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by Ralph Grabowski with Alyn Rockwood
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| Alyn Rockwood is the founder of Boulder Graphics and is its chief scientist. He told me about the unique modeling system that he calls SuperD -- a take-off from sub-d (short for sub-division modeling). He sees it as a replacement for the now defunct T-Splines technology owned by Autodesk.
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Ralph Grabowski: What is your background, and what led you to start Boulder Graphics?
Alyn Rockwood: I received my PhD degree in applied mathematics from Cambridge in 1986, and then worked on Romulus at Shape Data, which became Parasolids [since acquired by Siemens PLM]. At SGI, I was part of the OpenGL team, where I wrote the code for doing real-time rendering of trimmed surfaces.
I was at MERL [Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories ], I taught as a professor at ASU School of Mines in Colorado and KAUST [King Abdullah University of Science and Technology] in Saudi Arabia, and I've been a variety of chairs with SIGGRAPH.
I retired from academics in 2013 with several good ideas with which I wanted to continue, and so co-founded Boulder Graphics with business partner and technologist Kun Gao.
Grabowski: What did Boulder Graphics do before you came out with SuperD?
Rockwood: We produced a multi-sided patch modeler for Boeing's internal GeoDuck research modeler that was used in the development of the 767 and other aircraft. [GeoDuck is short for "general environment for optimization and development using a common kernel," and is also a seashell creature common on the Pacific coast near Boeing headquarters.] It can call up other modelers, like ANSYS and Boeing's own parametric modelers, in a Python structure for the surfaces that they need to end up with.
I also worked on beautifying QR code technology, and faired surfaces for Geomagic (now part of 3D Systems).
Grabowski: What is SuperD?
Rockwood: SuperD creates 3D surfaces that don't suffer the shortcoming of sub-d surfaces [sub divisions, commonly found in 3D CAD programs today]. The name SuperD is a wordplay on that. We use a proprietary surface type that converts to b-splines/NURBSs.
[B-splines is short for "basis splines," which are the most general type of spline. Most CAD systems use Bezier splines, which are b-splines with a weight of 1.]
Grabowski: But sub-d surfacing is so very popular these days.
Rockwood: It's because the interface is so easy to use. But the results are not necessarily pretty.
Grabowski: How does your modeler work with sharp edges?
Rockwood: Very well: we can go from round to sharp surfaces, and even go along a single edge from rounded to sharp. In sub-d, you would have to deal with patches to solve that problem. They have problems handling something as simple as the end of a cylinder; SuperD handles this case effortlessly. (See figure 1.)
Figure 1: Cup made from SuperD surfaces
My challenge to sub-d is for sub-d modelers to make spheres that look as good as ones we produce. (See figure 2.) They can't do it. (See figure 3.)
Figure 2: Spheres created by SuperD
From left to right: contour slicing, isophote, sun shading, and 3-sided patches (red boundaries) that constitute the sphere.
Figure 3: Imperfect spheres made by sub-d modeling
Grabowski: I notice that your Web site makes a reference to T-Splines, which was revolutionary in its time, yet does not seem to have much impact on the market today.
Rockwood: There were a lot of faithful T-Splines users in Rhino and Solidworks as a plug-in. When Autodesk bought T-Splines, they removed it from the plug-in marketplaces, hoping to make it the basis for their new automotive styling product. That did not pan out, a shame in my opinion.[Autodesk shut down T-splines in January, 2017.]
Grabowski: Does SuperD have functions similar to T-Splines, such as non-quadrilateral patches?
Rockwood: Yes, it has genuine multi-sided patches. T-Splines used recursion and t-junctions to handle non-quad geometry, which created a plethora of patches and extraordinary points called "star points" that looked like dimples, which needed to be hidden manually by the user. SuperD does not have those issues, as we create one n-sided infinitely-smooth patch.
T-splines are easier to convert to NURBS. I'll give them that, but otherwise SuperD patches are superior. Our surfaces are infinitely smooth, with no dimples.
Grabowski: Why does SuperD work only as a Rhino plug-in?
Rockwood: Good question! So much to do, so little time to do it, and SuperD has only been out a couple of months.
Grabowski: Is there a link to CAD software, such as AutoCAD or Solidworks?
