New RhinoFabStudio in Malta

Dfab.Studio (Malta) has recently joined the European network of RhinoFabStudios.

Dfab.Studio is a design and fabrication studio providing design and laser cutting services for the architectural, artistic, and design fields.

Steve DeMicoli, Manager of Dfab.Studio: 

"Our interest lies at the intersection of architecture, material-based design, computational thinking and digital fabrication. We operate within a well-established, local building industry and consistently strive to find novel methods of working. A major component of Dfab.Studio’s practice is the transfer of skill and tectonic knowledge, acquired through research, to actual building projects in 1:1 scale. 

The intention of Dfab.Studio’s affiliation with RhinoFabStudio is to continue to widen our network and benefit from international exposure in order to be able to offer the highest of standards in workshops and training with hands-on practical experience."

Custom art on your bicycle

Artwork for the Thistle bicycle

Julie Pedalino, a professional graphic artist from Lenexa, Kansas has found a way to combine two passions, art and bicycles, With Rhino and RhinoCAM, Julie Pedalino combines her art and hardcore machining prowess to create one of a kind bicycles at her studio, Pedalino Bicycles.

RhinoCAM interviewed Julie, discussing this convergence of art, CAD/CAM and CNC technology and some of her most recent 4 Axis custom bike projects.

Machining part

Although she fits bicycles for all sizes of riders, Julie is especially interested in smaller riders who struggle with production frames designed for the average rider. She first discusses with the client the riding they want to do and the type of rider they are. She takes body measurements. She delves into the personal expression in the design. The client ends up with a bicycle with good performance, comfortable fit, and self-expression, or as Julie describes it, "fit and function with a splash of panache!"

The design can include customized lugs, decals, and other branding. The artistic graphics are where Julie’s professional graphics design experience shines. Julie merges her professional artistic talent, CAD/CAM and CNC technology to produce beautiful bikes.

Finished bicycle

Rhino provided the opportunity for more sculptural and organic modeling. RhinoCAM was then the logical add-on for the CAM programming.

RhinoCAM interviews Julie Pedalino, RhinoCAM & Pedalino Bicycles...

Rapana Library

Rapana is the first street library in Varna, Bulgaria, created by a team of young architects and designers.

Nowadays young people’s lives revolve around the digital era and this decreases the popularity of books among their generation. A team of architects and designers (Yuzdzhan Turgaev, Boyan Simeonov, Ibrim Asanov and Mariya Aleksieva) decided to partially solve this issue by building a street library.

Varna is a city located at the seaside and is often called The marine capital of Bulgaria. This is the main reason why the chosen concept shape of the library resembles the shell of a sea snail.

The design was inspired by nature and its organic shapes. The installation takes into consideration the most important aspects of the city’s identity – the sea and its value to Varna’s citizens. The abstract construction unravels from a single focal point and develops into a semi-circle while creating a public space and shelves for placing books at the same time.

Rapana was designed using the parametric design tools Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, which give architects the possibility to try different shapes and variations. Using the software, the team tested over 20 variations, changing the number of vertical and horizontal wooden pieces and their width and height. The final design fitted the budget and the open library’s concept and provided sitting spaces, easy access for the readers, plus a tiny stage for street artists and lounge sessions. Using the Rhinoceros 3D tools the construction was divided into pieces, which were produced using a CNC machine from a 250 x 125 cm. wooden sheets. The street library was built using 240 wooden pieces and the full capacity of the library is 1500 books.

More information...

Nature's forms in architecture produced by a CNC machine

Laguna Tools has produced a video documentary that's an enthusiastic endorsement of using the CNC machine onsite to print architectural finishes of a home.

The Wave House in Venice, California, blends elements of nature into its contemporary design through the implementation of CNC machining for the walls and floors.

Mario Romano, the designer and builder, takes his fascination with nature's forms in architecture and uses technology to pioneer his design-build systems, incorporating customized digital tools and CNC machining technology. The walls were milled using Corian. The exterior skin of the home is aluminum.

