Final crit

The final crit is this Friday, 12th November. From our department, the staff will be Patrick Janssen, Cheah Kok Ming, Shinya Okuda, Huang Yi Chun. From the ETH group, the following people will be attending:

• Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schmitt
  http://www.arch.ethz.ch/~gschmitt/,  http://www.ia.arch.ethz.ch/
• Dr. Stefan Mueller
  http://www.arch.ethz.ch/~stefanmu/web/
• Gideon Aschwande (PhD candidate)

The crit will be taking place in Vis Lab (2nd floor, direclty opposite the Lift). A projector has been arranged.

• You need to pin up our drawings on Thursday 5pm in the DTS studio, 
• You need to move the boards to the Vis Lab on Friday morning using the lift. 
• You need to test your presentations on Friday morning so that we do not have technical problems during the presentation.
• You need to plan your presentation so that each member of the group participates in some way in the presentation.
• The final presentation will start at 2pm. You must all be present for all presentations. Each group will have a maximum of one hour for presentation and questions. However, I would suggest to keep the presentation short - maybe 20 minutes. Then we have about half an hour for discussion.

Crit list as follows:

1. Li Ran, Ye Hanyu
2. Yu Xiao Xuan, An Aram, Wang Bin
3. Nittin, Venkat, Vignesh
4. Chen Zengyuan, Lee Sian Chyun, Hui Tung Sing

Crit

The next crit has been moved back a few days - it will be on Wed 3rd November. For this crit, the focus is the simulations. We want to see iterative experiments, with simulation results. In order to be able to run the simulations, you will of course first need to have well defined building forms.

Food and drinks

Please remember that food and drinks are not allowed in the computer rooms. This is becoming a real problem lately - so eat your food outside, and keep the lab tidy and clean.

Agents

The agent group has found that using the DOP network is very slow. I have created a different method of setting up agent simulations that uses only SOP networks and it seems a lot faster (I have not tested the difference in speed yet). The way it works is that at each frame, you store (i.e. save in memory) some attributes for your geometry - usually this will be the position of the points (but may also include some other attributes if needed). These attributes can then be retrieved in the next frame, so that the agents can start from where they stopped in the previous frame.

Here are the nodes:

• phtj agents - has a 'store' and 'retrieve' nodes, for storing and retrieving attributes.

And here is an example file using these node:

• Example agents - some simple agent behaviours

Interim crit

Interim crit will be next Thursday - 21st October. All groups should have:

• their developmental diagram
• the houdini model of that diagram
• variants produced using the houdini model

The variants should be situated on the site. Use the site model to place the variants within the site context..

Each group should print 3 A1 presentation panels (minimum - more is also ok). Please also show your previous three panels from the last crit as well.

Latest version of Houdini

I have heard from the newsgroup hat the latest version of Houdini (11.0.483) has fixed the python problem with the AttribCreate node. So if you install this version, then the nodes I have created should work... I have not yet had time to test it.

phtj_urban has been updated

The phtj_urban otl has been updated. I have made various improvements here and there with most of the nodes. (I have not yet fixed the problem with version 11 - that is coming soon.)

• sky, day, and sun view factors - I have added an option to switch on or off point generation
• privacy, scenic and unobstructed view factors - I have add the option to switch on or off line generation

These options should make it easier to work with these nodes. Download and overwrite as usual.

Deadline for individual submission

The deadline for the individual submission is approaching, so it is time to focus on this and get it done. The deadline is Monday 27th September, 2pm.

There are some key things to remember, starting with the most important:

