Building design and construction fields continue to struggle with software interoperability and compatibility. This has resulted in wasteful processes requiring teams to laboriously rebuild geometry and manually recreate data when using different design tools. Today, the building industry’s modeling software is largely not designed with compatibility as a guiding principle and design teams are often not equipped with the computational skills required for executing successful workflows.
Among popular design software, Rhino and Revit are two of the most prominent tools in use today. Rhino is arguably the best-in-class geometry and computational design platform. Revit is the most widely adopted building information modeling platform. There are numerous plugins and strategies available for facilitating workflows between Rhino and Revit. Often these workflows require users to have expertise in computational design tools and programming languages to move data and geometry.
Proving Ground’s Conveyor framework is a customizable and implementation-focused approach for deploying tailored workflows for teams and enterprises with any skill level. Our approach is to deliver project-wide and enterprise-wide solutions with our technology combined with a mix of customization, training, consulting, and deployment support. The technology has been tailored to support the delivery of projects including the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Las Vegas NFL Stadium, and the American Museum of Natural History.
We are presently working with these firms to implement the Conveyor framework as an enterprise-wide solution for Rhino to Revit compatibility…
Design with the best tool for the job
Conveyor starts with the principle that designers want to make their buildings in a free modeling environment. Rhino offers immense flexibility to design architecture of any style or shape with as many or as few constraints as required by the project. With Conveyor, users can freely develop their project geometry and data within Rhino with the peace of mind that the work can be translated and updated in Revit for further development and documentation.
A workflow for any skill level
Many sophisticated workflows today require users to be experts in computational design tools – like Grasshopper and Dynamo – to support the translation of geometry and data between Rhino and Revit. With Conveyor, we designed the framework to allow anyone to use the tools. Conveyor starts with the premise that someone that knows how to model in Rhino and Revit should be able to move their geometry and data. This is achieved through user interfaces that provide the ability to select a Rhino file and choose how individual elements can be imported – no cumbersome scripts, no spaghetti.
Customized to your project and design business
Each business is unique and workflows are often rooted in well-established standards and delivery methods. That is why out-of-the-box solutions for workflows rarely work for everyone. Our approach with the Conveyor framework is to customize and implement the tools to work with the businesses and teams that will leverage it. Deployments are carefully coordinated with IT group and the tools are configured to accommodate the specifics of your Revit templates and standard content. We also have worked on countless projects to fine tune the technology – we know what works because we have helped to deliver real projects with these tools.
Grow your team’s knowledge
Having access to software is only part of the equation for better integration of tools – designers need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to use their workflows effectively. Our Conveyor implementation approach includes training and support to help designers grow their knowledge and implement the framework into their process. Our training approach includes basics of translating geometry, managing design changes, and customizing the workflows.
Facilitate design iteration
During design stages, design professionals will create numerous iterations of a design and need to update their documentation in Revit. As designs change, Conveyor helps a user track what has changed and helps a designer perform updates to model components. Conveyor also allows users to coordinate multiple Rhino files with Revit which supports team-based design development and collaboration.
Extend and support creativity
Out-of-the-box workflows don’t work for everyone. That is why we designed Conveyor with components to allow for many different workflow opportunities. Some designers may want to use the standard modeling interfaces of Rhino and Revit. Other designers may want to implement Conveyor with their Grasshopper definitions. Others still may want to take advantage of Conveyor with Rhino 7’s Rhino.Inside technology (forthcoming). We are supporting it all – users should not be limited to one way of working to achieve their goals.
How do I get Conveyor?
Conveyor is delivered as part of Proving Ground’s digital design consulting services – it is not a licensed off-the-shelf product. It is a configurable enterprise framework delivered as part of project consultations, enterprise implementations, and software customization services.
Contact Proving Ground if you are interested in equipping your team or business with these capabilities.