Items tagged ‘parametric-modeling’
-
Building the CJ R&D Center Kinetic Facade with IK in 3ds Max
Read More
Developing the kinetic facade on the CJ R&D Center presented some unique technical challenges in terms of visualizing a range of motion for a mechanical assembly of parts. As architectural designers, we're accustomed to working with static elements. CJ called for new methodologies that would enable us to easily manipulate hierarchical structures of linked components, allowing us to visualize how a modification to one part would effect the whole system. To do this, we used a combination of tools (inverse kinematics, wire parameters and animation constraints) originally intended for use in character animation within 3ds Max . In general ... -
Using an Excel Spreadsheet to Control Revit Panels
Read MoreThe possibility of controlling panels in a Revit curtain wall through an Excel spreadsheet opens up a wide range of opportunities for interoperability between Revit and other tools in our workflow. Any program capable of exporting a range of values could potentially send values directly to Revit, saving users the hours of manual data entry currently required to translate a design or analysis model into a documentation (BIM) model. To enable Revit to read in values from Excel , we looked at two Revit plugins; Revit Excel Link ,developed by Cad Technology Center and Whitefeet, written by Mario Guttman. Using a ...
-
Vasari Surface based on Solar Analysis
Read MoreProject Vasari, a standalone application that expands on the Revit conceptual mass family interface (available here from Autodesk Labs) brings Ecotect analysis capabilities into the Revit environment. We test drove this tool to see if we could create a surface that responds directly to the results of solar analysis. Vasari allows us to easily export analysis data in .CSV format, bring that information into Excel and read all the values generated from Solar Analysis. Having that numerical data available, we initially thought we could bring these values back into Revit to drive a specified parameter in the Pattern-based Curtain Panel ...
-
3dsMax to Rhino/Grasshopper to Ecotect and Back
Read MoreMany of us have struggled with incorporating analysis data from energy consultants or software like Ecotect and Energy Plus into the the early stages of design. This is largely due to the cumbersome process of moving models between design and analysis software, or worse, the necessity to completely rebuild a model to suit a particular type of analysis or tool. To complicate things further, the result of such efforts isn't easily incorporated back into the design process, because the data harvested is usually output in a static format such as a chart or two-dimensional graphic. A large part of ...
