Resolution Era, Cloud-based Enhancing, Automated Drawing… the Junior AI Assistant for Architects!
How to spark productivity through technology in the digital age? Recently, XKool Technology, a leader in AI applications for the architecture industry, held a new product launch of “Plan Deep” to kick off a new round of evolution in architecture technology capabilities.
Information about XKool’s newly released intelligent design products is included in this article, as well as the upcoming DigitalFUTURES Tutorial Session to be presented by XKool on January 8, 2022, where you’re invited to experience the collaboration between architecture and technology up close.
Enable Design to Create Greater Value With AI
When Rem Koolhaas received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2000, he made the following acceptance speech: “Only we architects don’t benefit from this redefinition marooned in our own Dead Sea of mortar. Unless we break our dependency on the real and recognized architecture as a way of thinking about all issues, from the most political to the most practical, liberate ourselves from eternity to speculate about compelling and immediate new issues, such as poverty, the disappearance of nature, architecture will maybe not make the year two-thousand-fifty.” [1]
Global science and technology innovation are developing rapidly, new technologies, new business models and new modes are popping up with deep integration of cutting-edge technologies into industries. In the architecture field, the problems of sloppy development, slow penetration of information technology and low efficiency have been holding back industrial upgrading.”Technology” has become one of the most important issues for the architecture industry to regain its vitality in the present digital era.
Since its founding in 2016, XKool Technology has had a clear mission – architecture intelligence. XKool Technology was born in response to the trend of the digital era and reflected the founder’s profound understanding of “Revolution of Architecture”. With background of research studies at Belgrade Institute of Delft University of Technology and seven years of practical experience at OMA under Rem Koolhaas, Wanyu He has paved the way from architecture to architecture intelligence.
Wanyu He focuses on Associative Design, which emphasizes systematic logical thinking rather than relying on inspiration, and uses computer algorithms to achieve the overall design outcome. She believes that this design logic and operational decision-making is the real core of architecture. It is on the core and essential logic that XKool Technology addresses the macro vision of the future of architecture, combined with the use of the most advanced computer technology to design a systemic solution mechanism.
In 2016, the year of AlphaGo’s victory over Lee Sedol, XKool Technology was officially established, starting from the issue of “how to reduce the repetitive and inefficient work of designers”, hoping to create greater value for design with AI solutions.
As early as before its establishment, XKool had a clear plan for the prototype: “First of all, it must be cloud-based, which can be flexibly called and efficiently coordinated; secondly, it should realize the interaction amongst data, model and regulations, without the designer drawing and modeling one stroke at a time; Furthermore, it is very intelligent, which can update information, deposit data and iterate continuously. “
XKool Technology focuses on the vertical application of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology in architecture, assisting urban planning, architectural design and development decisions with AI design engines, developing the world’s first artificial intelligence architectural design engine, and creating an intelligent design and management platform covering the whole cycle in the industry.
The launch focused on the intelligent development of the whole design cycle, the continuous evolution of the underlying technology of XKool, and the comprehensive upgrade of intelligent design capabilities.
XKool Design Cloud 2022: An One-Stop Intelligent Design Application on Cloud Built for Architectural Design
XKool Design Cloud, a cloud-based one-stop intelligent design product for the architectural design, is also the core product of XKool Technology.
In the past year, XKool Design Cloud has implemented 359 user requirements, and all these functions have been integrated into XKool’s special six design steps “Investigate/import data and analysis – AI-assisted generate qualified design – Intelligent edit on cloud – Schemes’ real-time compliance and quality check – Multi-party collaboration of design outcomes synchronously- Export multi-format files and applied to different scales and stages. The update mainly includes three modules: MasterPlanner, BuildingCreator and ColorMaster.
MasterPlanner
Facing the difficulties in the initial stage of real estate development, such as heavy workload and many possibilities of plot concept planning, this module focuses on obtaining relatively optimal solutions for plot-scale zone planning and building layout. As the initial product of XKool, MasterPlanner has already undergone four major versions and completed nearly 100,000 effective solutions in total.
