Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

David Fano CASE Design, Inc - www.case-inc.com

DV9210-2 This presentation will show how to use 3ds Max modeling tools to build iterative parametric
design systems. In this session, we will cover 3ds Max geometry types (Editable Mesh, Poly, Patch and NURBS), combine modifiers to build complex systems, use wire parameters to quickly make geometric patterns, and provide an introduction to MAXScript. In this session, you will learn to reduce the amount of explicit modeling, and instead build flexible design systems so you can focus more effort on design.

About the Speaker:

David Fano established CASE Design in 2008. He previously worked at SHoP Architects, where he was Director of Technology Research. At CASE, David has been responsible for managing the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) at leading architecture and construction firms. He has also lead and managed industry partnerships with leading service providers and software vendors. His project experience at CASE has included The National Museum of African American History and Culture competition with Diller Scofidio+ Renfro, and The Miami Science Museum with Grimshaw Architects. David has been an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation where he teaches seminars and workshops focusing on the impact of technology on design processes. David received his Master of Architecture with honors from Columbia University where he was the recipient of the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize and the Computer Aided Design Honor Award d.fano@case-inc.com www.case-inc.com www.designreform.net

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

This Class will cover the following topics

GeometryTypes ParametricModeling ModelingParametricWalkway ModelingParametricTower

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Geometry Types
Concepts
Points

Figure1:Pointtypesin3dsMax

Pointsareoneofthemostbasicgeometricelementsandthefoundationofmostprimitive geometrictypes.Pointsarerepresentedbyanorderedsequenceofnumbers(coordinates), conventionallyrepresentedas(x,y)fortwodimensionalspaceand(x,y,z)forthreedimensional space.3Dmodelingapplicationsprovideaccesstopointsinavarietyofways.Inmostexplicit modelingapplications,pointsarerarelydefineddirectly;instead,theyaredefinedimplicitlyby creatingothergeometricobjects.Oncecreated,however,theseapplicationsoftenprovide accesstopointsthroughsubobjectselectionorpropertiesofthebaseobject;forexample,the VertexsubobjectselectioninAutoCAD2010,Autodesk3dsMax2010,andAutodesk Maya2009software.Parametricmodelingapplicationsoftenusepointsmoredirectly,giving userscontroloverthewayapointisdefinedandcontrolled,whichisthenusedasthebasisof othergeometricoperations;forexample,thepointobjectinthenewConceptualMass environmentofAutodeskRevitArchitecture2010.Pointcoordinatesareacriticaland frequentlyusedgeometricpropertyforarchitecturaldesign,astheyoftenserveasthebasisof informationexchangebetweenvariousmodeling,analysis,andfabricationapplications.

Curves

Figure2:Curvetypesin3dsMax
Curvesarefundamentalgeometricelementsfordesignand3Dmodeling.Curvescanbe
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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

generalizedmathematicallyasacontinuousseriesofconnectedpoints.Therefore,straight lines,circles,helixes,andconicsectionsarealltypesofcurves.Curvescanbedefinedand representedmathematicallyinavarietyofwaysincludingparametrically,explicitly,and implicitlywithvarious3Dmodelingapplications,givingusersdifferentaccesstothesemethods. Furthermore,curveshavenumerouspropertiesthatcanbeaccessedandusedby3Dmodeling applicationssuchaslength,direction,area,tangency,curvature,radius,andpoints.Inaddition tothecurvetypesmentionedabove,most3Dmodelingapplicationsprovideaccesstofreeform curvessuchasBezier,Bspline,andNURBS.Followingtheinventionofthesecurvetypesinthe 1950s,freeformcurvescanbecontrolledpreciselyusingrelativelyfewpointsthatcreatea controlpolygonfromwhichacurveisderived.NURBS(nonuniformrationalBspline)curves offertheadditionalshapeparameterofweights,whichenableuserstomodifythelocal influenceofeachcontrolpointontheshapeofthecurve.Bsplinecurvesareaspecialcaseof NURBScurvesinwhichallweightsareequal.BsplinecurvesarecompositeBeziercurvesthat havethesametangentandsamecurvatureattheconnectingpoints.AutodeskMaya2009 offerscomprehensivecreationandeditingtoolsforNURBScurves,whileAutoCAD2010,3ds Max2010,andRevitArchitecture2010allsupportNURBS,butofferfewerwaystocreateand manipulatethem.

