AFR: Anthony Frausto-Robledo, Founder & Editor, Architosh

NF: Nader Family, Founder of BOA

NF: Not the current version of BOA.

AFR: Does BOA have any proprietary or nonproprietary scripting abilities?

NF: No. We will be adding our own proprietary development calls in the future.

AFR: Does BOA support third-party plugins or modules for expandability?

NF: This is in the works. We expect the initial plugins to be a 'take-off' module, interactive terrain modeler, and rendering module.

AFR: What 3D objects does BOA currently work with?

NF: BOA works in 3D with a prismatic prism we call the Block. It can be reshaped, dynamically connected and fused to other blocks with each block retaining its modification rules. Complex forms can then be modified in whole or in the smallest elements using the same tool set.

Openings can be inserted in blocks and frames installed in openings. Blocks can be any part of a building, a wall, a slab, a balustrade, etceteras.. Openings can be used in the traditional sense, for placing frames, or for creating holes in objects.

AFR: Can BOA also important objects with 3D faces using DWG or DXF formats?

NF: Yes, we are working to extend the DWF format as well.

AFR: Are there any other import/export options in BOA besides the usual Mac OS default file options?

NF: Besides DXF and DWG, we are talking to several software companies about incorporating their standard file formats in BOA. I think the best prospects are those which can accept all information we send out (that is, a complete BOA description), use what is needed, add their information and return it to us.

AFR: Now I would like to talk about parametric CAD technology a little. How is BOA like or dislike ArchiCAD and the new Revit? What's better and what needs more work?

NF: I would rather call out technology Geometric Dependency. This is a more exact description of how we have implemented relationships between elements.

As the user clicks objects in position, he has the option of placing them in specific relations to one or more objects. If the user has chosen for this to be recorded, we keep track of this relationship. It is a bottom up setup rather than top down. This database system has been called 'creation history' and relational geometry in some academic publications, but since in BOA we can modify the relationships at will, we prefer the general term Geometric Dependency.

AFR: Were is BOA headed with the parametric technology?

NF: We will grow with our users, which surprisingly have caught on to this technology really fast. Many of them insist on designing with it from the get go. Of course, we don't encourage anyone to design a building where every element is controlled by other elements, even if it is possible.