Rockwood: SuperD converts to exportable b-splines with exact boundaries, so no trimming is needed. It will export to any modeler that handles b-splines like the two you named. It can output to IGES files, so that any other modeler can import the b-splines, as well as to polygon files, such as for Maya.
With Rhino, you can plug it into Grasshopper and others, and actually edit the surfaces in Rhino. That result then would be output to Solidworks -- a common workflow.
Grabowski: What happens when your surfaces come into a CAD program; does it convert to a solid?
Rockwood: Whether that converts to a solid depends on the modeler creating a closed, manifold surface.
Grabowski: We've talked about aircraft models. Are there other kinds of 3D models that are the best use for SuperD?
Rockwood: Creative organic shapes, ones with lots of curves surfaces, like automobile models, perfume bottles, and aesthetic shapes -- even vacuum cleaners!
Grabowski: How does licensing work?
Rockwood: You need to have Rhino, and buy it outright for $550. I don't go for those subscription licenses. You can use it 30 days free. The iOS version is $16.
Grabowski: How does the iOS version of SuperD differ from the Windows version?
Rockwood: The geometric core is the same as in Windows. I see it as a geometry shaper that uses the touch interface, so it is good for those who model on the go. It works best on an iPad with a stylus. It lacks b-spline conversion, but your models can be exported to Rhino.
https://www.superdmodeling.com/
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It looks like Orange Juice Studios is dead. Their CADO software for iPads was one of the most advanced for its time, but orangejuicestudios.com domain is gone, its Twitter account is untouched in three years, and their Kickstarter campaign failed spectacularly.
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Autodesk: "Work in AutoCAD anytime, anywhere."
Also Autodesk: "The browser you are using is not fully supported. The AutoCAD web app is currently only supported by 64-bit Google Chrome or 64-bit Mozilla Firefox on Windows or Mac. AutoCAD isn't currently supported if you are using Firefox with private browsing, or Chrome Version 73 with an incognito window."
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Reading over comments following Samsung's big smartphone and smartwatch reveals, and there it was: Google and Android did not get a single mention in the hour-long show. Microsoft, however, was the special guest star. The new Note 10+ includes a 3D scanner, whose objects subsequently mimic the movements of people.
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Intel will pack 56 cores onto its next-gen Cooper Lake Xeon CPUs, of which CAD software will still use 1 core, for the most part -- other than for tasks like loading files, doing renderings, and performing FEA.
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Fascinating description of low-fi tactics deployed by pro-freedom Hong Kong protesters against the might of the pro-Communist government: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2019/08/be-water-seven-tactics-are-winning-hong-kongs-democracy-revolution
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I like to thank you very much for your information on all the different developments in the CAD market. It is a very professional view and very neutral, which is important to all of us who are active in the market to sell their products. Your point of view and analyses helps to understand the developments. Thank you very much for your engagement.
- Uwe Redmer
MERViSOFT GmbH, Germany
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In the section of upfront.eZine #1022 concerning “a reason to not hold subscriptions,” you wrote that you have a permanent license of one of the afflicted AutoCADs. Autodesk has redefined the meaning of a perpetual (permanent) license to something quite different from the dictionary definition of perpetual. Holders of perpetual licenses, including NFR [not for resale] and PED, will only be able to use the software on the computer it is currently installed on. Depending on the phase-in date of this change, you may not reinstall the software on said computer. This is because Autodesk will stop providing activation codes. Product activations for version 2010 and older will be affected starting August 31, 2019, while product activation for versions 2011 and later is available until March 2021, when product activation aligns with the Lifecycle policy (3 releases back). See knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learn-explore/caas/simplecontent/content/previous-version-support-change.htmlIf I read this correctly, the last time the 2019 release can receive an activation code is March, 2023. Version 2019 would still work but you will not be able to reinstall on the same computer or move it to a newer computer after that date. We always knew they would find a way to force us all on subscription or move to a competitor; lucky for me I will be out of the business in a year so I won’t have to worry about it and learn new software. - K. E. The editor replies: Technology is taking a discouraging turn, and I too am glad that I can coast to the end using software from the 2000-era running on Windows 7, with which I make my livelihood.
