Gemvision licenses T-Tools from T-Splines

Gemvision, makers of industry leading jewelry design and manufacturing software, will license the T-Tools Organic Modeling Suite for use in their award-winning jewelry software.

Read more.

Intro to T-Splines: Modeling a coaster

We've been working on some "Introduction to T-Splines" videos, showing some extremely basic ways to make impressive designs with T-Splines. This video shows how to model a coaster. Enjoy!

Intro to T-Splines: Modeling a bike pedal

We've been working on some "Introduction to T-Splines" videos, showing some extremely basic ways to make impressive designs with T-Splines. This video shows how to model a bike pedal. Enjoy!

Training in Italy

Announcing a T-Splines one-day training in Valenza, Italy on September 17, 2010.

Registration details.

FurGen 1.0 for Rhino Released

This just in from our friends at Liquid Tectonics (and yes, FurGen does work on T-Splines objects):

FurGen 1.0 for Rhino Released

Washington, D.C. - Liquid Tectonics, a technology development and design company, announces the release of FurGen 1.0, a plug-in for the NURBS modeler Rhinoceros. FurGen creates fur-like geometry for visualization with any Rhino compatible renderer. FurGen is being used by architects, visual artists, product designers, and landscape architects to generate affects like fur, grass, rugs, and many other visual effects.

"FurGen adds a whole new realm of capabilities for rendering in Rhino", stated Liquid Tectonics Director, Damien Alomar. "Effects that were previously hard to achieve convincingly are now created with incredible ease and striking realism. We've also taken great care to make sure that FurGen is simple, yet powerful, and well integrated into Rhino so that both visual artists and casual renderers can quickly implement FurGen within their workflow."

Jonah Barnett, a product designer who's been testing FurGen since its initial beta release, said "FurGen offers features that many of us in Rhino's visualization community have been looking forward to for years. With it's highly responsive visual feedback, FurGen allows you to add details such as grass, fur, carpet, and brush bristles within seconds. This is a great tool, whether you are a designer, architect, or illustrator. And it is quite simply a lot of fun to use."

FurGen has a 30-day trial available and can be purchased for $89. For more information please visit www.liquidtectonics.com/furgen

About Liquid Tectonics

Started in 2008, Liquid Tectonics began life as a catalog of various design and technical explorations influenced by architectural design, interaction, computation, fabrication, and visualization. As time has progressed Liquid Tectonics has expanded its focus to developing technologies for use in various design situations. All along, Liquid Tectonics has retained its primary goal of utilizing and evolving a design process that remains fluid and able to adapt to changing inputs and conditions, while focusing on the range of possible outputs and applications of that process.

Contact

Damien Alomar
email - info@liquidtectonics.com
phone - +1 301 943 5221

Intro to T-Splines: Modeling a helmet

We've been working on some "Introduction to T-Splines" videos, showing some extremely basic ways to make impressive designs with T-Splines. This video shows how to model a helmet. Enjoy!

How integrated is T-Splines with Rhino?

So just how integrated is T-Splines with Rhino? If you are an existing Rhino user, how much of your Rhino toolset can you leverage when modeling with T-Splines?

To answer that, we've compiled a partial list of some of the more popular Rhino commands and made a note to see how T-Splines works with each command.

Rhino commands can be used directly on a T-spline surface or on the control points of the surface.

The general rule is that Rhino commands that work on polysurfaces also work on T-spline surfaces. Some of them convert the T-spline surface to a NURBS surface, and others keep the surface as a T-spline. Below is an extensive list of Rhino commands, with an explanation of how they work with T-spline surfaces.

Abbreviation code key:

• TS= Command works as expected on the T-spline surface. Input: T-Spline surface. Output: T-Spline surface.


• CP= Command works on T-splines control points. Input: T-spline surface control points. Output: T-spline surface.


• TS-NURBS= Command works on the T-spline surface but automatically converts it to a NURBS surface. Input: T-spline surface. Output: NURBS surface.

