Listen to the Ask the Expert podcast, in partnership with Zentia, exploring Sonify 3D Studio, a powerful online configurator for the company’s innovative new discontinuous ceiling system.
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One of the principal aims of Zentia’s new Sonify discontinuous ceiling system is to combine high levels of performance with creative freedom using a ‘kit-of-parts’ approach. Panel shape and spacing, along with a palette of 35 different colours are just some of the design parameters available to specifiers. To help architects both visualise their designs and maximise the potential of the system, Zentia has introduced a powerful online configurator: Sonify 3D Studio.
So what are the key functions and benefits of Sonify 3D Studio? What makes it different from other ceiling configurators? How does it contribute to the golden thread? And how should architects approach the design and specification process using the software? These questions and more were explored in the second of three Ask the Expert podcasts on ceiling design with Phil Dixon, Head of IT at Zentia, in conversation with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw.
What do we mean when we talk about a configurator and where does it typically fit in the designer’s work flow?
A configurator, in the generic sense, is a tool that can be used to manipulate the various options of a given system. Configurators are frequently used in the car industry, enabling customers to select different options for a specific model. This type of tool can be used at the beginning of the design process, to explore different configurations, without investing significant time in understanding the complexity of the product. It can also be used to quickly build up a mood board to show clients and engage in early feedback.
How does a configurator help an architect deliver design intent and meet specific performance requirements?
Like a car configurator, our ceiling configurator is a tool that helps architects to quickly, simply and playfully explore products and configurable options in the Sonify range – without really having to understand how all the systems and fixtures fit together.
What is Sonify 3D Studio configurator and why did Zentia build it?
One of Zentia’s core beliefs is innovation, so we naturally wanted to create a tool that would add value to our customers by doing something that nobody had done before. 3D Studio is a multifaceted tool, that introduces architects and designers to Sonify, and lets them explore the range’s almost infinite design possibilities quickly, simply and visually.
The Sonify 3D Studio configurator combines parametric design and creativity with simple integration into digital workflows
What are the main functions and benefits of Sonify 3D Studio for the specifier?
There are a number of key elements. The configurator is super simple to play with, enabling users to manipulate shapes, colours and different environments with ease. We also built it to be highly photorealistic, so the system understands materials, light and how ceilings look at different times of the day. The system itself is a full 3D environment, so users can move around the space and interact with model solutions. When an architect starts to create a design online, the configurator generates a unique ‘kit of parts’ with everything that is needed to install the ceiling system. As such, anything that is designed online can be manufactured and realised on site.
What makes Sonify 3D Studio different from other ceiling configurators in the market?
Most ceiling configurators tend to be estimator tools, which provide a spreadsheet type calculation of how much continuous ceiling might be needed for a specific project. The 3D Studio configurator is unlike anything currently on the market as it allows users to create photorealistic graphics in a full 3D space. This in turn helps them engage with the design process and their clients.
How would architect approach the design and specification process using the configurator?
Specifiers can find 3D Studio via the Zentia website and then start designing straight away. It’s a simple Wizard-driven interface, where users are first asked to select a room from a predetermined number of environments. Next they asked to choose one of our core product families, and from there they are taken to the relevant interface where they can use sliders and toggles to simply manipulate different design options.
Sonify 3D Studio provides a canvas for specifiers to play with shapes and colours when designing acoustic ceilings
Is Sonify 3D Studio compatible with parametric design and AR, and if so how does this work?
At the heart of 3D Studio is a full parametric engine, which ensures that whatever is configured on screen can be manufactured and built on site. Once a specifier has registered and saved a design they are presented with a QR code, which can be used on Android and iOS devices.
Can specifiers work on multiple project drafts using the configurator?
Yes. To save a design, users are asked to register an account, and Zentia does not place a limitation on the number of designs in the system. This allows users to compare room scenes using different products and colours.
Can specifiers add BIM elements from their libraries into the configurator and if so how is this done?
Currently we don’t allow specifiers to import their own data into the configurator – it’s an export system only. But it is something that we have discussed and will potentially add to the roadmap for Sonify 3D Studio, particularly if there is demand for it.
Zentia’s Sonify discontinuous ceiling system is designed to maximise design creativity and performance in use using a kit-of-parts approach
Is it possible to share designs on the configurator, including visualisations, with other members of the project team? And if so how does this work in practice?
It certainly is. Each ceiling design that is saved gets a unique URL, which can be shared across a range of mediums, and takes users back to the individual design, allowing them to interact with it, play fly-though videos, and download required resources, such as imagery and CAD models.
In terms of the golden thread, can the configuration be imported into the architect’s own design models and if so, which CAD software packages is it compatible with, and can they continue to make alterations/revisions to it?
Yes. There’s a small install file (downloadable for free from Sonify 3D Studio) that uses the latest functionality in Revit 2022 and a plug in called Dynamo. Once you’ve installed the software and saved the model, you can export the file directly into Revit and continue to work on it within the Revit environment.
What do you see as the future roadmap for Sonify 3D Studio, in terms of additional functionality, technology, and system capabilities?
As an innovative company we have a whole raft of features to be released into the configurator going forward. These include the ability to interact with single assets, employ custom room sizes, and obtain acoustic data. I would also say that If there are any specific features or requirements that users have, please contact myself or anyone from Zentia to discuss this.
Contact Details
Click here to listen to the podcast in full. To find out more about Sonify and the Sonify 3D Studio configurator, please call 0191 497 1000, email, or visit the Zentia website.
Source: Architecture Today