Structural roof Software

[Shane Gee]

Does anyone know or could recommend good software package that would help us produce a 3d model of a roof similar to the attached images?

 

Parametric solution would be first choice.

 

Thanks

 

Shane

Edited April 14, 2010 by GEES

[Dave Buckley]

to me that screams out REVIT STRUCTURE, combine the 'parametric formula driven conceptual massing tools' with 'custom panel tools' and 'custom families' and your on a winner

[Shane Gee]

will download a trial version and have a look, thanks

 

Shane

[Arnold Sher]

....ooooooogh... that's real bitch... We had couple of those and did it manualy with nurbs. Hated it every second of it but if you work in Dubai this is their starting point in design:D Sorry not much help....

[Shane Gee]

I remember seeing an example someone posted (cannot remember which forum though) where the person generated a similar structure from a 3ds max plugin. Hoping someone can point me to that plugin.

 

 

Thanks

 

Shane

[Shane Gee]

Hi Arnold we modeled the first one nurbs, but it has changed and will probably change again so looking to find a solution that is easy to generate changes, spacing and structural member options.

 

Shane

[Stephen Thomas]

Rhino and the Grasshopper plugin are probably the way to go here, though I've actually modelled that roof in 3ds max the hard way using splines, the cut command and a cloth simulation: http://forums.cgarchitect.com/36383-british-museum-great-court.html

[davistalexander]

the tool in max is the lattice modifier to help create the struts

hope it helps

davis

[mattclinch]

http://www.reformstudios.com/maxscript/maxscript-curtainwall-wizard/

[proces2]

you can read up on how the form was generated:

http://people.bath.ac.uk/abscjkw/BritishMuseum/ChrisDeakin2001.pdf

 

and then check out the programs that were written to create the form:

http://people.bath.ac.uk/abscjkw/BritishMuseum/Programs/

 

it was done by chris williams at the university of bath in the UK. once the overall form was generated by chris (generated mathematically - and then "smoothed over" using springs and a dynamic relaxation script), the detailing was done by fosters and partners - most likely just scripted straight up in microstation - though possibly also done in generativecomponents (though i think this project was done before GC was around).

Edited April 20, 2010 by proces2

[proces2]

and in the link that stef.thomas provided - someone commented correctly that gaudi did "hanging-chain" models to simulate forms - then inverted them to use as compression structures. it wasn't done for the british museum roof. but, it would be an interesting experiment to find to the basic surface by simulating a hanging chain model digitally. i did some brief experiments using "cloth" in MAX. you could maybe get it to work. match up the topology of the mesh to the one in the actual roof - then make the mesh into a cloth. by tweaking the elasticity and weight - you just might be able to simulate the form. the toughest part of that geometry is the fold in the corner that transitions to a smooth surface as it reaches its peak.

[Shane Gee]

Hi I thought I would post the results of the canopy that we produced.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

Shane

[Arnold Sher]

Hi I thought I would post the results of the canopy that we produced.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

Shane

 

...pretty fly for a white guy...lol... very nice Shane, just looking at it makes me cringe... I must actualy dig the one up that we've done and post it for comments. We spend hours and hours over complicating our lives and turned out figuring out the most basic solution to do it but the figuring out part was what took so long. Anyway, well done!!

[Guest zarfworld]

Brillant work. What software did u work on?