Get inspired by Mario's use of a CNC machine... 

Exploring Glass with Grasshopper

One of the finished pieces, a vase.

McNeel & Associates take a field trip! One of our staff, Brian Gillespie, explored the world of Pilchuck Glass. Tara Broyhill and Brian joined the Pilchuck Glass School as artists in residence for two weeks. Neither person had worked in glass before. They were invited to come to the school to explore how generative design and digital fabrication can be used for art glass. In the process, they studied the texture and optics of hand-blown glass, along with the mathematics of a Voronoi diagram as computed in Grasshopper.

Initially, Brian and Tara set out to explore four-part molds as a way to make unique versions of optic and pineapple molds. They ended up making a couple variations of roll plates to add texture to their glass.

The Pilchuck Glass School is a woodland retreat, so the equipment they provided needed to be portable. They chose a Handibot as their CNC tool for their fabrication work. The Handibot was used to mill a roll plate to apply the texture to the glass.

Watch the overview of their project...

Job Offer at Digital Timber Construction DTC Group (TU Kaiserslautern)

The group of Digital Timber Construction DTC at the faculty of architecture at TU Kaiserslautern is searching for a research assistant (50% TV-L 13). The position starts December 2017, and includes the possibility of a PhD thesis.

The working group directed by Jun. Prof. Dr. Christopher Robeller is part of the research laboratory Timber Architecture and Engineered Wood Products T-Lab and operates at the intersection of architecture, civil engineering, computer science, and fabrication technology.

The group is focused on the development of novel digital tools, which automatically generate 3D building components and CNC fabrication data—while being aware of the constraints of assembly sequences, fabrication parameters, and material properties. This allows for the development of new building construction systems, where the details play a particularly important role.

The working environment is a technical university, with equipment of the T-Lab (including a new 5-axis CNC machining center) and an exchange with industry partners.

Requirements

A passion for digital timber construction, as well as a Diploma or Master in architecture, civil engineering, or computer science. Useful skills include CAD (Rhino), programming (C#, Python, C++) and experience with CNC machines and robots.

Tasks

Tasks include the work on research projects and research funding applications, as well as the participation in teaching activities. The position is initially limited to one year and should be extended afterward through successful funding applications.

Applications

Please apply via email to christopher.robeller@architektur.uni-kl.de

Parametric & Digital Design-Fabrication in Guatemala

Mecano CNC is hosting a 3-day workshop in Parametric Design & Digital Fabrication in Guatemala. 

In this workshop, you will learn how to develop accurate and free form geometries with Rhinoceros 5 and manage concepts and features in Grasshopper for data-driven digital fabrication. 

The class includes the use of RhinoCAM. Some samples will be cut on the CNC and laser machines.

Basic knowledge of Rhino is required.

Bring your own laptop computer. It will be fun!

Licenses are not included. Ask about the discounts for that day.

Location:
Km. 30.2 Ruta Antigua Guatemala
San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

Date:  September 7-9, 2017.
Thursday: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Friday: 1:30 PM-6:30 PM 
Saturday: 8:00 AM-2:00 PM 

Fees: 
$200 Professionals
$180 Students

For more information and to register please email:  designbyrandom@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.

RhinoFabStudio Mentors 2017-2018

We would like to express our gratitude and introduce all the new RhinoFabStudio Mentors for 2017-2018. The RhinoFabStudio community welcomes these volunteers as our mentors for Product Design and Digital Fabrication.

The RhinoFabStudio Mentors are professionals in their respective fields and are here to assist you with anything about the implementation of a RhinoFabStudio.

To learn more about our mentors, please visit this link.

Once again, we extend our thanks to the RhinoFabStudio Mentors.

We truly appreciate their help!

Note: RhinoFabStudio Mentors are unable to provide technical support. You may send your Rhino-related questions to tech@mcneel.com at any time.

