PackYak Beta Testing - Send data between Grasshopper files through the cloud

Introducing PackYak - Beta Testing

Over the last 3 years of using Grasshopper on some large projects and teams, I have always found collaboration across Grasshopper definitions is clunky. In the past week or so, I have been developing a new plugin called PackYak. PackYak lets you share data between grasshopper files via the cloud. Hopefully, PackYak will make collaboration between Grasshopper definitions simple and easy. You can send and cache data into the cloud with the "Pack" component. You can then use the "Unpack" component to download the data into any other grasshopper definition even if the original is closed. Packs each have a unique Pack ID for downloading as well as a Secret Key that you can use to update or edit the pack.

Before I release this into the wild, I would like to organize a group of beta testers. Anyone is welcome to try it out, but I would appreciate some feedback on your success, failures, errors, or problems.

Spread the word. If you would like to give it a try or have questions / comments / feedback respond here.

Thanks!

Ryan

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on August 17, 2015 at 12:48am

That's cool, but you might want to pick a different name, Yak is a rather large project McNeel is working on, also to do with online synchronisation, though not between files.

Permalink Reply by Ryan Gathmann on August 17, 2015 at 12:49am

Man! What are the odds?! Fine fine. Let me see what else I have got!

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on August 17, 2015 at 2:57am

And, oddly enough before Yak was called Yak it was called PackRat... what are the odds indeed.

Permalink Reply by phillip on August 17, 2015 at 5:12am

Is this based on the Yannis PackRat and like an on board 2d-3d nesting or something completely different? What type of a project, a stand-alone or plug-in? Sorry for my curiosity, if this is too much to ask.

@Ryan: What kind of cloud-storage can you use? May I hook this up to my own (oc) server?

Permalink Reply by Ryan Gathmann on August 17, 2015 at 6:26am

The plugin formerly known as PackYak will be using a custom web service I built to manage uploaded objects. The web service allows the file storage and retrieval to be smarter than a simple file upload. For example, the unpack plugin will only download the most recent version if it has changed. The Server also uses a REST API so the data could be access by game engines, apps, other plugins, or other programs like Dynamo possibly.

Right now the web service will operate like a paste bin, everyone's packs are public. I will post a video today.

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on August 17, 2015 at 7:26am

It's nothing specifically to do with Grasshopper. It's something we're working on for potentially all mcneel products. I really don't want to say too much because I'm not involved in the actual development and I don't know how certain we are it will be successful, and if it is, how long it will take.

Permalink Reply by Brian Ringley on August 17, 2015 at 8:03am

Hi Ryan I'd be interested in taking a look. I'll help spread the word, sounds useful.

Permalink Reply by Ryan Gathmann on August 17, 2015 at 8:18am

So I was planning on doing some sort of private beta but that sounds like a pain to setup. Let me change the name, make a little teaser video and get the food4rhino link setup and the beta will go live this afternoon for anyone who wants to try it.

- Ryan

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