Surfaces

Figure3:Surfacetypesin3dsMax
Theabilitytocreateandmodifysurfacesisakeyfeatureofany3Dmodelingapplication. Traditionalsurfaceclassessuchasextrusion,translational,rotational(surfacesofrevolution), andruledarecreatedbysmoothlysweepingasingleprofilecurveonoraroundanothercurve. Cylinders,cones,spheres,tori,ellipsoids,paraboloids,hyperboloids,helicoids,andvarious othersurfacesfallwithintheseclasses.Thesesurfaceshavenumerouspropertiesthatsimplify theprocessofrationalizationintorepeatableplanarelements,sotheyarefrequentlyusedfor architecturaldesign.Yet,therearenumerousshapesthatcannotbecreatedusingthese traditionalsurfaceclasses,thereforeitisnecessaryfor3Dmodelingapplicationstosupport freeformsurfaces,mostcommonlyinone(ormore)ofthesethreetypes:Beizer/B spline/NURBSSurfaces,meshes,andsubdivisionsurfaces.

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Beizer,Bspline,andNURBSsurfacesarebasedonthesamemathematicalprinciplesastheir curvecounterparts,withasimplifiedcontrolmeshmadeupofrowsandcolumnsof quadrilateralpolygonsfromwhichasmoothsurfaceisderived.Also,likecurves,themain differencebetweenBsplineandNURBSsurfacesistheabilitytomodifytheweightparameter ofindividualcontrolpointsofaNURBSsurface.NURBShavebecomethestandardsurfacetype withintheproduct,aeronautical,andautomotiveindustrieswhereprecisecontrolover tangency,curvature,andsurfacecontinuityareaprimaryconcern.Butduetothecosts associatedwithbuildingthesesmoothlycurvedsurfacesforlarge,oneoffarchitectural projects,NURBSsurfacesarerarelyuseddirectlyinarchitecture.Inmostcases,thesesmooth surfacesarerationalizedintopanelsorwireframeedges,withconcernsofplanarityand repetitionoftendeterminingtheapproachtorationalization.Thisiswherepolygonmeshesare useful. Meshesareessentiallyorderedcollectionsofpoints(vertices)thatareconnectedbypolygons (faces).Thesefacesaretypicallytrianglesorquadrilaterals,butotherpolygonsarepossible.By varyingthesize,shape,anddensityofpolygonfaces,thesemeshescanbemadeto approximatelyrepresenttheshapeofasmoothsurface.Meshmodelsmuststorethe connectivity(meshtopology),whichistherelationshipbetweentheverticesandfaces,the orderofwhichdeterminesthedirection,ornormal,oftheface.Allmeshesmadeoftriangles haveplanarfaces,whilethesameisnottrueofquaddominantmeshes,althoughcertain classesofquadrilateralmeshesareplanarandthereforelendthemselvestoarchitectural rationalization.Finally,andmostimportantly,meshesareusedinvirtuallyallaspectsof computationalgeometryfromvisualizationtoanalysis.Maintainingcontroloverthemesh representationofcomplexgeometrybecomesextremelyimportantwhendealingwithanalysis applicationsthatusemeshesforfiniteelement(FEM),computationalfluiddynamics(CFD),or thermodynamiccalculations. DespitetheflexibilityofbothNURBSandmeshapproachestodefiningfreeformsurfaces,there remaincertainshapesthataredifficulttoachievewithregularmeshesorcontrolpolygons.This iswheresubdivisionsurfacescomein.Subdivisionsurfaceswereinitiallycreatedforusein3D animatedfeaturefilms.Theprocessofcreatingasubdivisionsurfaceinvolvesmultiplelevelsof refinementofacoarsemesh,untilthedesiredlevelofsmoothness(whichcanachievethatofa Bsplinesurface)orfacesize(inarchitecturalapplications)hasbeenreached.Thereare numeroussubdivisionalgorithmsavailableand3Dmodelingapplicationsoftenprovideaccess tomorethanone.ThethreemostcommonapproachesareDooSabin,CatmullClark,and Loop,whichareallnamedaftertheirinventors.BothDooSabinandCatmullClarkrelyupon quadmeshes,withCatmullClarkproducingsmootherresultsthatarefurtherawayfromthe initialcontrolmesh.Loopsubdivisionutilizesandproducestriangularmeshes.Although subdivisionsurfacemodelinghasmadeitswayintoarchitecturaldesignviaanimationtools usedbyarchitects,theirutilityislimitedduetothelackofcontrolovertheresultsofthe smoothingalgorithms.Therefore,geometrycreatedthroughthisprocessisoftenremodeledor
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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