1. Informatization of land use conditions
· CAD upload: online reading and recognition of drawings, fast transformation into information model on cloud.
· Indicator setting: support multi-site indicator setting, calculate the gap in real-time.
2. Multi-dimensional analysis of the site
· Surrounding data visualization: view multiple types of data and analysis of the surrounding to get a comprehensive understanding of the site and assist in quick initial judgment of land value.
3. Smart building count estimation
· Automatic calculation: set the parameters of building type and calculate the matching of building type to meet the target according to the site conditions.
· Strategic schemes output: provide a variety of estimation strategies such as maximum profit value, minimum building type, closest target housing type allocation ratio, etc.
4. Layout solution generation
· Overall layout: automatic mode, according to land use indicators, estimation result and generation strategy setting, a preliminary building layout solution is generated for the selected land with one click.
· “Lightning sketch”: semi-automatic mode, according to the land division scope and target building type specified by the architect, the building layout solution is generated by rapid feedback.
5. Intelligent assisted editing
· Assisted editing: improving the editing efficiency of the building layout by with directional distance moving, spacing ruler and snap.
· CAD coordination: CAD + plugins, one-click synchronization between local and cloud.
6. Real-time review
· Real-time feedback on indicators: editing schemes and real-time feedback on indicators make design adjustments more targeted.
· Daylighting and design codes checking: real-time daylighting and design code checking to help improve design compliance.
7. Input and output
· Multi-format downloadable output: CAD 2D drawing, DAE/OBJ/IFC model files that support lossless edit in 3D modelling and BIM software, housing layout, daylight analysis, economic and technical index tables, and PPT.
· Schemes receiving and sharing: supports cross-project schemes receiving, realizing online asynchronous collaboration and project management; non-registered users can directly view the shared schemes through QR code or link address.
8. Cloud-based collaborative management
· Online project management: it provides cloud-based digital management tools by linking the whole project business process.
· Management of product library of standard housing and building types: it automatically identifies the features of housing products and adds labels to support efficient search applications. Flexible control of permissions and quick updates of housing product.
· Schemes positioning comments: supports adding comments to specific locations in the scheme to improve the efficiency of design communication.
BuildingCreator
As the most common scale in architectural design, building itself often has a large number of modification needs. This product module focuses on making room and floor design simple, allowing designers to focus on the core of the design. This module is also the core of the launch. The XKool AI capability takes it a step further and provides more accurate, faster and smarter design interactions in the solution and initial design stages.
1. Building type import
· CAD recognition: it connects with common CAD software for quick uploads standardized building floorplans, supports dwg/dxf format, automatically identifies objects in standardized drawing.
2. Intelligent design
· Sketch mode: it starts from scratch to explorethe housing type, it supports rapid housing plan generation from single-line draft to detailed housing type via editing with space block.
· Intelligent generation: it replaces the repetitive work of designers with intelligent generation, such as generating doors, windows, furniture, load-bearing walls, grids layout, etc. with one click.
3. Efficient editing
· Editing on cloud: supports cloud-based editing in terms of component objects.
· Localized shortcut keys: supports Chinese input methods: Pinyin shortcut keys to enhance the editing experience.
4. Evaluation and review
· Indicator specifications: experts interpret the regulations, built-in rules for calculating area indicators under the China’s standard, real-time statistics of various indicators.
· Compliance assistance: “interaction of data, model and regulations as a whole” is realized in the process of design, providing real-time indicators, real-time component error reporting, real-time dimensioning and other assistance functions.
· Plan evaluation: 7 scoring dimensions are built by experts to evaluate the quality of housing design to enhance housing’s living quality.
5. Collaborative linkage
· Multi-professional collaboration: standard format “.xkool” can be used to interface with partners in ecosystem to achieve multi-discipline collaboration.
· Linkage with MasterPlanner: redirects to BuildingCreator for adjusting building type details before updating to MasterPlanner in real time. It also participates in checking and table calculation to ensure the consistency of the data and model of the planning scheme.
6. Results export
· CAD drawing: promptly generate CAD plan drawings that meet drawing standards.
