PanelingTools GH Add-On

Parametric tools to create and manipulate rectangular grids, attractors and support creative morphing of parametric patterns.


This is a BETA version and works only with the latest Rhino 5.0 BETA on Windows 32 & 64 Bit.

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  • Ali Bousta

    ok Ms Rajaa Issa

  • Chad Greenlee

    Hey everyone,

    I am new to paneling tools and I am looking for a way to rebuild a complex surface into planar pieces. I am currently having two issues

    1. When I import the surface and use "surface domain number" it divides each surface separately  is there a way to have it divide the object as a whole rather than separate surfaces?

    2. Is there another way to rebuild this as planar surfaces where the gap between surfaces is not as extreme? I have been using "generate flat" faces, and it technically does what I want, but I would like to find a way to minimize the gap without sacrificing to much of the geometry. 

    I have attached the two files I have been working with, anything helps!

    Test%20Panel%20Surface.3dm

    Paneling%201.gh

  • Ali Bousta

    Hello freind....ithink that this is what do look for.TestPanelSurface%20unroling.3dm......also each edge on the 3d complex surface is labled on the 2d pieces

  • Ali Bousta

    i uplod the developed surfaces on the 3dm file

  • wang wei

    after install the file 'PanelingTools_2013_04_25_00.rhi

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi wang, were you trying to open a file in Grasshopper?
    Can you email me the details (rajaa@mcneel.com).

  • RubenV

    I have the same problem, when i try to execute it, it just open Rhino 4.0, although i have installed 5.0. What can i do? The installer is a .rhi file.. and i can't execute it

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Ruben,

    We are working on fixing the installer bugs, and we need your help. nIf you have any problem installing, please email the following to Brian (brian@mcneel.com):

    - Your operation system

    - Version of Rhino,

    - Description of error or error message,-

    - The PanelingTools log (if plugin is installed, but not loaded).  The log is  located in: %APPDATA%\mcneel\rhinoceros\5.0\logs

    Thanks.

  • 筑梦NARUTO

    Very good plug-in

  • Muhammad Rehan

    hey Rajaa Issa... i have downloaded the rhino 5 evaluation version. i am not getting the panelling tool bar in rhino 5 as i have no idea what should i do with" .rhi" formate file... so i just drag it but it gives the error.... help

  • Muhammad Rehan

    i am using the panelling tool on grasshopper but it seems something is going wrong in this... whenever i drag the PLANAR GRID or another grid it does n`t become visible in rhino...

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Muhammad,

    The rhi file is a Rhino 5 installer.  You need to double click on the file and install PT.

  • Rajaa Issa

    Muhammad,

    Please make sure you have the latest GH version and verify that from the GH/Help/About.

    Also, I can see from your message that you do not have the latest PT. Please install the latest and let us know if you still have trouble.

  • Muhammad Rehan

    hey thanks i had a problem in my computer(because i have formatted it) some thing was missing so i figure it out by installing it in my laptop and yes! it works perfectly well...

    thanks for your consideration 

  • Darren Chang

    Hi, I'm relatively new to PT. I am applying PT to a curtain-wall that has a slanted edge, but I want perfect rectangular panels except the edge ones will be trimmed. So I had to apply first to a cw that has a straight edge to get the rectangular partition, and trim off the edge panels manually. Can PT automatically generate rectangular partition (instead of trapezoidal) on non-rectangular surfaces? Please see the attached image.

    Thanks in advance

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Darren,

    It can depend on your surface, but in general you should be able to do that.  Feel free to post the file in a discussion or email directly to me and I can walk you though the process.

  • Darren Chang

    Hi Rajaa,

    I have attached the rhino file of a tower I'm designing and the GH file. In the rhino file, you will see I have two CW panels: a 2D one with simple lines, and a 3D one with meshes. I'm just using the 2D one for now to save computing power. My issues are:

    1. How to subdivide a non-rectilinear surface (curved or not) with equal spacing into rectilinear subdivisions, like what happens on most buildings? (What I'm doing now is to use a rectilinear surface (on the Default layer), subdivide it, then manually trim the CW panels.)

    130918_tower%20paneling%20test.gh

    2. Instead of just specifying the number of divisions in the U and V directions, can I also specify the distance b/w each sub-division?

