Robotic Fabrication with COMPAS FAB

25. 26. May 2023

Robotic Fabrication with COMPAS FAB, PAZ Central - ETH, Zurich

24. May 2023 - Pre - Compas, PAZ Central - Zurich

Digital Fabrication in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry requires the seamless integration of diverse tools and software across various domains. COMPAS, a comprehensive open-source computational framework in Python, simplifies the integration of cutting-edge tools and streamlines multi-disciplinary workflows, making it easier for architects, designers, and researchers to adopt them within parametric design settings.

In this 2-day workshop, Gonzalo Casas of Gramazio Kohler Research - ETH will introduce participants to the COMPAS framework, showcasing its core functionality, extension packages, and compatibility with Rhino 3D. Participants will then collaboratively explore a hands-on example focused on robotic fabrication of a discrete assembly guided step-by-step.

More Info + Registration...

Architectural Association Visiting School, June 21-July 2, in KOBE

 

Join the AA Kobe Visiting School for an unforgettable 12-day journey that explores the relationship between traditional Japanese carpentry and advanced digital tools.

The visiting school brings in experts from various disciplines for the design and construction of a Japanese Pagoda, exploring a reciprocal relationship between the old and the new in which participants will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working hand in hand with a Master Japanese carpenter, Akinori Abo; learning directly from the master carpenter the generations worth of knowledge of woodworking techniques, and the fusion of these techniques with advanced digital tools.

The school will hold a multitude of different talks and workshops, as well as multiple site visits to key Japanese locales and sites to learn more about the tradition of Japanese carpentry. We will be working in the world-renowned Takenaka Carpentry and Tools Museum, where we will also display the end product in the museum’s main exhibition hall!

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Open to architects/designers of different backgrounds— computational experience preferred (primarily Grasshopper) but not needed!

Due to space constraints, seats are very limited. Registration will close once a quorum is reached.

More information and registration... 

Digital Fabrication Showcase by RhinoFabStudio

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To all our Certified RhinoFabStudios, ARTCs, and ARTs, we want to thank you and express our appreciation for all the work that you do.

We have created a portfolio called Digital Fabrication Showcase that includes outstanding computational designed projects manufactured in these centers worldwide before 2020. Check out these exceptional projects!

If you are a Certified RhinoFabStudio, ARTC, and ART, please share your most remarkable projects with us so we can include them in our new portfolio. We want to display your projects and developments in the latest version of our Digital Fabrication Showcase.

Fill out this form to get started!

For more information, please get in touch with Lucia Miguel at lucia@mcneel.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, visit this link!

VisualARQ 2.13 released!

 

VisualARQ 2.13 is now available to download!

 

This is a free update for VisualARQ users.

 

It includes new features and fixes for issues reported by users:

• Now reference VisualARQ objects with the Grasshopper Player
• Added Chinese (Traditional) language
• Component to get the start and end planes of a beam
• New API scripts available
•  Improvements in performance
• Support to V-Ray Interactive Render

 

More information...

Download VisualARQ 2.13...

 

VisualARQ Labs

One of the main features of VisualARQ 2.13 is the option to create new commands involving VisuaARQ objects. We have arranged some of them in the VisualARQ Labs plugin, which streamlines the modeling process.

 

More information... 

New Course on SubD Modeling

 

Are you ready to take your creativity to the next level? Then, try ThinkParametric's newest course, Unlock Your Creativity with SubD Modeling in Rhino 7, taught by expert instructor Arie Willem de Jongh.

SubD modeling is a powerful modeling technique in Rhino 7 that allows you to create organic, free-form shapes with precision and ease. With Rhino 7, this technique has become even more accessible and user-friendly, making it the perfect time to dive in and explore the possibilities.

