LECTURES
3D Modelling: Howard
Gill
Very interesting introduction to Architerra, ArchiFacade, billboard
techniques, ArchiGlazing, GDL Toolbox - particularly useful to those
who have not tried these Addons Good tips on 'quick + dirty' 3d views
to sell the project! Howard's talks are always very clear, he covers
a lot of ground.
ENCOUNTER
I was in Matthew Lohden's group - most
of us seemed to be small office users, mostly domestic work, ML would
have the info on this. Encouraging comments from those who have made
the switch to AC8 even on Mac, I have all this to experience in the
next few weeks (AC8, Mac G5, Mac OS10). Common wishlist item: the ability
to nest layers + layer combos in folders + sub-folders to reduce navigating
through long lists of 100's of layers that never fit on the screen.
CASE STUDIES
Kajima
Very interesting insight into the world
of the bigtime contractor, again encouraging to hear of such a major
group's commitment to the virtual building model, using NavisWorks to
make VR's and generally navigate and clash detect very fast trough a
much bigger model than AC can handle.
Begs the question - why they are redoing the 3d work that their architects
should have done ? I'm sure that everyone in the audience uses AC 3d
capabilities to perform our own form of clash detection as a matter
of course in designing in a 3d way. Nice to see a building contractor
guy get enthusiastic about the virtual building model.
PS : please can I get on their list of approved architects, must contact
Paris office !Kendrick Homes
Kendrick Homes
Again, an interesting insight into the world
of the medium size contractor, encouraging to hear of such a group's
commitment to AC and the virtual building model. Dave is a good and
entertaining speaker, nice line in English irony. I'm sure that a large
part of the audience identified strongly with his AC learning process.
Seymour
Harris.
Another amusing talk, an interesting insight
into the world of the large architectural office. This is an now unfamiliar
environment for me, but I was interested in Chris's techniques for inspiring
and supervising new and junior AC users.
Dwight Atkinson
- evening
lecture
Yet another truly inspiring and hugely impressive
talk from Dwight. The possibilities for working up presentations seem
endless, in the end the choice often has to come down to the quality
of the artist's eye. Coming from an artistic background I feel comfortable
with this myself, but I wonder sometimes if the more technical members
of the audience will ever understand the subtleties - some of the renderings
that are shown around (see some recent postings on Architalk) are truly
awful.
Terrifying experience for Hakim as his renderings
were 'improved' real time on screen by Dwight. How you do know when
to stop ? Back to the artist's eye question. But then Dwight's presentations
are certainly the best way to to get people interested in improving
their techniques.
GRAPHISOFT
Impressive turnout from Graphisoft, maybe they really
do appreciate their users !
Ray Small : Company Statement
Quick look at GS's financial performance, basically
back in profit but on a reduced turnover due to extensive cost cutting.
Not bad in terms of overall recession hitting the market generally,
competitors have suffered worst, particularly those who took a ride
on the dot.com boom.
A frank admission of bungled AC8 launch, procedures have changed, heads
have rolled, product responsibility is now taken on an individual basis
rather than on previous 'it's not my fault' committee system. Reassurance
on the important of research and development, presentation of a clear
long term view for the future of GS now being applied to all GS subsidiaries
in all countries.
New MD for the UK : Paul Lethbridge, clearly a man who knows the product
and his market. It's encouraging to hear of GS's commitment, even to
the Mac platform. I feel confident that such an innovative and in most
respects unique product as AC is bound to survive and flourish, particularly
when looked at in conjunction with GS investment in the promotion of
GDL + IFC.Ray Small CEO
Simon Gilbert : ArchiCAD 8.1
A very competent and encouraging (to those
who suffered in the switch to AC8) run through of promised fixes + new
features in forthcoming (free!, UK
release for October ??) update from AC8v3 > 8.1.
AC8.1 : improved 2d representation of composites, wall + beam
capping and wrapping, automatic clean up at crossover points without
having to trim, GDL hotspots, single key shortcuts for all tools, more
display option parameters in quick views, at last printing from marqueed
zone, headers + footers in print outs direct from AC, at last all colours
to black option within AC.
