Revit Add-Ons: IgentForm — A 3D Mass Modeler

Monday, September 13, 2021

IgentForm — A 3D Mass Modeler

From the Autodesk App Store:

Description

IgentForm is a 3D mass modeler. One of its unique features is an innovative way of modeling, where the structure is described by a set of parameters and, in contrast to traditional modeling, the structure is composed of one or more masses and its 3D model is visualized automatically in real-time after the change of any parameter. The program interface is friendly by using concepts known to every engineer and doesn’t require programming knowledge.

Each mass is independently defined by such parameters like mass contour, height, number of stories, position, roof options and others. Each contour line can be parametrized by assigning structural elements like columns, beams, walls and others. It is also possible to change its shape horizontally or vertically using predefined shapes like circle, parabola or user-defined curves. Additionally, the program enables the creation of internal lines, which can be parametrized in the same way as contour lines.

The mass shape can be controlled by 3 contours at the bottom, middle and top levels. Middle and top contours can be scaled, moved or rotated to achieve the desired shape. Roofs can be freely created by the elevation of chosen contour or internal lines according to any curve and adjusting the roof surface, also using any curve.

Masses can be easily mutually connected, vertically or horizontally, so after changing the position or dimensions of one mass, dimensions and positions of related masses are automatically adjusted. Cutting one mass to another is also one of the parameters – this functionality enables quick modeling of real structures, which in many cases are composed of substructures cut to other parts.

Thanks to the parametric approach, it is possible to create structures of different types, like f.ex. buildings, industrial facilities, halls, supporting structures, skyscrapers, any roof coverings, bridges and others.

A unique feature is the possibility to create variants of the structure, which is very important, especially at the early stage of design. The user simply defines generation criteria by setting the range of variation for required parameters and all variants are automatically created. Moreover, the user can set also rating criteria like cost or weight of the structure or strength criteria like allowable stress or displacement. In this last case, IgentForm software is able to use the calculation engine of the Autodesk® Robot™ Structural Analysis program to perform calculations, analyze results and sort variants appropriately. So this functionality can be very helpful in design optimization and form-finding issue.

IgentForm is entirely written in C# language and extensively profits from multi-core architecture. Thanks to it, it ensures real-time 3D visualization, even for complex structures composed of many elements.

As in many cases, engineers need to recover 3D models from 2D drawings, IgentForm has a set of tools that help to create a 3D model based on the DXF background.

The parametric approach has also one feature, which is very important to the structural engineer, namely the quality of the calculation model. The program automatically takes care of proper connections between structural elements. As for the moment connection vie API with Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis program is the only dedicated link to the calculation program, Autodesk clients can exclusively profit from this possibility to create quickly correct models. It can save a lot of time during the design process, as in many cases structures, which can be created and later modified in IgentForm in just a few minutes would require a few hours of hard work.

IgentForm also provides some calculations possibilities like automatic wind load generation or Load TakeDown calculations. The results of these analyses can be also easily used by Robot users.

IgentForm program also perfectly fits into the BIM scheme, as each model can be easily exchanged with BIM containers, like Autodesk® Revit®, via IFC format. The user can quickly visualize different design concepts and export the final solution for further processing.