CASE Interoperability Update

CASE's interoperability framework makes important design data accessible among different technologies.

It has been awhile since I have shared an update on CASE interoperability approach.  With new technologies entering into the fray, interoperability is as relevant a concept as ever.  In recent months, much of my focus has been on highlighting efforts around the Rhynamo node library for Dynamo. I am thrilled to see that the library has grown in popularity and is currently the second most downloaded Dynamo package.

In the wake of Rhynamo's success as an open source project, I have been actively continuing development of a broad range of CASE interoperability solutions which allow us to consult and support project-wide and firm-wide data management among a broad spectrum of design software.  In recent months, these solutions have found their way into the workflows of firms such as Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill, AECOM, HDR, DIALOG, and RTKL.

The goal of these solutions has been to address the many data transfer challenges as a building proceeds from concept, to analysis, to document production.  Grasshopper, Revit, RAM Structural System, SketchUp, Microstation, 3DS Max, and SolidWorks are just a sampling of the tools that have found their way into CASE's workflow planning services as of late.

Beyond providing technical tools for accomplishing better data transfer, our approach also involves mapping out key use cases for a team and to support the overall pipeline.

Here are some current use cases that I am interested in at the moment...

• Integrated practice... uses of interoperability to enhance collaboration among architecture and engineering disciplines for more seamless bi-directional coordination.
• Analysis workflows.... uses of interoperability as a methodology for model simplification and data extraction in analysis.
• Datafication and BIM migration... uses of interoperability for migrating legacy drawings/data into the BIM ecosystem.  Let's automate 2D to 3D to BIM!

Stay tuned for an extended and detailed CASE Blog post on these subjects... and always feel free to reach out to us if you are interested in these ideas.

In the mean time, check out some of the recent clips below...

Rhynamo - Refactored and Data-centric

The new version of Rhynamo exposes new data from 3DM files 

There is much more to Rhino files than NURBS geometry.  This latest release of Rhynamo extends the users ability to access different data and objects within a Rhino file from Dynamo... from general file information, to layers, or materials.  Geometry conversions will also return other important information about the object including GUIDs, layers, colors, and names.

In order to better develop this new functionality, the Rhynamo library has been refactored Rhynamo's for better organization... this will almost certainly break existing definitions that use older versions, but this is an important evolutionary step for this tool.  Older versions are still downloadable on the package manager for legacy use.

Visit the Rhynamo source to get the latest...

Geometry converters also return information about object GUIDs, names, layers, and colors.

Materials, layers, linetypes, hatch patterns, and camera view data is now available.

Get the Rhynamo Package!

Get Rhynamo now through the Dynamo package manager

Rhynamo is now an official Dynamo package... freely available to the public!  I am still putting the finishing touches on the source code repository (more on that soon!), but that shouldn't stop you from getting the latest build of Rhynamo to try out in your work.

The private beta was very successful with over 300 people testing Rhynamo and providing very valuable feedback.  There is still work to do to improve the tool, but now that we have been actively using it on our own projects at CASE, we feel it is ready for the greater BIM and Computational Design community to start making use of it.

So give it a try!  Rhynamo is designed to work with the latest builds of Dynamo (0.7.4 or later).

• Be sure you get the latest daily Dynamo build (I am using 0.7.5) to use the tool!  
• You can download Rhynamo right now using the Dynamo package manager.
• Rhynamo also comes with a few example files and a read me so you can get oriented.

Rhynamo - An Open Source Project

Coding Rhynamo from my hotel room at The Standard in Los Angeles

If you who were paying attention to my Twitter feed During ACADIA, you may have caught that I made a special announcement regarding Rhynamo, the OpenNURBS file reader/writer for Dynamo:

As of December 1, CASE will release Rhynamo as an open source project.

What does that mean? It means that we will continue to be releasing and developing free builds of the tool so you can continue to use Rhynamo in your work. It also means that brave coders out there will have the opportunity to leverage the Rhynamo source code to customize their workflow with OpenNURBS and Dynamo and develop new integrations.

Rhynamo only attempts to address a small piece of the larger design and production workflow. However, I believe that tools like Rhynamo provide us with a road map for what we, as users, should be expecting from our ecosystem of tools:

• We need more fluid exchanges of data throughout the design process
• We need higher levels of compatibility between authoring platforms
• We need open file formats and APIs that let us customize our workflow

Projects like McNeel’s OpenNURBS and the Dynamo project should not be exceptions…they should be the rule.

