Sunday, July 31, 2011

Genome Database using Slingshot!




Thanks the new record component and some fixed slider functionality, I was able to create a process for recording Galapagos iterations to a MySQL database via the Slingshot! plug-in...


The process for recording is fairly straight forward...

Step 1: Use the 'record' component to track changing sliders and fitness values.
Step 2: Run Galapagos
Step 3: Insert the recorded fitness and gene values into the database.
Step 4: Query the database to view and sort the genomes.

Quite handy for revisiting all iterations and comparing different ranges of fitness...



Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Supershape Returns... with Vasari and IronPython



So to continue the theme, I thought I would take a crack at creating a script for generating 3D Supershapes using strictly IronPython and the RevitPythonShell.

The script creates reference points based on mathematical formula and draws section curves in one direction. I then used the loft form method to connect adjacent curve together and describe the surface. I should note that lofting the sections together for a continuously smooth look fails under just about every scenario... I hope more options are available in the future.

Speed wise... well... it sure takes its sweet time to generate the geometry. Other scripting environments are lightning fast when dealing with similar levels of complexity. In the future, I hope the Revit/Vasari team can streamline the form creation process and provide more creation methods...

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Installing IronPython with Vasari


Zach Kron from Buildz recently posted an very cool example of using IronPython with Revit/Vasari. This is made possible using RevitPythonShell by Daren Thomas. This got me excited to kill two bird's with one stone 1. See what Vasari is all about and 2. start digging into Python.

I had to go through a number of blog posts to get all the pieces to work together (most only told part of the story). The fact that Vasari tries to keep everything under the hood a secret does not help matters.

So to ensure you do not exhaust as much time getting it to work as I did... I present...


The 12 Step Program to get Vasari to work with IronPython

First why would you WANT to do this? Unless you are going through the VSTA in Revit ( this is not available in Vasari), you have to use Visual Studio to compile a plug-in and load it as an Add-In. This can be a cumbersome experience if you want a more fluid scripted workflow where you can test code on the fly.

Enter
RevitPythonShell. This plug-in gives Revit/Vasari the capability to execute IronPython scripts with full access to the Revit API. Once it is up and running, you are able to quickly test different code from either the command console or a script editor of your choice.

The steps below are more specific for Vasari. For those unfamiliar, Vasari is a standalone package of some of Revit's more conceptual modeling and analysis features. The application is a free download.

Instructions:

Note: Currently, RevitPythonShell works with Revit 2011 and Vasari 1.1. RevitPythonShell is not yet compatible with Revit 2012 or Vasari 2.0.

1. Download Autodesk Vasari 1.1
2. Download and install Python 2.5
3. Download and install RevitPythonShell (includes IronPython 2.0 DLLs)
4. Launch the Vasari.exe file for the first time.
5. After Vasari has launched... close Vasari.
Note: Vasari comes as a standalone exe file but it does create a few folders on your computer which you will need in order to get it to work with RevitPythonShell.

6. Navigate to the following directory (Windows 7): C:\Users\*yournamehere*\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Vasari\Addins\TP1.1
Note: This directory is where you can place custom Add-ins. Revit 2011 add-ins that take advantage of the conceptual massing environment can be also be used with Vasari. (More info can be found at TheBuildingCoder)

7. Download this revitpythonshell.addin file and place it in the TP1.1 directory.
Note: This is an XML file I made which contains a path to the RevitPythonShell.dll directory. You may need to open the file to verify the path to the assembly file is correct.

8. Launch Vasari 1.1
9. Exit the current massing editor ('Cancel Mass' in the ribbon)
10. Click on the 'Add-Ins' menu tab. Viola! If you did everything correctly, you should have a RevitPythonShell menu category with "Open Python Shell" and "Configure..." buttons available.
11. Click "Configure Commands". Check that a Search Path is included for C:\Python25\Lib (this is necessary to make use of the AutoComplete feature and to make use of other standard libraries)
12. Download an IronPython IDE (like SharpDevelop) to write scripts. You can load them using "Configure..." through the Vasari Add-In tab.

If this post needs any corrections or clarifications, please let me know!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

GH+MySQL v0.7.2 Released (w/ ODBC)

A new release of the Slingshot! GH+MySQL plug-in is available.

The release is a minor update which re-organizes a few categories and also includes a new generic MySQL Command component for executing SQL operations not included in other components.

The main reason for this release was to introduce ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) into the mix. The two components (ODBC Command and ODBC Query) should let users access any ODBC compliant database. I have tested the plug-in with PostgreSQL... if anyone tests them with others, please let me know!

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Fun with Hashtags

What if you could turn twitter into a giant command-line cloud.... maybe you can?