AA Emtech

Link al sito

karamba - parametric structural analysis for GH

"karamba is an interactive structural analysis program at the interface between architecture, design and engineering. It closes the gap between parametric design and statical assessment."

karamba was developed within a cooperation between the Structural Design Institute at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna and Bollinger-Grohmann-Schneider ZTGmbH Vienna.

Link al sito
Link alla pagina sul forum di Grasshopper
Link al video

Make a Hybrid

"Make a Hybrid is a relatively incompact and informal study team. Our members are tutors, Doctors and Master's students from Hyperbody studio of Architecture Faculty, TU Delft.
Our core ideology is based on non-standard form finding, interactive behaviours and digital-controled fabrication. We are also concerned about emerging,complex and bionic structures and other cutting-edge research topics.
Make a Hybrid focuses on intersections among learning, researching and teaching, emphasizes intercommunions of designers with different backgrounds, and tries to find integrated measures to employ parametric design, interactive-technology, CNC manufacture and new materials."

Link al blog

NSO - The Nonlinear Systems Organization at PennDesign

"The Nonlinear Systems Organization is a research organization at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Its mission is to explore ways in which architecture can demonstrate, test, and apply insights and theories from mathematics and the sciences - nonlinear, algorithmic, and complex - in the design material structures across an open-ended range of scales, materials, and design disciplines.
The work of the NSO is experimental and treats the activity of design itself as a form of research. The NSO seeks to produce new organizations of matter and life that possess extraordinary beauty, diversity and versatility. By exposing scientists and theorists to the opportunities of applied design, the NSO also seeks to stimulate the further development of science."

Link al blog

NEWS 058

Robotic Arm Fabrication - many post
sherpa - Querying 'Shape,' 'Make,' and Material Nodes in Maya MEL Scripting
urban future organization - usyd+ufo studio: aggregation & erosion
urban future organization - usyd+ufo studio: programmatic + circulatory bundling
urban future organization - usyd+ufo studio: folding
Geometry Gym - Grasshopper IFC generation New Features
object-e.net - Orientation_Field.ms
the proving ground - USC ARCH 517: Spring 2011
eat-a-bug - New Evolutions in ZipShape
Thomas Buseck - structuralDesignM_WIP02
popabczhang - Grasshopper - gmp - SOSC _ #04 - Gymnasium Grasshopper Definition Files
System Stalker Lab - Blobwall
the leda atomicus - Blending curves with grasshopper
sac3's digital plastic - RhinoScript | Recursion - Menger sponge
Giulio Piacentino - WeaverBird 0.4 Colors
Design reform - Rhino RhinoScript - Getting Started
the geometry of bending - Developable curved strips in Grasshopper
ArchiMorph - NANO SQUID SKIN
made in california - many post
studio mode - reptile(n) | Prototype Development
modelab - Firefly | Sensing
muehlseife.de - documentation
Generative Design Computing - Digital Fabrication Work
complexitys - Shanghai Air Tree | Le premier projet d'architecture Creative Commons

Design Patterns for Parametric Modeling in Grasshopper

Interessantissimo sito di Tsung-Hsien Wang.

"This website is inspired by the Design Patterns website developed by Professor Robert Woodbury at Simon Fraser University. The design pattern examples illustrated here work with Rhinoceros® 3D, NURBS modeler for Windows. All scripts were developed in Grasshopper3D. Feedback is welcome."

Link al sito

MESNE | Research

"MESNE is an innovative architecture and urban design studio, working globally as one office from two locations; London and Melbourne. Operating at the nexus of research and practice, we combine a sophisticated design philosophy with advanced technology in order to create innovative design that addresses contemporary social and cultural agendas."

Link al blog

PIXELWHORE

Blog di Aaron Willette [ LaN associate ] con alcuni interessanti post e tools sviluppate con Rhinoscript che Grasshopper.

Link al blog

Mantis v0.1.00

A new tool for grasshopper, by Mohamed Zaghloul, named Mantis which allows to interact with Mathematica directly, the first 3 tools are for generative Cellular Automata "CA".

