Bongo 3 Development

Hi Nathan,

Even Bongo3? :frowning:

I would think so. I don’t see rewriting Bongo for 3 as a feature.

You are probably looking for a .NET SDK provided by Bongo, which still is possible. But completely separate issue from what Bongo uses to integrate into Rhino…

Yes, that is what I meant .NET SDK provided by Bongo.

Hi Luc,

the truth is - it is so simple, also after years and for beginners. :wink:

I use Bongo only a few times per year and setup an IK was nightmare for me. The constrain workflow is like playing a game, very intuitiv.

-Micha

1 Like

@Micha

I happened to read this thread from

to the current end so I’d like to be clear about what you mean:

Are you saying that IK setup in Bongo 2 is not so hot, Rhino Works IK represents a good starting point for Bongo 3 IK, but the constraint setup workflow in Bongo 2 is pretty good?
Or do you mean that the Rhino Works constraint workflow is “a dream to use”?

(I haven’t used Bongo since v1 - talk about an impenetrable interface! - and never used Rhino Works).

That’s what I mean.

The constrain workflow allow to connect objects in an intuitive way. Approx. more than 15 years in the past I used Pro/Desktop for construction. The user was able to connect objects by a handful of constrain. A base part was set as fixed to the world, all other objects got constrains like align/mate/coaxial/orient/parallel. Finally the user was able to select the last part and move it per mouse or automatic movement in a defined range for testing mechanical mechanisms. If not enough constrains was set than the mechanism become decomposed.

Here an example in screenshots:
Three parts - the pink is set “fixed”

in the next step I will choose “center axis” for the two selected cylindrical surfaces

the same for the other pair of cylindrical surfaces

I used the “mate” constrain to move the blue and the pink part together

here the green part “mate” to the blue part

The mechanism is ready and I selected the green part and moved it upward.

At Rhino at this point Bongo could be used to move the green part based on keyframe parameters.

Connecting the mechanism was dome after I don’t used ProD for several years and I don’t read a manual. Only I know I need to select surfaced and add constrains. On this way I could create complex mechanisms like a folding grill without any problem.

(It’s the same a Rhino Works. If you like to test I’m sure I will find the old Rhino Works plugin so you could test it in evaluation mode at Rhino 5. Write me a PM if you want to test the workflow.)

I think, a constrain solver would be the big deal for Bongo 3. It’s a quite old, but very easy to use method and should available as basic method at Bongo. It wouldn’t break the current Bongo workflow and it would be a great addition.

2 Likes

I forget - here a screenshot of the constrains from the last example. I can select a constrain at the tree and I get the basing feature highlighted at the viewport.

2 Likes

Here some thoughts about this model from the example video. I wouldn’t know how I could setup an animation at Bongo for this three wheels. At ProD I would:

  • create three holes for the axis at the blue train
  • fix the blue train object
  • align the axis of the wheels to three holes and use “mate” to keep than in relation to the blue train
  • the three holes of the connecting rode needs to be axial aligned (+mate) to the corresponding holes on the wheel

The mechanism is ready connected. Now I would an animated rotation to one of the wheels and the other will follow.

The workflow is so easy and magic, since I don’t need to think about an IK chair. The object needs to be connected only, it doesn’t matter which order is used and also complex structures with branching and parallel ways are no problem. Also no pivot points are needed to placed at the right place.

ScreenShot073

Please let me know if I could do more to motivate the team for adding this workflow to Rhino. :wink: I’m sure, it would be a game changer for Bongo (without to break something). Maybe the old Rhino Works constrain solver could be licensed, if it should be to much work to write an own solver.

1 Like

Btw there are two applications in catia(v6) it is a single application in catia (v5) for kinematics and this behavior is there click two faces set them to have contact and they snap to each other, select two axes and set them there will be revolution constraint and they snap and you cannot move them unless along the axes themselves. This has been there implemented since I don’t know year 2000?

it’s 19 years later and Bongo should have already had this IMO. This is why I say the setup/usage of Bongo2 is tedious.

1 Like

One more note - the wanted constrain workflow can be easy tested per old Rhino Works evaluation version and Bongo 2. A mechanism can be setup per RW and the final part can be moved per B2. So, the RW mechanism can be driven by B2. Only the RW update command needs to be started per B2 “script per each frame” function. So, this shows, the constrains wouldn’t break the Bongo functionality, it would be a great addition perfect match to the current Bongo.

1 Like

I just found an old post in which I had described in more detail what and why the need for a C# API, both for control and analysis of Bongo motions:

… is only one example … of why Bongo fails to serve my needs - I cannot log, or record, the positions and orientations while in motion (< snip >). Nor can I script-feed Bongo with motion paths. And thus it cannot produce the research data (nor log-data for post-op analysis) which I’m after.
But with GH I can.

This would make Bongo a killer plugin useful for more generic stuff since you could customize and add yourself whatever is found missing in Bongo. Which is also how Rhino and Grasshopper works, which has contributed significantly to their respective success.

// Rolf

1 Like

awesome job

I agree. I desperately need Bongo 3! Some of my machine designs have complex bellows and ropes. The bellows stretch, contract, and bend. The ropes unwind from spools. These bellows and ropes are impossible or nearly impossible to animate in Bongo 2. Skeleton animation is less important for me, but I would use it to show people using my machines.

1 Like

Not sure softbody animation support is going to make it in.

I believe that the softbody animation would go well with the SubD of Rhino 7.

Expose the physics engine to dotnet and share the API documentation.
No one (at least not me) requires from you to do every single requirement as interactive commands.

Bongo .NET SDK isn’t that very high up the priority list at the moment. Wrapping third-party libraries for .NET falls outside the scope of Bongo development work.

If you really want to you could of course just grab the Bullet engine and create that wrapper for your benefit.

:slight_smile: it is not a matter of want it’s a matter of my coding skills and experience.

Keep doing the wax-in, wax-out!

1 Like

:smiley: Arigato, Myiagi san!