evolute. blog
behind the scenes
Quite often, our clients request new features in EvoluteTools PRO and we add them, other times we are the ones who need new features as we use EvoluteTools PRO extensively in our consulting projects. Recently we just added an important bit of functionality – computation and extraction of Conjugate Curves. What is it about ? In short, if you are planning to discretize a freeform surface with a planar quad mesh or create a semi-discrete developable strip model, you used to have two options: Â on one hand – create the discrete counterpart by following the Principal Curvature Lines, or create any mesh you want and use the brute force (Planarity Optimization) to get the mesh faces flat. The disadvantage is that you don’t have much control over the direction of the families of curves defining the seams of the panels.
Now there is a third option: you have the possibility to prescribe the first family of curves and let EvoluteTools PRO compute the Conjugate Directions in order to maintain planarity of faces in the mesh corresponding to the Conjugate Curve Network. You can prescribe as many guiding curves as you want for the first family, furthermore, those curves don’t necessarily have to be precisely on your reference surface, they can be quite a distance away.
Our intern, Marko Tomicic, started work recently. Doesn’t he look excited or what !? 🙂
We truly hope the knowledge he will gain here will serve him well and we wish him good luck.
Photographer and CAD nut Eris Guri posted a nice video summing up the past November event. Enjoy !
Check out our upcoming workshop in Prague:
What participants can expect to learn in this workshop
Participants will be introduced to the principle of subdivision modeling and its generalisation (combining different global and local subdivision rules). We will have an in-depth look at mesh optimization and how it can be applied for construction aware design of panelisations. Throughout the whole workshop EvoluteTools PRO 2.0 for Rhino will be used by the attendees for hands-on examples and exercises. Participants can bring their own designs (freeform surfaces) to be panelised.
EvoluteTools PRO is an advanced Rhino Plugin providing access to powerful paneling and geometry optimization tools for freeform surfaces with a user friendly interface. Participants will receive a 15 day evaluation license of EvoluteTools PRO to further explore its capabilities.
Workshop presenter
Arch. Florin Isvoranu, Evolute GmbH
Prerequisites necessary for participants
Experience in Rhino, basic knowledge of subdivision modeling, knowledge of RhinoScript is advantageous
Platform used, required software, hardware
Rhino4 SR9, Windows, Monkey Script Editor, personal laptop
Detailed timeline
Introduction to subdivision modeling for designing panelisations (45 minutes)
Introduction to mesh optimization (75 minutes)
Showcasing analysis modes (30 minutes)
Advanced constraint fitting (45minutes)
In-depth mesh and polymesh editing, curve networks for double curved panels (45 minutes)
Developable strips  (60 minutes)
Hands-on examples, panelising designs of participants or creating panelised designs from scratch (2 hours)
Specific topics in mesh optimization (planar quad meshes, circle packing meshes) (60 minutes)
Introduction to the EvoluteTools PRO RhinoScript interface (60 minutes)
Registration
Attendance is free for all eCAADe 2012 registrants, however, seats are limited, to reserve your seat please contact Evolute GmbH.
MADE magazine recently published an article about the complex geometry of freeform architecture and the challenges associated with building it. It is worth reading, furthermore the Magazine is very interesting for any designer and architect, published by the UK Materials Knowledge Transfer Network, the magazine seeks to bring together product designers and materials developers to improve innovation and competitiveness for UK businesses. All issues of MADE magazine are freely available if you join the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network.
We recently added a user image gallery to our webpage for people to showcase their paneling studies created with either EvoluteTools PRO or EvoluteTools Lite. This could serve as inspiration for everyone and also demonstrate some of the features of our plugins. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to share your studies, either as photorealistic renderings , built work, or just technical images of meshes.
Starting in March we are launching a new series of Workshops focusing on rationalizing complex freeform envelopes using EvoluteTools PRO. The main target groups for these workshops are professionals in the Architectural and Building Industry, however the application of EvoluteTools PRO goes beyond these industries and reaches Product Design and Manufacture, or other fields that deal with complex geometry – ex. Optics, Naval/Marine Industry, Aeronautics and many more. The Workshops are a compact 1 day setup co-organized with reputable Rhino trainer and reseller SimplyRhino. If interested, hit the link for more information.
Glass on Web, a portal dedicated to the glass industry with directories and fresh news, recently published an article on Evolute’s Paneling of the Eiffel Tower Pavilions.
Recently we adjusted our product line-up in order to make our software products more accessible and focused. Standing out is the freely available EvoluteTools Lite, a compact Swiss Army Knife for paneling freeform surfaces and geometry optimization. The free Rhino plugin is ready for download via the already well known Food4Rhino platform. EvoluteTools Lite comes with no strings attached: unlimited mesh size, no costs and no patents. It has already proven its impressive optimization capabilities in projects like the [d_pod], a temporary exhibition pavilion designed by Pavilion Architecture (pictured below). Using EvoluteTools Lite we were able to produce an optimized paneling solution for the [d_pod] within minutes, and this is not an overstatement or marketing  exaggeration, it is the real deal. After the paneling solution was generated, the bigger brother – EvoluteTools PRO stepped in and allowed us to generate a solid structure model via RhinoScript.
EvoluteTools Lite should not be missing from the arsenal of a designer, architect or engineer. It is not only fast but the mesh subdivision and polymesh support make it an extremely handy tool for paneling freeform surfaces and optimizing the panel layouts for production and aesthetic constraints.
We started the day at the Cutting Edge facilities again, trying to hard to finish the Corian panels in this short amount of time. Kevin’s team spent a few hours of the night continuing work, programming the machines and outputting more finished panels. The foundations will probably be ready this afternoon, once we have all the panels we will do a general mock-up fit-out, grab some tools and head for Robofold to start assembly on site.
CNC machining for the Corian former above.
Thermo-forming single curved Corian strips above.