Link to Mantis blog
Link to Mathematica

NEWS 057

Blog Binturong - Grasshopper Packing Update
Blog Binturong - More Grasshopper Component Testing
SOFTlabNY - Grasshopper to MAYA for (n)arcissus
SOFTlabNY - (n)arcissus Installation!
ArchiMorph - Bus Shelter Concept II
LMNts - Grasshopper Canvas Real Estate
Co-de-iT - in[form]ation lecture
urban future organization - waffle isocurve – fabricated
ECHOROST- Glocal Shelter
P&A Lab - VaseWall (grasshopper + firefly + 3D printer )
P&Alab - Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plants)(grasshopper)
peer produced space - NEX Architecture: To + Fro Table
Heumann Design/Tech - Tree Utilities: Match Path and Partial Flatten
archibureau - Fabrication of Complexity
core.form-ula - Olympus BioScapes: 2010 Winners
Digital Crafting - Digital Crafting 3 "CNC and Concrete: How to Mould"
eat-a-bug - Twisted Beams on Surface
Grasshopper - Evolutionary Principles applied to Problem Solving

Digital Design + Fabrication - Ball State University

Blog del corso tenuto da Joshua Vermillion presso la Ball State University. All'interno sono postati alcuni interessanti tutorial inerenti Grasshopper, laser cutting e la digital fabrication.

"This course is designed to survey a wide variety of contemporary design and fabrication tools to empower you for the rest of your academic and professional career—demystifying design software and CNC tools—and laying the groundwork for skill sets which link your design process to a design-to-fabrication feedback loop. Throughout the semester, the course will delve much deeper into specific ideas, tools, and techniques, as well as the larger ramifications that emerging digital technologies are having on architectural theory and practice. This depth will be emphasized through a series of hands-on, iterative modeling and fabrication assignments and a small, selected set of readings and discussions."

Link al blog

Interactive Environments minor

Blog molto interessante di cui segnalo la condivisione della risorsa "50 Digital Wood Joints for Milling".

Link al blog
Link al post "50 Digital Wood Joints for Milling"

Robotic Arm Fabrication

"This course is an extension of the Boston Architectural College's Edco Grant that was awarded to Margaret Hwang, Peter Schmitt, and Matt Trimble for design research in robotic arm fabrication for architectural applications. This is an 8-wk course that will take place at Radlab, in the Seaport District of Boston, and will focus on the exploration of alternative uses in robotic arm machining. The course is framed around a single project that will be presented at the end of the eight week session. Students will engage with the robotic arm as a design machine, used as another tool within a collection of other digital and physical tools. Their objective is to create a custom fixture that will attach to the robot, a material assembly upon/with which the robot will operate, and the operation itself."

Link al blog

Thomas Buseck

Blog di Thomas Buseck di cui consiglio questo interessante post "structuralDesignM_WIP01".

Link al blog

in[form]ation – Co-de-iT lecture

in[form]ation is a lecture about the role of information (both as knowledge unit and morphogenetic driver) in generative processes and design strategies in the world of complexity. How do we move from a crisis towards an improved awareness of nature as a system of emergent processes, non linear networks and digital tools as media for design and production? The lecture tries to address this multiplicitous question, and since february 2009, when it was first presented, it was changed ad evolved to the present set of slides.

abstract
We are experiencing a crisis, and facing it we are not able anymore to understand it or finding solutions to it without a paradimg shift in our thinking. Such shift involves theories about complexity, emergence, network, self-organization, material systems, digital tools and their consequences on our model of reality, knowledge, cognition, culture, economy, ecology and, ultimately, architecture.

What is the common element in this network of interconnected systems? All of them are operating in a continuous changing condition (far from equilibrium) and rely on information (matter-energy) exchange. Information lies at the bottom of physical things, it is involved in morphogenesis as well as in the evolution of culture and communication.

We'll take a look on how information plays that role in nature (as well as what nature is under this perspective) and in architecture, especially in its linkages with digital tools and generative and parametric approaches.

Most probably it will evolve further, nonetheless we would like to share it at the present level for a very important reason: it does not matter that much to us to deliver a smoothly refined discourse in order to elegantly wrap up the topic, rather our intention is to trigger the discussion bringing our point of view, with its inevitable imperfections. Only in the confrontation among different positions there is the chance of growth and change.

