Topic: Fluid Forms: Geometry Rationalization with Maya & Rhino3D
Date: August 9 – 10, 2025
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: August 8th, 2025
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee For Digital Members: 85 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Hazel Özrenk
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
Introduction to Fluid Forms:
In the modern design landscape, crafting stunning free-form shapes is only the beginning. The real challenge lies in turning those visionary forms into practical, buildable solutions that meet construction requirements without compromising their artistic essence.
This workshop takes you through proven techniques for simplifying complex geometries, enhancing curvature continuity, and organizing surfaces for efficient real-world application. You’ll gain the skills to refine fluid, organic shapes into precise, build-ready surfaces while preserving the integrity of your original design.
This workshop explores a practical workflow for transforming free-form geometries created in Autodesk Maya into clean, controllable NURBS surfaces in Rhino3D. Ideal for designers and architects working at the intersection of creativity and precision, the course focuses on using Maya for expressive form generation and Rhino for refining and converting geometry using SubD and NURBS tools.
The workshop also includes a brief introduction to rendering with Enscape, a fast and intuitive visualization tool that allows you to quickly explore materiality and present your designs with a strong visual impact. This workshop will also touch on a video creation tool, Runway, to help enhance your final outputs with simple, engaging animations.
The Scope of Fluid Forms:
This workshop begins with a visual introduction to the overall goals, tools, and design logic behind the Maya-to-Rhino workflow. Instruction is structured around progressive, step-by-step demonstrations that move from concept to refinement.
By learning geometry rationalization, you develop essential skills that connect creative ideas with practical accuracy. Whether you’re planning panels for cladding or making sure shapes flow smoothly for structure or airflow, this workshop teaches you how to make your designs workable and polished.
The workshop is structured to build understanding through practical exercises, emphasizing both the creative and technical aspects of the Maya-to-Rhino workflow. Each session is designed to reinforce learning by demonstrating how tools and strategies are applied directly to project-based tasks.
Key Learning Topics:
- The creative flexibility and design potential of mesh modelling in Maya
- Best practices for exporting from Maya to Rhino
- Techniques to convert mesh into SubD and NURBS in Rhino3D
- Geometry rationalization and surface evaluation techniques: strategies for simplifying complex forms, improving curvature continuity, and preparing surfaces for buildability
- How to visualize your work using Enscape within Rhino and export high-quality renderings
- Quick post-production with Photoshop and video creation with Runway
- A complete, practical workflow from expressive modelling to rational, presentation-ready geometry
Program:
Day 1 – Free-Form Modelling in Maya and Exporting to Rhino
Introduction to Form Development
- Overview of the Maya-to-Rhino workflow
- Introduction to mesh modelling tools in Maya
- Clean mesh modelling techniques and the importance of subdivision lines
- Hands-on form creation: building geometry while applying clean mesh principles
- Organizing with layers and applying basic materials
Export and Preparation in Rhino
- Exporting mesh from Maya to Rhino
- Demonstrating and comparing different export methods
- Importing and converting mesh to SubD
- Adding human scale and environmental references to assess proportions
- Placing geometry in context to initiate spatial thinking
- Converting refined SubD to NURBS surfaces
Day 2 – Geometry Rationalization and Visualization
Rationalization
- Surface evaluation and geometry rationalization
- Understanding curvature, continuity, and simplification strategies
- Rebuilding curves and surfaces to further rationalize the form
- Introducing façade cladding logic:
- Modular sizing
- Panel outlines
Visualization with Enscape
- Introduction to the Enscape interface within Rhino
- Assigning materials, lighting, and environment setup
- Using Enscape for rapid visualization
- Creating quick, high-quality renders for presentation and material testing
- Exporting high-quality visuals
- Quick post-processing in Photoshop and with AI-based tools like Runway to enhance the presentation
Software
- Autodesk Maya
- Rhino3D (with SubD tools)
- Enscape (Rhino plugin; trial or license recommended)
- Photoshop
- Runway
Workshop Notes:
- Please ensure you have all the software installed before the workshop starts. Software installation is NOT a part of the workshop.
- Basic knowledge of Maya is recommended.
- SubD tools will be used primarily for adjusting vertex positions and refining form.
Instructor:
Hazel Özrenk
Hazel Ozrenk is a creative architect with over 7 years of experience delivering high-end design projects across various sectors, including retail, hospitality, residential, and large-scale urban developments.
She has contributed to landmark projects at world-renowned firms, including Zaha Hadid Architects, where she was involved in major works like Unicorn Island, the OCT Exhibition and Theatre, and the Neom Tower. In Turkey, Hazel played a key role in an award-winning factory headquarters project, further expanding her multidisciplinary design expertise.
She holds a Master’s degree from the Architectural Association’s Design Research Lab (DRL) in London and has been a registered architect in Turkey since 2012. Hazel brings a strong balance of conceptual creativity and technical precision to her work, with a particular focus on digital design, form generation, and geometry rationalization.
Important Notes:
- The “Fluid Forms: Geometry Rationalization with Maya & Rhino3D” Studio workshop by PAACADEMY will start at 14:00 (GMT) on Saturday, August 9th, 2025.
- Total sessions: 2 Sessions
- The teaching duration per session will be 4 hours.
- Students will have time for a break between teaching hours.
- Each session and the entire studio will be recorded, and videos will be available for participants just a day after the class for an unlimited time.
- PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.
- The studio has limited seats. Tickets are non-transferable & non-refundable. Please read carefully before you register.
Topic: Fluid Forms: Geometry Rationalization with Maya & Rhino3D
Date: August 9 – 10, 2025
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: August 8th, 2025
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner-Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee For Digital Members: 85 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Hazel Özrenk
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