    Sorry I just realized my rhino file is too large to be attached here. If you want to see it, I can use drop-box or something. But the idea is the same regardless which rhino file we use.

    Thank you!

    Darren

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Darren,

    Please send me the Rhino file using:http://www.rhino3d.com/upload

    Upload to rajaa@mcneel.com

  • Darren Chang

    Rajaa, done uploading :)

  • Sushant Verma

    Hi,

    I am getting this weird error with 2 missing components! I have tried to download the latest version and re-installing but it still comes up as i open my old definition. Any fix for this? See Image.

    Many Thanks

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Sushant,

    Can you please check and post the GH version and PT version?

    To check the PT version, drag the ptVersion component (under PanelingTools->Param menu). It should be 2013.5.8.0. Also make sure you have 0.9.0061 GH version (GH->Help->About).

    Let me know how it goes.

  • Sushant Verma

    Hi Rajaa,

    Thanks for the quick response. Well - I noticed that ptVersion component is also missing. I think I know why this happened - I had copied an old 'gha' file into my new system and hence everything got jumbled up.

    Now I deleted all the existing PT data in AppData folders and it works perfectly fine after the new installation.

    Thank you very much for the help.

     

    Just wondering - is there an easy way of UNINTALLING PT, as opposed to finding the plug in files and deleting them? It might be a good idea to include an uninstaller with the setup as the plugin doesnt appear in the Conrol Panel programs. (This was my observaion -it may be specific to my PC though).

  • Kaz

    Hello Raja

    is there any way to fit the pattern to the surface edges ...the surface i am trying to pannel is irregular so i used trim grid component , but the results are not satisfying , thanks for your help 

    regards 

    pa1.gh

    PA1.3dm

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Mark,

    There is no trimming support yet in the PT-GH, but there is one for the PT-Rhino. I will add to the list the ability to support trimming in PT-GH.

    In the attached, I baked the component and the grid, then used ptPanelGridCustom with base surface, and PullCurves=Yes.  I hope that helps for now.

    pa1_RI.gh

    PA1_RI.zip

  • Kaz

    that was helpful , thank you Rajaa !

  • Iain Blampied

    Hi Rajaa,

    Does PT GH support hexagon grids. I'm attempting to form a hex grid on a sphere but am having issues with the seam of the sphere and was hoping PT would help but can't seem to find any signs of hexagon grids as of yet.  Thanks for any help 

  • Rajaa Issa

    Check this discussion about how to populate a hex pattern on a rectangular grid.
    http://www.grasshopper3d.com/forum/topics/question-apply-custom-pat...

    If you need further help, please post a sample.
  • khaleefa Al hemli

    hi all can you please help me I am try to panel a surface with this patter but I dont know how to create it with paneling tools

    I really need to know how to make asp help any one one

  • Nuru Karim

    Hello Rajaa,
    I am having an issue with assigning a number of panels to the Planar grid component ( morph 2D list ). There is  a loss in geometry. Is it be-cos of the complexity of the pattern ?

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Kuru, Can you please share the model?

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Khaleefa, the following image shows how you can achieve your pattern...

    diagonalGrid.png

  • Montx

    Hi,

    Im coming across a problem, Im making a brick facade and i want to extrude a set of planes(bricks) according to distance from a surface. 

    iv made a grasshopper def that is theoretically correct but it isn't executing...

    on extrusion it only extrudes some of the brick planes but not all.
    If i put a panel to check the output from D (distance between point and closest point on surf) of srf cp, many items come out as null!!

    btw if i graft the d on srf cp it selects a whole new area

    please help asap! i have a submission and im freaking out!!

    Tags: architecturebrick extrusionextrusionhelpsrf cp

    here is the gh file 

    here are the pics from rhino

    this is the surface i used in srf cp

    these are the planes i want to b extruded according to distance from surface

    these are all the extruded rectangles i get!!


    Ps- the problem is not with the surface being too low, it is not. and i have tried it with different surface with more hieght too.

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Montx. Please email me the GH file and the Rhino file. Images do not help me experiment with a solution to your problem.

  • Nuru Karim

    Hello Rajaa, is it possible to panel mesh surfaces in grasshopper panelling tools ? many thanks

  • John Stack Ross

    Hi Nuru, Rajaa, 

    One approach is to deconstruct the mesh, then use PT - compose grid number from the mesh vertices (specify a number of rows that match your mesh). 