Link to the Co-de-iT lecture

NEWS 056

Lift Architects - Surface Patterns With The ShopBot Writer for Grasshopper
Design ReForm - 10 Online RhinoScript Resources
Modelab - Processing | Introduction pt.2
P&A LAB - ContinuousVase( grasshopper/firefly + arduino)
P&A LAB - EggPointer
Reza Ali - Unreachable Code @ Motion Theory!
the geometry of bending - Guitar string + Grasshopper scripting
Blog Binturong - Straight to Fabrication Grasshopper Update
spatial gradients - generative design streams
fran castillo - Augmented Ecologies CC
Live Components NY - 6_5 3D HEXAGONAL FRAME
geometry gym - Grasshopper generating IFC Update
nCodon - spider evolution
urban future organization - particles for GH3D 101: part 2(a)
generative design - So tell me, what is new ?
per-forms - many post
the proving ground - Kangaroo Physics
softrigid - The Dynamic Performance of Nature_02
isgStudio - 101108_nuages
PeQUOD - ( Iso )_Communication THESIS
complexitys - Engineered transparency | a recent lecture in Dusseldorf by Hugh Dutton

Smart Skin Parametric Design Exhibition - Turin

Smart Skin Parametric Design Exhibition è la mostra dei 10 progetti sviluppati durante il Workshop Internazionale “Parametric Design: Smart Skin for sustainable dwelling”, tenutosial Castello del Valentino (Torino) tra il 6 settembre ed il 5 ottobre 2010 ed a cui hanno partecipato 38 studenti (19 italiani e 19 americani) diretti da Cesare Griffa (Politecnico di Torino) e Ted Ngai (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) e coordinati da Graziella Roccella (Politecnico di Torino).

Smart Skin Parametric Design Exhibition displays the 10 projects developed during the International Workshop "Parametric Design: Smart Skin for Sustainable dwelling", held at the Castello del Valentino (Turin) between September 6^th and October 5^th 2010, attended by 38 students (19 Italians and 19 Americans), directed by Cesare Griffa (Politecnico di Torino) and Ted Ngai (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and coordinated by Graziella Roccella (Politecnico di Torino).

VERNISSAGE mercoledì 24 novembre 2010 ore 16.30-19.00
Cittadella Politecnica
Corso Castelfidardo, 39 (ingresso segreteria studenti), Torino

Orario di apertura:
giorni feriali: 8.00-19.00
sabato: 8.00-12.30

Blog del corso:
www.smartskinforsustainabledwelling.blogspot.com
Blog della mostra:
www.smartskin2010.blogspot.com

Un evento organizzato e promosso da:
Politecnico di Torino, II Facoltà di Architettura (Torino, Italy)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture (Troy, NY)

Con il patrocinio della CITTA’ DI TORINO

Sponsor modelli 3D: cmf marelli s.r.l.

Tutors del Workshop: Cesare Griffa, Ted Ngai

Coordinazione: Graziella Roccella

Studenti:

(RE)TENDER: MEMORY_REMEMBRANCE_ACT OF RETAINING (San Maurizio)

by John Baker, Frank Florian, Chris Nobes, Salvo Terranova

ADAPTIVE RESPIRATION (San Maurizio)

by Marco Caprani, Alexandra Dorn, Cesare Madrigal, Andrea Terreno

ALG(AE)RITHM (Piazza Solferino)

by Monica Cazzamani Bona, Lillian Crandall, Nathalia da Rosa Pires, Tyler Hopf

AQUALIBRIUM (Regio Parco)

by Angie Ohman, Sarah Murray, Marina Milia, Matteo Miroglio

BARE NECESSITIES

by Matteo Amela, Gianni Bruera, Morgan Danner

EXO-RESPIRATION: RESPIRAZIONE ATTRAVERSO LA PELLE (San Maurizio)

by Nico Rios, Alex Klafehn, Juan Monroy

PASSIVE FLOWER (San Maurizio)

by Christine Koch, Alicia Miksic, Matteo Tron

SHARK SKIN SMART SKIN (Regio Parco)

by Davide Speranza, Evelina Micono, Kate Lisl, Kateri Knapp

SUSTAINA(BUBBLE) (Regio Parco)

by Alyssa Johnson, Christos Constantinou, Giulia Mondino, Marco Palma

SUSTAINABLE CIRCULATION (Piazza Solferino)by Carlotta Francia di Celle, Lindsey Dubas, Sarah Goldfarb, Riccardo Rigo

"TAC - Technically Advanced Construction" postgraduate course @ Politecnico di Milano

TAC shifts forward!