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.

3D carvings for woodworkers' workbenchs

Bainbridge Island Artisan Resource Network is a Seattle community facility for artisans to share resources, education, and workspace. To help out this group, Tim Celeski designed a new workbench for the hand tool woodworkers.

The space required nine benches built on a budget. Tim added the challenge to make each workbench unique. So, in Rhino, he designed a unique 3D carved leg vise for each bench. He then used a CNC to carve each vise chop. The CNC sped up the carving and the precision work.

Watch this video introduction to see how they were made:

3D Carving a Woodworking Workbench Vise Chop with a CNC...

Darlene Farris-LaBar - G3D 3D Printing Lab

Darlene Farris-LaBar is an artist and designer who cofounded the G3D 3D Printing Lab that is located in the Art + Design Department at East Stroudsburg University.

Darlene is a Professor of Art + Design at East Stroudsburg University, received her MFA from the School of Art and Design at SUNY, Purchase College, a BFA from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an MS in Digital Media Arts from the College of Technology in New York City.

In an attempt to shift her audience’s experience about the environment and transform the way they value it, she uses various technologies such as 3D modeling software Rhino and 3D printing to depict small plants and flowers indigenous to specific regions. The sculptures were designed as they appear in their natural state.

She cofounded the G3D 3D Printing Lab in 2013 and now has an operating lab fully equipped with FDM printers, PolyJet, Laser Cutter, CNC, 3D scanners and more!

For information please contact Darlene Farris-LaBar.

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.

Christian Dunbar Designs

Christian Dunbar, the artist behind Christian Dunbar Designs located in Savannah, GA, creates sculpture and art furniture using architectural form that is simultaneously minimalist and sensuous. He hopes to express glass, water, wood, steel and stone in innovative ways that exhibit their beauty in unexpected and dramatic fashion. Throughout his entire career as a sculptor and furniture designer, Dunbar has always used Rhino through the entire design/build process.

"I "sketch" with Rhino, easily creating multiple form variations, often in the time that my peers hand sketch a single concept. On my larger scale sculptural pieces, the Rhino files go directly to the CNC operator or Digilab for processing. My productivity rate using Rhino, as opposed to the other software option, is hands down far higher" stated Dunbar.

For more information please contact Christian Dunbar.

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.

Edy the skier: A wooden sculpture at the upcoming World Ski Championships 2017 - St. Moritz (Switzerland)

  

For the World Ski Championships 2017, a 19 meter high, walkable skier has been built in the center of the host town of St. Moritz.

The wooden sculpture, designed by Aroma from Zurich, will be used as an event space during the medal ceremonies. Projections, dance and climbing shows—as well as TV presentations—will be taking place in and on the skier. The skin is composed of more than 600 CNC cut timber panels. A wooden tower with stairs supports the structure and provides access to the three platforms inside.

Design-to-Production created a digital 3D model in production quality and delivered data for CNC fabrication of all 637 individual panels and their nearly 1000 connections just seven weeks after the first project meeting in October 2016.

Due to the tight schedule, the main focus was to quickly develop parametric details, in close collaboration with the engineers. They needed to be precisely prefabricated and easy to assemble. By generating assembly instructions directly from the 3D model and attaching them to every single panel, it was ensured that the skier could be erected in just three weeks.

“Everything was done in Rhino, down to fabrication data for the 5-axis cutting on a Homag machine (we created MPR-data directly from the model)” (Fabian Scheurer from Design-to-Production)



Location: St.Moritz (CH)
Opening: February 2017
Client: Aroma Productions AG, Zurich (CH)
Consulting: Création Holz, Hermann Blumer
Timber Construction: A.Freund Holzbau, Samedan (CH)
Structural Engineering: sblumer ZT, Graz (AT) Detail Engineering IHT Rafz (CH)
CNC-Fabrication: Bearbeitungs- & Zuschnittzentrum AG, Leibstadt (CH) Digital Planning Design-to-Production, Zurich (CH)

More info...

