AIAAF symposium (AI-Aided Architectural Fabrication) in Cottbus (Germany) - 11th October 2019

AIAAF 2019

Cottbus (Germany)

11th October 2019

Following the last year event which was really entertaining and educational, we are pleased to announce the second edition of the AIAAF symposium (AI-Aided Architectural Fabrication). The idea for AIAAF is to meet with researchers, manufacturers, architects, engineers, etc. to showcase the works, discuss the existing research problems and potentially form some partnerships. While we do keep the event open to the public, we intend to keep the talks technical and academia-oriented. This year a workshop will accompany the symposium, covering some of the above-mentioned topics on the first part of the day.

There are four goals for the Symposium:

1. Showcase the projects which are using fabrication aided by AI
2. Discuss outstanding robotic fabrication projects
3. Get familiar with the cutting edge simulation, modeling and learning methods
4. Find out new areas of collaboration between the AI and Fab disciplines

There will also be a workshop "Intro to ML for the AEC with Rhino/GH".

Complete info...

Registration form... 

Lille Langebro cycle and pedestrian swing bridge, completed in July

The WilkinsonEyre architecture practice created the Lille Langebro cycle and pedestrian swing bridge for Copenhagen.

The bridge is an application of curves to align with the moat and bank of the historic Christianshavn neighborhood and to accommodate boats passing through. 

The CAD software used was Rhino, Grasshopper, and MicroStation.

This is a landmark project both for Copenhagen and for the wider bridges sector. By combining cutting-edge design with unique technical solutions it has been possible to minimise the structural depth of the bridge and really push the boundaries of design, affording pedestrians and cyclists views across the harbour. The opening and closing of the bridge acts as a spectacle in itself, bringing a sense of theatre and excitement to the area. We’re delighted to have been able to work closely with Realdania and WilkinsonEyre to make the vision a reality.—Simon Fryer, technical director, bridges, BuroHappold Engineering

More details in Architects' Journal...

Interactive 3D parametric tower design by Marco Traverso

After Marco Traverso's recent webinar on car rim design, this is a new demonstration of a parametric model done with Grasshopper and published through the ShapeDiver platform.

This time the parametric model is capable of generating a variety of tower designs, allowing specifications of the overall shape and dimensions, the type of balcony pattern style—using different image textures—as well as other architectural elements.

Check out the project here...

Are you a Bon Iver fan?

Fun! Rhino and Grasshopper show up in Bon Iver's promotional video for their new album and music tour, Autumn. It's instrumental in WhiteVOID's light show design.

Around minute 4:50, see Rhino and Grasshopper. Bon Iver: Autumn...

Now released! The xNURBS plug-in

Announcing the release of xNURBS Rhino Plug-in V2.0! This groundbreaking NURBS technique has unlimited capacities for solving NURBS and generating high-quality surfaces based on an energy-minimization method. 

The key features are:

• Unlimited capacity for solving NURBS: Its optimization algorithm can solve virtually any NURBS surface on the fly (regardless of how complex the constraints are).
• High-quality surfaces: Its optimization algorithm uses an energy-minimization method to generate the smoothest NURBS surfaces that meet all the inputted constraints.
• Easy-to-use: It uses one simple UI for all kinds of NURBS modeling.
• Native CAD surfaces: xNURBS generates native CAD surfaces, i.e., trimmed/untrimmed NURBS surfaces, which can be directly used for any CAD modeling operations.

The xNURBS plug-in is currently available in English, German, French, and Japanese. 

More information...

Rhino UK User Group Meeting 2019 notes and photos

The Rhino UK User Group Meeting 2019 was held in June at The Crypt On The Green, London, EC1. 

Notes and photos from the event can be found now on SimplyRhino UK website.

Reshape19| Cognified Matter - Adidas new partner

In its third year, Reshape is happy to announce the participation of Adidas as a primary partner at the Reshape19| Cognified Matter competition.

Simone Cesano - Senior Director Design Operations Adidas will be part of the Reshape Jury Members to evaluate the emerging designer that will participate in the new edition of Reshape Competition V.