Since we did not reach the minimum number of participants,
TAC calendar shifts from January to April 2011. New applications will start in January 2011.
Stay tuned for upcoming news!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ITA
Finalmente dopo mesi spesi nella preparazione ed organizzazione posso condividere la notizia dell'attivazione del Corso di perfezionamento "T.A.C. - Technically Advanced Construction" che con Alessio Erioli e il dipartimento BEST del Politecnico di Milano nella persona della Prof.sa Ingrid Paoletti abbiamo organizzato per l'inizio del 2011.
T.A.C. credo sia un corso innovativo (in Italia) sotto molti aspetti. Innovativo per gli argomenti affrontati. Innovativo per le persone chiamate a trasmettere conoscenza e a seguire costantemente i partecipanti. Innovativo probabilmente anche per le modalità con cui è organizzato.
Ovviamente vi chiedo di diffondere tramite i vostri canali, ufficiali e non, la notizia del corso e se siete a conoscenza di eventuali persone, enti o realtà che potrebbero sponsorizzare l'evento ... non fatevi problemi a comunicarcelo!





















TAC Technically Advanced Construction è un corso di perfezionamento per laureati e professionisti promosso dal Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Ambiente Costruito (BEST) del Politecnico di Milano. Avrà una durata di tre mesi e permetterà ai partecipanti di raggiungere livelli specifici di conoscenza nel processo di "design-to-production" tramite l'uso di strumenti digitali avanzati per la progettazione e macchinari per la creazione e lo sviluppo di modelli fisici.

L'intero corso, con sede al Politecnico di Milano, si svolgerà attraverso studi, workshop, e periodi di lavoro costantemente assistiti (durante lo sviluppo, la fabbricazione e i test di prova) da uno staff di professionisti e insegnanti altamente specializzati (provenienti da studi e scuole internazionali come AA London, ARUP, Buro Happold, Zaha Hadid, Gehry Technologies, SPAN Architects...).

L'obiettivo è la progettazione, la prototipazione, e infine il collaudo di "multi-performative skins" tramite software per il design computazionale. Le verifiche in itinere delle performance della "skin" costituiranno il feedback principale per ottimizzare il design finale.

Il corso TAC sarà affiancato e completato da una serie di lectures "live" aperte a tutti e gratuite, tenute dagli stessi tutors del corso e da professionisti e insegnanti di fama internazionale.

Il corso inizierà il 17 gennaio 2011 e terminerà il 15 aprile 2011 (frequenza giornaliera).

Le registrazioni sono aperte fino al 13 dicembre 2010.

[Voglio anche ringraziare in questo post Matteo Lo Prete per il suo apporto fondamentale alla creazione del corso e Elena Scripelliti per il prezioso contributo nella stesura del materiale e dei contenuti oltrechè nella gestione del tutto. Un grazie doveroso anche all'Arch. Francesco Vaj per l'aiuto alla realizzazione del sito.]

---------------------------------------------------------

ENG
Finally, after months spent in the design, preparation and organization together with Alessio Erioli and BEST department of Politecnico di Milano in the person of Professor Ingrid Paoletti, we can share the news of the activation of a Postgraduate course "TAC - Technically Advanced Construction";
course will start at the beginning of 2011.
I think T.A.C. is an innovative course in Italy under many aspects. Innovative topics covered. Innovative for the people involveded to transmit knowledge and to keep track of participants. Probably also for the innovative way it is organized.
Of course, I ask you to spread through your channels, official and unofficial, the news of the course and if you know of any persons, companies or realities that could sponsor the event ... feel free to communicate us!