convertedintoeitherNURBSormeshsurfacesforrationalization. RevitArchitecture2010providestoolstocreateandmodifyBsplinesurfacesandsupports NURBSsurfacescreatedinotherapplications.Additionally,thenewpatterningtoolsgiveRevit userstheabilitytobreaksmoothsurfacesdownintopolygons.Maya2009isprimarilyaNURBS surfacemodeler,withsomesupportforbothmeshandsubdivisionsurfacemodeling.AutoCAD 2010isprimarilymeshbased,withthenewfreeformmodelingtoolsaddingnewsubdivision surfacecreationandeditingtools.3dsMax2010isalsoprimarilymeshbased,withthenew GraphiteModelingtoolsbuildinguponanalreadystrongbaseofpolygonmeshcreationand manipulationtools.3dsMaxalsosupportssubdivisionsurfaces,buthaslimitedsupportfor NURBSsurfaces.

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Parametric Modeling
Concepts
SolidModeling

Figure1:Differentiationbetweensolidmodelingandsurfacemodeling

SolidModelingisatechniqueincomputeraideddesign(CAD)thatallowsforthe representationofsolidobjects.Itsprimaryusesareforfieldssuchasarchitecturaldesign, engineeringanalysis,computergraphics,animation,productvisualization,andrapid prototyping,amongotherthings.Originally,solidmodelingsoftwareusedoneoftwomethods todefinesolidshapes,eitherconstructivesolidgeometry(CSG)orboundaryrepresentation(B REP).CSGusessolidprimitivessuchasrectangularprisms,spheres,cylinders,andcones,and booleanoperationssuchasunions,subtractions,andintersectionstocreateasolidmodel.B REPmethods,ontheotherhand,beginwithoneormorewireframeprofilesandgeneratea solidmodelthroughoneofvariousprocessessuchasextrusion,sweeping,revolving,or skinning.Additionally,solidscanbeconstructedthroughasewingoperation,whichisaprocess ofcombiningsurfacesthatoftenhavecomplexshapes.Becauseeachofthesesolidmodeling processeshavetheirownadvantagesandlimitations,itisoftenmostbeneficialtogenerate solidmodelsusingacombinationofbothCSGandBREPtechniques.Autodeskapplicationsuse ahybridofthesetechniqueswithAutoCAD2010andAutodeskRevitArchitecture2010 providingnativesupportforsolidmodeling.ModelscreatedbysewingsurfacesinAutodesk 3dsMax2010andAutodeskMaya2010canbeexportedasDWGfilesandconvertedto solidsusingAutoCAD2010.

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

ParametricModeling

Figure2:Preciselycontrolledmodificationofaparametricgeometry

Aparameter,initsmostgeneralsense,definesasystemanddeterminesthelimitsand performanceofthesystem.AfeatureofsomeCADapplicationsistheabilitytoconstructa modelparametrically.Withinaparametricmodel,eachentitysuchasaprimitivesolid,aline,or filletoperationpossessesassociatedparameters.Theseparameterscontrolthevarious geometricpropertiesoftheentitysuchasitslength,width,height,radius,andsoon.Theyalso controlthelocationsoftheseentitieswithinthemodelandhowentitiesrelatetooneanother. Forexample,geometricentitiescanbelocatedattheoriginofacurve,themidpointofaline, orthevertexofaface.Additionally,theparameterscanbeadjustedbytheoperatoras necessarytocreatethedesiredgeometry.Thisprocessisknownasparameterizationandis essentiallythespecificationofapoint,curve,orsurfacebymeansofoneormorevariablesthat takeonvaluesinauserspecifiedrange.Parametricmodelingissignificantforconceptual designbecauseitenablesdesignstobemodifiedandcontrolledprecisely,aslongasthese modificationsarewithinthelimitsofthesystem.RevitArchitectureprovidesacomprehensive setofparametricmodelingtools,whilebothMayaand3dsMaximplementparametric behaviorbasedonconstructionhistory.AutoCADprovidesanewparametricdrawing environmentthatallowsforthecreationof2Dgeometricanddimensionalconstraintsand relationships,inadditiontodynamicblocks.

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

FeatureBasedModeling

Figure3:Applicationofafilletfeaturetogeometry,atechniqueusedwithfeaturebasedmodeling.

