...or how to carve a pumpkin for Halloween in ArchiCAD
Besides being a great tool when it comes to creating full working drawings, #ArchiCAD can also be a fun softaware to know. In my previous posts, I have shared some #tips and #tricks from my day-to-day tasks, which implies a lot of technical drawings, BUT this does not mean this is its solely purpose.
Fun and quick to use, the morph tool has a wide range of uses, from creating intriguing façade designs to quirky 3D sketches.
This post explores one of my favourite AC instruments: the #Morph tool - a particularly useful, yet not a very precise one. Although the morph tool is technically easy to grasp, it still requires a bit of pre-planning, to decide how its options can be best put together to obtain the required iteration. Take, for example, modelling a carved #Halloween pumpkin. This rather cute and not-so-scary #pumpkin was carved exclusively in ArchiCAD.
As you can see, this has the shape and texture of a pumpkin, but it all started with a 2D plan drawing. Firstly, I have considered the predominant #shape of the pumpkin, which is a #squashed sphere. Go Object > Sphere > #Transform Selection to Morph.
Then, in 2D, I drew a regular D-shape section, based on the diameter of my sphere, and turned it into a 3D wedge using the #revolvedmorph tool. Having modelled the main elements, I was then able to rotate ridge copies around the squashed sphere, clustered together to create some nice ribs for my pumpkin. The next step was to select #Design > Modify Morph > Smooth & Merge Faces to smooth any sharp edges and give a more organic look to my #model. Depending on the level of detail required, the ridge contour can vary, so using 2 or even 3 slightly different morph profiles can significantly improve the 3D model, so it looks more convincing. From this point onwards, it was just a case of playing around with some Solid Element Operations, mixed with some #realistic textures for the stem and voila: a ready to ‘bake’ pumpkin. Using the built-in #Cinema4D engine, I managed to add some #dramatic red-lights and shadows to incorporate the #scary element into this Halloween edition pumpkin.
Fun and quick to use, the #morphtool has a wide range of uses, from creating intriguing #façade designs to quirky #3D sketches. Unarguably, there are plenty of 3D modelling #applications on the market, specialised in creating 3D objects and animations, but having an integrated utensil to freely sketch a 3D shape is priceless.
Firstly, keeping the morph tool handy in your AC #toolbox enables you to instantly visualise an idea that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with the pre-set #building elements, such as wall, slabs, and library objects. Secondly, having this free-form in-built option saves time from jumping from one CAD program to another, without worrying about #compatibility issues on import.
Since there are a multitude of uses for the morph tool in ArchiCAD, I would be curious to know what cool designs you have managed to achieve with the #morph tool or how this helped your #creative process. Please feel free to leave your comments in the comment box below.
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