TAC Technically Advanced Construction is a new postgraduate course for graduates and professionals established by the Department of Building Environment Science and Technology (BEST), Politecnico di Milano. It will run for three months and will allow participants to achieve high levels of knowledge in the design-to-production process through the use of advanced digital tools for design and machines for t...he creation of physical models.

The entire course, based at the Polytechnic of Milan, will take place through studies, workshops and working periods assisted (during the development, manufacture and test trial) by a team of highly skilled professionals and teachers (from studies and international schools like AA London, ARUP, Buro Happold, Zaha Hadid, Gehry Technologies, SPAN Architects ...).

The objective is to design, prototype, and finally test "multi-performative skins" through computational design software. Audits in progress performance of the "skin" will be the main feedback to optimize the final design.

The course will be completed by a series of public lectures held by the same course tutors and other professionals and teachers of international renown.

The course will start on January 17, 2011 and will end on April 15, 2011 (daily attendance).

Registration are open until December 13, 2010.

----------------------------------------------------------

Link
http://www.tac.polimi.it/index.html

Robots in Architecture

Blog di Sigrid Brell-Cokcan e Johannes Braumann dove hanno pubblicato il loro interessantissimo paper presentato ad ACADIA 2010 e intitolato "A New Parametric Design Tool for Robot Milling".

Link al blog

workshop: Parametric Design with Maya, MelScript & Plug-ins

Parametric Design with Maya, MelScript & Plug-ins
Firenze - 7-12 dicembre 2010

Tutors:
[primi parte]
Niccolo Casas

[seconda parte]
Ludovico Lombardi & Fulvio Wirz
[Zaha Hadid Architects London]


Rivolto a: studenti, architetti, designer e modellatori 3d digitali

- Il workshop analizzerà ed approfondirà l'utilizzo del software
Autodesk® MAYA come strumento di modellazione per il design di forme
fluide e complesse tramite l'approfondimento di tecniche generative,
fornendo la possibilità di parametrizzarne i processi logici e
investigando nuove possibili strategie progettuali.

- Il workshop sarà suddiviso in due moduli correlati di 3 giorni ciascuno:
1. introduzione e basi del software: modellazione mesh, NURBS,
rendering
2. parametric design with MelScript & plugins: utilizzo del software
e personalizzazione delle tools per strategie progettuali innovative

luogo:
IreCoop - via Vasco De Gama 27 _ Firenze

durata:
6 giornate consecutive _ orario 9:00 - 18:00

costo:
professionisti 500€
studenti 300€

note:
- il corso sarà attivato con un numero minimo di 15 iscritti
- al termine sarà rilasciato un attestato di frequenza
- gli iscritti dovrano venire muniti dei propri laptop con software installato
[una versione free per 30 giorni è disponibile sul sito Autodesk® ]

contatti:
iscrizioni + info alloggi: www.irecooptoscana.it
[alla directory: Cosa offriamo > formazione > altri corsi]

info sul corso: info@co-de-it.com

organizzato da:
Co-de-iT
Irecoop Toscana
digital emergenc-i-es

Locandina [PDF]

NEWS 055

@[uto] - Mesh Analysis and Utility Component UPDATE
@[uto] - MeshEdit for Grasshopper 08 released v1.0.7.0
@[uto] - Geco for Grasshopper 08 released v1.0.16.0
@[uto] - Geco for Grasshopper 07 update to v1.0.16.0
urban future organization - veil house – screen fabrication stage
urban future organization - particles for GH3D 101: introduction
urban future organization - particles for GH3D 101: part 1
Generative Design - An ancient dream
LaN - gHowl components update
workshopsfactory - countertop
Geometry Gym - Autodesk Robot Geometry from Grasshopper
Geometry Gym - Grasshopper generating IFC
yet another script? - Parametric[+]Generative. Modeling Topologically complex surfaces.
4ofSeven - 1011M4 Goomitze
eat a bug - Developable Surface Optimization
eat a bug - PQ Mesh Design: Morpharchitecture Workshop - Lyon 2010
Far From Equilibrium - Self-Avoiding Random Walk
workshops factory - Warsaw Cultural Centre – TU Delft Graduation Project
workshops factory - Warsaw Cultural Centre – Prototyping Process
workshops factory - Warsaw Cultural Centre – Urban Scale Model
Reza Ali - mis.shap.en.ness
improved.ro - f* Voronoi
DigitalCrafting - DigitalCrafting Seminar 3 - Videos online
BuildZ - Happy Halloween, II!
Studio Mode - Aether.SCS02
morphocode - Branching Structures: L-Systems study with Rabbit
muehlseife.de - swarm simulation
muehlseife.de - spatial analyses for urban environments
nCodon - gravity field visualization experiment
PandaLab - subdivision_Wall (MAYA_Mel)