I still have some code commenting, clean-up, and feature development to do ahead of December before release the project into the wild... but for those of you who are already relying on Rhynamo in your workflow, rest assured that the tool is not going anywhere and will continue to be developed into 2015.

I also want to thank the more than 300 testers who signed up to try out Rhynamo in the past two months.  Their contributions have been very appreciated and I hope they continue to play along as we enter into phase 2 :)

More info to follow....

Reading in a Rhino file containing a Hexagonal paneling system

Mapping complex Rhino panels to Revit Adaptive components

Creating a Dynamo surface and saving geometry as a Rhino 3DM.

Completed during the ACADIA 2014 Hackathon, this shows Rhynamo sending 'live' commands to Rhino.

CASE Learning: Dynamo Essentials

CASE's Dynamo for Revit workshop... new and improved!

Dynamo is growing up so quickly that it is sometimes hard to keep up.  In this last year, the development team has completely refactored of the underlying code to support new workflows and user interface improvements.  In recent weeks, we've seen new educational content be released over at DynamoBIM.org to ensure that users are up to speed with the basics.

At CASE, we've stayed ahead of the curve by developing our own computational design curriculum focused on practicing architects and real-world applications.  You may remember that we've been running Dynamo workshops for over a year now... but now our curriculum has been greatly expanded and enhanced for the newest versions thanks to some summer help from Lorenzo Villaggi!

Interested in a Dynamo workshop?  Reach out to CASE!

Dynamo Essentials Summary

CASE's 2-Day curriculum is designed to introduce participants to essential project workflows from the creation of abstract geometry to the manipulation of BIM systems.  If you are new to the world of computational design or are interested in expanding your skills to include Dynamo, this is a great workshop to get started.

Dynamo is a graphical programming language that allows users to create powerful algorithms for creating generative design systems, automating tasks, and enhancing the BIM experience.  Much like Grasshopper, Dynamo gives users a powerful interface for advanced geometric control.  A unique feature of Dynamo is its ability to interface directly with Revit as BIM tool.

Data and Geometry

CASE's curriculum begins with an overview of the Dynamo interface and example systems focused on data manipulation and basic geometric constructions.  These initial exercises are designed to give the participants a complete experience in designing algorithms while introducing key data concepts.

Geometric definitions for points, curves, and surfaces.

Abstract systems with controls and parameters

BIM Elements & Parameters

Our exercises quickly accelerate to applying new algorithmic concepts to the BIM process.  The curriculum proceeds to introduce the uses of Dynamo for creating and managing Revit elements and their parameters.  We address techniques for placing family instances and adjusting parameters.

Populating Revit adaptive components.

Using surface subdivisions for advanced patterns with LunchBox

BIM Project Development

Our main exercise is the creation of a parametric tower using the Swiss Re tower as a guide.  These exercises demonstrate the definition of  Revit levels, floors, structures, and facades.

Tower element definition for massing and floors.

Creating variations and options.

Tower structure and facade geometry definition.

Leveraging Data & Interoperability

Dynamo also offers numerous ways to manage and interact with data.  To conclude the workshop, our curriculum exposes participants to techniques for leveraging external data sources,  We have designed exercises that use Dynamo with Excel to enable interoperability scenarios for pushing and pulling data.

Reading data from Excel to reconstruct geometry and control parameters.

Using Dynamo to mine a Revit model and send building information to Excel.

Enough with the fools... let's look at some tools!

CASE Grasshopper tools and workflows to facilitate the energy analysis process.

While many of the tools from this month's CASE announcement showed a lot of promise it may be some time before we ever see renewed interest in t-squares and drafting tables.  But April fools aside, certainly readers of this blog can all agree that information has been at the core of what we do for a very long time...  the tools for leveraging it has just evolved into something far more sophisticated than a red pen (which is still pretty damn powerful!) 

At CASE, we have continued to build tools that are helping us seize new opportunities for leveraging building information.  We build internal tools to help us deliver better services, we build custom apps that meet a client's specific needs, and we build purpose-built workflows for projects.  Interoperability continues to be a serious process concern for designers, building performance is a hot topic for engineers and architects, and computational design continues to blend together with BIM to blur the perceived lines between design and production.

Our growing stockpile of custom digital ammunition has helped us to be agile in our approach and deliver better service to our AECO clients.  Among the many software development efforts, in the past year we have created over 50 new Grasshopper components for interoperability, advanced data management, modeling workflow, and analysis.  In the past 4 months, I  have authored over 42 new nodes for Dynamo.... many of which are available for download right now as LunchBox and Slingshot packages.

