Firefly lunch lecture - University of Washington

Lunch-time lecture: Firefly experiments

Architecture, Physical Computing and new Tangible User Interfaces

Date: Friday 11 March, 12:30-1:30 pm
Location: University of Washington, Gould Hall 208J, Seattle, WA
Sponsors: UW Design Machine Group

Seats are limited. RSVP required. (Note: This session has filled. Contact Jody Mills to be added to the waiting list.)

Jason Kelly Johnson from Firefly Experiments and Future Cities Lab in San Francisco will discuss and demonstrate Firefly and show recent projects produced by his lab. Firefly is a new set of comprehensive software tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plugin for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet and beyond. It allows near real-time data flow between the 3D digital and physical worlds and will read/write data to/from internet feeds, remote sensors, connect with machine vision protocols, and more.

Jason Kelly Johnson is the co-developer of Firefly and is a founding partner of Future Cities Lab in San Francisco. He is also an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Interaction at CCA and core tutor of the Architectural Association (AA) Biodynamic Structures summer program held each year in San Francisco.

3D Scanning Conference - Houston, March 21-24

Don't miss the 8th annual SPAR conference, if you have any interest in:

• 3D Laser Scanning and LIDAR
• Mobile 3D Scanning
• Civil, Mapping and GIS
• Scannig to BIM
• Industrial Facilities Management and Maintenance
• Heritage Preservation
• Security Planning and Forensics

The 3D scanning technology has quickly gotten faster, cheaper, and more accurate. At this conference, you will learn from the experts how to take advantage of the latest technology. The agenda includes:

• Bootcamps for beginners (Primers)
• Conference sessions with seven specialized tracks
• Technology demos and workshops
• User group meetings
• Vendor product training
• Vendor exhibits

Visit us along with RhinoTerrain in Booth 77 and Pointools in Booth 68.

Where: Waterway Marriott Hotel, Houston, TX
When: March 21-24
Cost: $395 to 795 (less 10% for Rhino users)

Register here...

More details...

Workshop in Lithuania - Architecture as an organizational matter

Workshop in Lithuania - Architecture as an organizational matter
Date: 28 February - 4 March 2011

This workshop will take place at the Vilnius Art Academy, architecture department, organized by Daniel Koehler and Rasa Navasaityte (www.leds.li).

"The workshop can be understood as an extended computer tooling course. We will introduce computational principles and the today's shift from the computer as an representational tool to an organizational principle for architecture.

We will use the software platform Rhino / Grasshopper for our issues and we will directly transfer our virtual dynamic systems into physical models. Through the act of assembling we will sensitize our notions to the key processes inside a parametric figuration and their architectural potentials as a result of 1:1 perception.

By extracting and cultivating these processes as virtual systems, we learn how to amplify them, till a collective materiality emerges. The goal of the course are spatialized processes with architectural intent."

The workshop is divided into 4 parts:

1. Introduction to environmental design strategies and organizational principles
2. The teaching of software knowledge within the modeling platform Rhino / Grasshopper
3. Physical production of architectural models out of the understanding of architecture as an organizational matter; collective design
4. Exhibition of the collective designs on Friday, 4 March 2011, 18.00, VDA, Maironio g. 6, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Details and registration at www.lab-eds.org

DentalShaper for Rhino

Dental Shaper is a Rhinoceros plugin to import many CAD dental formats and perform on the imported models some actions like interface’s insert on an implant with axis and orientation definition, extraction of the dental stump and relative jaw’s cavity starting from the Intra-oral mesh scan, dental crown creation and more. Thanks to the full integration with the SUM3D Dental CAM it’s possible to send the performed jobs to the module that generates the tool paths.

A partial list of features:

• Semi-automatic detection of the implant axes and of the coupling plan (abutment-fixture).
• Insert and/or replacement of the implant interfaces.
• Generation of removable stump starting from a single scan file (such as direct Intra-oral scan, or orthodontic scan, or model’s optical mark by Sirona™ systems).
• Fast generation of parametric crowns, straight from model and wax-up scans.
• Automatic creation of machining strategy for the production of removable model masters, implant structures, or prosthesis on stumps, by CNC machine (optional module).
• Direct integration with SUM3D Dental CAD/CAM. 