Reshape19| Cognified Matter focuses on future applications of Wearable Tech and Smart Products, inviting creative minds to predict new trends, elaborate on novel solutions, and recalibrate existing markets in the direction of more sustainable models.

Speckle (open source data platform for AEC) at Digital Construction Week London - Oct 17, 2019

On October 17th, Paul Poinet will give a talk about "Open-source frameworks as enablers of transparent collaborative design workflows" during the Digital Construction Week in London at the Construction Innovation Hub.

"In the context of the AEC Delta Mobility project, I will present some recent research work built upon the Speckle open-source framework: an interactive graph tool that maps the various data exchanges operated through the platform, enabling the user to better visualize and query streams from a selected project. Join in if you are around!"hashtopen-source framework: an interactive graph tool that maps the various data exchanges operated through the platform, enabling the user to better visualize and query streams from a selected project. Join in if you are around!"

Details...

Chaos Meetup Berlin - September 23, 2019

Chaos Meetup Berlin

September 23, 2019

Come join the Chaos Group for a deep dive into the world of architecture and design featuring inspiring industry leaders like Mahmoud El Hakim from Cheil, Gerrit Corsmeyer and Andreas Moos.

See the latest developments in V-Ray and in the Rhino 7 WIP (Sub-D, QuadRemesher, Rhino Inside technology...). 

The event will finish off with some fine chat and beer. See you there!

Schedule and free registration...

Design Modelling Symposium Berlin - September 21-25, 2019

Design Modelling Symposium Berlin
"Impact: Design With All Senses“
Universität der Künste Berlin
September 21-25, 2019

The conference program of the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin is now available, and there are still a few seats left for some workshops.

"Spatial Design is a fundamental practice in humans’ shaping of the material world. As a cultural technique, it is a key activity in the design-based disciplines as well as in the arts and in engineering. The digital revolution has led to the development not only of new spatial design technologies, devices and tools, but also of new fundamental processes and strategies, in which generative procedures make algorithms an indispensable component in the design process. But it is not only technological possibilities that are progressing. The social configurations of spatial design are also shifting, as are spatial awareness and spatial experience. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between environments and technology: surfaces are becoming interfaces, inhabitants are becoming nodes, and products are transforming into services. As a consequence, established concepts of authorship, ‘reality’ and ‘authenticity’ need to be re-evaluated.

All forms of design are increasingly using digital representations and digital tools to provide more immediate feedback on the designs being generated. In this context, we can observe a gradual convergence of artistic and technical design processes. Media art and design are drawing intensively from technological developments, whereas the development of technical products and services are increasingly considering non-technical aspects such as user experience and intuition.

By synthesizing artistic, theoretical and technological perspectives and positions, the symposium will provide a platform for key research questions about the role of the digital in relation to art, architecture and design, and the impact on the future of society, environment and innovation. In this context the integration of life cycle analysis as a fundamental parameter of any design exploration and optimisation seems to be key question in the further production of human physical and social space in all scales. What will be our impacts for further generations and how could we adapt the new design methods and environments in combination with digital fabrication processes and innovative material systems to a new quality in a Regenerative Design."

Register here to the conference and workshops...

Rhino Meetup group in Munich (Germany)

FlexiCAD.com has set up a Rhino Meetup Group in Munich to strengthen the Rhino community in the Bavarian area.

Joining this group is free, and it's addressed to people interested in Rhinoceros and CAD. FlexiCAD.com will offer free meetings and workshops.

The first Stammtisch will take place in autumn 2019.

Join the group...

Mindesk 3 released - Real-time VR for Rhino

Mindesk 3 is here.

Real-time VR for Rhino.

Mindesk is the first and most advanced virtual reality interface for Rhino 6 and Grasshopper.

Navigate, edit and build your 3D CAD models immersed in the VR without exporting your Rhino project. All you need to do is load Mindesk and you are ready to go. Bring your current Rhino workflow in VR including 3D navigation, multi-scale view, geometric editing, NURBS editing, surface modeling, curve modeling and much more. Mindesk works with HTC Vive™, Oculus Rift™, and Windows Mixed Reality™ devices. We recommend that your PC is VR/AR ready.

