topic Re: Futuristic Building Creation in ArcGIS CityEngine Questions

Futuristic Building Creation

IonutAlixandroae4 — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:23:35 GMT

Hello guys,

I`m trying to write a cga code for generating a futuristc building but I`m having some problems in spliting the roofs and applying different heights.

To understand better I have attached some pictures of the building I need to recreate.

I tried to define different roofs and apply a setback or a split to obtain those shapes but I didn`t had a reference..

Do you guys know how to split the building in the form from pictures so I will be able to apply different height to obtain that form?

Thanks,

Ionut

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

Anonymous User — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:37:07 GMT

Use 4 different start shapes. Or just make a static model. Unless you need to make a collection of buildings based on this form, then no reason to make it procedurally.

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

IonutAlixandroae4 — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:52:28 GMT

Hi Chris,

Well, I do need this model made procedurally because there are some possibilities to apply the rule to an entire block. It would be easier to make it manually in Maya I think but I have to have a rule for it...:)

Do you have an idea how to split the roofs into those shapes?

Thanks!

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

Anonymous User — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:08:45 GMT

Each of these shapes is concave. In CGA, you cannot split shapes to create a concave shape, unless the shape is already concave, so you could create those shapes by drawing the shapes with the Polygonal Shape Creation tool, and use a single rule that inserts those shapes (or a single combined multipatch which could be comped apart).

For a neighborhood or complex of these buildings, you could model several collections of these. That is, one set of four that is like your diagram above, and then several variations of that pattern.

Besides comping them apart, you could also add object attributes that indicate which style each shape should assume.

Chris

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

IonutAlixandroae4 — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:11:00 GMT

Thank you Chris! I will try the way you suggested

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

curtedmonds — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:12:07 GMT

One approach could be to create a grid (10x15) depending on building width/height ) each split grid face with an index, then remove polys by index number to created this look, each house would be unique or same depending on seed number. you could also use this to create Different materials. and with cleaver math do some very interesting shapes.

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

IonutAlixandroae4 — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 07:49:36 GMT

Hi Curt,

Well I just created different features similar to the shapes of the constrution. It was easier and also easier to apply different rules to obtain the result

Thanks for the feedback!

Ionut

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

AlanKlys — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 02:33:02 GMT

Not sure if this will help Ionut but I've done something along those lines by creating the shapes externally (as my buildings needed to be based on actual footprints) then breaking them up into simple chunks. That base gets brought into CE and extruded accordingly. You can even stack them to produce nice overhangs and such. So it's not all procedural as the shapes aren't derived from the lot / setbacks /slicing etc but good for some specific building massing.

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

curtedmonds — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 17:07:56 GMT

thats nice alan.

do you cull out the internal polys? ie: touces(intra)

or you make the shapes on top of the next roof.

Re: Futuristic Building Creation

IonutAlixandroae4 — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:16:00 GMT

Hello!

Sorry for not replying in time! Regarding what i`ve asked, my solution was to have 4 records in the feature class used in CE and have a rule applied differently to those shapes, exactly how you said and did.

It looks awesome what you`ve done in the animation above

Thank you!