and the hours that went into your experiments!

I think Apple gave a hint of who they thought had the best coding assistance in the new XCode which has both agentic and chat coding.   Any additional agents or chat providers can be added, but Apple's defaults are Claude Sonnet/Opus and ChatGPT for chat, and Claude Agent, Codex (OpenAI) and Antigravity (Google) for agents.

[David Collins]

This is both amazing and terrifying in equal parts.

I was thinking these AI generated objects would all be in binary, but its GDL and the script is clear and concise. It would be easy to go in and tweak anything that needed an adjustment. (or I suppose, just tell Claude to do it).

So many questions:

Are the comments and notations in the script also coming from Claude? He’s actually explaining what he’s done ?

Did he also decide what parameters would be needed?

Was this done in one pass or were there many permutations needed to finish the object?

Thanks for sharing this.

[CosminF]

Great idea @Patrick M !

I tried this too with the paid version of Chagpt (by stealing your prompt and image) and it gave me the gsm file directly after one iteration:

It first gave me some instructions on how to copy and paste the scripts and where but then the second time round it just gave me the gsm file.

Neat stuff.

edit so I don't post-spam.
it can make guitars too:

 

[Patrick M]

thats awesome! I didnt ask claude to just give me the .gsm... it seems a little limited in which formats it can take/produce...

it works great for polygon reduction, but only accepts obj
it works great for polyline simplification (surveys), but only accepts DXF

[Patrick M]

Hey David! 
it did indeed write all comments and gave parameter lists, names, and default values!

this was one pass. I copy/pasted the scripts in (master script, 3d, 2d, and parameter). I had about a dozen errors found in the script. 4 were due to a parameter typo on my part. 5-6 were due to a parameter matrix error, also on my part. the few script errors it fed me, it found and replaced when I gave it the error message and line found on.

...

it became very obvious that I could have fed it any number of revisions; for a custom symbol, symbol text, additional surface break downs, etc.

...

I had been trying for years to get chatGPT to learn GDL. I swear I lost half my hair in that attempt. This was so night and day by comparison!

[Chris Grantham]

When you say full version, did you use Opus 5.5 or Fable 5.1?

[Patrick M]

I honestly don't know... its the 2.7032.0 desktop app