Inthelate1980s,softwaredevelopersbeganimplementinghigherlevelsofabstractiontosolid modelingconstructiontechniques.Thesetechniquesbecameknownasfeaturebasedsolid modeling.AfeaturebasedmodelerisaCADapplicationthatenablesdesignersofvariousfields todefineshapesusinggeometricfeaturesasopposedtoCSGorBREPtechniques.Ageometric featureisahigherorderCADentity;forexample,operationssuchasplacingholesorfilleting aretreatedasobjectsthatcanbeupdated,notonetimeoperations.Additionally,parametric featurebasedmodelingpackagesusehistorytoretaininformationaboutthebuildingprocess ofthemodel,aswellasexpressionstoconstrainassociationsamongthegeometricentities. Thisoptionandabilitytoregeneratethemodel'sBREPbaseduponchanges,enablestheuser tomakeamodificationatanystate.Mechanicaldesignapplications,suchasAutodesk Inventor,usefeaturebasedmodelingextensively.Autodesk3dsMaxprovidesgeometric modifiersthatcanbelayeredorstackedonobjectstoachievefeaturebasedbehavior. Althoughnotsupporteddirectly,bothMayaandRevitArchitecturecanachievefeaturebased behaviorbylayeringparametricandhistorybasedmodelingoperations.Currently,AutoCAD doesnotprovidesupportforfeaturebasedmodeling.

Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Modeling a Parametric Tower

Overview
In this lesson, we will explicitly model a geometrically complex tower. You will learn how to layer modeling operations and levels of detail in response to design criteria. The towers form is constructed directly by manipulating the vertices, edges, and faces of the base geometry and enabling subdivision surfaces. You will also learn the techniques of extracting geometry from the tower to develop the building's structure and skin.

Exercise1:ContextandSiteProfile

Figure1:Siteboundarywithincontext.

Itisimportantthattheboundaryofthesite,aswellasthefootprintofthebuilding,have contextualrelevance.Thissiteboundarywascreatedbydrawingalinesegmentandconnecting itsstartpointandendpoint,formingaclosedspline.Inordertomaximizespaceforthe allotmentofprogram,weusethesiteboundaryasthefootprintofthebuilding.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise2:MassExtrusion
Inthisexercise,youwilllearnhowtocreateasolidbuildingmassfromaclosedsplinethrough theprocessofextrusion.

Figure2:Initialbuildingmassconstructedviaextrusionbaseduponthesiteboundary.

Extrudingasplinecreatesaclosedelementcomposedofpolygons.Whenapolygonis extruded,itmovesnormaltothebaseprofilewhilecreatingnewpolygonsthatformthesides oftheextrusion,connectingthenewobjecttothebaseprofile.Thisisaneasywaytotransition fromatwodimensionaldrawingtoathreedimensionalobjectandbeginscreatingaformina threedimensionalenvironment.OnceasplinehasbeenextrudedintheZdirectionanda threedimensionalobjecthasbeencreated,inthiscase,abuildingmass,thatobjectcanbe manipulatedthroughvariousoperationsintheX,Y,andZdirectionstocreateaunique geometricform.Forthebuildingmass,thesiteboundarywasextrudedtocreatealowerlevel ofcommercialspace.Tomaintainstreetwallswiththeexistingcontext,thislowerlevelwillbe extrudedtomatchtheheightofthesurroundingbuildings.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise3:SubObjectManipulation
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtodirectlymanipulatethegeometryofabuildingmassusing subobjects.

Figure3:Processanddevelopmentofmanipulationtothebuildingmassatthesubobjectlevel.

Oncethesolidbuildingmasshasbeencreated,wecannowselectanddirectlymanipulateits varioussubobjectattributes;thatis,vertex,edge,border,orpolygon.AttheVertexsubobject level,wecanselectsingleand/ormultipleverticesandmovetheminspace.Becausevertices definethestructureofothersubobjects,suchasedgesandpolygons,anymovementorediting oftheirpositioningwillaffecttheconnectedsubobjectsaswell.AttheEdgesubobjectlevel, youcanselectsingleand/ormultipleedgesandmanipulatethemthroughstandardmethods suchastranslate,rotate,andscale. Becauseweareconceptuallydesigningaformthroughgeometricmanipulation,anddonot wanttobeinhibitedbynumericprecision,wewillcreatetheformofourtowerthrough extrudingpolygonsandmovingverticesandedgesuntilwearriveatanoverallformthatweare pleasedwith.Keepinginmindthepositioningofthebuilding,aswellasitscontextuallocation, wewillextrudethepolygonclosesttotheoceanandmakethatthebasisofthewaterfront tower,therebymaximizingoceanviewsaswellascreatingabackcourtyardthatintegrateswith theexistingparkandlandscape.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise4:ImplementPrecision
Inthisexercise,youwilllearnhowtoimplementmethodsoflocalprecisionusingthe ConstraintandSnapfeatures.

