Large-scale daylight simulation on the Cloud

Sarith Subramaniam, Mili Kyropoulou, and Paul Ferrer worked on a daylighting study for the proposed extension for the San Francisco International airport. The model exceeded the capacity of any conventional daylighting tool. So they used a pre-release version of the library now known as Honeybee[+] on local and Cloud-based machines for nearly the entirety of the project.

Read more on this case study of a large-scale daylight simulation with Honeybee[+] on the Cloud.

Core Studios West Cost Hackathon now in Seattle!

Join CORE studio at Thornton Tomasetti, Inc. for AEC Tech 2019: Seattle!

Friday, March 29 – Sunday, March 31, 2019

CORE studio at Thornton Tomasetti, hosts of the annual AEC Tech in New York, is bringing the AEC Tech Hackathon to Seattle! Join us for the first AEC Tech 2019: West Coast Hackathon, to be held at the UW Center for Education and Research in Construction. For the first west coast event, CORE studio is partnering with Robert McNeel & Associates!

AEC Tech is an annual New York event which includes workshops, symposium, and hackathon. Its goal is to produce a space for creative minds to build new technology, learn skills, and foster connections with like-minded individuals.

 AEC Tech Hackathon is for all levels of programmers, developers, engineers, architects, and others. As an attendee, you will collaborate, network, build new relationships, and generate new ideas and processes for the AEC community.

AEC Tech 2019: Seattle will be a three-day event featuring masterclasses by industry professionals, a mini-symposium, and a 26-hour hackathon.

The masterclasses are on Friday and are designed to both teach new skills and build on existing ones that can be immediately applied to the Hackathon. Friday concludes with a Mini-Symposium, featuring talks from local professionals on current updates in the industry.

The Hackathon takes place Saturday and Sunday, March 30-31.

Dates:
March 28 Computational Design Happy Hour (evening, Elephant and Castle, downtown)
March 29 Masterclasses
March 29 Reception for Attendees (evening)
March 30-31 Hackathon (CERC University of WA Sandpoint )

Cost: $475

More information will be posted in the coming weeks about the schedule, registration, and masterclasses. Stay informed by following Core studios on Twitter, Instagram, and checking the website.

FlyingArchitecture Emotion workshop in Brno, Czechia

Archviz workshop in Rhinoceros: FlyingArchitecture Emotion

Do you want to become a professional Archviz artist? Or perhaps you just want to know how to make those images you dream about. Then this four-day workshop by FlyingArchitecture is for you.

Day 1

• Basics of Rhino, management, optimization, and light.
• You’ll start with a given 3D model of a house, without the surrounding assets (trees, shrubs, rocks). These will be added during the day.
• Matus and Lukas, from Flying Architecture, also go through Rhinoceros scene optimization, Asset Management, V-Ray Options, Scene Lighting explanation, and its rules and camera basics.
• You will end up with a fully furnished scene with all assets placed and a model ready to be rendered in clay, for proof of composition and lighting.

 Day 2

• You’ll start creating materials - from the basic V-Ray Materials, to more complex Blend materials for leaves, or even terrain. You will also adjust the V-Ray lighting and explore Render channels and finally, tweak the settings to achieve the best output. 

 Day 3

• Matus and Lukas will explain postproduction.
• You’ll start with Photoshop and understanding the basics of layer management. Masking and adjustments will seamlessly transfer to a full postproduction work towards the end of the day. 
• You will end the third day’s session with a finished image.

 Day 4

• The last day will be dedicated to using the knowledge you gained during the workshop and to find its practical use for quick scene setup. 
• You will quickly set up an extra image as an exercise the knowledge you gained. Then you will run it and finish it in Photoshop. 
• The last few hours will be for discussion of the upsides and downsides, about what you struggled with, and to talk about the specific issues you may encounter.

See what the students created in a previous workshop at XJTLU in Suzhou, China.

Dates: February 28 - March 3 (4 days)

Location: Brno, Czechia
Software: Rhinoceros 5 + V-Ray 3.60.03 for Rhino + Photoshop CC
It is Rhino 5, but Rhino 6 users can still run their 5.

Language: English with an option to communicate in Slovak/Czech language
Required hardware: Students must bring their own laptops with software pre-installed and up-to-date.
Costs: €449 (+VAT)

More information on this workshop....

AEC Tech Video now online

Core Studio has released the videos of the seminars talks at the AEC Tech 2018. 

See the talks from the community that is leading the AEC market into new workflows: AEC Tech videos.

