So you have been wondering around on several sites that show pretty cool and astonishing projects of architecture , graphic design or interactive applications , and you have read they have been created whit the help of programming languages like rhinoscript,maxscript,actionscript ,phyton etc.. at the beginning the idea of generating shapes and forms by using lines of code may sound crazy I remind when I started it has a shock for me and really confusing . However if your curiosity and your will to get into this world is greatest than your fear to get into the world of algorithms and numbers , there are few things you need to know to have a nice start.
Patience,Practice and Time are fundamental with any of this its hard to really achieve significant results , Time its one of the most difficult things to get on this days but you´ll have to make an effort and find the way to dedicate some hours for this task in a daily basis specially at the beginning while you start understanding the basic of programming languages its very common you start a script and when you let pass some days return again to it and don´t have a clue of what the f”#@k you where doing , so in few words what i´m trying to say its no more Lost, Prison Break or what ever its your favorite TV show for while.
Community , social media and Blogs are your greatest ally in order to learn over the last couple of years I have witnessed the grow of communities, blogs ,videos etc.. that are generated daily with great people sharing their knowledge , I would dare to share that almost anything you need to know is already out there and the best part its free, perhaps you are used to have someone teaching you personally or take courses or workshops this is is not bad it helps you a to get on tracks easily , but perhaps you are in a place where this events don´t take place which was my case under this situation you are going to have to learn something way more important than a programming language you´ll have to learn by yourself fortunately for us never in the history of mankind this has been more easy you just need to go to the correct places and ask the right questions there’s a lot of good people out there willing to help.
Algorithms at the end of the day the only thing you have to keep in mind no matter if you are dealing with simple 2d drawing, 3d modelling or a complex interactive system , what you are doing is an Algorithm which nothing more than a fancy word for calling a list of procedures that’s right an algorithm is nothing more than a set of instructions you give a computer to achieve a task something like a recipe. For example the algorithm for preparing a Pineapple Tangerine Margita
Variables
- -6 Tangerines
- -2 Spoons of rice syrup
- -2 ice cubes
- -Pineapple wedges.
- -1 pinch salt
- -Tequila =)
Algorithm
- -Juice the tangerines
- -Place in blender
- -Add pineapple, sugar,salt and tequila
- -Blend on highest speed till smooth
- -Serve margaritas in goblets garnished with pineapple wedges.
- -Repeat all the steps until you get happy.
Processing a good place to start , even do I started programming in rhinoscript because I was very focused on 3d modelling later on I started using which is Processing which is an open source programming language and environment for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. One of the main objectives of processing is to introduce to artists and designers the fundamentals of computer programming , as I started using this platform It became a lot easier to me understand the basic rules of programming languages,I would have made my beginnings in programing if I have started with processing, thats why i strongly recommend this platform to start learning besides its one of the greatest communities you can find out there everybody sharing codes , libraries and you can meet good people on the way.
I am starting with this thing of writing my personal thought and ideas, I hope this text helps a little bit those who are a lost in there way of starting , any comments are greatly appreciated.