Command	Code	Description
_Align	TS
_Area	TS
_AreaCentroid	TS
_AreaMoments	TS
_Array	TS, CP
_ArrayCrv	TS, CP
_ArrayCrvOnSrf	TS, CP
_ArrayPolar	TS, CP
_ArraySrf	TS, CP
_Bend	CP
_Blend	TS
_BlendSrf	TS-NURBS
_Boolean2Objects	TS-NURBS	All Boolean operations convert the T-Splines surfaces to NURBS.
_BooleanDifference	TS-NURBS
_BooleanIntersection	TS-NURBS
_BooleanSplit	TS-NURBS
_BooleanUnion	TS-NURBS
_Boss	TS-NURBS
_BoundingBox	TS
_CageEdit	TS-NURBS	This command works with T-spline surfaces. If you select the surface and edit the cage, it will automatically transform it to a NURBS surface. Cage edit cannot be applied to T-spline control points.
_Cap	TS-NURBS
_ChamferSrf	TS-NURBS
_Check	TS
_Contour	TS
_Copy	TS, CP
_CreateSolid	TS-NURBS
_CreateUVCrv	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface (one at a time).
_CullControlPolygon	TS	This tool is useful to cull the vertex/edge/face selection of a T-spline surface on areas that face away from the camera, and can make editing easier in models that have many control points.
_Curvature	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface (one at a time).
_CurvatureAnalysis	TS
_CurvatureGraph	TS	Displays the T-spline as a polysurface during the command.
To display CurvatureGraph on specific edges, use the tsSetCurvatureGraphEdges command
_DeleteHole	TS-NURBS
_Dir	TS
_DraftAngleAnalysis	TS
_DragMode	TS	Useful for UVN movement of selection. Accessible through the T-spline edit mode heads-up display.
_Drape	TS
_DupBorder	TS
_DupEdge	TS	Can duplicate edges and isocurves of a T-spline surface.
_DupMeshEdge	TS
_EMap	TS
_Explode	TS-NURBS	Explodes the T-spline surface into NURBS patches.
_ExtractIsoCurve	TS	This tool extracts isocurves of the NURBS patches that comprise the T-spline surface. You may need to extract the isocurves of several patches to get a complete T-spline surface isocurve.
_ExtractPt	TS	Extracts points of the NURBS patches of the T-spline surface. If you run in box mode, it extract the mesh points.
_ExtractSrf	TS-NURBS	This command extracts a rectangular region from the T-spline surface.
_ExtractWireframe	TS	Extract all visible T-spline isoparms.
_ExtrudeSrf	TS-NURBS
_ExtrudeSrfAlongCrv	TS-NURBS
_ExtrudeSrfTapered	TS-NURBS
_ExtrudeSrfToPoint	TS-NURBS
_FilletSrf	TS-NURBS
_Flow	CP	Useful to shape a T-spline surface by moving the control points along a curve.
_FlowAlongSurface	CP
_GCon	TS
_Hydrostatics	TS
_InterpcrvOnSrf	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_Intersect	TS
_Join	TS-NURBS
_List	TS
_Maelstrom	CP
_Make2D	TS	This command works, but the output includes all T-spline surface isocurves.
_MakeHole	TS-NURBS	All the Rhino “hole” commands work on one rectangular region of the T-spline surface at a time.
_Mesh	TS	Most of the Rhino mesh commands work on a T-spline object in box mode, but will convert the T-spline to a Rhino mesh.
_MeshOutline	TS	Works with T-spline surfaces in both smooth mode and box mode.
_Mirror	TS, CP
_Move	TS, CP
_MoveUVN		Does not work on a T-spline surface.
_OffsetCrvOnSrf	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_OffsetNormal	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_OffsetSrf	TS-NURBS
_Orient2Points	TS, CP
_Orient3Points	TS, CP
_OrientOncrv	TS, CP
_OrientOnSrf	TS, CP
_PlaceHole	TS-NURBS
_PointOffSelected	TS
_PointsOn	TS
_PolylineOnMesh	TS	Works on T-splines in box mode.
_Project	TS
_ProjectToCPlane	TS, CP	Useful for placing points on the XZ, XY, and ZY planes for symmetry.
_RemapCPlane	TS, CP
_RevolvedHole	TS-NURBS
_Rib	TS-NURBS
_Rotate	TS, CP
_Rotate3D	TS, CP
_RoundHole	TS-NURBS
_Scale	TS, CP
_Scale1D	TS, CP
_Scale2D	TS, CP
_ScaleNU	TS, CP
_Section	TS
_SetPt	CP	Useful for moving control points to the same plane on a specific position. Can be useful for flattening parts of the surface.
_Shear	CP
_ShortPath	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_Silhouette	TS
_Sketch	TS
_Smash	TS-NURBS	Smashes all the NURBS patches from the T-spline surface separately.
_Smooth	TSmesh	Smooth works on a T-Spline surface, but it will convert to a Rhino mesh. You can convert it to a T-spline again after that; however, any T-points will be triangulated so the T-Spline surface may not be the same).
_SoftMove	CP
_Split	TS-NURBS	A T-spline surface can be used to Trim or Split a NURBS surface but if you Trim or Split a T-spline, it will automatically convert to NURBS.
_Splop	CP
_Squish	TS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_Stretch	CP
_Taper	CP
_Trim	TS-NURBS	T-Splines control points must be turned off for Trim to work.
_Twist	CP
_VariableBlendSrf	TS-NURBS
_VariableChamferSrf	TS-NURBS
_VariableFilletSrf	TS-NURBS
_VariableOffsetSrf	TS-NURBS	Works on rectangular regions of the T-spline surface.
_Volume	TS
_VolumeCentroid	TS
_VolumeMoments	TS
_WireCut	TS-NURBS
_Zebra	TS