A computationally designed chair inspired by seashells

Ernesto Pastore's recent work, Conchita, is a computationally designed chair inspired by bivalve seashells. Ernesto's work is often inspired by the growth processes and efficiencies found in nature, resulting in sculptural, yet functional, designs.

Designed with Rhino and Grasshopper, Conchita was fabricated with a combination of digital fabrication and craftsmanship.

Ernesto Pastore is an architect and computational designer. He began his architecture and sculpture studies in his native El Salvador and later completed it at the Architectural Association in London. His main interests now involve experimenting with novel digital design methods and exploring new materials and fabrication processes, often combining traditional techniques with emerging technologies.

Advanced Parametric Design - Live Online Training by McNeel

Advanced Parametric Design with Grasshopper

Dates: March 4-7, 11-14, 2019 (8 days)
Hours: 10 AM - 3 PM each day (PST)
Price: US$395.00

Please join Rajaa Issa for the Advanced Parametric Design Master Class in Grasshopper. This two-week comprehensive training is for designers seeking to develop critical and comprehensive understanding of parametric design methods and geometry using Grasshopper.

Details and registration...

Wallacei - New Evolutionary Engine for Grasshopper

Wallacei, a new plugin for Grasshopper, is an evolutionary engine that allows users to run simulations through using highly detailed analytic tools coupled with various comprehensive selection methods, including algorithmic clustering, to assist users to understand their evolutionary runs better and make more informed decisions at all stages of their evolutionary simulations. This includes setting up the design problem, running the evolutionary algorithm, analyzing the results and selecting the desired solutions for the final output. Wallacei also provides users with the ability to select, reconstruct and output any phenotype from the population after completing their simulation.

Wallacei also has a full tutorial series on how to use the plugin and an official Wallacei primer that goes through all the features and functions of the plugin. Download the tutorials and the Primer through the Wallacei website.

Download Wallacei on food4Rhino...

Quatertower project in Augsburg (Germany) by SPANS | Sterling + Presser Architects Engineers

Quatertower, Timbertower, Augsburg, Germany 

Project: Timbertower
Location: Augsburg, Germany
Date: 2018
Client: Millenium Building Quatertower GmbH
Architect and concept structure: SPANS | Sterling + Presser Architects Engineers
Renderings: GRAU Visuals
Type: Living, Offices
Stage: Competition - Anerkennung Shortlisted

City landmark and signal vortex building

The Quatertower project aims at being a landmark of Augsburg's peripheric center, creating eleven levels of living and office spaces with a view of the old city. It adopts an unexpected form, and as such it creates a visible, recognizable identity. Its cylinder is creating a signal, vortex, point of reference and gateway between the old city and the TIM, Textile and Industrie Museum.

Timber weaving material materiality

The entire structure and secondary structural elements are made of timber. They refer to the weaving process displayed in the TIM museum. The external timber lattice structure is state of the art timber use in high rise buildings and refers to a deeper sense of tradition, arts & crafts, and weaving technique knowledge. The use of timber is seen as a connection to natural materiality, to carpentry and to traditional construction system.

Geometry / structure generation

The geometry has been entirely generated with Rhino and Grasshopper, based on three tangent vertical cylinders fixing the program regulation in space. The primary façade structure is based on a variable diagrid projected. It is stabilized by the continuous logarithmic spiral, restraining the diagrid horizontally, and creating a dynamic visual movement.

Complete details...

Grasshopper & AR/VR for Rhino User Group Meeting in London - Feb 21, 2019

Grasshopper & AR/VR for Rhino User Group Meeting in London

For the first User Group Meeting of 2019 (by SimplyRhino UK) we are combining our usual Grasshopper UGM with our VR/AR user group.

The group is for those interested in meeting to network, discuss and explore Grasshopper and virtual and augmented reality solutions for Rhino.

The meetings follow a simple format of at least one presentation from a customer with experience in this field, followed by group discussion and informal pleasantries.

Confirmed presenters are Grimshaw and Fologram.

Details

Thursday, February 21, 2019
18:30 – 20:30
Grimshaw, 57 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5NG (See map here)

Complete details and registration...

Fologram workshop in London (UK) - Feb 19-21, 2019

Fologram - Building augmented reality apps in Rhino and Grasshopper

3-Day Fologram Workshop taking place February 19-21, 2019, at Grimshaw in London

Fologram is an intuitive toolkit that allows designers to build interactive augmented reality applications for mobile phones and head-mounted displays (such as Microsoft’s HoloLens) within Rhino and Grasshopper.

