First of all i would like to thank the developers for all the new features in VisualARQ3 that are all thoughtful, precise and really do reflect immediate user wishes or proposed workflows. VA Team you do a wonderful job!
I have been demoing VA3, testing new features or searching for older bugs being corrected, out of which the following list of suggestions and bug reporting has been prepared, after many days of experimenting, debugging and taking notes.
As always, some may be just brainstorming, other may be more specific/applicable suggestions, some are bugs, or some may be my own fault or misunderstanding of how VA Operates!
Hope the list is constructive and helps the developers!
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A. Walls/Slabs:
A1. Core and Normal layer definitions define automatic interferences not only in Walls but with Slabs as well. This creates Conflicts when ie. A wall with a core layer cuts through a slab. What would be a solution to that? Slabs Should have priority ie. Core layer of slabs cuts Core layer of walls. Maybe then a 3rd type “Structural” or something? Or an override always cut, or a priority level ie. from 1 to 5? It is a bit confusing and Manual Interference command will not override the automatic rules. Slabs always cut walls and columns and sit on top, that is the main construction principal. In construction only very lightweight slabs will attach to a column or structural wall without cutting it.
A2. Slabs automatic interference is based on older cutting into newly created ones. This should be overidden somehow by the Interference command which now does nothing on slab to slab (or wall to wall) and an “auto-interfere” switch should be added.
A3. There should be a way to have versions of inner walls and openings, without saving to another file or copying the entire structure some some meters next to the other. By versioning i mean different possible layouts that are usually created and shared with clients and colleagues in the design phase. Could you use rhino Layer States or Object States backbone modules for that? Given that points can be referenced as objects and maybe custom parametres could be saved as well, providing full versioning for the user. Another solution would be adding “enable/disable” switches to VA objects that interact with each other, so that user can at least disable and enable walls and openings that he keeps organised in layers. Or simply hidden objects do not participate in the calculation (with a switch per object) so that user intuitively keeps versioning in layers, as this is the most common practise.
A4. Simplified version of walls and slabs for architectural plans. Level of Detail (LOD). Instead of all the layers shown, only one, single layer will show. Section settings for the simplified version would be defined at the top level of the Style. Switches for “simplified walls” and “simplified slabs” should be added to plan and section views styles, defined in Plan View/Section View, Viewport (to use in layouts), Object Level too.
A5. Thick Outline only for slabs and walls. This will show a thick outline of the sectioned object but thin lines for the inner layers, this will ease plan viewing and provide more context. This could be an option either in Plan/Section View Style (“Group Outlines”?).
A6. “Wrap” Layer Options in Slabs. So that a layer can wrap Around. Or “Cap Face” in Slabs. Usage in protruding Slabs like balconies. Slab faces could be selectable and a cap could be added. A railing could be used for same reason. Mitter cut should be available. This is just Brainstorming.
A7. “Wrap Interferences” Option in Walls to wrap after Interference is set, like they do for Openings and Windows. So you cut an object with another one and at the new opening wall outer layers wrap to hide the wall structure.
A8. If interference object is changed (ie. booleaned and shelled), wall does not update and loses link, however the interference can be removed by selecting the modified object(!). A listener should added that will re-attached every object based on ID.
A9. If interference object is deleted, interference remains and the remove interference command only works if you select the interfered object, not the interfering one, which is counter intuitive and against how the command is supposed to work. The interference also goes away if the VA object that is manipulated in any way (moved, changed, upon any refresh, or by running the VA Refresh command), which shows it is just a refresh issue.
A10. Rhino 7 secretely supports History in Boolean difference. Just set up a Difference in RH8 and save it as RH7 to test. Could that mean we could have Inteferences in VA2 as well? Brainstorming on an interesting bug that is in reality a feature! (mentioned just for fun)
A11. Why Interference command does not support Rhino objects? To replace the Rhino Boolean difference command which is cumbersome to use with History. Will make modelling life so much easier and would be an extra reason for users to buy VisualARQ, outside the Architectural Community. Clarification: I mean cutting Rhino objects with Rhino or VA objects, without having to convert them into a ie. VAWall first.