scriptecture

Link al sito

BlendME

BlendME (Blender Modelling Environment for Architecture) is a tool aimed at rapid design and analysis of commercial and residential building design. It brings together many already existing open-source tools to produce a platform for modelling and interaction of the results of many simulation methodologies.

The use of open-source software as a basis for BlendME is important for the following reasons:

* Scalability : all tools should be able to easily scale across low-cost high performance computing (HPC) clusters (Beowulf clusters) using MPI. This is especially important for computationally-intensive processes such as CFD but also may have advantages in enabling real-time computation of other less-cpu intensive processes such as auralization.
* Low-cost : The building industry is very budget-oriented and in order to improve design and realize the vision of low-energy architecture it is understood that tools must be low-cost in order to improve adoption of technical design tools in the industry.
* Distribution: In order to facilitate education it is important to have a platform which can be distributed as a liveUSB and copied without fear of copyright.

The package currently incorporates:
* 3D Building Information Modelling
* Thermal Energy Modelling (through EnergyPlus)
* Computational Fluid Dynamics (through OpenFOAM)
* Lighting analysis (through Radiance)
* Sun-path analysis

* Import: o gbXML

* Export:
* openFOAM case files
* Radiace case files
* EnergyPlus (.idf) files
* FDS (.fds) files

Further native features of Blender that complement the addon are:
* Interactive walk-through and visualisation
* Photo-realistic rendering through a large choice of rendering engines

In the future it is hoped to incorporate:
* Fire Modelling
* Life-cycle cost-benefit analysis
* Acoustic raytracing and 3D real-time auralization
* Queue/egress modelling

BlendMe isn't available yet, but when it will, it will be commercial/donation based add-on.

Link al sito

Architettura Parametrica - Introduzione a Grasshopper | Seconda Edizione

E' stata appena rilasciata la seconda edizione del manuale in italiano "Architettura Parametrica - Introduzione a Grasshopper" scritto da Arturo Tedeschi ed edito da Le Penseur. La nuova edizione presenta un aggiornamento complessivo degli argomenti e delle immagini.
I nuovi contenuti sono:
- Data Tree e gestione di dati complessi.
- Mesh.
- Image Sampler: conversione di informazioni cromatiche in dati numerici.
- Graph Mapper.

Link al sito

Local Code grasshopper components

Nicholas de Monchaux ha rilasciato sul suo sito una serie di componenti di Grasshopper sviluppati per il progetto "Local Code : Real Estates"

Link al sito
Link al video "Local Code / Real Estates"

ParametricModel

"Parametricmodel.com provides a library of small, easy to reuse components that solve common parametric problems. Anyone is free to upload their own components or edit the existing ones. We will be releasing tools in the near future to allow you browse the revision history for a component.
All of the content of the site is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence. You are free to use the components in any way you want, however if you share the components, please attribute them either parametricmodel.com, or the original authors.
The site is designed and managed by Daniel Davis at nzarchitecure.com"

Link al sito

Blog Binturong

"We are Jason Lim and Asami Takahashi of Atelier Panda. We created Blog Binturong in order to share some of our thoughts, techniques and code. As designers, we are constantly inspired by the amazing work that is shared online and learn immensely from the knowledge that is freely distributed. The design world is greatly enriched by this spirit of generosity. This blog collects some of the generative code, underlying thoughts and techniques of making that goes into our work. A lot of this knowledge has been developed over the course of our design projects: some of it earned through costly trial-and-error, some of it the results of happy accidents, all of it benefiting from resources made available by other designers. This is our way of contributing knowledge back to the wider community. We hope that its contents can be useful and even inspiring to you."

