Bamboo chik object - work in progress

The blinds can be translucent

I've been meaning to make this object for quite some time. Today, because I needed it so badly for the ShKo project in Karjat, I finally put my head down and did it. Didn't take much time but it still needs some bug-squashing.

Should I make an .lcf a rather than just single object because the bamboo chik material with its alpha transparency is not part of ArchiCAD's default library.  Tell me in the comments -- and if there are no comments, I'll assume nobody wants the object.

For future reference (and in case it helps someone else) here's the formula for determining the radius of the rolled up portion of the chiks:

I added a looseness factor to this formula, though, because such blinds are never very tightly rolled.

First Steps in GDL

Djordje's post on a Facebook ArchiCAD group reminded me of these old gems. If any of you wants to create your own GDL objects but doesn't know where to begin, these books by David Nicholson-Cole will explain the basic concepts in ordinary language and teach you how to make your first objects.

Introduction to Object Making - [approx. 4.5MB]
http://tinyurl.com/oswp3jd (direct download)

The GDL Cookbook - v.3  [approx. 26MB]
http://tinyurl.com/pkwul2e

The GDL Cookbook - v.4 [approx. 17MB]
http://tinyurl.com/q8rjvp8

Note that the fourth cookbook covers some different stuff from the third, so don't skip the latter.

A new way to search for help in ArchiCAD

Search Results from the
ArchiCAD Help Centre

Almost a year has passed since I last wrote on this blog which is shameful.

I've been posting regularly to the ArchiCAD India Group on Facebook which has slowly grown to just over 150 members, but I really should post my likes and rants here as well.

Version 17 has been launched and, with it, a revamped website from Graphisoft.  One of the interesting things is the new Help Centre that searches not just official GS websites but, much like the search box on this site, others on the web as well. What I absolutely love about it is the way the results are displayed. See the screenshot on the left to get an idea.

I don't know for certain which sites "on the web" the search covers so if it fails to provide me an answer, I find myself falling back to my now-primitive-looking-but-still-effective solution.  I don't know if GS got the idea for such a search from here but I'd certainly like to think so!

ArchiCAD India User Group on Facebook

ArchiCAD India User Group on Facebook was started on 27th May 2012

There are a bunch of country user groups on Facebook and, as of Sunday, India has one too.  Just 5 members in the first two day but I hope it will grow with time. Edit: Just over 50 members at the last count. I'd like it to be a few hundred at least.


Please join ArchiCAD India User Group [ACIUG] if you are, well, an ArchiCAD user in India.


There is also the worldwide ArchiCAD User Group with over 1,600 members.

Loft plugin for SketchUp

I don't have AC 15 with the fantastic new shell tool so if I've got to do some complex shapes, (mostly objects - I don't do blobitecture) the fall-back is old SketchUp.  Of course there will be lots of polygons and the process is cumbersome but beggars can't be choosers.

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=28586

Have a look at the videos to see what the tool can do.

Chequered Tile Object

As I said in a previous post, a chequered tile object is something I wanted to create. Well, here it is.

• Like the other tile objects, it can be used for floor or wall cladding.
• Either or both of the alternating materials can be textures from the loaded library or RGB colours. In the case of the latter, you can choose the type of material it will be (Matte, Metallic, Dull Shine or Transparent).
• In 2D, you can choose whether you want to show the chequered pattern with fills.

The second image lists all the available parameters.

For ArchiCAD 13+
Download [11kB]

Simple Filing Cabinet - ArchiCAD Object

Parameters

A simple filing cabinet which I find very useful. 

For ArchiCAD 12+
Download [9kB]

Random Tile Object - Update

Type 2. RGB Colour with variation

As mentioned in an earlier post, I got in touch with Zahari (Zach) Dimitrov and, since then, he's uploaded a corrected version of his tile object to the depository.  However, I wanted more control over an object like this (especially for a current project) so I tried to extend it. Finding myself restricted by the parameters and wanting to remove the usage of CUTPLANE (which I'm not very familiar with), I finally decided to rewrite the entire object from scratch.  Zach is fine with this and the object will remain open-source and free to the AC community.

The only question in my head is whether I should split the single object that does many things into separate ones - each with more parametric control.  Right now, there are 6 optional tiling types and I'm thinking of making this into 3 separate objects. Additionally, I'm thinking of a chequered tile and percentage weightage for type 6. (More images after the jump).

Comments and suggestions are wanted!

For ArchiCAD 13+
Download [15 kB)

Roll-Up Cabinet - ArchiCAD Object

Parameters

A couple of years ago, I'd written a tambour cabinet object for a residential project and using it again recently reminded me that I had intended to share it with the community at some point - after I'd improved it. Well, I haven't had the time to improve it but I'm posting it here anyway.

The object has a number of parameters that can be adjusted including colour, dimension (in detail) and the percentage opening in 3D.

For ArchiCAD 12+
Download [11kB]

Random Tile Object

Set of tiles with base RGB of 0.2, 0.3, 0.2

In the AC-Depository, there is a tile object called "Tiles with variable colours" by Zach Dimitorv which I thought would be a useful if extended and improved.  Wrote to him at the email ID given in the script but have no reply. Given that he's only made two posts on the forum, I wonder if he's moved on.

Anyway, for a current project I needed to have closely related colours on a tiled wall so I had to explore the RND function for the first time. It quickly became apparent that the way ArchiCAD generates random numbers isn't exactly random.  Searched the AC-Talk forum and first thread that popped up was from as far back as 2004 - and it talked about exactly this problem. Oleg helped out with a little trick to make the numbers more random and Karl gave not just a nice explanation of pseudo-random but also a test object with what he calls the "goofy function".  As usual, I learned a lot!

For whatever it's worth, what you see on the left is one of the things that can now be achieved with this object.  If anyone is in touch with Zach, please tell me how to contact him so I can give him the updated object.  Below is a screenshot of the parameters used.

Edit: Zach (Zahari Dimitrov) just responded to my message and I'll be in touch with him about extending the object further.