This 3-day workshop will demonstrate tools and workflows to:

• Create shared augmented reality experiences to visualize designs in context and at scale
• Work with sensor data (tracked positions, hands, clicks and scans) to interact with parametric models using natural gestures and motion
• Experience and interact with the existing ecosystem of Grasshopper plugins (e.g. physics simulations, robotic controllers, environmental and structural analysis) in augmented reality
• Augment parts and tools with holographic overlays using QR codes and positionally tracked markers
• Digitize physical spaces and models using HoloLens scan data and tracker markers
• Generate fabrication and assembly instructions from design models
• Develop augmented reality design and fabrication experiences that can provide intelligent and contextual feedback to assist with difficult or complex tasks
• Work from holographic instructions to fabricate complex large scale architectural installations

Complete info and registration...

Rhino & Grasshopper D+O+F Training - 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 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: February 25-28, 2019

Time: 8:30am - 4:30pm (EST)*

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

1) Rhino Training Level 1: Day 1 & 2

USD $495

Date: February 25-26, 2019

Time: 8:30am - 4:30pm (EST)*

2) Grasshopper: Day 3 & 4

USD $495

Date: February 27-28, 2019

Time: 8:30am - 4:30pm (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 a 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.

RhinoGold Fundamentals Video Training

CAD Jewelry School recently added a new online tutorial series for jewelry: RhinoGold Fundamental Video Training. 

Video Training lessons are easy to follow, with detailed explanations, keyboard shortcuts, and design tips. The training is for RhinoGold 6.5/6.6 users and includes new exercises and lessons, including some pendant and earring designs.

And if you sign up now, you can save $100 from the $297 normal cost.

More information...

UIC Barcelona Master´s Degree in Biodigital Architecture

The UIC Barcelona Master´s Degree in Biodigital Architecture is a pioneering official recognized international program created in 2000: the first to provide systemic study with the founders of digital organicism, advanced architecture and design for our 21st century.

Registration to the 2019 edition...

Research Assistant in Adaptative Architecture

At the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Department of Architecture and Media Technology a position as Research Assistant in Adaptive Architecture is open for appointment from February 1st or sooner. The position is available for 22 months.

Job Description:

The position as a research assistant in adaptive architecture in the Architectural Section at the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, and contains mainly research activities and possibly teaching activities. The position has a strong focus on experimental research on questions concerning adaptive architectural envelopes and is connected to the research project Thermal Adaptive Architecture. The research is based on hybrid methods, focusing on both computational systems and material systems investigations.

More information here...

Grasshopper Workshop in Mexico

Join Andres Gonzalez, RhinoFabStudio worldwide director, at Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara for a 20-hour Grasshopper workshop!

During this seminar, Andres explores primery and intermediate concepts of generative design and architectural modeling. Participants will learn about the interface, logic, data structures, and trees.

Spaces are limited, register now!

Date: January 21-25, 2019

Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm 

Place: Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara

Fee: Mex$ 3,000 Tec students or alumni - Mex$ 5,000 for the general public 

For more information and to register, please contact: alexdiaz@tec.mx or alealfaro@tec.mx

What is a 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.

Introduction C# Scripting and Plugin Development for Grasshopper- Feb 18-21, London

Instructional Course for Advanced Grasshopper Users and Developers

Tutor: Long Nguyen (ICD Stuttgart) 

Date: February 18-21, 2019

Time: 9.30am - 5.30pm with a break for lunch, provided by Simply Rhino

Venue: Simply Rhino, London

About the course

This 4-day workshop will introduce the essentials of scripting and the creation of custom plugins for Grasshopper using the C# language.

C# provides high-performance interaction within the Rhino/Grasshopper modeling environment. This lets you extend the capabilities of Rhino and Grasshopper -- from automating repetitive tasks, developing customized workflows, to implementing advanced generative design algorithm and interacting with other software tools. 

Who should attend?

The workshop is meant for intermediate to advanced Grasshopper users who want to customize, extend and push the existing boundary of the Grasshopper platform.

Some familiarity with scripting/programming and the RhinoCommon API is helpful but not essential for attending, as they will be introduced during the workshop.

Course Outline

Day 1

• Introduction to C# language
• Object-oriented programming
• The .NET framework
• C# Script components in Grasshopper
• RhinoCommon API, the library that allows us to programmatically interact with Rhino
• Basic RhinoCommon geometries: Point3D, Vector3D, Plane, Line, Curve, Surfaces, etc.

Day 2

• Introduction to Visual Studio, an integrated environment for software development
• Creation of plugins for Grasshopper using Visual Studio and the Grasshopper API
• More advanced topics in object-oriented programming
• Meshes, Surfaces, Breps, etc…

Day 3 and 4

• Personal project development
• (Optional discussion of topics requested by the participants)

Registration...

