Schedule

• 10.00: Introduction -- Short presentation about the structure of COMPAS
• 10.30: Installation & Examples -- Install a released version of COMPAS
• 11.00: Installing from source -- Install the latest COMPAS version in a separate environment
• 11.30: Contributing -- Submitting pull requests from a fork
• 12.00: Lunch
• 13.00: Packages -- Make your own package
• 14.00: compas_fofin -- Install compas_fofin from source
• 15.00: Case study: HiLo shell -- Generating structural geometry from a data structure

Requirements

• Operating System: Mac (OSX) or Windows
• Anaconda Python Distribution: 3.7
• Rhino
• Code editor: ST3 or VS Code
• Git: official command-line client
• Git GUI: SourceTree, Github Desktop, ...

Note

When installing Anaconda, use the default settings. And make sure Anaconda is installed on your home drive to avoid problems with admin rights further down the road. In my experience, a default install should result in the following

• On Windows: %USERPROFILE%\Anaconda3
• On Mac: ~/Anaconda3

Draft slides

Note

Most of the following procedures are executed using the command line. On Mac this means the Terminal. On Windows, you should use the Anaconda Prompt and run it as administrator.

Clone the workshop repo

https://github.com/BlockResearchGroup/WS_structural-design.git

On Windows

mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Code
mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Code\Workshops
cd %USERPROFILE%\Code\Workshops
git clone https://github.com/BlockResearchGroup/WS_structural-design.git

On Mac

mkdir ~/Code
mkdir ~/Code/Workshops
cd ~/Code/Workshops
git clone https://github.com/BlockResearchGroup/WS_structural-design.git

Clean up path variables

• Remove COMPAS from PYTHONPATH
• Remove COMPAS from Module Search Path in Rhino
• Remove COMPAS from RhinoSettings in Atom

Install the latest released version of COMPAS using conda

conda config --add channels conda-forge
conda install COMPAS

Check your installation

Launch the interactive Python interpreter and import compas, compas_rhino, compas_ghpython.

>>> import compas
>>> import compas_rhino
>>> import compas_ghpython
>>> compas.__version__
0.5.1

If no error messages appear and the COMPAS version is correct, you're good to go. Type exit() to quit the interpreter.

Configure your editor

Detailed instructions can be found here:

• Sublime Text 3: https://compas-dev.github.io/main/environments/sublimetext.html
• VS Code: https://compas-dev.github.io/main/environments/vscode.html

Once everything is set up, run verify_editor.py to check the setup. If this prints 0.5.1 in the Terminal window,your editor is properly configured.

Install COMPAS for Rhino

To make the installed COMPAS packages available in Rhino run the following on the command line

python -m compas_rhino.install -v 5.0

Note (Windows only)

Use -v 6.0 instead of -v 5.0 if you want to use Rhino 6 instead of Rhino 5.

Open Rhino and run verify_rhino.py. If this does not throw an error and prints the correct COMPAS version (0.5.1), Rhino is properly configured.

Note

To run a script in Rhino, just type RunPythonScript at the Rhino command prompt and select the script you want to run.

• Plotters
  • Shortest path (plot): network_shortestpath.py
    Plot the shortest path between two vertices of a network.
  • Shortest path (interactive plot): network_shortestpath.py
    Plot the shortest path between a given start vertex and a point picked by the user.
  • Equilibrium (dynamic plot): network_equilibrium.py
    Plot the dynamic relaxation process of a network with randomly prescribed edge force densities.
• Rhino
  • Subdivision: mesh_subdivision_rhino.py
    Generate a subdivision surface using a control mesh.
  • Mesh smoothing: mesh_smoothing_rhino.py
    Smooth a mesh on a given target surface.
• RPC
  • Equilibrium: rpc_fd_rhino.py
    Force desnity calculation using Numpy/Scipy.
  • CDT: rpc_cdt_rhino.py
    Constrained Delaunay Triangulation using triangle.
    Note that for this example you have to install triangle.

Installing COMPAS "from source" allows you to always work off the very latest code in the COMPAS framework, even before it is released in a new version. During your PhD, this is the preferred way to use the framework, provided you regularly (at least once a week) synchronize your local copy of the repository.

We will install the latest unreleased version of COMPAS from the cloned Github repo in a separate Python virtual environment, called unreleased.

