Thoughts and Tips about learning GDL

[Anonymous]

I'm seeking the advice of all GDL experience and knowledge levels.

What would be your advice to someone who has ZERO knowledge and experience, wanting to learn how to use GDL properly.

What should one look into, where should one begin.

[TomWaltz]

I like the "Object Making with Archicad" PDF that comes with Archicad for a starting point. It steps you through making objects without GDL, then modifying the scripts of such objects, then making objects from scratch.

[Dwight]

Before you attempt GDL, you should ask yourself if you have the aptitude to be a programmer.

The "Object Making" book is excellent because it shows making elements using Archicad's modeling tools rather than writing a script from scratch. Seeing the GDL code for a wall or slab is instructive. But, in the end, you must enjoy the process of programming: writing and debugging scripts, planning interfaces and establishing parametric variations. You have to like mathematical puzzles because visualizing the form generated by a script is a new skill for architects. When i learned GDL, my chief frustration, beyond syntactic errors (bad commas) was correctly transforming elements.

If you can find one, the "GDL Cookbook," is a carefully written course of study that takes you through steps of increasing complexity toward moderate GDL competence.

Its author, David Nicholson-Cole is teaching in California in mid-April.

[Anonymous]

I like the "Object Making with Archicad" PDF that comes with Archicad for a starting point.

I'm not seeing this pdf in my documentation folder for AC. the closest think I see is the AC 10 GDL Reference Guide (is this it?).

Does it come with the software or do I need to download if from graphisoft?

[Dwight]

okay. Usetacum with Archicad, then.

Now:

http://www.amazon.com/Object-Making-ArchiCAD-GDL-Beginners/dp/9630037262

NOT NOT NOT the reference guide. The reference guide provides GDL syntax and commands for programmers - no teaching there.

[Anonymous]

I found it quickly on amazon, but the "comes with Archicad" statement had me looking for it in my program files, go figue.

Thanks, I'll be buying it today and getting started.

[TomWaltz]

goose724 wrote:
I found it quickly on amazon, but the "comes with Archicad" statement had me looking for it in my program files, go figue.

Thanks, I'll be buying it today and getting started.

That's an older edition. I thought the new one was part of the AC10 installation, but maybe it was AC9. I know it was free, though.

[Karl Ottenstein]

TomWaltz wrote:

goose724 wrote:
I found it quickly on amazon, but the "comes with Archicad" statement had me looking for it in my program files, go figue.

Thanks, I'll be buying it today and getting started.

That's an older edition. I thought the new one was part of the AC10 installation, but maybe it was AC9. I know it was free, though.

I had not realized that GS had trimmed down the online help so much in AC 10. Attached is a shot of the Help index for AC 9 showing the Object Making 'book' and other documents that are not in the 10 help.

I do not have an AC 10 install CD with me at the moment...but in the past, the PDF of the book was on the CD...US users had to browse for it there as it was not installed otherwise.

The helpfile version of the book is available online still here:
http://www.graphisoft.com/ftp/publishing/ac9_help/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm

The PDF is more readable though.

Karl

[Anonymous]

So, for the time being- the AC 9 is the latest book that you guys recommend for this proccess?

Again- Still no one knows of and seminars or classes instructing GDL?

Also- is GDL a Archi CAD term Specifically? Or a general, universal term?

I looked into the GDL cookbook, and found that it seems to be temporarily out of print. Anyone know anything different?