Mindesk 2.0.3 for Parametric Immersive Design

Mindesk 2.0.3 is here! This update integrates the stable Grasshopper component plus performance and UI improvements.

We have listened to hundreds of users and their feedback from all over the world and we are thrilled to announce the improvements you will experience in this update, including:

Parametric + Immersive

With Mindesk + Grasshopper, you can use Virtual Reality to interact with and show complex parametric scripts to non-technical clients. See it in action in this immersive daylight analysis. 

Grasshopper + VR in just 3 min tutorial


Learn how to use Grasshopper and Mindesk in 3 minutes and master your parametric design script in Virtual Reality.

Download Mindesk on food4Rhino...

Rhino User Meeting Helsinki

McNeel Europe is pleased to announce an upcoming Rhino User Meeting at Aalto University in Helsinki happening on January 24, 2019.

Come join us and learn more about state-of-the-art Digital Design and Fabrication.

Get inspiration from industry experts in different fields: Architecture, Engineering, Product Design, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Visualization, 3D Printing, Robotic milling, Environmental Analysis, and much more!

Get the latest news about Rhino WIP, Rhino Inside, Rhino Compute, RhinoVR, Grasshopper and food4Rhino.

Watch presentations and get hands-on with live software demonstrations from our exhibitor partners.

Coffee breaks, lunch and networking drinks are included within the ticket price!

Early Bird tickets until January 10, 2019, at events.mcneel.eu: €65 (then €95)

If you would like to present your projects, workflows or research work (Rhino and/or Grasshopper related), please fill in this form.

Parametric Design Workshops in February 2019

LAVA Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (Berlin)

Beginner course 16h - 9-10 and 16-17 Feb

Intermediate 8h - 16-17 Feb

Are you interested in gaining parametric competency to push your design skills to the next level?

Are you ready to learn a very exciting and powerful tool that will take your ideas and concepts to a whole new realm?

This Parametric Design Workshop will provide you with the necessary knowledge and ability to use Grasshopper, a free visual programming plugin in Rhinoceros. The workshop will also include a hands-on parametric project.

If you already know Grasshopper and would like to boost your parametric knowledge, then you can choose option 2.

Option 1: General Workshop for Beginners - 16 hours: Start 09.02.2019

Option 2: Intensive Workshop for Intermediates - 8 hours: Start 16.02.2019

More information here...

Train 18 -- Indian Railways Project with Rhino

Our Rhino ART in India, INTO Design Research, announced the launch of  India's first engineless, semi-high speed train -- Indian Railways Project Train 18.

As designers and Rhino trainers, INTO Design Research recently got an assignment to design, develop and 3D model the interior of the Driver Cabin for the Indian Railways high-speed train. Collaborating with BFG International (a glass fiber composite design and manufacturing company), Shadabti - Train 18 was launched recently by the Ministry of Railways. This was a revolutionary step taken by the Government of India and Rhino played a significant role.

INTO Design Research used Rhino throughout the design process and prepared the 3D model for manufacturing.

See more photos...

INTO Design Research offers training, product design and development, prototyping and geometry consultation for startups, the student community, and professionals in Chennai and South India.

ITECH now accepting applications

Universität Stuttgart

ICD - Institut für Computerbasiertes Entwerfen und Baufertigung

Keplerstr. 11

D-70174 Stuttgart

Enroll now for Integrative Technologies & Architectural Design Research M.Sc. Programme (ITECH) October 2019. 

Application deadline: February 15, 2019

ITECH is a multidisciplinary, research-oriented, experiment-based programme shaped around contemporary aspects of the built environment.

The goal of the ITECH programme is to prepare a new generation of students from different disciplines for the continuing advancement of technological and computational processes in the development of the built environment through merging the fields of design, engineering, construction, and natural sciences.

By combining an intensive, critical, and analytical approach to computational design simulation and fabrication processes, the ITECH programme focuses on challenging the design space boundaries of current contemporary architectural and engineering practice. It seeks to examine the techniques, methods, and theories of design in engineering, robotics, digital manufacturing, material science, and biology.

The programme is open to students with a recognized Bachelor degree in architecture, architectural science, civil/structural engineering, urban planning, biology or biomimetics, environmental engineering or similar engineering or natural science degrees. All the programme courses are instructed in English.

Applications for enrollment in October 2019 are accepted until February 15th, 2019.

More information on the ITECH Programme and the application process...

Job Opportunity at Kinetica - Mexico

Kinetica is looking for architects/industrial designers/engineers to join their computational design department!