In this course, Arie Willem de Jongh will guide you through the fundamentals of SubD modeling while modeling and scripting the Centre Pompidou Metz by noted Architect Shigeru Ban using Rhino SubD and Grasshopper scripts. This course covers creating basic shapes SubD forms and more advanced techniques like adding edge loops and creases for a fully developed model with SubD logic. Throughout these lessons, you'll learn how to use Rhino 7's powerful tools and features to bring your creative ideas to life.

Important SubD concepts you'll learn:

• How to create complex forms using SubD modeling
• Advanced SubD modeling techniques, such as working with symmetry and custom creases
• Optimization and exporting of SubD models for use in other software or 3D printing
• Project-based learning where students will apply SubD modeling techniques to real-world projects
• Best practices for incorporating SubD modeling into your workflow

Whether you're a designer, artist, or engineer, this course will provide the skills you need to take your work to the next level. With expert guidance and ThinkParametric's easy-to-follow video lessons, you'll soon create stunning SubD models.

Don't miss this opportunity to unlock your creativity and master SubD modeling in Rhino 7. Enroll in Unlock Your Creativity with SubD Modeling in Rhino 7 today!

This course is free for registered members of ThinkParametric, and the membership fee is currently $289 for full library access for one year. You will also have access to the ThinkParametric community forum of fellow students and experts who can provide feedback and support as you progress through the course.

Get started now!

Bella, a Render plugin for Rhino WIP

 

DiffuseLogic is pleased to announce the public release of Bella 23.3, which supports the future Rhino 8 on both Windows and MacOS (supporting both Intel for Rhino 6 & 7 and Apple Silicon for Rhino 8). Other highlights include improvements in performance and many features such as grass, volumetrics, subdivision, displacement, IES lights, render-time corner rounding, new 2D and 3D textures, render-time projections for all 2D textures, Live Lights, and of particular interest to many Rhino users, an Auto-boolean feature that allows proper rendering of gems with no need to cut pockets.

More information...

Tweener plugin: New version on food4Rhino

In Rhino, to tween means to generate curves that interpolate between given input curves. The word's first appearance is not entirely clear—it was used at least as far back as in Tolkien, but it is safe to think of the word as the verb form of "between". In any case, tweening is a very basic operation and a fundamental part of the designer's toolbox. However, it can quickly result in curves that intersect each other or self-intersect, even on moderately complex input curves. Crossing tween curves are often undesired for aesthetic and practical reasons.

Tweener is a Rhino and Grasshopper plugin that solves this problem. It strictly guarantees the absence of crossings and intersections whenever the input curves don't intersect. In its simplest use case, the TweenPlanCurv Grasshopper component can be used directly as a stand-in replacement for the TweenCrv component, and the command TweenCurves2 can replace TweenCurves. Moreover, Tweener allows any number of closed planar input curves—not just two or any two but not necessarily closed input curves on a given surface or brep—not just in a plane. Tweener can also generate an entire color gradient scalar field instead of finitely many curves.

Whereas control points control NURBS curves, a Tweener curve is defined by the shape of the region's boundary curves. Thus, they are drawn interactively by manipulating their boundary. This provides a different perspective on curve modeling: In fact, Tweener comes with an interactive editing environment, starting with the TweenerStart command, that allows the designer to tweak and adjust the often very generic look of force field curves to give them a more individual hand-drawn touch. All Tweener output curves are modeled simultaneously, and at the same time, Tweener guarantees to maintain the absence of crossings and intersections.

Download from food4Rhino...

Empowering Engineers with ShapeDiver: The Future of 3D Product Configurators

 

All businesses have been seeking ways to automate tasks related to sales, design, and manufacturing workflow. One platform that has made this process simpler and more cost-effective is ShapeDiver. As an online platform for hosting and sharing Grasshopper files, ShapeDiver allows businesses to easily create online tools like 3D product configurators and share them with clients and colleagues without needing specific software licenses or Grasshopper experience. This greatly expands the reach and usefulness of Grasshopper files, making it possible for non-technical stakeholders to access the power of parametric design via any web browser. 

