Marc Teer, an instructor at IIT, founded the site Black Spectacles in 2010 to create a friendly forum where architects and designers could learn the latest software online, from 3ds Max to RhinoScript and everything in between. In a day-long workshop on Friday, October 12, Teer will zero in on programs that enable the design and patterning of facades. The event is part of Collaboration: The Art and Science of Building Facades, the Chicago edition of the Architect’s Newspaper‘s popular conference taking place October 11-12.

Facade Patterning: Translation from Grasshopper into Revit will investigate interoperability between Grasshopper and Revit and explore the array of evocatively named tools that make this translation possible: Geometry Gym, Hummingbird, Chameleon & Import, OpenNurbs to Revit. “On the one hand you have Grasshopper, which provides architects with an unlimited architectural vocabulary, and on the other, you have Revit which is arguably the most powerful design development and documentation tool. The problem is these two tools don’t work well together out of the box,” said Teer.

Not only will participants have a chance to work with Teer, but the software developers behind selected tools will also participate in the workshop via Skype, sharing stories for how the software emerged and offering in-depth insights into the possibilities–and limitations–of each.”Our workshop will survey all of the available software that connects these two essential design tools,” said Teer. “By the end of it, the attendees will understand how to properly translate their Grasshopper models into Revit. Connecting these two programs will give designers the tools they need to realize their most inventive work.”

To register for the conference and this workshop, click here. Workshop attendees should have an introductory understanding of both Grasshopper and Revit.