A12. Add Wall wrapping mode “Follow Opening” or similar. This will use the opening offset to define the wrapping, so that no seam is visible even when the opening is aligned in center of wall or offset by the interior or exterior. With this setting enabled, both outer layers will wrap and meet at the center, interior or exterior of the window/opening. To simplify things you can always force wrap the wall layers to the exterior side of the window frame, which will always place the seam where it should be in modern construction where windows and doors are placed after plaster or plasterboards. For plain openings wrapping will adapt accordingly to the interior or exterior.
A13. End Wrapping should create a Mitter at corner. Now we can see the layer thickness which is not ideal.
A14. Roofs can be slanted, why slabs cannot be slanted or even curved, by manipulating their points? Or at least Slab from Solid, like in Walls. We can use a roof to attain a single slanted slab, but curvature would be very welcome.
A15. Walls and other objects should have all separate elements exposed for material assignment, in VAobject Properties Tab, just like ie. Wall layer thicknesses.
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B. Building:
B1. What is the reason of having a Building, outside of building BIM statistics and lists? Can i copy a Building and use it for ie. Versioning? VA (and other) objects need to be attached to each building so they don’t interact with each other (walls, offsets, level magnets), if we want to use building for versioning.
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C. Levels:
C1. Level Magnet/Snap based on baseline is welcome but not very handy. Any object that is not exactly on the baseline does not magnetise tp move with Floor. I suggest adding a droplist to magnet properties that Auto or Choose Level can be set for each object. Default would be Auto. Now, Building shpuld also be chosen there, or not? PS. We had discussed about it and i had provided a grasshopper script that selects which objects belong to a level by comparing their center of mass (minus an amount) and not their baseline to the level. That logic can also be applied as an option, will work a bit better than baseline but still won’t cover 3D details such as high placed light fixing, celing decorations and so on. I believe a dropdown list with levels, together with the baseline option, is the best approach.
C2. Interesting to see walls adapting to floor height, but only if a slab is present on top. Could it be that wall height adapts whether it has a slab or not on top, unless user switches auto off?
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D. Spaces:
D1. Show points on spaces that are created automaticaly. Allow insert knots (Rhino command) to add points to Spaces, Walls, slabs, railings and so on. Or add VAaddpoints universal command that works in all VA objects.
D2. Ability to click into more than one Space in the Spaces dialog so they appear as one.
D3. Command Option, available also per object, to extend Area Calculation beyond Space, into the walls, something like “include wals”. Inner walls belong half to each neighbouring space and outer walls belong to the space up to insulation, which described in the next feature.
D4. Ability to calculate Area with or without walls, exluding specific Wall Layers. Ie. in Wall Styles, each layer can have a switch “Exclude from Space calculation”. This to offer real world legal space area calculation where ie. bricks count in the allowance but insulating materials or massonry, do not.
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E. Snaps:
E1. Snap to Rhino Viewport Level Guidelines. This means Rhino Snaps (ie. Near, Int and so on) can work with the visible VA dashed lines that represent VA Levels.
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F. Tags:
F1. Add Option to have a line conecting tag to Object that the tag is applied. Default would be at the center of object.
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G. Beams:
G1. Add option to use beam bounding box for Interferences. This will make it possible to model non orthogonal connections with H or other profile Beams
G2. Beam Intersections just don’t work. They do upon creation, when there is a corner in the created polyline, but do not update after any manipulation, not even with a VAupdate. Edit: Maybe moving beam with gumball and back, updates them.
G3. Beam select Type of joint Mitter or Butt, with Sort Order, like in Walls.
G4. Maybe make it so that only grouped beams interact with each other? Or introduce interaction “groups” (with options Interact with “All” and then offer user to create groups within VA properties, like tags)
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H. Stairs:
H1. Add Stair From Curves option. A freeform path like in walls that the stair will follow.
H2. Keep rules and ability to add landings even in straight and spiral stairs. Landing should be able to be added by clicking on any step on the stair edit preview.