Clone the COMPAS repo

On Windows

mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Code\compas-dev
cd %USERPROFILE%\Code\compas-dev
git clone https://github.com/compas-dev/compas.git
cd compas

On Mac

mkdir ~/Code/compas-dev
cd ~/Code/compas-dev
git clone https://github.com/compas-dev/compas.git
cd compas

Create and activate a virtual environment

conda create -n unreleased
conda activate unreleased

Note

The active environment is listed before the prompt on the command line. After activating the environment you should thuse see something like this (unreleased) $ or (unreleased) > instead of (base) $ or (base) >.

Create an editable installation

pip install -e .

Update Rhino

python -m compas_rhino.uninstall -v 5.0
python -m compas_rhino.install -v 5.0

All contributions to the main library of COMPAS are handled through pull requests. To be able to issue a pull request, you need to install COMPAS via a forked repo.

Fork COMPAS to your personal account

Go to https://github.com/compas-dev/compas and click Fork on the top right of the page. Select your personal account as the fork location.

Clone the fork to your computer

On Windows

mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Code\<github username>
cd %USERPROFILE%\Code\<github username>
git clone https://github.com/<github username>/compas.git
cd compas

On Mac

mkdir ~/Code/<github username>
cd ~/Code/<github username>
git clone https://github.com/<github username>/compas.git
cd compas

Create and activate a virtual environment

conda create -n contribute
conda activate contribute

Create an editable installation

pip install -e .

Update Rhino

python -m compas_rhino.uninstall -v 5.0
python -m compas_rhino.install -v 5.0

Exercise

Find a piece of undocumented code, update the docstring, and submit a pull request.

• Pinned Python versions: conda create -n blender python=3.5.3 COMPAS python.app
• Pinned COMPAS versions: conda install COMPAS=0.5.1
• Environment files: conda env create -f workshop.yml

Navigate to the container for your package

On Windows

mkdir %USERPROFILE%\Code\me
cd %USERPROFILE%\Code\me

On Mac

mkdir ~/Code/me
cd ~/Code/me

Use the cookiecutter

pip install cookiecutter

cookiecutter gh:BlockResearchGroup/cookiecutter-compas-package

Just follow the instructions. Provide compas_fofin whn asked for the project slug.

Install your package

cd compas fofin
pip instal -r requirements-dev.txt

>>> import compas_fofin

Install it for Rhino

python -m compas_rhino.install -v 5.0 -p compas_fofin

Build the docs

invoke docs

Note

The other invoke commands are

• clean
• release

Add a CommmandPlugin

cd ui
cookiecutter gh:BlockResearchGroup/cookiecutter-rhinopythonplugin

Again, just follow the instructions...

Install the plugin

python -m compas_rhino.install_plugin -v 5.0 FoFin{...}

Restart Rhino and type FoFin at the command prompt to see the available commands.

Structural design is not just about form finding. Using the equilibrium data of the cablenet-and-fabric formwork of the HiLo shell, we will generate the actual geometrical data of (some of) the components of the roof.

We will take a closer look at the structure of the equilibrium data, and do the following exercises:

• Visualize the data in Rhino.
• Offset the cablenet geometry to generate the fabric surface.
• Generate shear connectors along the normals of the surface.
• Create the volume of the first concrete layer.
• Add insulation blocks.
• Identify support zones.
• Lay pipes in a spiraling pattern.

If you have a problem and don't find the solution here, please submit an issue on the issue tracker of the repository.

Problem
error: Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 is required. Get it with "Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools

Follow the link to install Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 https://www.scivision.co/python-windows-visual-c++-14-required/

Problem
Exception: The lib folder for IronPython does not exist in this location: C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\McNeel\Rhinoceros\6.0\Plug-ins\IronPython (814d908a-e25c-493d-97e9-ee3861957f49)\settings\lib

This happens if you have a brand new installation of Rhino. After opening Rhino and the PythonScriptEditor for the first time, the required folders will be created automatically.

Problem
NoneType object has no attribute Geometry

This sometimes happens in Rhino when wrapping Rhino Geometry. Just reset the script engine and try again.

Tools > PythonScript > Edit > Tools > Reset Script Engine

Problem
I don't see the DisplayConduit in Rhino on Mac

DisplayConduits are not supported yet on Mac. The result should be correct though...