T-Splines at Advances in Architectural Geometry

I'll be teaching a T-Splines organic modeling workshop at the Advances in Architectural Geometry conference in Vienna on September 18. I'd recommend staying the next day as well for a workshop about designing panelizations for subdivision surfaces (and T-splines) by Alexander Schiftner. Register for the workshops.

RhinoDirect

There are a few new parametric modeling plugins for Rhino; this is the first video I have seen that shows how they actually work. I'm pleasantly surprised with how Ledas has been able to pull off the UI in Rhino. Elegant job by just selecting objects and using the command line to type the distance, angle, etc. Then they have their feature-tree/object properties on the right.

Intro to T-Splines: Modeling an egg holder

We've been working on some "Introduction to T-Splines" videos, showing some extremely basic ways to make impressive designs with T-Splines. This video shows how to model an egg holder. Enjoy!

Introduction to T-Splines: Modeling a modem

We've been working on some "Introduction to T-Splines" videos, showing some extremely basic ways to make impressive designs with T-Splines. This video shows how to model a modem. Enjoy!

T-Splines tutorial contest

Our friends at mix experience are holding a competition for the best T-Spline tutorial.

This contest will go until September 15th and the prize is for a nutcracker "PER" Gurioli Design. The tutorials can be submitted in either English or Italian.

Details can be found in the .jpg below.

Webinar with RhinoCAM

Creating and manufacturing an organic design can be simple and affordable with T-Splines and RhinoCAM.

See how to use this software to go from concept to physical model in just a few minutes in this webinar.

T-Splines and RhinoCAM user Rainer Schmidt from Complex Consulting LLC will show the complete process of how to create a simple organic model in T-Splines, use RhinoCAM to lay out the tool paths, then actually machine the part!

This webinar will take place Wed, Jul 21, 2010 12:00 PM EDT.

Register here.

Architecture with T-Splines training

3DTechnics is hosting an intermediate training class for architects in T-Splines, Grasshopper, and a few other Rhino plug-ins in Calgary this July 17th.

For details and registration information click here.