· Colorize scheme diagram: promptly generate colorized building floorplan and housing plan in raster graphics and PSD file required for presentation and promotion.
ColorMaster
ColorMaster can realize intelligent and fast generation for site plan coloring that is time consuming and repetitive. The landscape information can be generated intelligently by simply inputting CAD plan drawing; at the same time, supports a variety of color scheme styles to switch with one click and can output high-resolution layered PSD format.
1. Object digitization in site plan
· CAD recognition support for dwg/dxf format, automatic recognition of the semantics of each object.
· Properties editing online to edit object properties and support minor modification of recognized outcomes.
2. Colored drawing generation with one click
· Automatic obtaining of surrounding information: automatic obtaining of surrounding information within a certain range based on the project location.
· One-click generation of site plan elements: one-minute generation of visual elements such as landscape, building shadows, and annotation.
3. Customized style switching
· Color style switching: four built-in color styles for quick testing.
· Customized texture mapping: replaceable visual object and texture with support for style file import and sharing.
4. Layered PSD format export
· It automatically separates landscape, building, shadow, road and other elements by layers to maximize support for further editing.
ARP(Architectural Research Platform): Architectural Technology Integration Capability Output
ARP is a lightweight architectural intelligence research platform released by XKool in June of this year. It enables rapid integration of big data, AI algorithms, cloud computing and other technologies to quickly experiment and iterate on various design scenarios and issues in the architectural industry at multi- scales.
In response to the current needs such as apartment renovation, urban planning and building operation projects, ARP derived X series tools – X-FlatTool, an apartment generator for mass apartment renovation, and X-UrbanTool, an urban designer for urban planning and building operation.
For instance, in X-UrbanTool can achieves optimized urban planning schemes by entering the target site and adjusting the planning objectives and restraint parameters such as plot ratio, building density, and building height limit.
Kooltect’s prefabricated architectural design engine: realizing the phase of construction documentation
Kooltect, a new business line explored by XKool Technology for the downstream of the industry chain. It is a extension of XKool towards the design, measurement, manufacturing, and construction of building industrialization, starting from modular box assembly to designing and building houses like building Lego blocks, increasing the efficiency of BIM in prefabrication design, achieving the connection of design with factories.
At present, Kooltect can support models equivalent to LOD 300~350, which supports the collaboration of major professions and further design stage.
In the four major professions of HVAC, plumbing, M&E, and firefighting, the supported components includes pipes, bend pipe, T-pipe and connections in detail. While in structure it introduces in detail the components such as columns, beams, beam-column connections and corrugated plates, so that it could be as detailed as the construction drawing details of LOD 350.
In addition, the platform also supports the export of IFC model, which can be further edited in software such as Revit® BIM software, and export plan, elevation, sectional and detail drawing to realize the connection from conceptual design, schematic design, design development and to construction documentation.
XKool is realizing the intelligent design of construction documentation phase especially in prefabricated modular assembly, which proves the feasibility of “BIM design from the earliest stage”.
As the digital revolution gradually takes over the industry, XKool is taking the lead and stepping into the “architecture + AI” field. XKool summarizes the complex design process into 6 major tasks and integrate them into one platform, adapting to the design thinking and habits of architects, continuously exploring possibilities of intelligent design, and iterating it in terms of intelligent design software products and solutions.
Want to learn more about XKool’s intelligent design products? You can experience the new version of XKool Design Cloud 2022 by visiting XKool official website (www.xkool.ai) on your web browser (Chrome is highly recommended).
Meanwhile, Wanyu He, founder and CEO of XKool Technology, is invited by DigitalFUTURES to share the theme of “XKool AI Design Could Tutorial” at 9 am EST/3 pm CET/10 PM China on January 8, 2022, introducing the technical capabilities, core functions and case studies of XKool intelligent design products.
The presentation will be livestreamed on YouTube and BiliBili, please visit the following link for reservation:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DigitalFUTURESworld/live
https://live.bilibili.com/22290623
[1]https://www.pritzkerprize.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/Rem_Koolhaas_Acceptance_Speech_2000.pdf