PM3 : new title type menu to label individual drawings placed
in a layout sheet inc reference to sheet on detail markers, new option
not to update certain attributes from the viewset, if printed to Amyuni
.pdf the viewset will incorporate hyperlinks to navigate around the
layout (unfortunately PC only for the moment), creation of x-ref drawings
to .dwg, automatic pen colour adjustment in save out to .dwg.
Andras Haidekker : RedSquare
More evidence of GS's commitment to GDL, a working
tool to insert parametric GDL objects into Autocad in a bid to widen
the potential market and thus encourage manufacturers to create GDL
catalogues. All very encouraging for AC's future. This was the most
interesting part of the GS presentation, concerning the ability to deal
with whole groups of furniture ranges or whatever, placing GDL objects
in a coordinated and flexible modular way. Should be of huge interest
to all the office furniture/space planning and kitchen manufacturer/planner
outfits.
PS : we saw this demonstrated last year, in conjunction with an Eon
? 3d viewer, whatever happened to that ?
John Mitchell : IFC
An explanation of Industry Foundation Classes, again
more evidence of GS's commitment to GDL and IFC, showing how facilities
management software (ArchiFM?) can quickly read all the 3d intelligent
information inherent in all the building elements contained in an AC
virtual model, whether walls, slabs or objects and all associated parameters.
This appears to be the UK (and EEC ?) government backed
future, showing standards to be adhered to to enable reading off of
information, and again implications very encouraging for AC's future.
Followed by a demonstration of a 3d viewer called nD Modeller
created by Charlie Fu for a Salford University IFC research
programme. It can open an AC (or Navisworks) model, show VR models,
fly throughs etc, preview. and analyse all building elements, including
life cycle and costing information if suitable parameters are built
in.
Kajima Statement : Roy Marshall
An overview of the huge Kajima design and build group
from Japan's world-wide activities, underlining their commitment to
the virtual building model, featuring AC and NavisWorks, an obvious
coup for GS. Surely GS will survive with all this going for them, and
us ?
Piranesi 3D Painting : David Rimmington
Very interesting summary of this 3d painting software
from Informatix of Cambridge, capable of rendering a view taken from
any AC (or other) model, reading the encoded 3d information to ensure
correct lining up of paint finishes and textures, and billboard objects
with the correct perspective. Enables highly attractive and seductive
views to be created in a sketchy way very early on in the design process,
saving time spent in applying correct textures within AC and then rendering.
The purist renderers might argue that there is no substitute for
correct material/texture rendering and lighting of the accurate 3D model,
and indeed some material/texture management must be included in the
AC model to allow Piranesi to know automatically which surfaces to paint
with what (using material lock facility), but I think that clients will
love these quickly obtained presentations.
Piranesi has come on a lot since I first saw it briefly demonstrated
by Geoffroy Magnan at ACUE 2000.
Workshops, Friday afternoon
Piranesi : David Rimmington
More detailed demonstration of Piranesi
3, very competent run through by David. Save out view from AC by EPIX
plug-in on AC 6.5 or 7, integrated in AC 8v3 Each pixel in the saved
view contains encoded information RBGY + material + distance from camera.
Combinations of 'material lock', 'plane lock', 'colour lock', 'orientation
lock' for painting the model, all keeping perspective view.
Combinations of colour strengths / opacity/style variables/scaleable
textures. Overlay option allows you to keep shadows generated in model
view..
Textures and billboard objects (2000 ?) available on Piranesi CD, or
import your own. Artlantis shaders do not function (programme specific).
Basic drawing tools, plan views of trees etc available for touching
up garden plan views for instance.
Cost £450, PC and Mac. The Mac (OSX) version has a very nice and
improved interface, clearer and more precise slider controls of colours,
intensities and textures.
Matthew Lohden made the point that if Photoshop users will generally
benefit from a background knowledge in photography, then Piranesi users
will certainly benefit from a background knowledge in watercolour or
other artistic skills. This is certainly true, David's examples (an
architect's eye) looked fine, some other examples he showed were awful,
some very good. Be nice to have Dwight's view, I believe that he was
a beta tester for v3.0.
Zoom GDL : Ildiko Szabo
A charming low key presentation of Zoom
GDL 2.1 by Abvent, with an exercise tutorial in the form of a parametric
coffee table object.
