The Lemon Squeezer by Philippe Starck remodeled in ArchiCAD

I assume you all know Philippe Starcks famour Lemon Squeezer!

It's a beautiful design but used to be difficult to model in ArchiCAD.

Please notice I said "used to be":)) It is no longer difficult.

Just a matter of 1 minute 11 seconds:))

Here comes the video showing how to do it:))

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

It looks like SkecthUp is in ArchiCAD 16!

Good Morning Everyone!

As you might already know Graphisoft announced ArchiCAD 16 yesterday.

In my previous posts, I mentioned how impressed I was with the new features of ArchiCAD 16 and I am planning to share my opinions on each new feature in the next few days.

Image from 3DVIA

Today's topic is MORPH TOOL!!!!

I knew GS was still working on free form modeling tools but my expectations were nowhere near what they actually came up with.

Watch ArchiCAD 16 - Morph Tool - Pushing and Pulling a MORPH Face Video here
(This blogger is very annoying with Youtube videos. it does not find the videos which are uploaded within the last 8-10 hours. I am sorry but if you want to see how it works you have to click the link and watch it on Youtube)

It looks like SketchUp is inside ArchiCAD!

What else can an architect want?

Please do not say "What is so special about Morph Tool's push-pull surface feature? We already had it in SketchUp?" !

Yes, you had it in SkecthUp but it was a dummy model. It was lacking the "I" in B(I)M.

However in ArchiCAD it is an integrated part of the Building Information Model, a native element.

You can get it's volume, area information or add further data that you might be using for conceptual planning.

I think this features deserves a 5 STAR!

Have a great day and nice weekend!

PS: I received an email from a Turkish architect who was not sure if I am Turkish or not. Let me clarify the confusion created by my strange name. I am 100% Turkish, born in Turkey, grow up in Turkey, studied in Turkey. Basically "Made in Turkey".

Yes, my name is not Turkish since my mother has Circasssian (Cerkez) origins.

Yes, I do speak Turkish very well! Feel free to email me in Turkish:))

One more thing I could not stop myself from mentioning. We do not have any problems with Greeks on the contrary to the general belief:)) They actually have very nice islands:))

Now I feel much better:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 1

# 1 - Shell Tool

Bridge between creative design minds and the construction.

First of all it is FLEXIBLE and gives the designer full FREEDOM!

However it is not feature which makes Shell Tool unique!

There are several tools in the market which allows you to model your "crazy" ideas.

But how many of them can actually link it to the real life construction? How many of them can actually generate proper documentation with including all the components of a structure?

Not many!

Amongst these few, Shell Tool has the most versatile documentation features. The ability of using composite fills is an awesome features which sets Shell Tool apart from the competition.

In my opinion, this is what construction industry needs these days!

So Shell Tool deserves to get the Gold Medal in my list!

Cheers,
Enjoy Your Weekend!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 2

# 2 - BIM Server

I hesitated  a lot about placing BIM Server to Number 2 or 1.

It ended up getting the Silver Medal:)

Why BIM Server made it's place to TOP 2?

 1- During the development of BIM Server, I had the opportunity to see the development team, the amount of work put into it's development, the cautiousness for the safety of data. I think it had the longest beta testing period ever. Users were dying to get the BIM Server as soon as possible but Graphisoft refused to release it until they are 100% sure that it works perfectly.  

2- IT IS FAST!

3- IT IS PROBLEM FREE! Believe me or not, we are providing more technical support on the Network Dongle sharing then BIM Server:))

4- IT IS USER FRIENDLY!  This is very important. You spend 6-8 hours of your time on this software and you would hate your life it wasn't user friendly. 

5- Internal Messaging System! Off this is one of my favorites. In one of our early implementations we were using it even for deciding what to eat:))

In 2009, when Graphisoft released it, I was expecting  the competition to come up with a similiar solution which utilizes Delta Server technology within 2-3 years.

It's 2012 and still no one is even close to Graphisoft's BIM Server!

Enjoy using the cutting edge technologies of Graphisoft:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 4

#4 - Complex Profiles


ArchiCAD 10 one was one of the best versions of ArchiCAD in history. I believe it was the first page of a new chapter in ArchiCAD development.