See DentalShaper (CIMsystem booth) at these upcoming events in the US:

• Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting
• AXP Dental events
• Spectrum Techno-Clinical Day in Chicago 2011

Rhino/Grasshopper workshop - Romania

ASTA Cluj organized a parametric design workshop with the aim of designing the lounge pavilion of the ZA event in Cluj, Romania.

Tutors are Dimitrie Stefanescu and Patrick Bedarf.

The workshop will take place on March 7-13.

Details and registration...

RhinoBIM Webinar - March 4

Rick Smith and Erik Thorson of Virtual Build Technologies will debut their Rhino plug-in RhinoBIM and showcase its functionality. The presentation will cover using RhinoBIM for Structural Design Modeling, Structural Analysis, and more.

Date: Friday, March 4, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM PST

Space is limited. Register now...

[E]motion in Architecture - Salzburg (Austria)

[E]motion in Architecture

Salzburg - Austria

Opening: 2 March, 19h

- Symposium: 4 April, 17-20h

This exhibition alludes to multiple forms of electronic and emotional movements in current architectural production processes. The focus of the exhibition is the presentation of public space as spectacle.

Shown are innovative concepts in short films, visualizations, and physical models for a mobile art pavilion by students of Vienna University of Technology, Institute of Architectural Sciences, at the Biennale 2011 in Salzburg. A short documentary follows the production processes from parametric design (Grasshopper) to physical models by means of computer numeric controlled 4-axis portal milling machines, 7-axis industrial robot, hot wire-cutter and laser cutters.

Curated by Sigrid Brell-Cokcan, Dörte Kuhlmann, Kristina Schinegger

Institute of Architectural Sciences, Vienna University of Technology in Cooperation with Initiative Architektur Salzburg

More information (in German)...

Bongo 2.0 Beta 3 now available

You are invited to try the Bongo 2.0 animation plug-in for Rhino 4.0. This is the third Beta version of Bongo 2.0 for Rhino 4.0 and 5.
The beta is open for all Rhino users!

Download Bongo 2.0 Beta 3 from here.

New digital design forum

(C)ODE-(C)OLLECTIVE: GH + Digital Script + Code Collective is a collection forum for Grasshopper, Rhino, Parametric Modeling, and other digital design tools, which poses as an educational and developing archive site to formulate the critical utility of digital tools.

Details...

Rhino and Orca3D training in Washington, DC

You're invited to attend a combined Rhino and Orca3D training course to be held in the Washington, DC area on April 5, 6, and 7. Spend the first two days in an intermediate level Rhino class and spend the third day learning how to use Orca3D, covering hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, resistance prediction, and much more.

Dates: April 5-7, 2011

Cost: $750/person

Sign up early; seats are limited.

Register...

From Rhino to Tumblr to Twitter

Lorenz Lachauer at eat-a-bug used Rhino.Python to write a script that posts the current view to your Tumblr account. A service in Tumblr automatically sends your posts to Twitter, if enabled.

Details and download...

Generative Jewelry Design community

Image by Sergio Martinez.

Generative Jewelry Design is a new online community for jewelry designers who are exploring new shapes using generative algorithms and algorithm editors like Grasshopper.

Generative Jewelry Design with Rhino is a new way to model jewelry where a design describes a change. It is the transition from entities to operations. A form is created by a series of mathematical operations, instead of being the outcome of applying a conventional command.

Join...

Rhino 4 SR9 Release Candidate 1 Available

Rhino 4 Service Release 9 Release Candidate 1 (SR9 RC1) is now available to download.

New in SR9:

• SOLIDWORKS file reading has been updated to use a new file reading engine. If you regularly read SOLIDWORKS  files, please download SR9 RC1 and give it a try.

SR9 RC1 will be released as an official service release on March 15, 2011, unless you report bugs.