Seven things Mindesk 3.0 brings to designers...

SSI Conference on Naval Engineering in Lisbon (Portugal) - Sep 30-Oct 2, 2019

SSI Conference on Naval Engineering

Lisbon (Portugal)

Sep 30-Oct 2, 2019

SSI is the annual ShipConstructor EMEA conference.

Join the event and learn more about state-of-the-art 3D design, analysis, optimization, engineering, and fabrication.

Get inspiration from industry experts in yacht design, naval architecture and shipbuilding, who will share their more recent projects and workflows.

Watch presentations and get hands-on with live software demonstrations in hull design and fairing, parametric engineering, CFD, visualization, and much more, including the latest updates about Rhino, Grasshopper, ExpressMarine, Orca3D and OrcaCFD.

Details and registration...

Grasshopper tutorial: Irregular tiling

This Grasshopper tutorial uses Parakeet's Quadrilateral Tiling component to generate tiling (grid). The tiling is based on any irregular/regular Quadrilateral Curve (any closed polyline with four points and four edges).

This is just one of a series of courses by Parametric House that you can enroll in.

Rhino Grasshopper tiling tutorial by Parametric House...

Karamba3D Workshop, November 27-29 in Vienna

Location: Vienna, Austria

Venue: Atelier Mitte 7, Stuckgasse 9, Vienna 1070

Dates: November 27-29, 2019, 10:00 - 18:00

Earlybird Fee (until October 1): Professional EUR 750 (+VAT), Student EUR 375 (+VAT)

Course Fee: Professional EUR 825,- (+VAT), Student EUR 415,- (+VAT)

Led by plug-in developer and structural engineer Clemens Preisinger, along with Zeynep Aksoz and Matthew Tam from the expert Karamba3D team, this three-day workshop will focus on methods of setting up structural systems in the parametric environment of Grasshopper. The participants will be guided through the basics of analyzing and interpreting structural models, to optimization processes and how to integrate Karamba3D into C# scripts.

This workshop is aimed towards beginner to intermediate users of Karamba3D. However, advanced users are also encouraged to apply. It is open to both professional and academic users. For beginner users of Rhino and Grasshopper, there will be an optional introductory course one day before the Karamba3D course.

Karamba3D is a parametric structural engineering tool which provides accurate analysis of spatial trusses, frames and shells. Karamba3D is fully embedded in the parametric design environment of Grasshopper, a plug-in for the 3D modeling tool Rhinoceros. This makes it easy to combine parameterized geometric models, finite element calculations, and optimization algorithms like Galapagos.

Course Outline

• Introduction and presentation of project examples
• Optimization of cross sections of line-based and surface-based elements
• Geometric optimization
• Topological optimization
• Structural performance informed form finding
• Understanding analysis algorithms embedded in Karamba3D and visualizing results
• Complex workflow processes in Rhino, Grasshopper, and Karamba3D

Places are limited to a maximum of 10 participants with limited educational places. A minimum of 4 participants is required for the workshop to take place. The workshop will be canceled if this quota is not filled by October 28. The workshop will be taught in English.

Course Requirements

Basic Rhino and Grasshopper knowledge is recommended. An introductory course is offered.

No knowledge of Karamba3D is needed. Participants should bring their own laptops with Grasshopper and either Rhino 5 or Rhino 6 installed. You can download a 90-day trial version of Rhino. Karamba3D ½ year licenses for non-commercial use will be provided to all participants.

Please register here...

Seanaptic 4.5 release - Bill of Materials and Color Coding

The Rhino plug-in SEANAPTIC allows naval architects to model parametric ship structures with extreme efficiency.

Seanaptic 4.5 capable of exporting the Bill of Materials is now available. Blocks Division, Annotated Class Drawings, Components Management, Color Coding, Parametric 3D Modelling, Weight and CoG calculations are few of its main features. 

