GreenSpider 2.1 is out and it's much powerful than ever.

GreenSpider 2.1 is ready for download from this page. This plugin is now much more complex, and it works both on Revit 2013 and 2014. GreenSpider Translator 1.2 can now open files from customized locations with multiple browsing. Inside the Revit environment .GSP files can be now selected from custom path. The GreenSpider 2.1 user interface is much more compact and intuitive (GSCurves and GSPoints are now part of a less intrusive drop-down menu). XYZ files can be now sorted following X or Y axis.

The brand new installation system is more sophisticated than its predecessors. Since the plugin was written taking advantage of RevitAPI2013, it works on both Revit 2013 and 2014. Please be sure to choose the right version during the install process.

GreenSpider 2.1 is here!

The Kinect wall of fame

Even if with lots of troubles in mind and a very few spare time, I keep working on Kinect developing aimed at point cloud extraction. Now that the official Kinect for Windows documentation by Microsoft is consolidated, I'm trying to write some c# code to create a little piece of software for dynamic point cloud collection.

More after the cut.

Faro Scenect and dynamic point cloud extraction using Kinect

These days I'm testing my brand new Microsoft Kinect with this amazing free software by Faro. Scenect in fact is a Scene LT clone which embeds some Kinect drivers by PrimeSense and OpenNI. Even if my lab at University is waiting for Kinect for Windows supply from Microsoft, I bought myself a Kinect sensor in its XBOX360 version. Differences are not so massive (Kinect for Windows is intended for PC usage, so lenses can focus beginning from 40cm. while the XBOX release needs at least 80cm.) and Scenect supports both hardware devices.

The purpose of my post is to spare some comments an a promising real time technology, aimed at dynamic indoor 3D capturing with not GPS driven and very low-cost hardware.

123D Catch, photogrammetry in the cloud

 A netsuke is a tiny sculpture that was invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function: traditional Japanese garments in fact had no pockets so people had to place their belongings in containers (called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke. A little, funny, ivory netsuke was used as a test shape to carry out some experiments on 123D Catch, the digital photogrammetric software by Autodesk part of 123D suite.

Read more of my experiment and some updates!

BCF Revit plugin has been released.

All over the process, BIM is a matter of interoperability. Several actors, using different software, speaking various languages. Validating digital models can be tricky, even nightmarish. This is the reason why Matteo in his thesis developed a specific plugin designed for Autodesk Revit 2013, taking advantage of the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) pre release.

Revit models can now be checked in Solibri and re-imported back in Revit with proper red-lining.

Nice and interesting work Matteo!

GreenSpider 2.0 is here...

We are happy to announce that TC Labs just released a free fully functional version of GreenSpider 2.0, the point clouds plugin for Autodesk Revit.

The shiny new GreenSpider v2.0 release is intended to provide access to the complete set of features of GSPoints, GSCurves and the now-embedded GSTranslator. The official clip has been just uploaded to Youtube and Vimeo.

Much more info here!