On the boards...


Data visualization workflow of daily heating and cooling per zone.
So what's on the drawing boards?  For one... energy.

Energy analysis is a critical task for both architects and engineers during the design process.  As a consultant, I have observed many firms struggle with laborious, time-consuming workflows for transitioning design models into analysis models.  Worse still, reliable analysis models often get constructed towards the tail end of a process when it has become too late to change the design based on the information.  As such, a truly performance-driven process remains an elusive goal for the building industry.

This year, Alan Jackson and I embarked on a process of developing a code base for energy analysis and data visualization tools for iterative design.  We will be presenting this work at the upcoming ASHRAE/IBPSA-USA Building Simulation Conference in September.

 Here are our main interests at the moment...

1. Early-Stage Models:  Analysis isn't very helpful if you can't use them to help inform your thinking.  We want to make it easier for a design professional to create iterative energy models to inform conceptual thinking and early design.
2. Interoperability:  There are many common file types present in the design and analysis process.  We want to design straightforward processes for consuming and exporting energy model data so it can be used in many different environments.
3. Data Visualization:  Analysis is more than a spreadsheet data dump.  We are designing tools and workflows to make it easy to visualize and make sense of analysis results.

Here's a preview of what we're up to... as always, feel free to reach out if you have interest in working with us to evolve the process :)

CASE components for preparing a conceptual multi-zone analysis model.

CASE nodes for charting make it easy to visualize analysis results inside of Grasshopper.

Comparing results between parametric iterations of single and multi-story volumes.

Reading a GBXML created with Autodesk Revit and exporting it as an IDF for EnergyPlus
A short tour of some general analysis workflows...

New CASE Building Suite has landed! #CASEbs

After many late nights of hardcore research, development, ping pong, CoD, and energy drinks, we have finally released our own set of tools for the building industry!  We are set to transform how architects and engineers design, analyze, and collaborate with our new Building Suite!!!
...Visit our site to learn more about CASE Building Suite!...

Rhino Meets Dynamo

I've had some fun with the Rhino file format in recent days.  You may remember some of the work done with the Import OpenNURBS CASE App.  To further this idea, I wanted to create a more fluid workflow with 3DM files and the world of Revit.  To achieve this, it only made sense to delve into the world of Dynamo customization and build new nodes for reading and writing the Rhino file format.

With Dynamo we can read Rhino-based information into the Revit environment... AND write Rhino files directly out of Dynamo.

These are still WIP nodes internal to CASE.  To get a sense of other stuff we have been doing with Dynamo, check out some of my workshop posts.

 

AU 2013 - Hackathons, Parties, & Design Computation

Once again, CASE is going to be out in force at Autodesk University this year.  Not only do we have a healthy selection of speakers, we're also going to be running some fun after hours events including a BIM Hackathon and Party!  Here are some CASE-related points of interest to look out for this week...  as always, if you want to meet up, feel free to reach out!

CASE Events

• CASE BIM Hackathon
• Where:  Rockhouse at the Venetian. Link 
• When:  Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM
• RSVP Here!
• CASE Party 2013
• Where:  Rockhouse at the Venetian Link
• When:  Wednesday, December 4th, 7pm - 10pm
• RSVP Here!

AU Speakers

• Design Computation Symposium
• Who:  Nathan Miller / Daniel Davis
• When:  Wednesday, Dec 4, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM– Lido 3103
• AU Class Link
• Better, Faster, Stronger: Rebuilding Project Collaboration with Autodesk® BIM 360™ Glue®
• Who:  Tyler Goss
• When:  Tuesday, Dec 3, 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM– Lido 3101
• AU Class Link
• Advanced Techniques for Managing Building Data in Autodesk® Revit®
• Who:  Mario Guttman
• When:  Thursday, Dec 5, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM– Lido 3101
• AU Class Link

Crossing the Streams... with more Interop!

So you may have noticed that many of the interoperability studies have been one-way connections from Grasshopper into Revit.  More often than not, we have found that teams are generally following a linear path for design to production with the Revit model and drawings being the final deliverable.  Technically, however, the solutions we have been developing are quite non-linear in nature... data is free to move in any direction through senders and receivers.

Here is an example of moving data from Revit into Grasshopper.  There may be any number of reasons you might want to do this... For example, creating references to key project datums, developing systems in relation to Revit geometry, or even simple data visualization.

The interop process creates a live link between Revit elements and the Grasshopper model.

Once the data is in Grasshopper, it can be used for reference or as the basis of a definition.

