Neon 1.0 Beta 9 Now Available

There's a new Neon!

This one is a fairly minor update.  There are some optimizations to make it faster, but nothing dramatic.  There are also some bug fixes.

A complete list of changes from Beta 8 are below

Features

• Many optimizations and fixes.
• Improved dynamic dragging performance.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed enabling the Sun or the RDK skylight adding the light to the scene when the active lighting method is not "Scene Lighting".
• Fixed moving an object with a custom render mesh causing an error condition "Primitive instance not found" when the custom render mesh and regular render mesh count were different.
• The beta expiry warning doesn't pop under the splash screen
• Old files (written prior to January 2012) can be written to.
• The name of the Neon mode is now "Raytraced with Neon" to avoid problems with command line input.

Details and download...

New Interactive Prototyping/Arduino tools

Andy Payne has released a new Firefly Build (1.0067) which is compatible with the latest version of Grasshopper (0.9.0006).  This release has a lot of new features for Arduino experiments. A detailed list of new features is available in the ReadMe text file included in the download.

Andy has also been hard at work on a new Firefly User's Guide (called Interactive Prototyping).  This manual is still a work-in-progress but it is intended to teach the basics of electronics (using Arduino) as well as various digital/physical prototyping techniques to people new to the field.

For more information, visit the new Firefly web site.

Generative Algorithms e-book new edition

Zubin Khabazi, has released a new, updated edition of his popular book Generative Algorithms.  Included in this online book are tutorials and design experiments in architecture and related fields in geometry.

Download the new edition here for free: Generative Algorithms with Grasshopper version 2.0

PanelingTools for Grasshopper 0.9 and Rhino 5

A new release of PanelingTools for Grasshopper 0.9 (PT-GH) in Rhino 5 Beta was posted. PT-GH is an extension of PanelingTools plug-in for Rhino that supports parametric design of cellular patterns and surface rationalization.

Check release details from here...

Create polyhedra in Rhino 5

RhinoPolyhedra is new Rhino 5 labs plug-in that lets you to create and visualize over 300 different types of polyhedra. RhinoPolyhedra supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Rhino 5.

Details and download...

Scan&Solve service release 1.6

Expression loads in Version 1.6 of Scan&Solve™

This free service release adds a major advanced feature to Scan&Solve for Rhino: an ability to specify functional expressions for spatially distributed pressure loads. Just select the face and type in an expression.

Other significant user-requested enhancements include:

• Auto-width drop-down menu for material
• Retention of legend setting between runs
• Deflected shapes in report
• More legend types

This service release also includes several minor bug fixes in geometric, numerical, and user interface subsystems of the software.  Available for free to all licensed users and as an evaluation for new users.

Watch the video...

Download Version 1.6 of Scan&Solve for Rhino...

Sustainable architecture with Rhino and Grasshopper

El Habitat, the Art and Design building at Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Leon, Mexico officially opened with its formal inauguration on August 15th.

Designer Minche Mena, Dean of the Architecture department and partner of SHINE Architecture, was responsible for the development of this sustainable building, but credits much of the ITESM faculty for the design. For software, Rhino and Grasshopper were used.

The idea was to recycle and use as little energy as possible. Sustainability was achieved in multiple ways. Air conditioning was eliminated by using a passive ventilation facade. Lighting was boosted with two types of glass: transparent for natural light and views and white matte for diffuse uniform light.

Local news on inaugural opening (in Spanish) . . . 

Save on Orca3D and Rhino training at IBEX

Join us for Rhino and Orca3D training during IBEX 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. Receive a $50 discount if you register by August 24th!

Learn marine-specific 3D modeling and rendering techniques with Rhino, and naval architectural design and analysis with the Orca3D plugin. This training course will take place during the first two days of IBEX, and will run from 8-12 each day, leaving plenty of time to visit the trade show and attend other seminars and workshops. The first day's session will focus on Rhino, presenting modeling and rendering techniques specifically for marine design. Real-world examples will be presented and you will have the opportunity to work through the examples together with the instructors. Attendees should have at least a basic working knowledge of Rhino.

See course details and register now!...

Online Rhino training in September

Our next Rhino Level 1 Online course is scheduled for September 13-27, 2012.  The course consists of seven sessions: an orientation with GoToTraining plus six half-days of Rhino training.

• Orientation: September 13, 9:00am-10:30am
• Training:  September 17, 18, 20 and 24, 25, 27, 9:00am - 1:00pm each day
  
  Times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. Calculate your time zone.

All sessions are instructor-led and will be recorded for later viewing.  If you cannot make a session, watch the video and catch up before the class meets again.

Sign up today!