H3. In Stair editing, highlight step/landing in preview when selected in the list, like in wall layers.
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I. Railings:
I1. Allow for Closed Curves in Railings in Railing From Curve.
I2. If user starts Railing and at the end clicks on first point, close curve and treat as loop.
I3. Add Offset Railing if Railing is Looped or from a closed curve, so the user can tweak Railing along the path. Makes sense mainly in curved, closed paths.
I4. Add interrupted Rails. Lots of uses ie. for glass panels. Ballusters can be used but their width cannot be calculated/dynamic. This should be combined with a balluster pattern definition, which ie. could be set to 2m/0.1m, meaning 2m gap then 0.2m gap and in 2m a glass rail/panel would be added. The balluster definition could then be linked to the panelss, with an “invert pattern” option, so that gaps/panels can be optionally be inverted.
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J. Curtain Walls:
J1. Allow Rotated/floating curtain walls. Now thay can only be Vertical. Maybe attach them to walls, slabs and roofs like windows/doors do?
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K. Windows/Doors:
K1. Cannot drag door/window handle to reverse side (interior to exterior) when window or door is atrached on a slab (thank you for this great addition that we so much asked!). When attached to roof, if works properly.
K2. On Non vertical walls, add option to attach window on the center point Surface Tangent. That would allow for properly oriented windows, like in roofs.
K3. Add Window/Door Axis Rotation “angle offset”, so that windows can have an angle relative to the surface they are attached to.
K4. Add multiple Sills and option to allign Sill vertically, top, bottom, offset. This way Sills can be used to add rain hoods, even vertical architectural details. This could be combined with a zero cut window, to add only extrusions without adding openings.
K5. Enable Profile Selection for Sills.
K6. Add Railing and Curtain Wall option for Windows, or even Window in Window. As done for Slabs in Roofs, Style for Railings and Curtain Walls will be created in their respected dialogues but their allignment and size will be re-adjusted within the Window Style Dialogue. This is to create a multitude of features from decorative or safety grids to double windows. Each layer will have it’s own offset and size relative to the main Window.
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L. Rhino Object Properties:
L1. Allow edge softening for VA objects, from Rhino Object Properties. Since it is a very crucial detail for realistic renderings, consider integrating Edge Softening in VAStyles and VAOBject Properties, per object element. Ie. In Curtain Walls separate softening for frame and mullions, In Railings separate softening for each Rail, Post, Balluster and so on. There is a technical probpem of how corners will be softened, especially in Walls where each element is separate. Ideally softening should act in corners to soften and not split the corner, as Rhino would do in the separate wall elements.
L2. Add separate material accessible via VAObject Properties, for all VA objects so that ie. we can change frame colour for a specific windows without being forced to create another window style (mentioned above too)
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M. Various Bugs
M1. Original Beam part vanishes when same Beam is copied By Alt+Gumball Drag.
M2. Stair editing, curved landing does not update in preview, but only in Rhinon viewport after Apply is pressed. Update issues in general sometimes another stair/landing must be selected in order for srair preview to update.
M3. Guides, Gumball in Guide Point is not Aligned with Guide even in Gumball Object Mode. Gumball loses user alignment when point is deselected and reselected.
M4. Guides, walls snapped on simple 4 straight guide polygon do not snap properly. Only of of the two corner walls refreshes and snaps properly, always the one alligned with the changed guide. The shape actually deforms exactly in 1D, and does not follows guides. At the current state, i have difficulties understanding the desired functionality. Guides ought to solve the new interections and apply the correction. Not sure why and how should objects scale when making Guide shorter. I imagine guide as an infinite ruler that only defines direction. Scaling can be perfectly done with native Rhino Scale 1D with Rigid Option on. By the way Scale 1D also (VA3?) scales 1Dthe actual windows/doors themselves, which is nice.
That is it for now, again many thanks to the VA Development Team for VA3 Release!
Thanks for taking the time to report all these issues and suggestions. This is very useful!
