My love of computers is clearly linked to playing Space Invaders ๐พ on my Atari 2600, and ever since Iโve tried to embrace, learn and experiment with constantly evolving digital tools. Hereโs the story about some of my favorite software and their corresponding video games ๐ฎ by decade
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฌ'๐ / ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐ / ๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐
Since college technically took me 7 years (2@JC and 5@USC), I had extra time to try new courses on AutoCAD and other modeling and rendering programs. Stratavision anyone?
I devoured any and every new software that was released
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฌ'๐ / ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ / ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐บ
When I left school and got my first job at Jerde I pressed one of the senior designers to use a 3D Studio (before Max) model for the project we were working on, something no one else was doing at the time. I said it was faster and better than physical models. He said heโd heard that before and didnโt believe me but ok prove it.
So I did, and from that point forward we used 3D Studio in the design process.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ด๐ต๐๐ / ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฎ๐
๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐๐ง / ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฆ
After I left Jerde I taught myself 3dsMax and consulted on modeling, rendering and animation while I was starting a small practice.
The renderings helped pay the bills while I tried to get things going, but ultimately that didnโt work out.
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ'๐ / ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ / ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐
Years later, when I did my first development project and started Baran Studio, I did it using Autodeskโs early BIM modeler, Architectural Desktop. Iโd long been seeking a way to combine the modeling and rendering I was doing with the working drawings that were being done by others.
Later Revit was becoming the industry standard, and we were early adopters. We continue to use Revit, Sketchup, Lumion, and Twin Motion to design and document projects.
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ'๐ / ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ / ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐ฑ
To this day Iโm interested in new technology and how it can make architecture faster, more efficient, more cost effective along with improving design and construction quality.
We continue to experiment, at the moment with AI including MidJourney, Stable Diffusion and Dall-E (see my chapter in Artificial. Intelligent. Architecture) as well as running our designs through architecture specific solutions like LookAI. We use Chat GPT for a variety of purposes (but not this post if youโre wondering ๐)