Try free for three months...

Free for universities and students.

UTS Central: A case study in digital fabrication

You can read a case study for UTS Central, a design project for the University of Technology Sydney.

Discussed for this 17-story glass-encased building are:

• Early contractor involvement.
• Prototyping.
• Shifting away from conventional BIM software to more manufacture-based software. Delivery of the BIM information.
• Geometrically deriving the sun shading system in Grasshopper. Fabrication of these louver and cladding panels from folded aluminum components. 
• Individual fixture design.
• The Grasshopper script.
• Material feedback.
• Scan data to determine the as-built structural steel geometry.
• 2D documentation.
• On-site installation.

UTS Central: A case study in digital fabrication by Parametric Monkey...

PARAMATERIA - Advanced Course in Parametric Design, Digital Manufacturing and Product Development - Berlin

PARAMATERIA
Advanced Course in Parametric Design, Digital Manufacturing and Product Development
4 Oct - 10 Dec 2019
Berlin and Eberswalde, Germany

To qualify you for the growing parametric design job market, PARAMATERIA is offering a two-month full-time course in the fascinating fields of digital manufacturing, robotics, and product development.

Enroll now!

Enrollment is now open for the first edition of the PARAMATERIA course in this fall in Berlin and Eberswalde, Germany.

The course is for tech-driven students and young professionals keen on pursuing exciting careers in leading-edge industries like robotic fabrication, product design, fashion, architecture, automotive, and more.

• Create innovative, customized and sustainable products from start to finish.
• Solve real-world manufacturing challenges.
• Excursions to leading manufacturers in Germany.
• Case study project: design, fabrication, and assembly of a full-size origami pavilion.
• Operate within the highly equipped industrial facilities of the woodworking company LIGAS in Berlin.
• Enjoy a productive campus atmosphere at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.

Details and registration here...

Resilient Skin Code - AA Visiting School Milano - October 7-18, 2019

Resilient Skin Code

AA Visiting School Milano

October 7-18, 2019

Resilient Skin Code, a collaboration between the Architectural Association and Politecnico di Milano, will take place in Milano October 7-18, 2019, in conjunction with the Fall Milan design week.

The school will study new relationships between architecture, fashion design, and resilience, exploring advanced computational skills and digital fabrication techniques combined with craftsmanship techniques.

Students will create a wearable structure that is also a form of shelter, incorporating a small-scale structure. The aim is to meaningfully contribute to the ongoing discussion about the way we address design and sustainability in the fashion and architectural industries.

The design process will include geometrical explorations, assembly methods and modular systems emerging from both fields.

Students will be introduced to Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, focusing on modeling and parametric design, as well as digital fabrication technologies, specifically 3D printing and robotics.
Diverse handcraft techniques such as folding, weaving, printing, and wrapping, combined with high-resolution digital products, will be presented.

Students will be introduced to the latest theoretical thinking to complement the research, guided by professionals and academics from the architectural and fashion worlds.

Complete details and registration...

Follow AA Visiting School Milano on Facebook and Instagram!

Parametric Design workshop by Jeroen Coenders (White Lioness Technologies) in Delft (Netherlands) - Nov 27-Dec 12, 2019

Parametric Design workshop

by Jeroen Coenders (White Lioness Technologies)
Delft (Netherlands)

Nov 27-Dec 12, 2019

Adjust architectural and structural designs easily by a mouse click? Designs that adapt to environmental data? Automated calculations? Realize design optimization? The possibilities of parametric design are tremendous and an increasing number of companies in the construction industry are using it. 

Do you want to learn how parametric design can help your company? Register for the 4-day Dutch course Parametric Design with Jeroen Coenders of White Lioness technologies. The course starts on November 27 in Delft (The Netherlands).

Complete details and registration (in Dutch)...

UPB's 7th Edition - Minor in Digital Fabrication Commencement Ceremony

Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana's (UPB's) RhinoFabStudio invites you to join the 7th Edition of their Commencement Ceremony, honoring 37 students who have successfully completed the Minor in International Digital Fabrication.