Figure4:Processanddevelopmentofimplementingprecisionanditsramificationsontheoverallgeometricform

Tofurtherthedevelopmentofourconceptualbuildingdesign,andtoenhanceeaseofuse, implementingmethodsoflocalprecisioncanbeextremelybeneficial.Twospecificfeaturesthat areveryusefularetheConstraintandSnapfeatures.Standardsnapsgiveyouadditionalcontrol increating,translating,rotating,andscalingobjectsandsubobjects,andcanbecombinedwith freepositioning,whereconstraintsareusedtospecifylimitationsinthepossiblemovementsof thoseobjectsinspace.Theuseoftheseprecisionfeatureswillenableyoutoachievetheexact formyoudesirewithgreatereasebecauseoftheadditionalcontrolitprovides.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise5:InformationExtractiontoCreateGeometry
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtoextracttwodimensionalinformationfromyourbuilding mass.

Figure5:Processofarrayingasectioncutandconvertingthatplanarinformationintousefulsolidgeometry

Twodimensionalinformationextractedfromathreedimensionalobjectcanbeusedasa referenceforfurthermodeldevelopment.Toputthisideaintoaction,sectioncutscanbe generatedfromathreedimensionalmodelandarrayedinanequidistantfashiontocreate splinesthatwillbeusedasthebasisofthreedimensionalfloorslabs.Liketheoriginalbuilding mass,thefloorslabsarecreatedbyextrudingtheclosedsplinesofthesectioncuts, transformingthemfromsimplelinestoathreedimensionalsolid.Thisisausefultechnique, particularlyinrespecttoconceptualdesignwithinarchitecture,asitallowsforaquickmethod forextractingplanarinformationfromamodel,aswellastheabilitytoapplyaspecific operationtomorethanoneelementatatime.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise6:ReuseGeometry
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtoisolateandeditspecificgeometryfromyourbuildingmass.

Figure6:Isolatedfaadegeometrythatwillbefurthermanipulatedtoarticulatestructureandenclosure.

Reusinggeometryisanimportantskillinthreedimensionalmodelingbecauseitenablesusto isolatespecificareasofourthreedimensionalmodelandapplytransformationsonalocal,as opposedtoglobal,scale.Inthiscase,wewillbeusingthisfeaturetoisolatethesidesofthe towerthatwewillusetoaddstructuralandenclosureelementsinlaterexercises.Basedupon thetower'sgeographicallocationandorientation,aswellassolarpositioning,wehavechosen toisolateboththesouthandeastelevationstoaddstructureandcladding.Toisolatethese facesfromtherestofthemass,weneedtoselectandthenextractthem.Oncethefaceshave beenextractedfromthemainbuildingmass,theyarereadytobemodifiedusingadditional operations.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise7:DefineStructure
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtocreatebuildingstructure.

Figure7:Processanddevelopmentofdefiningastructuralpatternandconvertingitintosolidgeometry.

Thereareavarietyofwaystoexplicitlydesignandmodelstructuralelements.Wewillbegin thisprocessbycreatingagridthatcanbeusedasabasisfordesigningthestructure.Forthe tower,wewillcreateaverticalstructuralsystemthatisbasedoffofafaceted,angularpattern. Wewilldrawthispatternexplicitlythroughtheprocessofcuttingfaces,basedonthis underlyinggrid.Inthepreviousexercise,weisolatedthefacesofthesouthandeastelevations. Wewillusethepatternasareference,cuttingthesefaceswithangularverticalelementsthat createatriangulatedstructuraldesign.Tothencreatepanelsoutofthesetriangulatedfaces, wesimplyoffsetthefacestocreateafaceandthenextrudetogivethestructurethickness.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise8:DesignanEnclosure
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtocreateapatternforabuilding'senclosure.

Figure8:Detailingfaadedesignatthelocallevelandcompilingallgeometricalsetstoformcompleteddesign.

