Rhi(k)nowbot

[Bricklyne Clarence]

.......just when GS were busy thinking they were the hottest thing since
sliced bread and were still busy patting themselves on the back for the Curtainwall tool in AC12, some scripting guru goes and creates this little nugget for Rhino:

http://www.rhiknowbot.com/

And it works seamlessly with Rhino's free-form double curving and
curvilinear NURBS surface. - i.e. going from a simple 2D vector created pattern to a 3D surface simply by a 1-to-1 mapping.

With this and the Grasshopper set of parametric plugins and explicit/implicit history interface, one has to wonder why you shouldn't just do a design and model of a building, with gestural curvy surfaces ) and forms (both of which we all know ArchiCAD can't handle with any comparable degree of ease or intuitiveness) along with a systemized panelized curtain-walling system and a live history to affect parametric changes going back to early design phase, in Rhino as opposed to ArchiCAD.

Add on to all of this the fact that the next version of Rhino, Rhino 5 is scheduled to have Polygonal modeling and Subdivision proxies, to put it a par with the freeform modeling power of the likes of Maya and even high end tools like CATIA which already have polygonal/SubD modeling on some level, and it all looks even worse for anyone considering ArchiCAD as a future design tool with a modeling and design toolset to match its documentation and BIM prowess and credentials. As it stands it's easier for me to completely and model in detail a custom stair right down to custom handrail profiles and baluster panels (or a window, or a door, or a fill-in-your-custom-object-here), in Rhino than in ArchiCAD.

I mean, even Sketchup; SKETCHUP!!!! of all programs, for crying out loud, now has a robust SubD surfaces modeling plugin, allowing Sketchup users that extra dimension of modeling freedom that ArchiCAD users can only dream about.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

.....incidentally, this rant was brought to you courtesy of my latest disastrous efforts to use Meshes in conjunction with other construction elements in ArchiCAD, in various Boolean permutations (i.e using SEO's -Solid Element Operations), only to watch the computer ( a Quadcore 4 GIG RAM fairly decent high end machine) be brought to its knees as ArchiCAD 12 struggled to generate the 3D window ( picture the progress bar telling you that the operation will take approximately 538 minutes and for once in its life actually meaning it.

Just sad.

.....so hopefully you'll understand my frustration when I look over the fence and see others getting toys that allow them to do things I can only dream about (or beg for version after frustrating version in the wishlist section) with my tools.

[Dwight]

All Archicad users should see the slide show:


http://www.rhiknowbot.com/


"download "visual demo"

[Anonymous]

Very impressive! It's a pity it was not a film presentation!

So, the next generation modelling programs are coming! I feel the same way as I did in 1995, when I saw AC for the first time and compared it to Autocad and the deceased Datacad!

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Wowza!

[Anonymous]

Looks fascinating and very clever, but the thing that puzzles me is how they actually make use of the model that is produced at the end? After all the transformations have been applied to your curtain wall, how does one actually build it? If your design is sufficiently curvy and complex you could end up with every component being completely unique, no matter how small, which can't be very efficient! Maybe the dimensions are so large that the actual 'curve' of an individual component can be effectively ignored, and a tolerance built in to the junctions to compensate?

It would be interesting to see what the actual process is to get from a paper design, to a geometrical massing 3d model, to a rationalised buildable model, to the metalwork fabrication, to actual assembly on-site. Anyone seen any articles on the subject, or can offer further info?

Out of curiosity, what sort of thing were you trying to model, Bricklyne? How about holding a little contest on here to find the best way to model it. It might be quite interesting to see the different ways to do the task with various software currently available like GDL, Maxonform, Cinema 4d, Rhino and Sketchup etc, and how well they integrate back into ArchiCAD.

[stefan]

Peter wrote:
Looks fascinating and very clever, but the thing that puzzles me is how they actually make use of the model that is produced at the end?

I suggest to read up on the following software tools:

• Bentley Generative Components
  http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Markets/Building/GenerativeComponents.htm
  http://www.bentley.com/bentleywebsite/files/streaming_media/verticals/Building/US/prd/Bld_US_prd_GC_...
  http://www.bentley.com/bentleywebsite/files/streaming_media/verticals/Building/US/prd/Bld_US_prd_GC_...
• Rhino3D + plugins: Grasshopper and Panelingtools and VisualArq
  http://grasshopper.rhino3d.com
  http://en.wiki.mcneel.com/default.aspx/McNeel/PanelingTools.html
  http://www.visualarq.com
• CATIA/Digital Project
  http://www.gehrytechnologies.com
• Paracloud
  http://www.paracloud.com

And also check out some of the blogs and community sites

• http://www.smartgeometry.org
• http://designreform.net

Parametric design applications, where you can create something as freeform as air bubbles or something as rational as a full production model for manufacturers. It is not easy, but you have the tools to translate the geometry into actual data manufacturers can use to produce the trusses, beams etc... and to actually realize them.

But I personally believe that ArchiCAD, while still many years away from this freeform possibilities, has created an interesting new system, albeit currently only used for Curtain Walls.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the links, Stefan.

I'll have a read over lunchtime!

[Anonymous]

WOW!