vismagine

Have you ever asked yourself if there is a better or faster way to model complex 3D building geometries than the way you use to model them. There are so many possibilities to start a modelling process for architecture and you have to decide which one works best to save time and money.

Some of you may model your exteriors or interiors directly in construction software tools like Autocad, Revit, Archicad or other tools that offer architectural features. Others start with simple 2D construction lines and try to build the model from there. How is YOUR work flow for efficient building modelling?

To make the best decision it is necessary to know all the work flows that are used in praxis to reach the approach. For this I would like to start a little discussion and try to answer some of the following questions:

+ How do you usually start to model your buildings?
+ Do you have different work flows for different approaches?
+ Do you use spline/loft techniques, polygonal box modelling?
+ Has someone ever used nurbs to model building and what where the experiences from that?
+ Which work flow appears the efficientest in practice?
+ Which tutorials on this topic do you advise?

Could be an interesting discussion for all of us – so I hope for a large participation on this topic.

Cheers,
Christian

Mazinger

Interesting topic!
Personally,

-I 'print' the A'cad layouts from the client in jpg,
-stick them to a cube in sketchup,
-let the client choose the views
-and start carving

Very curious about faster workflows though...
Would be nice to share all our workflows, of every stage in production, on an online mindmap!

Cheers!

baader

If I have elevations and plan, I bring the the acad drawing to Rhino, rotate the elevations to right places.
Then I export the wireframe to viz to use as a guideline to model.
I group each elevation so I can switch them off while modeling.
(I don´t use the imported lines other then as guide cause they produce a lot of problems)

In Viz I draw the walls with Aec walls and windows/ doors with Aec windows.
(it makes the holes automatically and updates as you move or modify them)

All else I model normally in Viz.
I use a lot of renderable lines to model cause it´s much like using slab in rhino which I used originally.

Then I usually render with MR and place the trees etc. in PS.

STRAT

we all do things different.

I'll model in autocad, but my two collegues use cinema 4d and sketchup respectively. each has its pros and cons. stuff is then rendered in vray via c4d.

there's no right or wrong, but i believe the more resources available to you the more flexable you become.

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chiquito

Depending on what I have to model, Ill either model in autocad, or import dwg in max and draw on top splies and start extruding, or polymodeling flon facades. it depends on the project. many ways to do it, and all wellcome.
What are you using at the moment?

chutti

heres my everyday setup, i rotate the the elevations 90 deg & match with the plans then start modelling fom the bottom.........good luck!!

Attached Images

plans.jpg (110.0 KB, 81 views)

chiquito

I do the same, only thing, that I group everything acordingly (GF on group, section A-A another group, etc) and place then were they should go.

denham

1. clean up cad plan's
2. import cad plan to 3d max
3. starting drawing lines then apply sweeps (apply the same sweep to identical building geometery)
4. For peices that are more complex I may import a CAD polyline & extrude

We used to box model, but after using sweeps we have increased our effiency by at least 5 times.

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Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all GHG emissions annually. Seventy-six percent of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the 'Building Sector'. Therefore, immediate action in the Building Sector is essential if we are to avoid hazardous climate change.

http://www.architecture2030.org

Horhe

+ How do you usually start to model your buildings?

From scratch ;]

+ Do you have different work flows for different approaches?

Yes. Depends on the project.

+ Do you use spline/loft techniques, polygonal box modelling?

Yep.

+ Has someone ever used nurbs to model building and what where the experiences from that?

Yes. Experiences? Hmm... i experienced a tingling sensation in my big toe... ;] but seriously i dont quite follow you here....

+ Which work flow appears the efficientest in practice?

I think there is no right workflow. Everyone has got a workflow based on experience. The more you model the better your workflow gets. Ones workflow adapts to how fluent and fast he is with the tools at hand.
The ability to produce fast images comes ones fluency of the software if u like and the familiarity with a project he is doing (example: producing a rendering of a stadium takes more time if you havent done renderings in this kind of architectural field in the past, youll need to explore it)

+ Which tutorials on this topic do you advise?

On modeling? Hmm... cant think of any really... havent been looking for modeling tutorials in a long, long time...

Hope that helps a bit
Cheers

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Im starting to suspect that the world is a rendering...