It was the first version which ArchiCAD started to force the limits of design with the introduction of Complex Profiles.

When I first saw the demo, I thought "This is a great tool for free form shapes!"

But I was wrong!

This is not only a great tool for free form shapes but also an amazing tools for construction details.

Look at the parapet above.

Thanks to the ability of generating high quality documentation from complex profiles, the amount of drafting done on the above sheet is at minimum.

I can hear you saying "But modeling takes time!"

Not really! Compared to the drafting work, It is nothing! Plus it is more fun:)

The ability of  managing any kind of cross section with the correct materials both in 2D and 3D is another great advantage.

I am sure there are many more situations where Complex Profiles can be a life saver.

If you have please feel free to share...

Ohh! Before saying goodbye, I wanted to share one more thing. Shoegnome  has great tutorials on complex profiles. Here comes the link for them.

Edit:
I created a screen capture from the model however it might be an older version since I received the PDF some time later than the model.

Enjoy!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 10

Why do we love ArchiCAD? I am sure you all have your own reasons!

And I have mine:))

In order to build the excitement we are starting from the last one:)))

10 - Curtain Wall Tool

With no doubt, ArchiCAD's Curtain Wall Tool is the most sophisticated curtain wall tool amongst all the BIM Software. I have heard this statement from "implementation specialists" of other vendors too.
Why ArchiCAD's Curtain Wall is the best?

Custom Caps and Frames!

The ability to create custom components even for caps and frames! This feature impresses all the BIM Gurus regardless of their favorite software.

Flexibility!

When Graphisoft released ArchiCAD 12 and introduced Curtain Wall, the product designer created a small mountain house using only this tool. Walls, roofs, railings... Basically everything was made of curtain wall. (Dont' get me wrong! I am not saying forget all the other tools and use curtain wall only:)) I look for some pictures of it but unfortunately no chance this time.

There is a nice article on AECbytes which I enjoyed reading. Curtain wall is used to model decking!


Free Rotate in 3D!

Curtain wall is the first tool which Graphisoft introduced the new "Free Rotate" command in 3D. As you remember the first seeds of free form modeling was sown with ArchiCAD 10, introduction of Complex Profiles. Free Rotate development was a continuation of "give designers more freedom" movement and I really appreciate it:))

Perfect Coordination between Model and Documentation

I saw many free form curtain wall models done with other softwares. They look all pretty from a distance but when you go into details... OMG! The joints are not correct, surfaces explodes in certain parts! You basically can not generate proper documentation out of it!

In ArchiCAD, you would not experience this!

#9 will be announced tomorrow!
PS: Feel free to share your Top 10 :)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Can "Priority" settings in ArchiCAD make you 32 times faster than other BIM Tools?

Model based quantites!

New starter to BIM usually believes that if you have a model you can extract accurate quantities out of it.

But not always! Accuracy depends on the method of modelling.

For instance, designers/consultants models the columns from slab top to slab bottom so the model is also suitable for analysis software.

However, contractors prefers modeling from slab top to slab top due to the quantity surveying standards in the Middle East.

If you want accurate quantities from your model you should develop a "Modeling Guide for QS".

When you start preparing the standards, things will get more and more complicated as soon as the other construction elements such as walls, beams etc comes into the game.

However with the right priority seetings in ArchiCAD, you can manage to get accurate quantities without worrying to much about the modeling method.

This was the main reason that our BIM Service Team selected ArchiCAD as the main BIM Modeling Tool.

During our evaluation we noticed that due to the unavailability of "priority" settings in other BIM Tools, you have to find workarounds  by clumsier modeling methods which increases your modeling time 32 times compared to ArchiCAD.

We did our tests on a very simple model. (See below image)

If you set the priorities right, ArchiCAD will deduct the overlapping quantities such as column&wall or beam&beam intersections. However in other BIM Tools we have tested, you have to create individual walls in between columns since there is no other practical way of deducting the quantities.

Yes, ArchiCAD increases our BIM Service Team's productivity so our boss is in love with ArchiCAD:)))

SO WE ARE:)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com