CASE Learning: Rhino + Grasshopper + DIVA Workshops

We have been delivering exciting training and workshop opportunities since CASE first opened its doors.  We are pleased to announce that Sept. 16-20 will mark the first of many new CASE Design Technology Workshops aimed to provide individuals in the AEC industry with the knowledge and tools for a better BIM workflow. This inaugural collection of professional Rhino-based courses is focused on popular design technologies used for conceptual exploration, idea development, and early analysis.

This week-long event will kick off series of courses that can be taken all together (for the hardcore learner) or individually (based on your interest). The workshops will take place at the CASE HQ in NYC where computers and software will be provided. Space is limited, so don’t waste any time to inquire about availability!

Additionally, if you are interested in an exclusive professional workshop for your practice, don't hesitate to reach out and we can work with you to put something on your calendar!

If you’re interested in signing up for one or all of the courses, contact learning@case-inc.com and provide the following info:

• Contact info (Name, Phone, E-Mail) 
• Discipline (designer, architect, engineer, etc...) 
• Organization (company or university) 
• Course(s) of interest (see list below)

September Courses

RHINO 101: Rhino is a popular NURBS-based 3D modeling tool. This is a 2-day introduction to 3D modeling Rhino 5.0. The course will cover basic modeling capabilities used for conceptual design and schematic development. CASE will cover how to use Rhino to develop architectural geometry in the context of an iconic architectural precedent.  Learn more here....
Duration: 2 days; Sept. 16-17
Cost: $1200 per person

GRASSHOPPER 101: Grasshopper is a computational design plug-in for Rhino. This is a 2-day introduction to computational design with Grasshopper 3D. The course will familiarize designers in how to use Grasshopper as a design development tool. Participants will define geometry, develop architectural systems, and implement data mining techniques. Learn more here....
Duration: 2 days; Sept. 18-19
Cost: $1200 per person

DIVA 101: DIVA is an environmental analysis tool for Rhino. This 1-day introduction will guide designers through the different solar, daylight, and energy analysis capabilities of DIVA. Participants will set up analysis models, create visualizations, and extract environmental metrics on design models.  Learn more here....
Duration: 1 day; Sept. 20
Cost: $800 per person

Tell your friends :)

CASE Learning: DIVA 101

Environmental analysis has quickly become a mainstream capability for design practices.  As issues of environmental performance grow in importance (and popularity), designers have been in need of tools that allow them to develop concepts with the aid of analysis data.

Analysis tools have typically existed as separate applications requiring the designer to develop cumbersome workflows for converting and rebuilding geometry.  DIVA for Rhino does away with many of these pain points and provides an interface for connecting Rhino models directly into powerful analysis engines.  This workshop focuses on the many uses of DIVA within a Rhino-based design workflow.

Contact CASE about the DIVA 101 Workshop!

DIVA for Rhino

DIVA is a popular environmental analysis plug-in for Rhino.  The tool provide direct connections from Rhino to Radiance, DaySim, and EnergyPlus simulation engines.  As users design, they are able to run a wide variety of visualizations and metrics on their design such as Solar, Daylight, and Thermal.  All of this occurs through the Rhino interface.  Additional DIVA tools are also available through Grasshopper for more advanced applications.

This workshop provides an overview of all the different simulations a designer can perform with DIVA.  Designers will modify analysis models, test different metric settings, create visualizations, and learn how to interpret results.  Thematically, the workshop will leverage design models of the Swiss Re tower that are used in the Rhino 101 and Grasshopper 101 workshops.

The workshop begins with model set-up and basic solar study visualizations of the building mass and site context.  Following the initial model analysis, designers will then proceed to perform visualizations of interior spaces to study metrics such as glare.

Shadow study visualization using a time lapse image capture.

Interior glare study using Radiance visualization.

The workshop then proceeds to perform node-based analysis of the model and import the results within Rhino.  The workshop explores the uses of solar and climate-based metrics.

Node-based solar analysis on selected zone of the exterior facade.

Node-based interior daylight factor analysis on a single floor plate.

Finally, the workshop will explore the uses of DIVA's Thermal analysis with EnergyPlus for single-zone simulation.  A brief overview of using Grasshopper for more advanced analysis will also be introduced.

Thermal analysis results for a single-zone model. (graphed in Excel)

CASE Learning: Grasshopper 101

Computational Design is the new black in the architectural design world. From powerful automation scripts to iterative design algorithms, computation has given designers the ability to create novel processes to support innovative architecture.

The program that has dominated the computational design conversation in recent years is none other than... Grasshopper!