Download Now...

Blossoms over LA

LA design firm Electroland’s new Metallotus, is a 30-foot-long, 1,400 pound stainless steel lotus flower suspended 30 feet above the courtyard of the Medallion project in Downtown LA.

Read more...

Working with Rhino and Revit - in four parts

Zach Kron's BUILDZ blog has a nice series of articles on using Rhino with Revit.

Visit BUILDZ...

Design Modelling Symposium Berlin

Design Modelling Symposium Berlin 2011
Complexity and Responsibility – Computational Processes and the Physical Production of Space
Part I - Workshops 8 October–9 October 2011
Part II - Conference 10 October–12 October 2011

In its third edition the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin constitutes a platform for dialogue on experimental practice and research within the field of computationally informed architectural design.

Contemporary architectural production employs an increasing number of computational tools that undergo continuous proliferation of function and changing allocations within the design process. CAD/CAM technologies have matured into applications with increasingly user-friendly programme structures and an efficient exchange between various analytical tools. Computational geometry allows the design and manufacturing of complex surface configurations, beyond the repertoire of analog architectural practices constrained by the boundaries of descriptive geometry. Part of a well-known production sequence in other industries, the broader bandwidth of CAM technologies could now be beneficially assessed for novel architectural expression through control over its digitally describable content. 

The lectures, master classes (covering Rhino.Python, parametric robot milling in Grasshopper, advanced Grasshopper and RhinoCommon...), and workshops (Grasshopper, gHowl, Arduino...) are confirmed now.

Check the impressive list of speakers and instructors!

Details and registration...

Rhino4SharePoint, new plugin

Rhino4SharePoint is a new plugin (still in WIP) that allows you to describe 3DM files content using XML metadata stream placed into the notes section.

Video...
Download the WIP version...

Firefly enhanced

Andy Payne and Jason Kelly Johnson have released a new version of Firefly, version 1.004. Firefly is a set of tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper, the Arduino micro-controller, the internet, and beyond.

This new release adds a few new components, including:

• A new Ports Available component which polls your device manager and returns the COM number assigned to Arduino board
• A new Wave component
• A new reacTIVision component, which enables real-time camera tracking of fiducial markers. If you're new to reacTIVision, take a look at their web site and download their engine (and printable fiducial markers) for free. 

Also, the efficiency of several of the existing components was improved and everything was updated to support the latest Arduino UNO board.

There is an update to the Firefly Primer - a manual which provides an in-depth look at each individual component and walks you through the entire process of using this powerful new tool (from installation to final output). It also includes some basic tutorials, links, and references to get you up and running quickly.

More details and download....

AA Istanbul Visiting School

In spring 2011, the AA will hold its first Istanbul Global School in collaboration with Istanbul Technical University.

This 10-day long intensive team-based workshop, taught by recent AA graduates/AA staff, will explore tall structures through vertical growth algorithms by focusing on local crafts. Grasshopper will be heavily used in this workshop.

The deadline for applications is 18 March 2011. A late deadline of 1 April 2011 is also in effect, but this will incur a £50 surcharge. Application forms and additional information are available online at www.aaschool.ac.uk/istanbul and applications can be submitted to visitingschool@aaschool.ac.uk.

Details and registration...

Photo2Rhino, new plugin

Photo2Rhino, a new Rhino 3D plugin, is a more flexible and interactive version of the Rhino commands: heightfield and meshheightfield.

With Photo2Rhino you can:

• Brighten and change the contrast of the images.
• Rotate and crop the images.
• Interactively apply smoothing to the mesh.
• Apply vignette effects to make the mesh flatter at the edges.
• Preview the mesh before insertion as a Rhino object.
• Choose the number of points in the mesh irrespective of the number of pixels in the image.
• Using RGB sliders, pick out important colors from the mesh.
• See a profile of the mesh height as you adjust parameters in realtime.
• Change the conversion from pixel to mesh height interactively to get the ideal mesh from less than ideal photographs and images.

Details...