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Here are two glimpses into a bygone era:
- Don Beaton
It's really pretty simple: CAD on the cloud is for marketing types, not engineers/designers doing the real work. Ask the credit card company Capitol One how their 110 million customers data was stolen. See "Who's in your Cloud?" Anyone doing non-important stuff can afford to loose meaningless CAD data and IP to hackers. Anyone who is serious about their work keeps it out of harms way. - Bob Mileti (via WorldCAD Access)
Re: About NBS
In your last newsletter you mentioned the NBS software. Like many architects in the UK, I have used some of their products and they do a great job of helping to make the specification process simpler.
However, they currently appear to be in a transition phase between NBS Building and NBS Create. I can see what they are aiming for, but to move from one to another involves a massive leap in background knowledge. NBS Building uses the Common Arrangement of Work Sections (CAWS) as it's underlying ordering method, and over time people have become familiar with this system where categories of building elements (e.g. Masonry or Landscaping) are represented by letters and then split into sub-sections.
NBS Create switches to using the Uniclass 2015 system, which bears little relation to the CAWS (or for that matter the previous of Uniclass). For anyone involved in the Construction process, it involves a lot of new learning. For anyone writing specifications it means not just learning new software, but understanding an entirely new structure to the output from the software.
The end result is arguably a big improvement, but it will take a long time and a lot of hard work before everyone involved in the process understands it.
- Matthew Taylor
UK
The editor replies: Thank you for your insights. They are valuable.
Mr Taylor responds: I think it's something that is becoming more of an issue as time goes by and more and more manufacturer specific components are used rather than generic ones.
NBS has pretty much cornered the market (in the UK at least) with the NBS plus website where manufacturers can add their data. It does however mean that manufacturers who do not see the value in doing this may well end up overlooked - particularly for the parts of a building that are less defining of its characteristics (e.g. you start out knowing which products you want for the cladding and glazing), but not things like vapour control membranes or fire protection around riser penetrations etc, so tend to pick the first products that shows up on the list from a company who's name you have heard of.
This is partly also a problem of the NBS building product that tends to lead towards detailed specification. The supposed advantage of NBS Create is that you can add the level of detail you need at that project stage - so items can start off as wall, then end up as a performance specification and then as an actual product at different gateway points in the procurement process. This tends to not benefit the designers though so much as the project managers who want to re-tender the project at the end of each work stage.
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Two things:
- NBS sold-out to a bank for crying out loud! Too big of a discussion to get into here.
- Totally integrated “5D BIM” is ‘pie in the sky by and by.’
- Chris Cadman
The editor replies: There is a huge gap in the design-construct-build process that leads to problems in the finished building, and so software firms are trying to fix that. The problem is that construction is so fragmented that I don't think 3D, 4D, or even more Ds can ever fix it.
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The biggest issue I encounter with specifications would be item 3 (inaccurate technical data), if this includes references to documents that are out of date or withdrawn.
I don't often use 3 Part Specs, and rely on Project Notes. Often the first several sheets in a set of documents consist of Project Notes. They're very comprehensive and complete, having been compiled from nearly 50 years of oversights. Current *.txt file size is over 400 KB. They are edited for each project.
As written, they don't stipulate a specific standard or code, but refer to the current edition and documents referenced therein, or if a specific edition is referenced in the code. I just have to check for withdrawn issues.
With specifications taking precedence over drawings, it's difficult to contradict. It could, however, be an error. The two items should be coordinated.
- Dik Coates, P.Eng. (Man)
The editor replies: When I worked as an engineer, it was in the traffic and transportation side of things, and tech specs were surprisingly irrelevant.
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It was nice to see the reference to Construction Canada by Leo Schlosberg. Construction Canada is one of the few trade publications that I generally read from cover to cover. It is not often that there's an article, I'm not interested in. Highly recommended, and Canadian.
- Dik Coates
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"So the question 'How shall I behave?' is only to be answered by asking the more basic question, 'What kind of community do I want to live in?'"
- Leslie Newbegin |
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As a member of the Autodesk product team, I wanted to clarify that T-Splines tech continues to be developed. T-Splines are included in several Autodesk products such as Inventor and Fusion 360. Autodesk is actively developing and improving upon the technology, for example addressing complications at non-uniform star points and extending applications to new areas like mesh conversion and generative design.
Posted by: Jon den Hartog [Autodesk] | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 06:05 PM