Tuesday, October 23, 2012

UNL Arch 223: Assignment 02

More kick ass work from my Arch 223 students...

This assignment was to "remix" Gothic geometry.  Not much conceptual criteria beyond that as the focus of the course technical process.  I wanted them to focus on creating modular design logic with an emphasis on technical modeling craft, and drawing quality.  Rhino was used as the modeler. (and again... no Grasshopper!)  Some students opted to try out Blender Cycles rendering as well .

The TAs are also doing a great job... props to Matt Neaderhiser and Dan Williamson for running the labs and bringing the best out of these students.

You can also check out some of Assignment 01 here...

The next assignment will enter the world of BIM... stay tuned :) 


Student:  Aaron Powell

Student:  Allen Phengmarath

Student:  Carlos Servan-Alverez

Student:  Jati Zunaibi

Student:  Sarah Schlegelmilch

Friday, October 19, 2012

Import OpenNURBS for Vasari is here!

CASE is excited to announce the Beta release of Import OpenNURBS for Autodesk’s Vasari Conceptual Modeling Software.  The Beta is available for a limited time through the CASE Apps Add-in manager found at the CASE Apps website.

The Import OpenNURBS add-in facilitates early-stage interoperability by allowing designers to import conceptual geometry from Rhino into Autodesk Vasari.  Unlike importing and linking with other file formats, Import OpenNURBS will translate geometries as native Vasari elements to give designers the flexibility to further develop their designs using Vasari’s modeling and analysis features.

The Vasari Add-in reads the OpenNURBS file format (Rhino 4.0 3DM) and uses custom algorithms to reconstruct geometry using Vasari API methods.  Currently, the Add-in supports a broad range of OpenNURBS geometry.  At this stage, some geometry support has yet to be implemented but we are committed to expanding the functionality as new capabilities become available for OpenNURBS and the Vasari API.

We hope you enjoy testing the new Import OpenNURBS Beta for Autodesk Vasari... and we hope you can provide us with valuable feedback about the tool!

Try it.... test it... break it!  Then let us know what you think :)

Sunday, October 14, 2012

LunchBox v0.35 Available

A new LunchBox is available...
  • New Math components:  Helicoid and Conoid
  • New Generate Components:  Panel Frames and 'Constant Quad' Panel Division
  • New Structure Components:  2-Surface Space Truss and 2-D Truss.
...Anyone want to try out the new installer?


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Pecha Kucha Night @ The Slowdown, Omaha

I'll be participating in a Pecha Kucha Night this coming Thursday, October 11th!

I'll have 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to talk about... something.

Will it be architectural?
Will it be computational?
Will it include a healthy selection of internet memes?

Join us at The Slowdown to find out...!


UNL Arch 223: Assignment 01

For those of you following along to the Facebook posts, this may be old news, but I wanted to post an update on the UNL Arch 223 course I am instructing this semester.  The course is an introduction to 3D modeling and representation.  This course is an undergraduate course in the College of Architecture for Architecture, Interior Designers, and Landscape Architecture students.

For many, this is their first exposure to a college-level design course.  Interestingly enough, many students already had previous experience in 3D modeling applications (Sketch-up being the most common one).  It seems local high schools are already pushing 3D CAD applications such as Revit, Inventor, and Solidworks as part of the engineering, shop, and drafting curricula.

The first assignment asked them to find an object created by some natural process and produce 3D models and visualizations conveying various formal and morphological characteristics.  Rhino is the modeler being used for production with a high level of emphasis placed on surface control and manipulation.

Here is a snapshot of some of the projects....

Parametric tools, such as Grasshopper, are not allowed at this stage. :)

Student, Charlie Weak

Student, Hillary Krajnik

Student, Jessica Lee

Student, Kyle Owens

Student, Nicholas Beaty

Student, Taylor Hiemer