Digital Wood - Master's Thesis Research Project at Chalmers University of Technology

Digital Wood - Design & fabrication of a full-scale exhibition structure in plywood
Team: Viktoria Henriksson, Emil Poulsen and Oscar Gillkvist

Viktoria Henriksson has been kind enough to share with us her Master's Thesis research project, which she did together with Emil Poulsen and Oskar Gillkvist, for which Rhino and Grasshopper were used as the primary design tools.

"Plywood has many times before been used for temporary structures in architecture, mainly because of the relatively low cost and availability. Plywood is often seen as a perfectly flat sheet material, free from otherwise common properties of timber such as imperfections and grain direction. However, plywood is actually a diverse material with inherent dynamic properties associated with the tree it once came from. This is something that is rarely seen in contemporary plywood design but could be emphasized and more accessible through computational design and digital fabrication.

The research project “Digital Wood” investigates and utilizes the bending properties and dynamics of plywood through the use of computational design and digital fabrication. Through a design-by-research approach using full-scale experiments and digital tools, this project seeks to explore new perspectives of programming timber in the field of architecture and design.

In collaboration with industrial partners, a temporary structure was designed and built for the Wood and Technology exhibition in Gothenburg, Sweden to function as a gathering place and visual label for visitors, while exploring new unexpected ways of implementing wood.

3D-modelling in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper played a major role both in the design process and the realization of the pavilion. Custom tools and scripts were developed and used for everything from generation of cutting patterns to automating the production of CNC files. With the use of modern technology and new treatment methods, “Digital Wood” pushes the boundaries for how conventional material can be used to unleash new creative potentials".

Link to the flip book on Issuu...

MSU and RhinoCAM illustrating Pompeii and Oplontis

The Montana State University School of Architecture (MSU) Fabrication Shop created a site model for the reenactment of the destruction of Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. And RhinoCAM helped.

The site model is part of the exhibit, The Villas of Oplontis Near Pompeii, at the Museum of the Rockies that chronicles the eruption that destroyed Oplontis and Pompeii.

Using their CNC, MSU Instructor Bill Clinton and his students milled a topology map of the Bay of Naples out of high-density polyurethane foam. Their dynamic video animation of lava flow, volcanic ash, and pumice projects on to the topology map. Both architecture and geology students from MSU worked on this exhibit.

This Museum of the Rockies exhibit in Bozeman, MT, is the largest of the three venues in the United States.

This is the first, and probably only, time these artifacts will be displayed outside of Italy. The exhibit will be at the Museum of the Rockies through December 31, 2016.

More information on MSU's links to the exhibit ...

Site model of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples at the Museum of the Rockies. An overhead projection shows the lava and volcanic ash flow.

RhinoCAM showing the cut material simulation of the topology site model. 

Stone PolySphere installation

Stone PolySphere installation, designed by Maurizio Barberio and Giuseppe Fallacara (New Fundamentals Research Group), investigates the potential of digital fabrication applied to the stone industry. Stone PolySphere is a lithic sphere with a diameter of 1.4 meters, composed by a massive hemisphere below and a stereotomic hemisphere above.

The CNC machine Tc 1100, produced by Thibaut SA, allows the complex machining of all the parts. The massive hemisphere is obtained by sawing and milling a stone piece made of Pierre Bleue de Savoie (1.4 meters wide and 0.8 meters high). The stereotomic part consists of 120 perforated blocks, fabricated by milling four blocks of stone, containing 30 blocks each, in the average size of 1.60 m and 10 cm thick. The blocks are two glued layers of stone, which create a two-color effect variation depending on the morphology of the block itself. The stones used are Pierre Bleue de Savoie for the darker part, and Blanc d’Angola for the clearer part.

The sphere was modeled parametrically using Grasshopper.