In this article, BIM Corner explores the benefits of using the ShapeDiver plugin to Grasshopper for engineers in the AEC industry.

Read the complete article...

MSc in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication (MScCDDF)

 

The University of Nicosia offers scholarships for the academic year 2023-2024 for the MSc in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication based on academic merit and background experience.

Application deadline: April 17, 2023.

The MSc in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication is offered in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck, Institute for Experimental Architecture Hochbau in Austria. The program explores the relationship between computational tools and architectural design to attain new insight into the relationship between design intent and built form. Prospective participants will have the opportunity to develop computational design skills and acquire hands-on cutting-edge fabrication experiences while cultivating analytical and creative thinking on the applications of computation in design. The MScCDDF offers a very promising employment outlook while encouraging participants to become part of the global community of applied computational research and digital fabrication, a growing industry increasingly crucial for producing the built environment.

The program is extensively using Rhino and Grasshopper.

More information... 

Rhino New Developments Day at STF London (April 25, 2023) - applications close on Tuesday, April 18

Applications close on Tuesday, April 18!

The Rhino New Developments Day (London, April 25, 2023) is geared towards people and organizations interested in extending Rhino’s functionality through Grasshopper or new development frameworks such as rhino3dm, Rhino Compute or Rhino.Inside, and external plugins.

There are many new revolutionary technologies available this year surrounding Rhino. Many of these technologies are opening up new workflows and previously impossible possibilities. Get a jump on understanding what McNeel has been working on and how it might help move your office's workflow forward. Learn about extending Grasshopper, Rhino, ongoing web technology projects that can be deployed anywhere, and the unbelievable Rhino.Inside integrations allowing you to bring Rhino and Grasshopper into almost any workflow you have.

Get up-to-the-minute information on what we have been working on as we explore together what is possible.

Meet the people developing these technologies to understand how they work and what might be possible.

The "Rhino New Developments Day" is by invitation/application only. Everyone interested in attending must fill in this form.


Once completed, we’ll review your application and confirm whether a place at the Development Day is available. We will email everyone who applies for a place as soon as possible.


The Rhino New Developments Day is separate from the Shape to Fabrication Conference. But of course, attendees may wish to also join the Shape to Fabrication conference on the following two days at the same venue. Find out more and buy your ticket for the Shape to Fabrication conference.

Rhino User Webinar: Developing Digital Tools for Design Teams

Rhino User Webinar

Developing Digital Tools for Design Teams

April 19, 2023, at 4:00 PM CEST

In this webinar, Reope will present tools they have developed for clients like Heatherwick Studio or Oslo Works. This includes Grasshopper and Rhino.Inside.Revit workflows to automate data-driven designs focused on facades or urban developments. They will also show Metrics, a plugin for Rhino for early-stage volumetric studies, and a versatile tool for custom parameters in a model. Reope is an international team of architects, engineers and developers who specialize in developing custom tools, systems and processes for the AEC industry. Fernando Ceña is an architect specializing in automating workflows for design and simulation analysis. He also has deep experience in digitizing stadium designs and implementing augmented reality for building purposes. Before joining Reope, he worked in the computational design departments of Gramazio Kohler at EHT Zürich and Meis Architects in New York. Thomas Holth is an architect specializing in programming. He draws experience from both having practiced as an architect and worked as a consultant towards companies in the building industry, using programming parallel to enhance the efficiency and quality of architectural production. He currently works developing digital tools at Reope in Oslo, Norway.

Complete details and free registration...

VisualARQ Webinar and Online Course

Last week's Rhino3D.Education webinar, Modelado Arquitectonico BIM con VisualARQ, by Francesc Salla, is ready for watching, En Español!

If you couldn't join us live or want to rewatch or share the webinar, you can do so here!