Book "Distributed Intelligence in Design"

This long awaited book, based on the presentations and discussions which took place during the Distributed Intelligence in Design symposium, is now published by Wiley!

Distributed Intelligence refers to the interdisciplinary knowledge of a range of individuals in architectural, engineering, and construction -- in different organizations, with different backgrounds, and experience. The book discussed the media, technologies, and behaviors required to support their successful collaboration in design and production, addressing to the changing socio-technical climate in the architectural design world. The chapters address innovative developments, methodologies, applications, research work and theoretical arguments. To present current experience and expectations as collaborative practice becomes critical in the design of future built environments.

The book covers (but not limited to):

• How parametric and generative design media can be coupled with and managed alongside Building Information Modeling tools and systems
• How the cross–disciplinary knowledge is distributed and coordinated across different software, participants, and organizations
• The characteristics of the evolving creative and collaborative practices
• How built environment education should be adapted to this digitally–networked practice and highly distributed intelligence in design

Complete book contents and order details...

Clash and Clear in Rhino

RhinoBIM brings clash and clear analysis tools to Rhino 5 along with many structural modeling and analysis tools. You are invited to give the RhinoBIM pre-release version a try.

More RhinoBIM video tutorials...

Details and pre-release download...

SmartGeometry - Use the Force

At the coming SmartGeometry workshop (Copenhagen, March 28–April 2, 2011) Daniel Piker is running the Use the Force cluster in the use of Kangaroo with live sensor data. Andy Payne will be also there to help with the Firefly side of things.

Through Kangaroo, the live physics plug-in for Generative Components and Grasshopper, this cluster will explore ways of using the simulated interaction of physical forces and real-time spatial inputs to develop novel form-finding processes. The physics engine will constantly react to the streaming data—when one element in the system changes, the entire system adjusts itself accordingly to find and maintain equilibrium. Treating geometric and construction constraints, material behavior, and user interaction all within this common language of physical forces unifies and allows complex real-time interaction between them.

The registration deadline to the SmartGeometry workshops has now been extended...

PrintOr Lyon

PrintOr 2011

Feb 6-8

Lyon, France

This year, PRINTOR – the trade fair for all watch and jewelry professionals - will be held at Lyon Eurexpo (Hall 6) from 6th to 8th of February 2011.

Come visit the Roland DG and Kreos booth (Hall 6 - A7) to learn more about RhinoGold and RhinoGold Render Studio.

Design Computing Community

Design Computing Community
New Year Meeting at RIBA
Friday, 4 February 2011

The first event of the year will take place on 4 February 2011 at the Royal Institute of British Architects (66 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AD) from 14:00 to 18:00 GMT, Wren Boardroom.

Program

14:00 - 14:30 Gabby Shawcross, Jason Bruges Studio
Speeds of Light

14:30 - 15:00 Marco Cerini, Adams Kara Taylor, Katerina Dionysopoulou, Heatherwick Studio
The UK Pavilion for the Shanghai EXPO 2010

15:00 - 15:30 Seda Zirek, Zaha Hadid Architects
Part/Assembly: Digital Design Strategies Case Study

15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00 - 16:30 Sean Hanna, UCL/Bartlett
Parametricism: A Love Story

16:30 - 17:00 Marco Poletto, Claudia Pasquero - Ecologic Studio
Systemic Architecture: Operating manual for the self-organizing city

17:00 - 17:30 Bernhard Sommer, Angewandte / Exikon
A generic design approach to the digital fabrication of
free-form shapes by structurally optimized components

17:30 - 18:00 Local Pub

The reservation system is open...

Conference Arquitectura Paramétrica - Madrid

Arquitectura Paramétrica
Friday 4 Feb at 17:30h
Universidad CEU San Pablo - Madrid

This is an introduction to parametric design in architecture with Grasshopper and additional tools.

Speakers:

- Roberto Molinos (Osome, IE School of Architecture)
- Miguel Vidal, Guillermo Ramírez (frikearq)
- Vicente Soler (estudio cero9)

Details (in Spanish)...