non / temporal

Alexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010). Dress, autumn/winter 2010–11. Courtesy of Alexander McQueen. Photograph © Sølve Sundsbø / Art + Commerce

Giuseppe Sammartino (1720 - 1793). The Veled Christ

Rhino: Goat

Has anyone had a chance to use goat yet?

If you have, don't be shy - I am curious regarding the output and your thoughts. Thanks!

Powers of Ten

Below: Powers of Ten in a contemporary context - interesting if not relevant.
There is still scales to consider...



Bio-Computation (2012) from David Benjamin on Vimeo.

The original Powers of Ten by Ray and Charles can be found here: http://www.powersof10.com/film

Import NURBS geometry cleanly from Rhino into Maya

Moving geometry in and out of Maya can be difficult, especially moving geometry in a useable format between the two platforms. There have been attempts to move the geometry through a number of mediums, including .iges, .obj, .dwg, etc. I’ve found the majority of these to fall short in the face of highly articulated geometries. Rhino provides certain benefits over Maya, such as grasshopper and fabrication compatibility, but lacks much of the mesh control provided for in Maya.

In order to maintain the fidelity of the NURBS geometry, knowing that the geometry will be further worked in Maya, do the following:

1. Select NURBS object in Rhino. Run the command : ExtractControlPolygon. Move the polygon mesh away from the original NURBS geometry.
2. Export the object out of Rhino in the “wavefront OBJ” format.
3. Open the object in Maya.
4. Subdivide as needed. Done.

The upper screenshot below is of a surface in Rhino. The left geometry is a NURBS surface. The right geometry is the control polygon.

In the lower image is import geometry in Maya. The mesh on the right is the control polygon imported from Rhino. The surface on the right is a subdivided mesh straight from the control polygon (press “3” in the software…). Note that they are identical.

The only shortcoming of this method is that it only exports a single surface at a time, so if there is any mass to your NURBS model, each surface will need to be extracted and exported separately.

nouveau reframed

Update: Project was just suckerpunched - be sure to check it out.


Our conventions in architecture are to always work within the frame, the box, the cube. I suppose artists are the same in many ways – their work is so often defined by an edge or frame. Bonsoir Paris released a series of frames which begin to negotiate form within the construct of the frame itself, in a way reorganizing the frame to suit the aesthetic.
From the website:

DURAMEN is a series of handmade wooden sculptures. Born of a simple impulse, the one to break with conventional ways of exhibiting, Bonsoir Paris and its team have imagined a series of frames so strongly mistreated that they have become unrecognizable. Their wish is to break the properties of the compound, a form of compromise as minimal and it is efficient. They found a subtle twist while remaining faithful to a primitive form of revolt, without getting lost in vain styles effects. The choice of noble materials (Oak, Fir, Wenge, Pear, Linden) and the quest for finesse, enables them – with the DURAMEN series – to position themselves on the razor’s edge between two opposites, that of the deformed and that of the elegant, instinctive and thoughtful.

[website]
In terms of craft, no computation was used: hand-carved, sketched, hand-carved, sketched, done. Not sure if the distinction matters though – the end product is still pretty affective.
Also note the background: the formal paneling in clean white. Working in contrast, each index supports the other: the raw, fluid wood aesthetically reinforces not only the frame (being “melted”), but also the frame engaged with the wall beyond. It allows some motion to occur in the raw wood frame that would be lost in another setting.

Wasmuth Portfolio

Ausgeführte Bauten und Entwürfe von Frank Lloyd Wright

Following the release of the Wasmuth Portfoliob Le Corbusier, van der Rohe, and Gropius, all working for Behrens in Berlin, purportedly stopped work the day the portfolio was released. I don’t know which is more incredible: those three designers all working in the same shop or that they (supposedly) stopped work, apparently in review of the monograph.

In any case, the portfolio (both volumes) is hosted in all its entirety online for anyone to check out. If you like hand rendering or Wright’s work, it’s a great find.

link: lib.utah.edu

Prezi, cont.

To continue the point on Prezi as a design communicate alternative: June 6 Brian Libby with ARCHITECT magazine published an article “Beyond Powerpoint” that discusses various forms of engagement that young architects are using to interact and convey information to clients, the project team, and their peers.

In the article John Peterson of Public Architecture notes that his company is also trying out Prezi as well. He notes, “It’s…about presenting in a new way, rather than just improving what we’re already doing.”

I think that point is critical to the adoption of these new technologies for presenting information. Architects have to adapt our presentation style to more contemporary practices in visual communication. The brilliance of Prezi is that one can negotiate between several scales and drawings types, allowing the relationship between these form intuitively with the client instead of trying to convey these relationships directly using conventional architectural annotation.

I for one hope for the day when we can begin to pull away from the 2d plane that Prezi provides and begin to discuss spatial geometry in 3d, while maintaining the interface benefits of Prezi style navigation.