Stone PolySphere was recently shown at Marmomacc Verona, the leading international event for the natural stone industry.

Rhino Open House - September 15, Tampere (Finland)

Authorized Rhino Reseller An-Cadsolutions invites you to its Open House on September 15 in Tampere, Finland.

Come see the latest solutions for 3D modeling, scanning, 3D printing and CNC milling, including Rhino, RhinoCAM, Rhino3DPRINT, 3D printers, 3D scanners, a CNC milling and engraving machine, a laser engraving machine and a flatbed printer.

Details...

Digital fabrication workshop at IED

Register for the Rhino D+O+F - Design Optimization & Fabrication workshop, organized by IED Madrid.

Course Description

In this class, you'll learn to create and edit accurate free-form 3D NURBS models. This fast-moving class covers most of Rhino's functionality, including the most advanced surfacing commands. Also, this workshop will give students a functional understanding of Grasshopper and Parametric design. This will allow them to build on this understanding into more advanced projects of their own. The class also covers information on fabrication techniques with RP or laser machines and optimization and fabrication using RhinoCAM for CNC machines.

Details...


Space is limited!!!

Instructors: 

• Andres Gonzalez, worldwide director RhinoFabStudio.
  
• Ignacio Prieto, Professor of Architecture at IED
• Daniel García, Fab Lab IED Madrid manager
• Lorena Schmitzberger Sánchez, Trotec Spain
  

Date: 12-16 September 2016

Time: 10:00 to 14:00 & 15:00 to 19:00 h. [ 10 am-2 pm & 3 pm-7 pm ]

Location: IED - Madrid, Spain

  For more details or to register contact: Ignacio Prieto - Daniel García  or call 914 480-444

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.

Rhino DOF training is coming to California!

Rhino DOF - Design Optimization Fabrication

August 8-12, 2016

Irvine, CA

Join McNeel instructors Mary Fugier (McNeel Seattle) and Andres Gonzalez Posada (McNeel Miami) for a week-long Rhino DOF training course at Laguna Tools in Irvine, California.

Dates: August 8-12, 2016
Price: US$995.00

Register here

In this course attendees will learn to create and edit accurate free-form 3D NURBS models. This fast-moving course covers most of Rhino's functionality, including the most advanced surfacing commands. With the functional understanding of Grasshopper and parametric design learned in this class, the participants can then build on this for more advanced projects of their own. The course also covers information on fabrication techniques with RP or laser machines, as well as optimization and fabrication using RhinoCAM for CNC machines.

Detailed class outline is available here.


Questions? Contact Jody Mills at (206) 634-4571. 

Details...

FS16: Exploring the Fourth Dimension

The Furniture Society is a nonprofit, educational organization founded in 1996. The Society sponsors a variety of programs that contribute to the education and enrichment of members and the public.

Please join Greg Flanagan, Justin Kindelspire, Kevin Groenke, and Patrick McKeenan as they explore the fourth dimension with Rhino, Grasshopper, RhinoCAM, and ShopBot from the University of Minnesota, an Authorized RhinoFabStudio.

Date: 
Thursday, June 23 2016


Time: 
10:15am-5:00pm


Place: 
FS16, Philadelphia, PA.

For more information and to register please visit this link.

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.

A moose for your shoes

A full scale moose that's a shoe rack? Siemen Cuypers was asked to design one for a kids' library in Oslo. So he came up with the Shoe Moose.

First he used Rhino to model it in 3D, making sure everything fit together correctly. Then he turned everything into 2D drawings for CNC manufacturing. Next, he scaled everything down to a small scale prototype on the laser cutter for test assembly. Finally, he milled everything on the CNC and made an instruction manual to assemble the numbered pieces.

We spotted this project for Artisan Tech AS on the McNeel Forum.

Siemen Cuypers is a freelance product designer interested in digital manufacturing, visualization, and Grasshopper programming.

More pictures and info ....

The finished moose ended up acting as a coat rack also.