COMPUTER AIDED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
ARCH 6410/3410: AUGUST 25, 2011

Assignment 1: Email, Graphic Primitives, Selection of Design Case Study
Part 1 due August 30 (in time for the first workshop)
Part 2 due September 1 

PART 1: ACCOUNT SETUP & BROWSE THE CLASS WEB SITE

Within this first assignment, you are asked to ensure that your University computer accounts are fully activated in preparation for the computer graphics workshops beginning next week. For almost every student in this course, this account would have been established in prior semesters at UVA or during an IT orientatio. If you have not already done so, please use the School's  information technology's web site for information on how to setup your account. Students from outside the School who are registered for the course will be given internal School of Architecture access to our servers within about one week. School of Architecture students already have internal access.

1. You must have created and setup by the start of workshops next week, the following:

• University wide Email account
• University Home Directory Account

Note that an Architecture account is based uponyour university wide account and uses the same UserID and Password. It allows you access to local software and hardware, and, as you will discover later on, class file storage and examples. For more informaiton or difficulties with respect to the School of Architecture access you may also contact Jack Thackston, jake@virginia.edu , Senior Engineer, in Campbell 136.

2. Download and install Microstation on your personal computer from either on grounds or through VPN access. To initiate this process, go to the following web site and follow the links from" Software Downloads" to the Microstation downloads. You will be redirected to a Bentley Systems web site with a specific access ID for acquiring the software.

• http://www.arch.virginia.edu/computing/software/distribution/.

Load the following executable files for the Select Series2 edition of Microstation - from the Bentley Web Site Download Page. You can start with PART 1 only during the first two weeks of class. You can download the other parts later on.

PART 1: UNDER MICROSTATION
a) Prerequities for Bentley Desktop Applications 290.0 MB
b) MicroStation CAD v8i SS2 490.0 MB
PART 2: UNDER BUILDING ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
d) Bentley Architecture V8i 174.9 MB
PART 3: UNDER BENTLEY GEOPAK SITE
e) Bentley Geopak Site V8i 353 MB
PART 4: UNDER MICROSTATION
f) Bentley Generative Components gc08110766en.exe 106 MB

NOTES:
1. Part 1 must be completed first and by the second week of classes.
2. Parts 2, 3, and 4 and can be downloaded separately and later on.
3. See Eric Field in room 136 for additional help if needed.

3. OPTIONAL: Acquire a copy of Rhino 4.0 from Cavalier Computers and ensure that is current by downloading an update from the School of Architecture computing web site:

• http://www.arch.virginia.edu/computing/software/distribution/.
  
  Though our primary modeling tool will be Microstation, you will be given parallel tutorial notes in Rhino where there arecomparable functions. The expectation is that work be completed in Microstation. However, for those familar with Rhino, these supplemental notes will help you to understand interoperability and cross-over technology where it exists. The intention is to provide you with a wider view of technology where familiarity with first principles may be addressed through the comparison of the two products.

4. Begin to browse the web site for the class http://www.arch.virginia.edu/arch6410

PART 2 - IDENTIFY A PROJECT

Select a design project case study (e.g., architecture project, landscape architecture project, environmental sculpture, archeological site, complex biological entitiy, etc.) for exploration during the semester. The selection of the design case study project is up to you, but it should be a study of geomerical form taken from to a critically acclaimed work, published or analyticaly detailed subject. Anticipate meeting with your TA to discuss possible project ideas the first week of computer graphics workshops. Email a short note to the TA for your section and to Earl Mark ejmark@virginia.edu identifying the case study. Design students may optionally coordinate the selectionof a project with that of a case study from another course with permission of that course's instructor. You will be asked to examinevaried aspects of a case study throughout the term. You will have the option to continue with the same case study or change the case study throughout the term at your discretion.

You may wish to look ahead at part 1 of the next assignment', Symmetry Transformations in Plan and Elevation and begin toexplore graphic primitives (e.g., lines, circles, arcs, etc. within Microstation) .