topic Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls in ArcGIS CityEngine Questions

Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

DavidKenley — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:10:06 GMT

Hello,

I'm fairly new to CityEngine, I've checked the help pages but I'm not seeing the information I might need. I understand CityEngine has built in L-Shapes, O-Shapes and U-shapes, but what is the easiest way to procedurally generate more unusual building shapes?

I suppose for a specific example, on a square lot, what's the best way to extrude a triangular or rounded building shape?

Thanks,

David

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

JonathonLentine — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:11:11 GMT

I don't know about triangles, but the mass modeling tutorial shows you how to do round buildings.

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

DavidKenley — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 22:57:08 GMT

Hello,

Apologies for the late reply. I see in the tutorial to create cylindrical towers they just import a premade cylindrical asset:

Tower -->
case geometry.isRectangular(20):
  20% : i("cyl.obj") RecursiveSetbacks
  else: RecursiveSetbacks
else: RecursiveSetbacks

I was hoping there was a way to create a round object from shapes similar to the L-shapes. Importing whole premade assets is a possibility but not how I was hoping to solve this problem. I can make triangular buildings on triangular lots by doing a simple offset then extrude operation, but not on a rectangular lot unfortunately.

I think it's probably impossible sadly. Thanks again for the response.

- David

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

MatthiasBuehler1 — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 13:00:26 GMT

Hi David,

Can you post some reference images of what you imagine ?

Let me know..

m.

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

DavidKenley — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 16:32:42 GMT

Hello,

Certainly! Here's a building that would be a good example, a few different views. Nothing too complex but an interesting shape.

http://www.calypso.net.au/static/tsg/supub/S/images/H/YVR/SHW/Sheraton_Wall_Centre_-_Exterior_with_gardens.JPG
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/8054997244_05ba6cc464_o.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3069/2730296503_57816da258_b.jpg
http://boardingarea.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/loyaltytraveler/files/2008/11/vancouver-sheraton-wall-centre-north-tower-complex.jpg

Maybe this building would also be a good very simple example.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Smith_Tower_Vancouver_Washington_2010.JPG

Hope this helps visualise what I'm looking to build procedurally.

Thanks,

David

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

MatthiasBuehler1 — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:43:03 GMT

Hi !

The easiest to start with this is to take any flat polygon with an interesting form, insert this via i() as building footprint, then extrude. Using recursions, you can create quite interesting forms !

Check the attachment ..

Ok ?

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

DavidKenley — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:35:31 GMT

Hello,

I'll try starting with a custom footprint, that's something that may work for us. You cga file makes very interesting buildings, I'll start trying to incorporate some rotations into my building designs too.

Thanks!

David

Re: Create round buildings or buildings with curved walls

MatthiasBuehler1 — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:18:29 GMT

Hi,

Playing with it is the best thing.

Not everything is possible of course, but if you need specific forms, post an image of them and I can tell you precisely if and how they can be built in CGA. I just need an input image to check.

Matt