Likethestructuralpatterns,thereareavarietyofwaystodesignandmodelpatternsfora building'sskin.Tomaintainaconsistentdesignmethodology,wewillagainusetheprocessof cuttinggeometrytocreateafacetedenclosuresystem.Unlikethelargegesturesofthe structure,wecanmanysmallermovesfortheenclosure,asitrequiresagreaterlevelofdetail. Onceyouhavearrivedatthelevelofdetailthatyoudeemappropriate,mirrortheprocessthat weusedtodefinethestructuretocreatethisenclosuresystem.Thefacessimplyneedtobe offsetandextruded. Afurtherlevelofdesigndetailingcanbeaddedatthisstagebytransformingthiscladdingfrom ameshtoasubdivisionsurface.Thisconvertstheoriginalcoursefacetingoftheenclosure systemintoasmoothtopology.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Bridge Parametric Design

Overview
In this lesson, we will use parametric and associative modeling to create various configurations for the design of a bridge. The following exercises address a secondary phase of the design process where iterative variations on individual geometric concepts are needed. Custom parameters can be created, and used with associative history, for rapid regeneration of modeling procedures in order to refine ideas.

Exercise1:CreateaSolidGeometricObjectfromaSpline
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtouseasplineasabasereferencetocreatesolidgeometry.

Figure1:Processandgeneratinganassociativelylinkedsolidgeometryfromaspline

Themodelthatwewillcreateinthislessonisaparametricbridge.Theinitialgeometryis generatedfromasplinethatyouintuitivelysketch.Tocreateasurfacefromthespline,wefirst extrudeitinthepositiveZdirection.Followingthis,wewillselectthesurfaceandoffsetit, transformingitfromasurfacetoathreedimensionalsolid.Becauseofhistory,any manipulationsthatwemaketothebasesplinewillaffectoursolidaswellbecausethesolidis associativelylinkedtothespline.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise2:ReferencingGeometry
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtocreategeometrythroughtheprocessofreferencing.

Figure2:Creatingadditionalassociativelylinkedgeometryfromthebasespline.

Creatingareference,baseduponaselectedpieceofgeometry,isaformofcopyingthat maintainsassociativitytotheoriginalelement.Thefirstcaseinwhichreferencinggeometry becomesusefulisintheconstructionofthebridgerailings.Becausethebasesplineisthe foundationfortheparametricbridge,wewanttoensurethatallgeometricobjectsarebased uponthisspline.Toinsurethis,weneedtomakereferencesofthesplineandthenusethose referencestogeneratetheadditionalobjects.Thiswillguaranteethatallgeometriespossess thesamebasicattributesandarelinkedtoformareferentialsystem.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise3:AddParametricVariabilitytoGeometry
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtointroducevariabilityintoyourgeometrythroughtheprocess ofapplyingandadjustingparameters.

Figure3:Usingthesameglobaloperations,butwithdifferingvalues,atalocalscaletodetailthebridgerailings

Oncethebasegeometryiscreated,themodelingprocessbecomeslargelybaseduponthe implementationofparametricvariabilityandhowthoseparameterscanaffecttheform,detail, andpositioningofthegeometry.Wewillmakeadditionalelementsusingsomeofthetools fromthepreviousexercise,butwewillmodifythecontrolparametersinordertosatisfy differentmodelingrequirements.Forexample,wecreatedthebaseofthebridgebyfirst extrudingandthenoffsettingtheoriginalspline.Tocreatethebridgerailings,weagainextrude andoffsetthebasespline,thistimeusingsmallernumericalvaluesforthecontrolparameters. Thesameoperationisused,buttheresultantgeometryvariesinbothdimensionandscale, basedonthecontrolparametersthatcorrespondtodifferentdesigncriteria.

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Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max

Exercise4:InstancingParametricModifications
Inthisexercise,youlearnhowtocopygeometricmodificationsthroughtheprocessof instancingtocreateanassociativeparametricsystem.

Figure4:Instancingbridgeparametersontoitstrusssothatbothgeometriescreateacomplexassociativesystem.

Creatinganinstanceisyetanotherformofcopying.Inthisexercise,wecreateinstancesof parametersthatwehavealreadyappliedtoexistinggeometry,andweapplythemtoadditional geometricelements.Bygeneratinginstancesofparametersalreadyinuseandapplyingthemto newelementswithinthemodel,wewillparametricallylinkbothsetsofgeometrytoone anothersothatmodificationstoeitheroneaffecttheother.Thislayeringofparameterscreates associationsbetweendisparategeometricelementsandcanbeusedtocreatecomplexsystems relativelyquickly.Inthislesson,wehavechosentoinstancetheparametersofthebridgeand therailing,sothatthemovementofoneaffectstheotherinaconsistentmanner.

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