They say it is a poor carpenter who blames his tools. But what if he isn’t blaming the tools, but praising them? That is the question Morpholio seems to have been asking itself when designing a technical pen for architects and designers in the modern age. A pen Morpholio hopes will be praised for making the lives of these architects and designers much easier.
As CAD software took over in the 90s and early 2000s, pen sets went the way of the dodo, and the art of hand drafting went along for the ride. But as architecturelab.net reports, a renaissance of architects using hand drawing and sketching as part of their process, thanks to the prevalence of touchscreens and styluses, is currently occurring.
And, as Anne Sullivan (known for being Helen Keller’s instructor) once said, “Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry to be free.” So, what are these designers and architects crying to be freed from? How about the one-size-fits-all sliders used for controlling line weight or the irksome task of constantly making note of the line weight being used for a given aspect of the drawing?
With the ability to zoom in and out of an image with a simple pinching or spreading motion of one’s fingers, a line that was perfect at one zoom level could become too thick when zoomed in our too thin when zoomed out.
That’s where Morpholio’s new ScalePen comes in. ScalePen works in tandem with Morpholio’s popular “Trace” drawing app and is described as Anna Kenoff, Morpholio Co-creator, as “an entirely new opportunity for architectural drawing.” The key feature associated with ScalePen is that it eliminates the need for the user to keep records of their pen weight. Instead, the software does the tedious pen-related bookkeeping itself.
An old set of technical pens. Photo Credit: Vanjagenije, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Depending on the drawing scale and the zoom level, ScalePen continuously and automatically assigns a calibrated set of technical pens and pen sizes. Zoom in to a specific spot in the drawing and ScalePen will adjust. Zoom out or change the scale, and the pen sizes change too. The result of all of this dynamic change is that it saves time for the designer or architect and creates uniformity among line weight.
For example, a designer can zoom in on a site plan at 1/16-inch scale and draw specific details on one of their designs using a set of ten pen sizes. When finished, the designer can zoom out to, say, ¼-inch scale, and be gifted with a new set of ten pen sizes and add some additional details. Finally, the designer can zoom out to the original scale and be presented with the same ten pens they had at the start and continue on their merry way.
As Morpholio Co-creator Toru Hasegawa told architectmagazine.com, “No matter what zoom level you are in, there is a thinnest line and a thickest line relative to that zoom level.” Ah, the magic of the digital age.
The patent-pending ScalePen works with eight pen types, including pencil, charcoal, and brush, providing even more specificity and possibility for the designer/architect and making the tool even more useful. While it might still be unbecoming to blame the tools for any user-related shortcomings, Morpholio probably wouldn’t mind being praised for the opposite.
Related Stories
Student Housing | Mar 13, 2023
University of Oklahoma, Missouri S&T add storm-safe spaces in student housing buildings for tornado protection
More universities are incorporating reinforced rooms in student housing designs to provide an extra layer of protection for students. Storm shelters have been included in recent KWK Architects-designed university projects in the Great Plains where there is a high incidence of tornadoes. Projects include Headington and Dunham Residential Colleges at the University of Oklahoma and the University Commons residential complex at Missouri S&T.
Mixed-Use | Mar 11, 2023
Austin mixed-use development will provide two million sf of office, retail, and residential space
In Austin, Texas, the seven-building East Riverside Gateway complex will provide a mixed-use community next to the city’s planned Blue Line light rail, which will connect the Austin Bergstrom International Airport with downtown Austin. Planned and designed by Steinberg Hart, the development will include over 2 million sf of office, retail, and residential space, as well as amenities, such as a large park, that are intended to draw tech workers and young families.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 9, 2023
Two performing arts centers expand New York’s cultural cachet
A performing arts center under construction and the adaptive reuse for another center emphasize flexibility.
Architects | Mar 9, 2023
HLW achieves Just 2.0 label for equity and social justice
Global architecture, design, and planning firm HLW has achieved The International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Just 2.0 Label. The label was developed for organizations to evaluate themselves through a social justice and equity lens.
Laboratories | Mar 9, 2023
5 laboratory design choices that accelerate scientific discovery
Stephen Blair, director of CannonDesign's Science & Technology Practice, identifies five important design strategies to make the most out of our research laboratories.
Affordable Housing | Mar 8, 2023
7 affordable housing developments built near historic districts, community ties
While some new multifamily developments strive for modernity, others choose to retain historic aesthetics.
Architects | Mar 8, 2023
Is Zoom zapping your zip? Here are two strategies to help creative teams do their best work
Collaborating virtually requires a person to filter out the periphery of their field of vision and focus on the glow of the screen. Zoom fatigue is a well-documented result of our over-reliance on one method of communication to work. We need time for focus work but working in isolation limits creative outcomes and innovations that come from in-person collaboration, write GBBN's Eric Puryear, AIA, and Mandy Woltjer.
Building Team | Mar 8, 2023
Call for Speakers: BD+C’s 2023 Women in Residential + Commercial Construction Conference
The 2023 Women in Residential + Commercial Construction conference event will take place October 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn., and will bring together more than 300 women leaders from all facets of the $1.4 trillion U.S. residential and commercial constructing sector.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Mar 8, 2023
Hoffmann Architects + Engineers receives Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from New York Landmarks Conservancy
Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, a design firm specializing in the rehabilitation of building exteriors, announces that the historic facade rehabilitation and window replacement at the 69th Regiment Armory has been selected for the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s prestigious recognition for outstanding preservation efforts.
Architects | Mar 7, 2023
David Chipperfield named 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate
Widely regarded as architecture's highest honor, the 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to UK-based architect David Chipperfield. In honoring Chipperfield with the award, the Pritzker Prize jury cited the architect's "commitment to an architecture of understated but transformative civic presence and the definition—even through private commissions—of the public realm."