Grasshopper in Bangkok

Introduction to Grasshopper
August 30, 2012
Bangkok, Thailand

Join the faculty at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) for a free lecture discussing Grasshopper.  The event will be held at the School of Architecture & Design on the KMUTT campus.  Join one of two sessions:


Architecture: 9:30am-12:30pm
Product Design: 2:30pm-4:30pm

Priority seats have been set aside for KMUTT faculty and students.  Limited seating is available to the public.  To reserve a seat, please RSVP to WK Lim and include your name, organization and email address.

Details...

Rhino 5 OS X - new WIP release

A new Work In Progress (WIP) build of Rhinoceros 5 for OS X is now available.

Download the newest build here.

This Mac WIP release includes all applicable updates and fixes from Windows V5 Rhino as of WIP 2012-04-25. The Windows V5 Rhino updates and fixes are listed here.

This Mac WIP release also includes these Mac-specific changes:

• Changes:
• Mac Rhino now requires OS X Lion (10.7) or later. There is a separate unsupported version of Mac Rhino for 10.6.8.
• Extra debugging tests have been turned on in an attempt to find an intermittent crash bug somewhere in Mac Rhino. Please report any "Failed assertion" errors in the support forum.
• Mac Rhino uses OS X Lion Auto Save and Versions when running on OS X Lion. Additional information about Versions and Auto Save specific to Rhino can be found here.
• Bug fixes

Note: This release of Mac Rhino requires OS X Lion (10.7) or OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) to run.


 Everyone is invited to download and use the OS X version of Rhino while it is in development. Most of the core functionality has been ported from Windows and is very stable. There is still much to do to port the rest of the functionality and refine the interface.

We don't expect the first commercial release to be ready until next year. Don't worry if the build you are using is about to expire. New versions will be available every week or so. There will be a newer one available before the expiration date.

Details and download...

HyperSpace dB: AA Visiting School, Egypt

AA Visiting School is heading to Alexandria, Egypt.  HyperSpace decibel or HyperSpace dB is a workshop that will focus on the challenges of an acoustic design vignette using digital tools.

Dates: September 10-20, 2012
Location: Bibliotheca Alexandria, Alexandria Egypt

The workshop's theme will be to create three distinct sets of installations: one that introduces sound, one that uses the existing sound in a space, and one that creates a visual sculpture that responds to sound. One of each set will be installed within an exhibition space in the Bibliotheca Alexandria, creating three different acoustical arenas within one space.

Details and registration...

Parametric Design workshop, Cincinnati

Parametric Design: Introduction to Grasshopper and Performance Driven Design

18-19 August 2012*

Cincinnati, OH



Parametric Design is a two-day workshop covering fundamental principles and concepts of using Grasshopper integrated within a performance driven design pipeline. Participants will learn the essential skills of manipulating geometry using various computational methods. More...

Topics include:

• Parametric design concepts
• Computation for Performance Driven Design
• Morphing geometry and biomimicry
• Surfaces and meshes

Demonstrations include:

• Image based tessellation
• Pattern making
• Paneling with adaptive objects
• Box morphing and variations
• Vertex color based object morphing, integrating Maya with Grasshopper
• Geometry manipulation based on the solar data from Ecotect and Vasari

*Registration Deadline: 15 August 2012

Details and registration...

Bio-Skin Architecture Workshop, Tehran

August 10-12

Tehran, Iran

Join Dr. Behrang Eghbali as he conducts this intensive three-day Bio-Skin Architecture Workshop.  Bio-Skin stands for a construction technique that supports structural load using an object's external skin. Contrary to the traditional design of building skins that distinguish between internal structural frameworks and non-bearing skin elements.

Call 09197804306 or email to register.

Details...

British design: Lula kitchenware

In honor of the Olympics, we are featuring London-based ChauhanStudio and its design of Lula melamine kitchenware for Habitat. Yes, it was the Spring/Summer Collection for 2009 but it is timeless and a good example of a design agency using Rhino production in the real world.

For this project, Rhino was used to make direct CNC physical models and in the manufacturing of the final product.

More designs by ChauhanStudio  . . .

New tutorials from DesignReform

The team at DesignReform has been busy. They've just posted new Rhino-related tutorials. Take a look...

Kangaroo: Intro and Overview

LunchBox: Baking Tool (in Grasshopper)

CASE App: Import openNURBS (.3dm) into Revit

  

RhinoGold summer guide 2012 - 30 new tutorials

TDM Solutions is pleased to announce the RhinoGold summer guide 2012, including 30 new step-by-step tutorials to learn in an easy, fast, and fun way. All the exercises are real models.

Complete details and download...

Fabvolution - Advances in Digital Fabrication

Disseny Hub Barcelona presents Fabvolution: Advances in Digital Fabrication, a publication that brings together the activities that took place between 2010 and 2011 during the program Fabrication Laboratory.

Digital fabrication technologies open new opportunities for design professionals of the 21st century and give life to more flexible project methodologies. This new technological paradigm influences all phases of production: from conception to materialization, from distribution to purchase. At the same time it is an effective implementation of the participation and personalization processes.

Complete details...