Kinetica is a Mexican design studio focused on the development of custom solutions for non-standard architectural challenges, with a work that spans from consultancy services, design, and engineering, to manufacturing, production, and installation. They are looking for talented designers with extensive knowledge in Rhino, interested in fabrication, construction, computational design, complex geometries, and robotic fabrication.

Qualifications and requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture/industrial design/engineering.
• Proficiency in 3D modeling with Rhino.
• Excellent communication skills in English (both verbal and in writing).
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment.
• Knowledge of macros/scripting in Rhino is a plus.
• Advanced knowledge in Grasshopper is a plus.

To apply, please send your CV and Portfolios to Leonardo Nuevo-Arenas.

What is a 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.

ICD - University of Stuttgart / Call for Researchers

Multiple open positions in the new Cluster of Excellence 

Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture

The University of Stuttgart will establish its new Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC) in 2019. With an initial funding period of seven years, the Cluster of Excellence is the most significant and substantial grant awarded by the German Research Foundation DFG. For the very first time, a Cluster of Excellence has been awarded to the field of Architecture. It will contribute to establishing one of the biggest research centers in the field globally.

The Cluster aims to harness the full potential of digital technologies to rethink design and construction based on integration, with the goal of enabling game-changing innovation in the building sector. The Cluster represents the breadth of scientific excellence of the University of Stuttgart and the Max Plank Institute for Intelligent Systems, across architecture, structural engineering, building physics, engineering geodesy, manufacturing and system engineering, computer science and robotics, social sciences and humanities. It will be led by Prof. Achim Menges from the Institute for Computational Design and Construction.

A more comprehensive description and a movie about the Cluster is on the University of Stuttgart webpage.

ICD is now building the team for the Cluster’s research and invite applications for numerous open PhD and Postdoc positions. If you strive for excellence and are highly motivated, skilled, and interested in participating in this exciting phase of an undertaking with potentially extraordinary impact and significant visibility, please apply to one of the positions at https://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=25306

ETSAM Master’s Degree in Advanced Infographics in Madrid, Spain

Dates: January - June 2019

Place: Madrid, School of Architecture (ETSAM)

Registration period: opened until 15 December 2019

MIAU4 (Postgraduate Program in Advanced Infographics UPM) applications are still open. 

MIAU Research Lines focus student´s production on cutting-edge topics at the intersection of technology and design.

MIAU is an official Instrumental Specialization Course for idealization and creative experimentation in architecture, from its generation to its representation: Project Generation + Computer Graphics + New Technologies + Production Lab. Rhinoceros, Grasshopper (and its add-ons) and VisualARQ will be used during the course progress. 

Get in touch, arrange a meeting, apply, or just say hi sending an email to hey@miauhaus.org

More info about the program here...  

Surfboards in York, Maine?

Yes, surfboards in York, Maine. And yes, Maine has sandy beaches and consistent rolling waves. And the wetsuits help.

Grain Surfboards has combined tech and handcrafting to produced a high-end surfboard. They've derived an approach from both the subtractive process of board-shaping in California and the boat-building techniques of New England.

It's a light and hollow, strong and beautiful warm-hued wooden surfboard.

Often, Grain Surfboards collaborates with foam board shapers to build their product in Grain's signature wooden construction. To do this, they need to replicate the precise shape of the existing boards.

So, reverse engineering is part of their business. Formerly, this was done with hand-drawn sketches, and it was time-consuming and challenging. They now use DotProduct handheld 3D scanners for this, working out a good workflow from the scan data to Rhino. The meshed data is converted to a NURBS surface within Rhino.

Learn about the company's start and learn a little history of surfboard making while you are at it: Bloomberg article and video.

Or you can go to Maine and build your own surfboard: YouTube WMUR NH Chronicle.

Parametric Furniture design - Cali, Colombia

Motsi Parametric Design is a company that specializes in the production of parametric furniture and lightning in Colombia. Their latest initiative has been to create a line that offers pieces with a high degree of original and organic design.  They wanted to achieve a level of innovation that escapes the typical right angles, to generate free forms inspired by nature while innovating how a table is perceived by combining the morphological beauty of Colombian nature with the technical advantages of parametric design and digital production.

With Rhino and Grasshopper they have been able to experiment with the different possibilities of segmentation and sizing of the tables. These digital tools have enabled them to easily separate the vectors of each serial plane, and proceed to cut them in a CNC machine.

To see more of their works follow Motsi Parametric Design on Facebook and Instagram: @motsi.design

For additional information, please contact Fabian Cardona at  +57 318 4001784
or email motsi.parametric@gmail.com.

What is a 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.