I would like to persuade a client to consider creating a configurator for the concrete wall products they make. The goal of this is allow their customers to confirure the walls so they can be quoted and ultimately built. The examples on the shapediver site are not great for this and I was hoping someone could point to a site where someone is doing something along these lines. I can create an example, but if I cannot get some basic buy in on their part I am not prepared to spend that time.
Could you share screenshots/images of the concrete wall products you refer to? If you don’t want to reveal who they are, it doesn’t have to be your client per se, but a competitor.
I did look at what they have on their site, but that will take a bit of imagination on the part of our client. Those I work with are not always the best at that, so it is best to keep simple if I want to plant the seed. I would like them to expand one very simple product, but for this to work I need to automate a large part of the design and detailing. I am sure it can be done, but it will take some effort on my part or whomever I hire.
None of what they are doing is a state secret. The automation of the process where I think it can go will be very new. At this point all I want is something very simple. I can model all of this in grasshopper, but I have not tried Shapediver yet. My goal at this point is to plant the seed to see if there is interest. If there is interest I will proceed.
The first product I would like to test this with is a precast concrete fence. I would like:
User inputs the lot dimensions (simple rectangle now). Going forward I would like to be able add a CAD file or define the lot dimensions in another method. The lot will have slope as well, but for now, I want to keep it simple.
User defines lot lines where fence is to be located.
User defines top of fence elevation, and base.
User inputs target spacing for fence posts along any lines where they want a fence.
From this GH will place the posts, insert all the fence panels and produce a summary of the part quantities and mass of the precast. Maybe this is all easy and I should just get after it?
@Brad_Shipton An example like this would be relatively straightforward to create with Grasshopper and ShapeDiver. You can start a free account and start testing your definitions. If you need help, you can contact us, and our team will try to guide you through what would be needed for you to take care of this development.
@ezequiel thank you. I had watched some a few of the starter videos a while back and it seemed reasonable to figure out. It is not always easy to convince those set in their old ways to change. The fence example from emil was perfect for what I need at this point.
@Brad_Shipton by the way, drawing the fence can be done now out of the box with the ShapeDiver Points Input component. Here a couple of tutorials showing how it works:
It is clear I need to start with a outline and then discuss some of the options with someone experienced in this. If not, I will end up re-doing the script far too many times.
Thanks for the link to the new tool. I tested the example, and that seems like an excellent addition.
@ezequiel will do. I will need to test some simple projects so I can ask intelligent questions. I do not think our precast company is interested, but I have two other ideas brewing in my mind. Few have went this route in Canada, and the ones I find stop far too short to realize the real benefit of something like this.