• Make sure that you iterate!!! The complexity of the form is less important. The most important thing is that you have iterations showing differing levels of performance. Make sure that you extract the data and plot the graphs as we did during the tutorials. We discussed three different types of graphs - 1) parameter sweeps, 2) pareto graphs, and 3) spider diagrams. Use these techniques to understand whether you are improving things, or making things worse. In order to iterate through large numbers of variants, use the animation tools (e.g. the stair CHOP) to develop and evaluate variants automatically.
• When you are considering you evaluation criteria, you need to choose at least two criteria. Try to choose criteria that conflict - for example maximise day VF and minimise sun VF. Then you need to decide what surfaces to analyze - just analyzing everything may not make sense. You will also need to consider carefully how to calculate some global values that represent the overall performance of each variant - do you take the average? or the area weighted average? or just the total? or do you calculate the percentage above a certain threshold?For example, for sun VF you may want to calculate the number of windows with a sun VF of more than 20%.
• Start with a very simple building form!!! I would suggest something like a slab, or a group of slabs, or a tower. Make sure that everything you generate is the right plot ratio. The proportions of these forms should be building like - e.g. don't make apartment blocks that are 30 meters deep. Start by varying these simple geometries and running simulations for these variants. Find the simple form with the best performance. Try to choose parameters that result in forms are still feasible - there is no point in simulating something that you already know will not work anyway. So if you have a slab apartment block, then there is no point in varying the depth much, since you already know that it is very constrained by daylight and ventilation issues.
• Then you can start to make the form more complex to try and improve performance even more. This usually means adding a few parameters to your simple form so that you can generate further variants. Run the simulations again to check if you were right - did performance get better or worse? If it got worse, then try something else but make sure you keep the bad results in your graphs. When making the form more complex, don't over do it - keep it manageable. And remember - we are only interested in the overall massing, and some general ideas of internal layout (e.g. lift cores, circulation) - so don't worry about the handrails...
• Some of you are exploring some more complex form generating techniques, like metaballs and L-systems. But even with these techniques, start simple. Use these techniques to generate a range of building forms, from very simple to more complex, and then simulate to test so that you can understand how performance changes with complexity. So, an L-system can make a straight tower, and a slab block... so start there.
• In order to come up with an idea for your simple form, you may decide to run some initial simulations as a way of understanding the site better. This may involve inserting some simple geometries into the site - e.g. a big cylinder or a big box  (these are not really building forms, since the plan is much too deep). Some of you have already done this and produced some interesting data. Now it is time to start inserting some buildings.

For the submission, you must 1) do a presentation, and 2) submit an A3 landscape booklet covering your presentation. You may also submit a CD with animations if you wish.

Associative Design

Here is an interesting example of using parametric and associative modeling techniques in design. It is from students in the Ber lager Institute.

• Associative Design  - YouTube video
• Peter Trummer - Head of Associative Desig
• Some discussion

Scenic View Factor

There was an error with the Scenic View node that has now been fixed. SO please re-download phtj_urban.otl again and overwrite the old file.

Here is a test file using the new node:

• Example 7 - evaluating scenic view factor

Site for design project

The project site is in Jurong East:

•  Design Project Site

Your task is to design a high-density mixed-use development. Currently, the plot ratio for the site is approximately 5. Our aim is to explore the possibility of a higher density environment. For your project, you will need to make a proposal with a plot ratio of 8. This will result in about one million square meters of floor space.

It will be up to you to decide the detailed program, but the mixed-use development should include commercial, residential, and retail.. The site includes both an MRT / LRT station and a Bus Interchange, and the movement of large flows of people will therefore be an important issue. Car parking will also need to be considered.

Here are some links for Jurong East:

• Image of URA proposal
• URA site
• YouTube video

An interesting comparison is the Elements Shopping centre in Hong Kong. Our site is about 12 Hectares, and the Hong Kong site is about 14 Hectares. The plot ratio for the Hong Kong site is also 8:

• Comparison of two sites
• Elements Shopping Centre

To start with, you will need to gather information about Jurong East, and create a digital site model that includes the existing and future proposed buildings around the site. This model should be created as a group exercise - please divide up the tasks to maximize efficiency.

You will then split into your groups and start developing proposals for the site. You will need to develop the proposals using some form of Iterative Virtual Prototyping, following on from the elective. As part of this process, you will need to define how you are going to evaluate the performance of your proposals.

Houdini Modelling 101 v3

Here is the Houdini Modelling 101 document in PDF format - so that you can click on the links. This is the same as the one that I handed out in class. (I can't remember if I have sent this link before - but here it is.)

• Houdini  Modelling 101

I will try and add some more stuff over the next few weeks and uplaod an updated version. The current version does not cover the 3 ways of managing variants : 1) takes, 2) channels, 3) chops. This will be added to the next version of this doc.

