ArchiCAD Tips and Tricks session: 2004: feedback
This is now a tradition for the Summer and Winter Schools, to have a final session in which Delegates come up and show some of the work they have been doing in the previous year. It's also a chance for tutors to show an extra trick that was enjoyed during the workshops, and for announcements to be made.
The Summer School T&T event is squeezed into 90 mins and is rather frenetically fast ie 9 presentations in 90 mins including changover times; whereas T&T for the Winter School is up to 4 hours, and much more relaxed, allowing presentations to be up to 30 mins. Despite Alan's comment about being unrehearsed, I would reply that this is the whole point - it's impromptu. People bring things and show us the unexpected. I ask countless times before the event for people to tell me if they would like to show something, but a warning/ offer is rarely provided. (DNC)
The tips and tricks session on Saturday was a good idea and a nice conclusion of the event. (Susanne Welcker)
Less useful than last year. The 2D dwg into model was exceptional – this sort of lateral thinking is what I think this session should be all about. So Ben showing a tip or two for producing his 3D details would have been very welcome. (Nigel Walter)
Ben Wallbank - more background to the work that he showed on Thursday, would have been nice to see how some of the drawings were generated too.
Chris Philips - intelligent use of fly by animations in design presentations.
Miguel Krippahl - another chance to see what I found so inspiring in his workshop session.
Bert Nijs - good use of 2D files to make a simple expressive 3D model that certainly got the message across.
Matthew Lohden - fill generator GDL object that should certainly save time on files with heavy use of vectorial fill.
And last but not least, DNC's touching evocation of the delights of the Winter School idyll, if it brings tears to his eyes it must be good ! (Peter Bennison)
All were
very interesting! Two special mentions for the efficiency they showed
in the way of effort economy and maximum result :
Miguel Krippahl : showed two short examples about animation (what
to avoid-what to do) after this demonstration nobody will ever look at
his camera tool the same way he did before. A definite proof that computers
don't work alone, they need a brain beside !
Bert Nijs : It's incredible how simple and obvious was the way
he took to convert with a minimum effort, 2D flatlandCAD unlinked files
to a marvellous and easy understandable 3D file. There's still a life
after 2D !
(Til Breton)
Goodish, but suffered from lack of rehearsal/presentation time to check the hardware compatibility, etc. Sort of ran out of steam...but the moviemaking feature really stood out...... (Alan Wahlers)
Very useful. Could we perhaps have more, with some earlier on in ACU before the final hour's tiredness sets in? (Mike Willey)
Swift, nice and impressive. Just as it should be. (Susanne Ollsson)
Longer Report from Ben Frost
The afternoon saw everybody back together for the light-hearted tips, tricks and 'look-ma-no-hands' short presentations by anybody willing and able. The following are not perhaps in the exact order, I hope I remembered them right.
Herbert Peter
and DNC led with plugs for their latest and greatest offerings: Herbert's
'ArchiCAD: Best Practice' book - now available in English, and David's
ACUE Winter-School in January (GO! I went last year - it was great!) and
ACUWest in Las Vegas next March.
Ben Wallbank again entertained us with "how not to do fly-through's". Although I'll have to admit that I don't believe it began with this title! Miguel Krippahl had run a couple of workshops on 'Better Movie-making with ArchiCAD and Art•lantis' and I feel that this may just have influenced Ben's choice of title somewhat!
Miguel himself showed us how it should be done. Miguel's Kafka-esque 'how not to be a giant fly in a fly-through' presentation was delivered with humour and many simple but effective guidelines for creating a better movie. It was a shame that I missed his workshops - the people I spoke to who did attend were extremely encouraged - next time.....
Gerald Faustenhammer also showed us some GDL key objects made with ArchiPhysik for inclusion in your ArchiCAD projects
Marie Sofie Larsen presented the work she and some of her class have been doing with GDL in Aarhus, Denmark. This involved a method of teaching whereby fabricators and manufacturers joined with students to create real-life parametric objects for use in the industry. The students learn the technical components of building elements (and a bit of GDL!), the manufacturers get free GDL objects for distribution and architects get these objects for use in their projects. Everybody is a winner! I was lucky enough to have met Charlotte Darre from the same class at the Winter School in January and am glad this was also presented to a wider audience here in the UK. It is, i believe, an invaluable method for teaching and the promotion of GDL.
Ben missed out a few:
- An 8min film by Nottingham Students Chris Fletcher and Steve Workman of a design for converting a textile mill into a Dance Centre for the East Midlands Ballet Corps done with Artlantis, camcorder shots of Forest Fields, IMovie, and Groove Armada music - a one take shot due to the size of the model and the closeness of the deadline.
- A presentation by Chris Philips of Seymour Harris on good advice on presentation methods; and curved steel beam design.
- Bert Nijs showing a remarkable trick, producing a rapid 3D model of an old cast iron building from 3D drawings.
- Matthew Lohden showing a trick with settings for Vectorial fills.
David closed with a very extended prize-giving ceremony! Any excuse to give away polo-shirts, baseball caps and art•lantis shaders was used until there was nothing left to give away.
The ArchiCAD University also ended in a similar manner to how it was started: David receiving another mobile phone call in the middle of his speech! Anybody care to own up?
Of course
all of this covers the content, not the people.
Old faces, new faces and old names that I'd yet to put
a face to . . .
Richard Payne, Paul josza, Chris Johnstone
from the ski trip/winter school - it was great to see you again and sorry
that I didn't get the chance to talk properly
Simon, Bence, Akos and the guys from
Graphisoft - you'll be hearing from me!
James Murray, Link - great to meet
you guys. hopefully our paths will cross again soon.
Matthew - I was really hoping to talk
'big ideas' with you but it never happened. See you online, and maybe
next time?
Ben, Torbjörn and the lovely
Susanne from Malmö - find me a job and I'm there!
Fabrizio! What can I say? Thanks again!
Next time I'm Italy we'll party again!
See you next time...
(Ben Frost)
