Hi I am trying GC for parametric modeling of a Piled wall system. I have got a alignment line on which the pile will be placed. Piles are of different diameter and different spacing along the curve. One mathod is to place points along the curve by a distance defined by function. But I was thinking if we can input the distance along the curve by excel sheet or some other data import, it will make the job very easy. Can anyone give any idea about how to achieve it? What will be the best practice for the given situation? I have attached an example of excel table. Pile 0 to 3 has 2m spacing, whereas pile 4 to 10 has 2.5m spacing. I was thinking if GC can read the distance from the excel sheet and place point on given distance?
Regards,
Jaimin Patel
Hi Jaimin, I have a similar challenge, whereby I'm placing cells (parametric) at coordinates in a model - I have done this by placing Coordinate Systems with the technique 'ByCoordnateList' xyz translation attached to the 'value' of an ExcelRange - if you require rotation, then the best is to add another coordinate system (with technique set to 'ByOriginRotationAboutCoornidateSystem') - then just add a cell node with the technique set to 'ByCoordinateSystemOrPointWithOptionalScaling' and name the cell you want to add - In your case the pile
My Challenge is to be able to further manipulate the cell models with GC and drive changes to the constraint 'variables' used to create the cell variations - I've not found a way to do this yet so if any GC Guru's out there have created some function nodes to do this please share, it will be greatly appreciated
Hi Jaimin,
As Simon indicates, you could use the ExcelRange node type with its Read technique to read the values from the Excel sheet. If the cell with the string "Pile Mark" in it is A1, then you would read the range B2:B12. Let's say that your ExcelRange node's name is "excelRange1" you then would use Point.ByDistanceAlongCurve() with the curve on which you would like to place the points as one input and excelRange1.Value as input to DistanceAlongCurve.
HTH,
Volker
Answer Verified By: Jaimin Patel
Hi Simon,
If you are using Parametric Cells, GenerativeComponents has not been enabled, yet, to make variations or variables in parametric cells available to users. This is something planned for future releases.
Best regards,
Mueller said:GenerativeComponents has not been enabled, yet, to make variations or variables in parametric cells available to users. This is something planned for future releases.
This would be great, especially if the changes made to the parametric cells are persistent.
1. GC generates an array of cladding panels.
2. User omits or replaces or offsets (or tinkers with the attached business attributes of) one of the panels.
3. User flexes the GC array by making a change to the script, say from linear to an arc-based array.
4. Changes to the individual panels (made outside GC) are honoured.
It would also be good to accomodate nested elements:
1. GC generates a wall or slab.
2. User comes along and places a few parameteric cell windows or penetrations (booleans) in the GC-scripted object.
3. User omits or replaces or offsets or re-sizes (or tinkers with the attached business attributes of) one of the hosted objects.
3. User flexes the GC wall/slab by making a change to the script, say by changing its location, or morphing from a linear to an arc-based wall/slab.
4. Changes to the individual hosted objects (made outside GC) are honoured.
It would be interesting to see how this would be implemented.
1. Enhance Mstn Align3d tool to read or 'ByElement' the GC object to extract more meaningful inputs that would be more likely to be persistent? Maybe, the OOTB GC Wall and Slab nodes would have output nodes for the wall/slab faces, vertices etc... sort of like the old TF Forms Recipees. This would allow a follow on object to be contrained or associatively driven by these outputs.
2. Or provide an 'Associative Positioneer' tool on the Mstn side. This would do much of the above and work like the new Associative Extraction tool. If the GC Node provides output geometry, they would be available for 'extraction' for use by the Positioneer widget but if not then the resultant geometry would be available for the user to take his chances with.
3. Enhance the 2d and 3d Constraints tools to work with GC-generated (sub)objects ?
4. ItemTypes: maybe they can be used to store (pointers?) geometric operations, not just the Variables that feed them. This would help store / park the subsequent changes made out-side GC whilst the script is being flexed before re-introdusing them.