New feature, can now print direct from Zoom GDL. Used in conjunction
with AC7 or AC8, creates its own GDL library with .esn objects.
Zoom GDL Converter included will update objects made from older Zoom
2.0 for use in AC8.
Tutorial exercise, use of simultaneous interactive plan, elevation and
3d view windows in 4-way split screen, tool menu, cursor types, shortcut
keys - all broadly as AC, a family resemblance at least.
Use of different nameable layers and visible/invisible command to create
different parametric options for scale sensitive parameters, different
finishes, materials, appearances etc.
When imported into AC these layers are converted into parameters in
the object menu, not simply added to the AC layer list.
I was a little frustrated by the slow pace around the table, did not
really see any great examples of the curvy objects and so on that can
be created in Zoom GDL, also failed to explore the possibility that
interests me of creating objects such as display units where the module
width can be changed while keeping same side panels etc, i.e. not a
global stretch. I know roughly how to do this in GDL scripting, was
just interested to see if it could be done even easier (sorry DNC) in
Zoom GDL.
I would also liked to have seen something on Artlantis 4.5. I possess
both these products, have hardly opened the box.
Saturday morning : Semi Plenary on Construction
Documentation with ArchiCAD etc : Matthew Lohden
Difficult choice between this and Dwight's
: in the end I attended Matthew's session on Standards and Practices
and learnt a lot on how to organise the efficient use of AC in the office
environment.Working mostly on my own I find it hard to put time aside
to reflect on good standards and practices, just tend to do it in a
rather ad hoc way, building from experience gained on the previous project
by effectively using it as a template for the next one, so in this way
I do have a standard and evolving
pens and colour list and layer system. But I learnt a great deal from
Matthew's presentation and experience.
The Ideal - to model the building
entirely and animate all the views.
The Reality - producing the drawings while maintaining the model
in the real world.
The Practice - to help the above with the establishment and maintenance
of office standard practices.
Some key ML recommendations to remember
:
* As a general rule, model the building as far as you have to so it
looks good at 1:100.
* If the model is clean at 1:100 then it will still be clean at 1:20,
the detail can be added in 2d.
* Use of patches to cover the embarrassing bits - e.g; use a white fill
with a blue outline (so that you can see where it is) that prints blue
in PM.
* Keeping the S/E views linked until detail design development stage,
at that point unlink and turn on elevation hatching, shadows etc. The
copy and move over technique (in x plane to keep height level dimensioning
in place) to keep track of modifications as the views are rebuilt.
* Use of one pen set for AC, another pen set for PM. The PM might have
the top 80 pens all in black, including a greyscale range for for elevation
hatching, flloor finishes or other line work that you do not want interfering
with annotations in black for instance.
* ML's diagram of the 2 interlocking wedges illustrating typical project
progression from 99% 3D work/1% 2D work at outset sketch stage to 99%
2D work/1% 3D work at final detail design stage.
* How to review the project - the best way is often still to look at
the drawings. Even a high resolution screen is till only maybe 1% of
the resolution of an A1 sheet! Back to the old days of the project architect
or partner in charge redlining the drawing boards at night or weekends.
Suggest installing say a weekly print out and review.
Which leads into how to organise the
drawing office :
1. Standards
=Establishment of a clear and publishable set of standards :
=Project organisation - a recognisable common folder structure and hierarchy
for storing the information.
=File attributes - again a recognisable organisation and hierarchy,
notably for pens and layers.
=Drawings and graphics - this is what we like our drawings to look like,
clear, concise and above all required information.
=Keep the office manual brief, 20/30 pages maximum.
=Use of templates, including drawing sheets of electrical symbols etc.
that can be used as key legends in the drawing sheet.
ML notes that more and more offices are
moving away from systematically loading the entire AC standard library
(not to mention AC libraries from previous versions) but creating a
selection as an office library for loading on each workstation, keeping
the main library on a server. Time saving in avoiding the loading of
huge libraries, 95% of which are never used.
2. Methods
Recommended procedures, classified according
to design phase. The manual should be a "living" thing, evolving
to include new methods an techniques (see below), encouraging all to
participate as a way to promote a pride in one's own work.