Francesc Salla, architect, a specialist in parametric design, and Product Manager of VisualARQ and Lands Design at Asuni, showed us how VisualARQ integrates intuitively into the design process with Rhino and Grasshopper, with the shortest learning curve and thus generates any type of freeform architecture.

Check out Salla's free online course, VisualARQ, Flexible BIM Tools for Rhino.

Le Corbusier's masterpiece, The Villa Savoye, is the model selected for this course. It is a step-by-step guide explaining the architecture modeling workflow with VisualARQ and Rhino. Students will learn about the different VisualARQ commands and features.

Enroll now!

You can follow this course with just a little Rhino experience. However, most videos focus only on VisualARQ features, and we recommend you take this free Rhino Introductory course.

AI Aided Architectural Fabrication symposium, May 5 at UdK Berlin

 

We're thrilled to announce the fourth AIAAF symposium on May 5, "AI Aided Architectural Fabrication," in Berlin along with two workshops exploring the role of AI in the design and construction of buildings. The event aims to highlight how AI can transform data gathering and management in the architectural fabrication process, as well as the potential benefits and challenges of using AI in the AEC industry.

Join us to learn from leading experts, network with your peers, and discover how AI is changing how buildings are designed and built. Our speakers will cover various AEC topics, and we will have ample time to discuss solutions and approaches. The symposium will be held in person and is organized by the Chair for Digital Design Methods at BTU Cottbus in cooperation with the Chair for Structural Design and Technology at UdK Berlin.

More information...

Two Python online courses, May 15-17 and June 5-7 (McNeel Europe)

 

Python Level 1 Online Course: May 15-17, 2023

Python Level 2 Online Course: June 5-7, 2023

10 am-5 pm CEST

Tutor: Long Nguyen

Host: McNeel Europe (Barcelona)

Python is a modern programming language with a simple and clean syntax (the rules for writing codes), making it accessible to beginners in both the language and programming. It is also backed by one of the most active communities of users and developers. These have made Python arguably the most popular programming language now. Python is used in many fields: 3D modeling, web programming, scientific computing, engineering, artificial intelligence, etc.

Thanks to Rhino and Grasshopper’s official support of Python, you can programmatically access its powerful 3D modeling environment, including all the essential features of its advanced NURBS engine. This opens many exciting new possibilities, ranging from very simple to highly sophisticated, such as:

• Building simple scripts and tools that automate repetitive modeling tasks, boosting efficiency
• Developing and customizing powerful tools and workflow specific to your team’s needs
• Programming advanced design algorithms that are not possible with standard out-of-the-box tools
• Interfacing Rhino and Grasshopper with other software programs or programming libraries

We are happy to offer the upcoming training courses in Python Programming for Rhino/Grasshopper.

Level 1 online course: (Requires a basic understanding of Rhino and Grasshopper, but no prior experience in programming)

• Basic Python language concepts such as variables, data types, conditional statements, for loops, functions, lists, tuples, etc.
• Using the Python scripting component in Grasshopper
• Intro to basic RhinoCommon data types such as point3D, Vector3D, Plane, Line, Circle, and Colors
• Generating and using random numbers
• Understanding the basics of the RhinoCommon documentation.
• Interacting with Rhino environment: e.g. baking geometries, working with Rhino object's properties (e.g., layers, name, etc...), saving and opening files programmatically

Level 2 online course: (Requires basic knowledge of Python programming in Rhino/Grasshopper, equivalent to the Level 1 course)

• Getting deeper into RhinoCommon geometries: Curves, Surfaces, Breps, Meshes (including mesh topology), Camera
• Object-oriented programming and better understanding of the RhinoCommon documentation
• Using the Python script component together with the Grasshopper timer for interesting advanced use cases
• Using Grasshopper DataTree from Python
• Best practices for organizing code for better reusability and shareability
• Using external modules/libraries
• Parallel Computation
• R-Tree for speeding up many computational geometry tasks
• Recursion and fractal geometries
• Web requests using Python
• Using an external Python code editor (to increase productivity on large programs)

Online course fee for each course: EUR 395,- (+VAT); full-time students and university teachers get a 50% discount (proof of status required). Please note that we will confirm your seat after your payment has cleared.