    John

  • Rajaa Issa

    And you can certainly use mesh objects directly. The following examples uses ptMorph3d  to morph a mesh box.

    Let me know if you have a specific example you would like to do.

  • Nuru Karim

    Thank-you. here's the attached screen shot for your reference.

    I would also like to influence the u,v span numbers if possible.

  • Luke Orford

    Hello

    I was just wondering if its possible to panel a mesh model of a car.

    meshcar.jpg

    The image ive attached above i wish to turn into paneled type model.

    Is this doable. sorry for the vague post im not quite sure how to approach this model.

    Kind Regards

    Luke

  • Rajaa Issa

    Why would you like to panel the mesh? Do you have a sketch of the desired outcome?

  • Cfeldman

    Hellow Rajaa !

    Please...."Hello Rajaa, is it possible to panel mesh surfaces in grasshopper panelling tools  OR NOT?

    Yes ? how ???.........Thanks

    Sí, yo estoy tratando de hacer un IMPRIMIR3D speciaal, (desde un viejo archivo 3d),
    con estos viejos maqueta-arquitectura.
    (Mi idea era primero una herramientas de paneles, y después de eso, un módulo de 3D en cada panel.
    Pero no puedo encontrar la manera de panel de la malla (...... o es que uno multi-superficie?).
    Los archivos 3D se importa de mi equipo también, pero a partir de 3D Sketchup o 3D Studio Max.
    Exportados a Rhino, por sus paredes paneladas de herramientas.
    Sí, tengo algunos sketchs, lo que estoy buscando.
    Aquí hay algunos sketchs.
    Gracias.
    Mvg
    Claudio
  • Cfeldman

    Why would you like to panel the mesh ?

    Because that is the result that the person seach for his designs !!!.

    (the skin for the mesh,etc).

    Can apply the paneling tools over one mesh ?

    Sorry, but in wich way-manier ?

    Thanks you

    captura%202.JPG

  • Cfeldman

    Hellow

    Yes, i am trying to do an speciaal 3D model print,since an old 3d file,
    with these old maquette-architecture.
    (  my idea was first an paneling tools, and after that, one 3D module in each panel.
    But i cant find the way to panel the mesh (...... or is that one multi-surface ?).
    The 3D files is imported from my computer too, but from 3D Sketchup, or 3D Studio Max.
    Exported to Rhino, for panelings tools.
    Yes, i have some sketchs, what i am searching for.
    Here there are some sketchs.
    Can a mesh receive a paneling tools ? in wich way ?
    Thanks.
    Mvg
  • John Stack Ross

    Cfeldman, I posted a Grasshopper screen capture to a similar question a couple of months ago. You can create a paneling grid from a mesh in Grasshopper. Deconstruct the mesh, then use PT - compose grid number from the mesh vertices (specify a number of rows that match your mesh). 

  • Luke Orford

    Hello Rajaa 

    I would like to panel in some sort of geometric patterns, its to create a sort of sculpture.

    Thanks

     

  • Cfeldman

     HelloJohn Stack 

     Thanks 

    (Ok...,i wil try it )

  • Rajaa Issa

    The problem with mesh base is that it may not follow rectangular topology. It is a similar problem to turning meshes to nurbs. Sometimes you can extract construction curves (Use contour), then use those curves to generate paneling grids and apply panels. This technique might not work for all shapes, but it will get you closer. I hope this helps.

  • Luke Orford

    Ok thanks, i will try to do it the way you suggested! Thank you for your help!

  • Lorenzo Franceschini

    Hello!

    I have a question. In grid point attractor, I have multiple points i want to assign different magnitude, how can i achieve that?

    Thanks! :)

  • Rajaa Issa

    Hi Lorenzo, there is no way to do that at the moment. The algorithm favors the closest attraction point and use the full magnitude to attract to the closest point. I will consider this for future development though.

  • Lorenzo Franceschini

    Thank you Rajaa, yes i think it would be helpful in the future!

    Meanwhile it is still possible to distort an already distorted grid, if the assigned magnitude is fixed, luckily the component is not heavy, so even if i run 3 or 4 components consequently it is still fast!

    Thanks, looking forward for updates!