A certificate will be awarded to students who have successfully completed the required courses for the Minor including Rhino and four electives. 

To learn more about UPB's RhinoFabStudio watch this video!

Date: Tuesday, August 27th, 2019
Time: 10 AM
Location: Ignacio Vieira Auditorium Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana - Medellín, Colombia

For more information please contact Ovidio Cardona Osorio.
ovidio@mcnnel.com

What is RhinoFabStudio? A RhinoFabStudio™ (fabrication studio) is a small-scale digital workshop, certified by McNeel, with an array of Rhino and Rhino compatible software and computer controlled tools and training. These tools cover the various leading-edge industrial methods and materials needed to design, analyze, and fabricate almost anything.

To become a Certified RhinoFabStudio please visit this link!

Rhino DOF Training @ McNeel Miami

Register for the Rhino DOF - Rhino Design Optimization & Fabrication training by McNeel Miami, home of the RhinoFabStudio.

Course description:
In this class, you'll learn to create and edit accurate free-form 3-D NURBS models. This fast-moving class covers most of Rhino's functionality, including the most advanced surfacing commands. Also, you'll learn the concepts and features of Grasshopper at an accelerated pace in an instructor-led hands-on environment. The advantages of using Grasshopper in preliminary design and concept development come to life since the students may be able to create their models on a 3D printer and a laser machine, if times allows.

D+O+F Training:

USD $799

Date: September 16-19, 2019

Time: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (EST)*

If you are not able to attend the 4-day Rhino D+O+F workshop, choose between these two options:

1) Rhino Training Level 1: Day 1 & 2

USD $495

Date: September 16-17, 2019

Time: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (EST)*

2) Grasshopper: Day 3 & 4

USD $495

Date: September 18-19, 2019

Time: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (EST)*

*Note: All times listed are Eastern (Miami) time zone

Location for all courses: 
McNeel Miami
1538 NW 89th Court
Miami, FL 33172

Space is limited. Register here!

For more information please contact Jackie Nasser or call 305-513-4445.

What is RhinoFabStudio? A RhinoFabStudio™ (fabrication studio) is a small-scale digital workshop, certified by McNeel, with an array of Rhino and Rhino compatible software and computer controlled tools and training. These tools cover the various leading-edge industrial methods and materials needed to design, analyze, and fabricate almost anything.

Photogrammetry file transfer for Rhino

Background image in Rhino with overlaid CAD data, showing the difference between the original and adjusted photos.

You might consider using photogrammetry instead of laser scanning.

Photogrammetry generates the 3D coordinates of selected points, usually applied targets. Export the points to Rhino and then work with the points in Rhino.

To do this, you apply targets, take your photos from varied locations, process the images on the computer, and export the results to Rhino.
You can integrate photogrammetry into your Rhino workflow using PhotoModeler. Import solved camera positions, rotations, and undistorted image backgrounds directly in the Rhino's native .3DM format. 

A few things PhotoModeler can do:

• Comprehensive Rhino 3DM export with geometry (2D and 3D points, lines, surfaces, textures, and NURBS, layers & materials), camera position and orientation data, and two styles of image background.
• Transfer complete 3D models with NURBS, surfaces, textures, etc.
• Work with the same layers and materials in both programs.
• Transfer accurate scale and coordinate systems for accurate dimensioning.
• Transfer project notes to Rhino notes.
• Set up orthographic image backgrounds in Rhino.
• Work with 2D patterns and templates for camera-based digitization.
• Transfer an accurate camera view for each original project photo.

PhotoModeler Technologies wrote a blog post with tips for using photogrammetry and PhotoModler with Rhino.

Optimus - new metaheuristic optimization plug-in for Grasshopper

Optimus is a new metaheuristic optimization plug-in for Grasshopper. The first version implements the Self-Adaptive Differential Evolution with Ensemble of Mutation Strategies (jEDE). While the self-adaptive approach updates crossover and mutation rates, the ensemble of mutation strategies uses three operators to find the optimal result. The main purpose is to support the Performative Computational Architecture framework during the design decisions in the conceptual phase.

