
The Software Behind Frank Gehry’s Geometrically Complex Architecture - ryan_j_naughton
http://priceonomics.com/the-software-behind-frank-gehrys-geometrically/
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clay_to_n
Interesting article, I had no idea Frank Gehry led the rise of BIM software.

Though the article didn't really go into it, there is a distinction between
Building Information Modeling (BIM) software and parametric design software.

BIM programs combine the architectural model with the other elements of the
construction - such as things like wiring, plumbing, etc - so that as one
thing changes, everyone can be on the same page. They also have version
control. The programs can also track construction timelines and costs.

Parametric design software is different - it lets you create more complex
designs through algorithms. You can make small tweaks in the parameters of a
design and see how it affects the final result, as everything is tied
together. This is behind a lot of the crazy and organic-looking architecture
you see today. To do that stuff by hand in a 3D modeling program could be
quite painful. I know Grasshopper[1] is a well-known Rhino plugin for this.

(I don't know a ton about this stuff, as I switched from an architecture
degree to CS after a year once I realized tools like Grasshopper existed. I
decided I'd rather learn to program and apply it to architecture then learn
architecture and try to pick up some programming)

[1] [http://www.grasshopper3d.com/](http://www.grasshopper3d.com/)

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themodelplumber
Thanks for the information on Grasshopper. I use other software for procedural
graphic works, so I was wondering--does Grasshopper do any kind of structural
engineering support work, or is it mainly for auditioning procedurally-
generated shapes?

(BTW my CS advisor flipped his top every time he heard someone say they were
studying CS to learn programming. I left CS after hearing that lecture a few
times. :))

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someremains
We use GH (Grasshopper) to generate fully attributed and restrained models for
FEA packages and then pipe them over real time to visualize (in the FEA
pacakage) and run solvers. It allows us to create complex and very large FEA
models quickly and iteratively to solve some tricky engineering problems.

There are structural solutions on top of GH like Karamba [0] and interesting
physics engines like Kangaroo [1].

[0]: [http://www.karamba3d.com/](http://www.karamba3d.com/) [1]:
[http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/kangaroo](http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/kangaroo)

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meric
Here's an article on one of the Gehry's buildings designed from the crumpling
paper technique as described: [http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/preview-of-gehry-
opening-a-young-a...](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/preview-of-gehry-opening-a-
young-aussie-student-whose-design-features-at-the-business-schools-very-
heart-20150201-132pxr.html)

It's 50m from my office and every time I walk past it I worry the metal frame
of the glass windows is about to fall - in fact one corner is already damaged
with a glass panel broken from what appears to have been a truck crashing into
the bit of it that hung over the road.

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Randgalt
A believe the software is just a random number generator.