Max. number of participants: 25. If there is no quorum, the course will be canceled two weeks before.

Course language: English

Educational seats are limited. Sign up now by contacting McNeel Europe!

A New Digital Wind Tunnel App in Rhino

A New Digital Wind Tunnel App in Rhino

April 19, 2023

3:00 pm CET / 9:00 am ET

SimScale has launched a new microclimate modeling app, a Rhino plugin visualizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations directly from within Rhino! The app used the powerful CAD tools in Rhino and integrates SimScale's fast and accurate wind and outdoor comfort studies tools.

Attend an upcoming webinar and learn how architects and engineers use this new app for microclimate design insights. See how to set up and run a complete simulation of a city model from Rhino step by step, including how to:

• Start with a CAD model in Rhino
• Use the app to set up the climate data and location
• Run the simulations without leaving Rhino
• Postprocess and visualize the simulation results directly in Rhino
  
  

This app was developed jointly by Thornton Tomesetti and SimScale.  Presenters are Jeroen Janssen and Richard Szoeke-Schuller. Jeroen is an Associate Director leading the CORE studio team for Thornton Tomasetti in London. Jeroen mainly focuses on the design of microclimates for urban spaces. Richard Szoeke-Schuller is a Product Manager at SimScale and has an extensive background in applied mathematics and mechanical engineering.

Register for this live event. Even if you cannot attend, you will receive the recording.

Disrupt - The Largest Business of Architecture Symposium in the World (May 1-3, 2023 Online)

Disrupt - The Largest Business of Architecture Symposium in the World 

May 1-3, 2023

Online

Disrupt is the first-of-its-kind Business of Architecture Symposium looking to bring all major architecture practices under one roof to discuss how they strategize for growth and success.

These are the experts behind top architecture practices. Their everyday decisions help build the world's most admired mega-structures. If you want to learn about the business, you want to learn from them.

Speakers at the May Event:

• Thom Mayne - Founding Partner at Morphosis
• Francine Houben - Creative Director/Founding Partner of Mecanoo
• Satoshi Ohashi - China Director at Zaha Hadid Architects
• Gabriela Carrillo - Co-Founding Partner Taller Rocha + Carrillo
• Jacob Stromann-Andersen - Director, Innovation and Sustainability, Partner at Henning Larsen
• Patrick Macleamy - Former CEO of HOK, Chairman at buildingSMART International
• Charles Berman - Associate Principal at Diller Scofidio + Renfro
• Julian Lipscombe - Director at Bennetts Associates
• Manuel Frey - Head of Digital Planning & Simulations at Gruner
• Giovanni Betti - Head of Sustainability at HENN
• Chad Clinehens - CEO at Zweig Group
• Jerónimo Van Schendel- Director of the Master in Business for Architecture and Design at IE School of Architecture and Design
• Anthony Graves- Z by HP, AEC and M&E, HP Inc
• Ken Hauck- HP Anyware Industry Strategy, AEC and Manufacturing, HP

Complete details and registration...

Rhino User Meeting Amsterdam hosted by Packhunt - April 21, 2023

On April 21, Packhunt is hosting a Rhino User Meeting in their office in Amsterdam.

To keep the event intimate, and due to limited space (up to 50 seats), they’re keeping the event invite-only. Please join the waitlist, if you want to attend but don't have an invitation.

The concept of the event: First McNeel will update us on the latest and greatest Rhino and Grasshopper developments. After, there will be short (5-10 min) presentations about computational design in the AEC industry from various companies—more info on the agenda will follow soon. Since this is a Rhino User meeting, it’s a great opportunity to share your feedback and potential feature wishes with McNeel.

Complete details and registration to the waiting list...