The plug-in experimented with using standard test problems, some of the test problems proposed in IEEE CEC 2005, and one design optimization problem. (All these are below). The results show that Optimus (jEDE) outperformed some of the single-objective optimization algorithms available in food4Rhino by finding much better solutions for 20 out of 21 problems. The target audience of the tool is frequent users of parametric design modeling, e.g., architects, engineers, and designers.

The algorithm background and the results are here.

ShapeDiver now supports Pufferfish plug-in

The Pufferfish plugin is a set of 280 components which focuses on Tweens, Blends, Morphs, Averages, Transformations, & Interpolations - essentially shape-changing.

That said, it provides tweening tools for almost all geometry primitives in Grasshopper, and its real power is when those operations are executed on more complex primitives such as meshes and surfaces.

On top of the traditional categories of geometry, Pufferfish offers extended support for twisted boxes. Like any other primitive, they can be used for tweening operations. The good news is that all components are now supported without restrictions by ShapeDiver.

See the example model uploaded to ShapeDiver, which uses the "Twisted Box Loft" component to create the array of boxes and the "Morph to Twisted Box" component to morph different types of tileable elements to array on the following article.

UK Rhino Summer School 2019

September 2-4, 2019
The University of Liverpool
School of Engineering
Brownlow Hill, L69 3BX

Join the Simply Rhino Summer School for a free Rhino and Grasshopper training to educators from schools, colleges, and universities.

This course is suitable for anyone new to Rhino or those who want a thorough refresher on the basics. It's being delivered by Certified Trainers from McNeel and Simply Rhino. The course includes an introduction to Grasshopper.

More information...

Rhino and Grasshopper training in Russia

Limited Liability Company VOPLOSHENIE, Authorized Rhino Trainer and Reseller, has organized a series of online training classes in Russian during the next months.

Details and registration here (in Russian)...

Interested in a case study of a Thai airport?

Paul Wintour of Parametric Monkey published a case study for the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport Midfield Satellite Concourse in Bangkok.

Read about the software and processes used in the design studies. And read about what worked and what didn't.

Case study of Suvarnabhumi International Airport...

Rhino3DMedical - Creating CAD models straight from medical images with Rhino

Mirrakoi announces its new product, Rhino3DMedical, enabling users to create manufacturable and 3D-printable designs directly from medical images. 

“We provide powerful medical image analysis tools within a high-end CAD environment in an all-in-one workspace. You no longer need to import and export between different tools or switch software for the different steps in the workflow,” says Daniel Schmitter, CEO of Mirrakoi.

The software is still under development and is currently available for testing purposes.

Complete info, download and manual...

Steam bent theater seating

Photographer: Greg Mooney

Rhino contributed to the renovation of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, a project combining steam bending with laser technology.

To achieve the sinuous design and installation, Trahan Architects borrowed the form-making ideas of celebrated furniture and design artist Matthias Pliessnig.

How do you scale an artist’s handcrafted quality to outfit a 650-seat theater? Pliessnig and Trahan’s team used steam to soften hundreds of reclaimed white oak slats, and then bend them into place around the theater to create a serpentine surface along the theater's balcony railing and side terraces. The custom-shaped and -positioned slats provide outstanding acoustics inside the theater. And steam bending the wood was more efficient than milling it on a lathe.

Working with the Plaistow, N.H.–based wood fabricator CW Keller Associates, in Rhino, the team devised a model that called for approximately 100,000 linear feet of wood slats placed around the theater. In locations where the acoustics needed a reflective surface, the slats were spaced close together. Where absorption was needed, the slats were set further apart.

The curvy, undulating aesthetic required laser scanning and projection. The laser projection allowed the assembly team to take the fabricated oak panels and place them without relying on measuring tape and plumb lines. The projector projects placement points on the theatre wall. 

Watch the process in the Faro video Alliance Theater, Atlanta, Georgia.

More photos and details are also in Architect Magazine's article.