The brief

Here is the brief for AR5953A Topics In Design Technology:

• The site is a large block (175m x 185m) based on a site in Marina Bay area. Please see the houdini file for more details. An abstract model of surrounding buildings has been generated using the densities from the URA 2008 plan.
• The task is to develop a proposal for a mixed-use urban morphology that is high density and that also provides good quality of life.
• Mixed-use in this case means office, residential, and commercial. The number of people working in the building should be equal to the number of people living in it.
• High density means an overall plot ratio of 13 (i.e. 420,000 sq meters). This is the plot ratio that has been set by the URA. Car parking should also be considered, and is not included in the area calculations.
• Good quality of life means thinking about various issues that make life enjoyable. These will include daylight, ventilation, views, privacy, open spaces, noise, etc. The importance of these issues will be different for residential, commercial , and office.

The aim of this brief is for you to demonstrate your own IVP design methodology. Therefore, the main focus is on the process rather than on the final outcome. You will need to show how you have used the IVP tools and techniques to achieve the final outcome.

Some other links:

• For more information on plot ratio
  http://www.ura.gov.sg/circulars/text/dcdgfahb_d0e127.htm#d0e144
• The URA development guidelines
  http://www.ura.gov.sg/circulars/text/dcdnrhb_d0e4.htm
• The general design guidelines for tall buildings should be followed
  Tall Buildings: A strategic design guide

Here are some key areas:

• Parking: 20 m2 per car
• Residential: 30 m2 per person
• Flat: 90 m2
• People per flat: 3.5 people
• Office: 20m2 per person
• Commercial: 7 m2 per flat

phtj_urban

Here are the otl files for the workshop today:

• phtj_urban
• phtj_utils

Copy it to one of your scanned otl folders on your computer .

Example 4 - towers

Here is the example from yesterday - the merging towers:

•  Example 4

This uses the 'metaball' node tocreate volumes that merge automatically to create complex surfaces.

phtj_chops

Here is an otl file for the workshop today:

• phtj_chops

Copy it to one of your scanned otl folders on your computer - this will be explained in the workshop.

3D Buzz

For some other good beginners videos, have a look at 3D Buzz

• 3d Buzzz - Fundamentals
• 3d Buzz - How do I?

You will have to register first before you can watch any of the videos - registration is free.

Example 2

Here is the example from yesterday:

•  Example 2

Files

Here are some files from last week:

• Example1 - hip file and otl file (save them in the same place)
• Houdini Modelling 101 - version 3 (you can follow the web links)

Houdini

The version of Houdini we will be using is the apprentice version 10 or version 11.

Documentation

The documentation is all available online, as well as inside the software. For the online help:

• Houdini online docs

Videos

The first videos to watch are the ones included when you install Houdini. In Houdini, go to the menu, click Help > Start Here. This will open up your browser window, and there will be the various links, including some links to videos. The
"Introduction to Houdini UI" is the place to start.

• Introduction to Houdini UI

There are some excellent videos to help you learn Houdini. Many of these videos are for version 9, but if your are using version 10, that is OK - the interface is mostly the same in versions 9n and 10.

Peter Quint has also created some excellent videos to learn Houdini. These videos tend to be a bit easier for beginners, since they don't assume any prior knowledge.

• Peter Quint videos

On the Houdini Apprentice blog, there are some good videos to get started:

• Houdini Apprentice Blog videos
  
  • Introduction to Houdini's New User Interface
  • Introduction to Houdini's Node Based Workflow
  • View and Display Tools in Houdini 9
  • Working with Selection Modes
  • Working with Panes and Viewports
  • Working with Curves and Surfaces
  • Polygon Modeling with Subdivision Rendering

On the Houdini site there are also some other videos introducing the interface, which is useful for beginners.

• Houdini 9 Interface videos

And there are also some videos on specific tools:

• Surface Operations
• Copy Stamp
• Carve Tool
• Orient Objects to a Curve
• UV Texturing

There are also a set of commercial companies producing videos.

• CARDANFX
  
  • Free Videos
• 3D Buzz Houdini
  
  • H9 Fundamental Videos
  • How Do I... Videos
    

 The is a Houdini You Tube channel where the Houdini people regularly uoload videos, oftend highlighting the latest features of the software. So these videos are probably less useful for beginners, but great to see the amazing things that can be dione with Houdini.

• Houdini YouTube channel

Of course there is also some other stuff on YouTube. here are a few:

• AppleSoldier Houdini Videos on YouTube
• AppleShakeGuru videos on YouTube
• CARDANFX videos on YouTube

There are also a bunch of commercial training videos that are not free. See the list of companies here:

• Companies creating Houdini training videos