Contact CASE about the Grasshopper 101 Workshop!

Grasshopper

While Rhino enables designers to freely explore design concepts through a conventional 3D modeling interface, Grasshopper allows the user to create customized tools using a graphical algorithm editor.  Uses of Grasshopper range from production automation, geometric rationalization, or iterative design exploration.  In the past, these processes typically required the user to have a knowledge of programming or scripting.  In Grasshopper, these processes are achieved by wiring together nodes into a visual graph representing the framework of an algorithm.

Like with CASE's Rhino 101 training, our approach to teaching Grasshopper focuses on useful implementations to support design exploration and development  in architectural practice.  As with our Rhino training, we have chosen to focus Grasshopper training around developing a parametric version of the Swiss Re Tower by Foster & Partners.  The tower is well suited for exercises involving rapid iteration and algorithmic frameworks.  For designers who also take our Rhino 101, the Grasshopper course allows us to contrast different methods of working to achieve similar geometric results.

The Grasshopper workshop begins with an exploration of the graphical user interface, component library, and basic examples of data management and workflow.  We then immediately apply these concepts to how to derive the geometric form of the tower.

Grasshopper-based geometric definition.

Exploring formal iterations with the Grasshopper geometry

After defining the tower form, we then proceed to develop some of the architectural elements and extract some data.  For example, we will create a parametric system for slicing floors from the tower mass and report area calculations.

Tower Floors Definition.

Tower floor variations.

After the massing and the floors have been defined, we then explore the exterior facade.  Designers will set up definitions for defining the structural diagrid system and the exterior curtain wall.  Different generative concepts will be explored for developing patterns and modules using popular plug-ins.

Structure diagrid with gradient color.

Attractor-based paneling system with LunchBox.

Finally, workshop participants explore workflows for data extraction.  For example, designers will output data to Excel including floor and facade information.

Excel data output from the diagrid definition

Next up...  DIVA for Rhino!

CASE Learning: Rhinoceros 101

At CASE, a central part of what we do is educating our clients in new design technologies and processes.  This summer we have created brand new curricula for some of our favorite software with a focus on architectural idea generation and design development.  Our new learning content is anchored in rigorous exercises while also providing opportunities for the participant to explore variations on design concepts.

We are rolling out 3 new CASE-ified workshops geared towards professional designers who are looking for some new weapons to add to their arsenal. In the next three posts, I will be showcasing what these new workshops are all about... as they say in Jurassic Park, "hold on to your butts."

If you are interested in a workshop, don't hesitate to reach out!

Rhinoceros 3D

Rhino has become the Swiss army knife of design tools.  At an early stage of the design process, Rhino can be used as an iterative tool for exploring concepts.  In later stages, Rhino can serve as a powerful tool for developing geometry and rationalizing complex systems.  The program supports a wide variety of file formats making it an ideal "go between" program with a high level of compatibility for more advanced fabrication and building information software.

Our approach to teaching Rhino focuses on how it can be used as an architectural design tool in support of conceptual and schematic development.   We have chosen to anchor the exercises in the context of the Swiss Re Tower in London.  As an iconic piece of contemporary architecture by Foster & Partners, the tower is well suited for Rhino-based exercises for beginning users.  The tower concept also allows participants to study variations of the concept while they learn the program.

In our workshop we first introduce new users how to create and manipulate surface geometry.  Some common surface creation techniques such as Loft, Revolve, and Sweep make an appearance in these early exercises.  Additionally we cover how to manipulate these surfaces using control points and implicit history.

Utilizing surface controls to develop the geometry.

Following these initial explorations in form, we then proceed to 'dissect' the building by developing systems such as floor plates and the core.  We show new users how to utilize trims and booleans while introducing popular commands such as "contour" to quickly develop derivative objects.

Utilizing booleans and trims to develop floor profiles and create the iconic atrium spaces.

During the workshops, we also cover a few popular Rhino plug-ins such as Paneling Tools.  We use these plug-ins and add-ons to study variations of the exterior facade and structure systems.

As the workshop progresses, participants are introduced to techniques for modeling complex systems and patterns.

Popular plug-ins, such as Paneling Tools, are introduced for quickly developing the architecture.

We recognize that having efficient techniques for communicating the design to clients is an essential skill when working in a 3D modeler.  While the model is being developed, the workshop also covers presentation-related topics such as basic Rhino visualization, viewport customization, and creating layouts.  

Customizing the Rhino viewport is an effective means for producing quick diagrammatic images.

Next up.... Grasshopper 101!