I want to underline the post "Straight to Fabrication" where they announce:

"We are working on a grasshopper component (for version 0.7) that lays out the cutting patterns on a flat sheet. It will incorporate some form of packing logic to reduce material waste. With this component, any changes in the parametric relationships of the grasshopper model will result in automatically updated cut sheets. We plan to release the component once it is done so check back soon or visit Atelier Panda."

Link to blog
Link to post "Straight to Fabrication"

free and open software in my practice studio

Recently some social-media friends are asking to me about which software i use so i want to share a list of the free and open software i'm using in my little practice studio:

[] CAD

- DoubleCad XT Free - http://www.doublecad.com/
free 2d cad also for professional use (autocad LT alike ... probably better) the PRO version works in 3d mode
- A9Cad & A9Converter - http://www.a9tech.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[] 3D

- Blender3d - http://www.blender.org/
- SketchUp - http://sketchup.google.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[] Render Engine

- Yafaray - http://www.yafaray.org/
Global Illumination engine
- Luxrender - http://www.luxrender.net/
unbiased render engine, recently also with GPU development
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[] Graphics

- PaintNet - http://www.getpaint.net/
really handly software to adjust images
- Artweaver - http://www.artweaver.de/
photoshop alike (not like photoshop) but it works with psd files
- Inkscape - http://www.inkscape.org/
a very good alternative to Illustrator
- Scribus - http://www.scribus.net/
a very good alternative to InDesign
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[] Office

- OpenOffice - http://www.openoffice.org/
a very good alternative to Office, it works natively with doc, xls, ppt
- Q10 - http://www.baara.com/q10/
a great text editor
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[] Visual Map

- Freemind - http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
- VUE (Visual Understanding Environment) - http://vue.tufts.edu/index.cfm
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I add some others useful free and opensource software:

- topmod3d - http://www.topmod3d.org/
TopMod3d is a free, open source, portable, platform independent topological mesh modeling system
- Syntax2d - http://sourceforge.net/projects/syntax2d/
Syntax2D is a free suite of tools for urban and architectural spatial analysis
- K3dSurf - http://k3dsurf.sourceforge.net/
K3DSurf is a program to visualize and manipulate Mathematical models
- VisIT - https://wci.llnl.gov/codes/visit/home.html
VisIt is a free interactive parallel visualization and graphical analysis tool for viewing scientific data
- SSbump Generator - http://ssbump-generator.yolasite.com/
SSbump generator is a free Self-Shadowed Bump generator
- WinTopo - http://wintopo.com/
free Raster to Vector Converter
- CamStudio - http://camstudio.org/
opensource CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create AVI files
- Kompozer - http://kompozer.net/
KompoZer is a complete web authoring system

Any suggestions and comments are welcome.
Andrea

Locust

Developed by Cerver.org
"Locust is a behavioral animation plugin initially for Grasshopper then will be ported to Generative Components. The plugin will be based on Craig Reynolds boids and the steering behaviors. Stay tuned for more information. I expect to have a public release witin a few weeks."

Link to Locust post

Stefano Mancuso: The roots of plant intelligence

So interesting lecture by Stefano Mancuso - Plant neurobiologist.

Link to TED Talk lecture (with italian and others subtitles)

Skin Graph : the Future Walk-in Closet

Very interesting research and work done by Karl Kjelstrup-Johnson and Laura Michaels. Fashion will be surely one of the most productive fields for digitals applications and explorations.

Link to Vimeo video
Link to Grasshopper post
Link to Karl Kjelstrup-Johnson website
Link to Laura Michaels blog

thispointon

Sito del team di design computazionale formato da Krystian Kwieciński, Erik Thorson e Monika Szawioła. All'interno alcuni interessanti lavori e sperimentazioni e sopratutto l'anteprima di una nuova tool di grasshopper per l' analisi CFD.

Link al sito
Link al post "CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) for Rhino"

taekle's blog

Sono un estimatore di sketchup e lo ritengo uno strumento decisamente valido e con enormi potenzialità. Il blog di Taekle, utente del forum di sketchucation, penso ne sia la conferma. Nel blog appunto sperimenta le Dynamic Components come strumento di Parametric Design con risultati sicuramente incoraggianti.

