Param-O - Extrusions

[gdford]

I fully understand how to extrude linear shapes using the Extrusion Parameter, but i can not figure out how to produce a curved or rotated extrusion. Is this possible???
Just to be clear - I am not asking how to rotate a shape.

Thanks,

[Laszlo Nagy]

I do not think this is possible directly by using a single Node.
It would be possible if we had a "TUBE" Node, but it is not yet implemented.
Another way would be to divide the path of the extrusion into segments and generate the individual segments. However, you would have to do some cutting, I believe, and again, the "CUTPLANE" Node is not yet implemented.

The cutting may also be done using the "DIFFERENCE" Node, which subtracts one shape from another, so you may perform cutting operations with it.

Maybe the closest thing now would be to use the "GDL SHAPE" Node, because if you place it and double-click it you will see that you can actually write a GDL script in it, in which you can use any GDL command, even those not yet implemented in Param-O:

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/user-guide/129406/

[gdford]

Thanks Laszlo,
That is the answer i was expecting.... I must have tried using the nodes a 100 different ways to make it work.
I am eagerly awaiting the next version....
Will the releases of Param-O be timed with versions of Archicad, or will they release the next version whenever they have something stable. Personally I think Param-O should not be keyed to releases of Archicad. I for one would appreciate a dribble of improvements.
Are beta versions available for testing? If so I would be interested in participating.
Like I said before, my interest here is for building intelligent objects that can have some understanding of where they are placed. A good example would be having objects that are massing studies for apartment layout on a site. You tell the objects how many units, what unit types, the number of stories, and they grow to size. The parking objects feed from this and grow the number of parking spaces. The parking spaces rearrange as you change the shape of the object. Perhaps all of these objects reference the site object and arrange themselves in a code compliant manner.
I would like for the designers of Param-O to help these objects reference other objects and of course python scripting.

Thanks again,
Intelligent Parametric Objects could be amazing.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Yes, basically we want the same functionality in Param-O that other generative design tools like Grasshopper in Rhino or Dynamo in Revit have.
That would be great and I hope that it is in the not so distant future.

[gdford]

Laszlo,
I am again playing with trying to make a curved extrusion with the updated Param-o.... and again i do not seem to have the right touch or doing this has yet to be implemented.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

[Laszlo Nagy]

Hi Gary,

Unfortunately, I do not see any Param-O Node that would be able to take a Profile along a 3D path (which I suppose you would like to achieve). There is only the "Profile Extrude" Node, but that extrudes the Profile only along a single segment.
(Just as an aside, it seems that the preview of PAram-O displays the geometry of the "Profile Extrude" Node incorrectly, as it displays an open geometry instead of a solid geometry. I will notify GRAPHISOFT about that.)


There are two interesting Param-O Nodes that might be worth considering.
1. "GDL Object" Node, which lets you place a GDL OBject as part of the Param-O object.
2. "GDL Shape" Node, which lets you execute a bit of GDL Script as part of the Param-O object. IN this object, you could use the TUBE GDL command to extrude a Profile along a 3D path, but you would need to know how to script it in GDL.

[gdford]

Thanks Laszlo
I appreciate your thoughts