Hi Tom,
All valid requests, but I think a bit too much on the incremental side.
Did you know that.....AecoSim's long lost Triforma twin has resurfaced? ... documentation (you may need to right click and unblock the chm for it work properly).
I am amazed how little has changed. Maybe Bentley should buy them... again? :-) Probably not realistic, but it worth looking at what is possible in terms of next steps.... development-wise.
Some of the new stuff which I think a lot of AecoSim / BA users have been asking for... for a good long while.
Cascading Definitions:Object Styles
1. Cascading F+P definitions. The way object 'styles' are handled is a pretty powerful evolution of the way F+P works.... that is based on cascading/tree of overrides. A definition can be started at the top level with a set of settings (21-External Walls)... and can be further split into different wall types by defining which settings are overridden..
(21-External Walls)
Brick Wall Type 1
Stone Wall Type 1
....
This allows a project to start with 'generic' F+P definitions that can be developed and facetted into more 'specialised' definitions... more naturally. This kind of thing is a big productivity multiplier and improvement to the UX. Settings can accept 'expressions' or 'proxies' like 'By Material' or 'Default'.
2. Another nice thing is the fact that the object has a unified Information panel (tabbed). No fumbling about between Building Info and Mstn Info panels or DGS info and F+P explorers. If the user needs to make a change he can make it in one place, and not have to hop back and forth between the F+P and DGS explorer etc.
3. Object Styles also allows the definition of Control Surfaces / Planes: Each object can be placed with a DGS-type parameter that defines its top and bottom 'delimiter'. This takes the existing Triforma Extrude Element to Shape tool and allows the system to 're-build' the form whenever it is modified.. by looking up some preset parameters. So if a wall Form is modified, it will automatically rebuild its extrusion to the underside of the soffit. If this is not required, then the particular setting can be deactivated or 'unconstrained'. So, if the overhead soffit level 'control surface' is changed, it would be easy to trigger a rebuild of all the elements that reference that Control Surface.
4. Object styles can also define alignment offsets/parameters and extrusion vectors by ACS's...
5. Priorities: Joint priorities can be defined as part of an Object's material defintion. AecoSim .590 seems to have started on this as well. ArchiCAD 17 is probably the most comprehensive proponent of this approach to defining 'intelligent' joins and wrapping elements based on priorities... currently.
Solids Modeling:
1. Triforma Slabs with persistent links/connections to Walls. Persistent overlaps/offsets can be defined. The links are listed in a DGS-type panel, where they can be suppressed on demand.
2. Walls connections/ trims can have persistent overlaps/offsets defined. AecoSIms structural beams have something similar, but this has been extended to Forms/Slabs.
3. Sweep / extruded Forms have a Profile Editor tool that can convert a drawn profile into a list of variables and nodes. Seems to share the same scripting language with the Frame Builder. Maybe Bentley should look at CADMAI or some kind of grammar-type language... maybe one that will also allow constraints definition. It would be great if the user could just select a bunch of elements, and an algo 'compresses' the elements by replacing the identical elements by a single element with an array of offsets defined by a script.... like a postscript-style stack-based language does.
4. 'Substractors' or negative solids / voids seem more upfront and ready to used compared to AecoSIm. They are linked by 'positional links' which seems to be no more than a shared graphic group number.
5. Multi-ply Slabs as well as Forms.
Compound Cells:
1. Array definition as part of Compound Cell DGS-type Object Style parameter.
2. Script, owner link (graphic group heirarchy parameter), Subtractor link (perforator, which can be 3d) positional link Compound cell editing-in-place...
3. Frame Builder allows script to be embeded in the bxc.
....?