3. Techniques
The manual should include all relevant "tip
and technique" type information (whether presentation, design or
management questions), presented in a simple format as a way of capturing
the knowledge of all permanent or temporary office contributors as a
living record, including the actual multiple templates themselves to
form a starting point for each project.
On to the production of Construction
Drawings :
= ML ran through a typical project in AC8 + PM3, looking at Publishing,
the Navigator, the Project Map, Viewsets. The default Publishing format
is still .dwf - a historical remnant of the initial excitement about
publishing to the web. It soon became clear that the interest of the
technique was in producing the printed output.
= ML feels that the .pdf route is better than the publishing to the
web, Acrobat's redlining possibilities are now just as good. Publish
now with the advent of PM3, but as general rule ML prefers to Publish
manually to check on the output right up to the deadline.
= How to add new sheets or revisions to the Layout Book ? One way is
to create a new Subset at the end of the Book for new sheets and print
selected items from the Navigator. Revision histories are still tricky
to deal with, just have to be organised.
= ML recommends making a .pdf of the whole Layout Book once that it
has been issued, in this way the Layout Book can be kept live. Save
time by keeping the Layout Book small, divide it up into separate Layout
Books.
= ML is still following the save as .pmk Publishing technique from AC7
days, a little distrustful of the linked .pln route.
= Use the "save visible Layers only" option in save as .pmk
Publishing, the one drawing equals one view approach is still more reliable
than saving a single .pmk file with all Layers and the using Layer Combos
within PM to achieve the different plans. This also helps in saving
out .dwg files from PM, you only get what you need.
= Pen colours and numbers - ML had detailed .pdf's of his own pen colour
charts (which I for one would like to obtain for a closer look). difficult
to note it all down (a lecture note handout after the event would have
been great here), but here are some hints :
- Pens Nos 1-10 are assigned to fixed functions.
- No 1 is for all things cut in section, No 7 is always plumbing (set
up all plumbing fixtures in the office library to default to this pen),
- No 8 is always doors or windows (same library technique) for instance.
- Pens Nos 11-20 are assigned to additional special functions.
- Note : for Material colours, ML recommends doing this within the Material
menus rather than modifying each Wall then changes are effected globally
to the project.
- Make a duplicate of Pens Nos 1-10 in greyscale for use as "existing"
conditions within the "proposed" project model. These can
then be manipulated in the separate PM Pen Set to print black, "pop
in" or "pop out".
- Pens Nos 81-90 are assigned to "non-printing" pens, such
as No 85 for a non-repro blue.
- Pens Nos 241-255 are used for Zone colours when using vector fill
in PM - remember that PM knows how to select automatically a Pen Colour
to match to
a particular AC colour. Note : if adjoiningelementssuchas Walls and
Slabs are assigned the same empty fill the all junctions will clean
up with a single outline.
OK, that's all I got down on paper from
a very inspiring and informative talk - I would have liked to see Matthew's
other presentations too, but the choice was so good!
I was glad to see PM treated as an essential
tool, it has come in for such a lot of stick in the past - but then
I have always liked it as ways of
achieving such nice mixed scale and representation in the drawing sheets
is difficult to organise in printing direct from AC. And now PM3 is
a huge leap in productivity. It reminded me of Duane's talk last year,
and how one of the main plus points of ACUE for me is seeing how such
experienced hands use AC and
(hopefully) being encouraged that I have been going the right way too.
Saturday Morning : Advanced GDL workshop
: David Nicholson-Cole
I rather rashly signed up for DNC's Advanced
GDL workshop, and now realise that I am a mere Beginner !
But hey! I can manage to do what I often need in my work - parametric
sets of shop display and office furniture and other basic stuff. So
nice to be able to make modular wall runs and change in a few clicks
from 1000 mm to 1250 mm module, not to mention no of shelves, height
and everything else and reconfigure the whole plan, all thanks to DNC's
previous ACUE Beginner GDL courses and dedicated reading of his excellent
Cookbook.
David has described elsewhere what we ran
through in this last workshop - it just needs saying that it was great
as always to be inspired by his skill and enthusiasm, and dream of wonders
that we could one day achieve. Also interesting in the context of the
hoped-for GDL revolution.
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