Link al post "Dynamic Component as Parametric Design Tool"
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Delicious List

I just update my Delicious page ....... and want to remember to the blog readers that all the DigitAG& links and many others are in my Delicious bookmarks list, more than 1000 links focused on computational and generative design.

NEWS 054

object-e.net - F.I.C.
nss - motion kinematics&dynamics studies 001 _ nss
frikearq - Form-finding in Grasshopper
Heumann Design/Tech - Ferrofluid Table
eat a bug - Planar Quad Mesh Design Pt. 2
eat a bug - Interactive PQ Mesh by Daniel Piker
core.form-ula - exhibition:Integrate:Innovate
LaN - LaN FORECAST – FALL 2010 / WINTER 2011
MadeInCalifornia - IsoCurveSurface04
The geometry of bending - Bending curves inside two circles
ModeLab - Processing | Introduction
The proving ground - Galapagos + Ecotect: Tower Form-Finding Video
The proving ground - Grasshopper + AutoCAD IPC Video
Generative Design - Generative Cells
eSCRIPT-O - 101011_RSS_(recursive surface subdivision), from curve
eSCRIPT-O - 101012-GHPyTOMATA (WIP)- Cellular automata with Python in grasshopper
Geometry Gym - Update to Rhino/Grasshopper plugin to SAP2000
BFXlog - Updated Voronoi Attractor
4ofSeven - 0910M9 SP Ecotop_ Architecture as an indicator
complexitys - TOWARDS A PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE | lecture at Escuela técnica superior de arquitectura de Madrid
Design Reform - Rhino Grasshopper - Parametric Truss Update
Morphocode - Selected tweets #1
Peer produced space - Structural Ornament: generative process for Malgorzata Mozolewska
muehlseife - depth of field
improved.ro - [research] wetgrid 2!
volatile prototypes - Configurations, Part 4

The Secret Life of Chaos [documentary]

Sometimes students and people asking to me how they can start to look at generative design theory and where to find references. This is actually one of my favourite resources to start from for every kind of research approach. Is a 2010 BBC documentary that I would highly recommend.

Link to youtube version (provisional and not official)

archi o logics

"a research site by adolfo nadal"

Link al sito
Link al post "Parametric Ceiling"

Clara Klein

Link al blog
Link al post "Weather!"

fishtnk

"Fishtnk is a Toronto based design studio focused on multidisciplinary design solutions in architecture, product and fashion design."

Link al blog
Link al post "Parametric Furniture Research"

buildz

Negli ultimi tempi stanno nascendo nuovi blog che indagano le strategie generative utilizzando Revit. Questo è il blog di Zach Kron - Architectural Designer e Software Analyst per Autodesk.
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SEED

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PeQUOD

A new and promising blog held by Vincenzo Reale.
"PeQUOD is an online travel journal across digital design and architecture"

Link al blog
Link al post "a_3days SCRIPTING"

Ben Coorey

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Link al post "Grasshopper to Multiframe Link"

dplay

"dplay, the collaborative design enterprise is an intellectual toolbox that favors a computational and technological engagement with the design object; enabling the invention and production of cultur and high performance techno-rational artifacts across domains of architecture, urban design and industrial design."

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PARAPRACTICE

"Utilizing digital tools as a means of promoting a higher caliber of DESIGN_PERFORMANCE_COLLABORATION"

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In HOT Pursuit

"This site is about the exploration of high performance architecture & design, building information modeling(BIM), performance modeling(simulation), parametric modeling, and much more!!"

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Link al post "IHP-0009 Parametric Performative Design"

Simon Schleicher's Blog

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Evolutetools x Rhino BETA

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Fabulously Fabricated

RMIT communications elective in 3d modeling + rapid prototyping
"… what? … an active, fast-paced 3d-modeling and rapid prototyping (RP) studio. Participants will be introduced to a range of RP technologies and techniques to test ideas about pattern, scale and materiality. We will be using a range of 3d modeling software and parametric tools at a basic level to produce a series of fabricated models."

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