There are many software packages that are used to create digital models. One such package that is popular for industrial, product, and graphic design and architecture is Rhinoceros 3D, or Rhino. Grasshopper is a visual scripting platform for Rhino. With it, the user can build precise, customizable Rhino objects by simply dragging boxes around the screen and connecting them with virtual wires. No knowledge of programming is necessary!
In Part I, Bachman offers a brief overview of scripting with Grasshopper, with simple examples used to introduce the reader to the most common Grasshopper components. In Part II, more complicated Grasshopper scripts are presented, showcasing the variety of objects readers can create. These examples were carefully chosen so that readers can see how the concepts from Part I can be put together to create increasingly complex designs. Finally, Part III features a reference guide from Grasshopper s own help files containing descriptions of some of the most common Grasshopper components.
Grasshopper: Visual Scripting Fo
There are many software packages that are used to create digital models. One such package that is popular for industrial, product, and graphic design and architecture is Rhinoceros 3D, or "Rhino." Grasshopper is a visual scripting platform for Rhino. With it, the user can build precise, customizable Rhino objects by simply dragging boxes around the screen and connecting them with virtual "wires." No knowledge of programming is necessary!
In Part I, Bachman offers a brief overview of scripting with Grasshopper, with simple examples used to introduce the reader to the most common Grasshopper components. In Part II, more complicated Grasshopper scripts are presented, showcasing the variety of objects readers can create. These examples were carefully chosen so that readers can see how the concepts from Part I can be put together to create increasingly complex designs. Finally, Part III features a reference guide from Grasshopper's own help files containing descriptions of some of the most common Grasshopper components.
The Grasshopper Component uses the Rhino.Inside technology in Tekla Structures to let users get the benefit of visual scripting tools without needing to be exposed to the visual script itself.
The component shows up in the component catalog in Tekla Structures as any other Tekla component and has a traditional component dialog. The component can however trigger any Grasshopper definition in the background to generate objects in Tekla, without all the end users needing knowledge about visual programming.
Grasshopper, the computational design extension of Rhino 3D, puts power and flexibility in the hands of architects and designers working with highly complex shapes and surfaces. Use the easy-to-grasp visual programming tools in Grasshopper to create 3D models by creating some user-defined rules and parameters.These models can be updated by simply changing the parameters. Authorized Rhino trainer Luis Fraguada introduces the Rhino user to the algorithmic modeling capabilities of Grasshopper in this overview of its core functionality, interface, data types, data collections, and custom components.
Intended for designers who are experienced in Grasshopper visual scripting, and would like to take their skills to the next level to create their own custom scripts using C# programming language. This guide does not assume nor require any background in programming. It includes a description of the C# component in GH, an overview of C# programming basics and a detailed review of the RhinoCommon geometry. It also includes a few examples of design algorithms implemented using C# in Grasshopper.
Generally, companies could benefit from increased productivity by using parametric design. A parametric design workflow helps create, maintain and optimise structural analysis models while keeping the model definition clear and readable. The most common way to design structures parametrically is through Visual Scripting. Grasshopper, a plugin for Rhinoceros (a 3D modelling package), is one of the most widely used visual scripting environments. Likewise, Dynamo offers a similar function for Autodesk Revit. Visual scripts use an algorithm to create various entities (i.e. points, lines and surfaces) in 3D model space. This algorithm follows linear logic and is relatively simple to define in the graphic user environment. Compared with traditional programming languages, a visual script is far more intuitive. Provided the visual script has been robustly created, then changes to the structural topology (i.e. the geometry of the structure) can be carried out extremely quickly.
Visual scripting offers a readable "script" that may be transferred to most commercial structural analysis software. The scripted model topology (structural geometry and cross-section sizes) can be imported into popular analysis and design software packages by using other software components. These software components are widely available and regularly provided free of charge. Connection to software, such as SCIA Engineer, Tekla Structures, Dlubal, IDEA StatiCa, etc., are available for Grasshopper free of charge. One significant advantage of Grasshopper is openness; anyone with basic programming skills can create a new component to serve a specific need and share it with the community. Of course, advanced programming skill is required to create FEA solvers or analysis tools for complex topics such as real-time analysis of tensile membrane structures (e.g. the Kangaroo plugin), computational fluid dynamics (CFD solvers for wind tunnel simulations), or advanced weather calculations (e.g. the Ladybug plugin). The open nature of visual scripting allows users to choose the most appropriate tools to complete any number of design tasks while using the same scripted model topology. Besides the model topology, the engineer must also add boundary conditions (supports, hinges, loads, etc.) which can all be defined within the visual script. For example, users can automatically loop a SCIA Engineer analysis to optimise the structure while printing result values and running member checks in each iteration. It is worth noting that when working with SCIA Engineer, some settings cannot be defined in the scripted model. For example, mesh settings or selecting the appropriate results to export. In these cases, users could use template project files to predefine these parameters before transforming the scripted model into the analysis model.
In computing, a visual programming language (visual programming system, VPL, or, VPS) is any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually.[1] A VPL allows programming with visual expressions, spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, used either as elements of syntax or secondary notation. For example, many VPLs (known as dataflow or diagrammatic programming)[2][3] are based on the idea of "boxes and arrows", where boxes or other screen objects are treated as entities, connected by arrows, lines or arcs which represent relations.
VPLs may be further classified, according to the type and extent of visual expression used, into icon-based languages, form-based languages, and diagram languages. Visual programming environments provide graphical or iconic elements which can be manipulated by users in an interactive way according to some specific spatial grammar for program construction.
Current developments try to integrate the visual programming approach with dataflow programming languages to either have immediate access to the program state, resulting in online debugging, or automatic program generation and documentation. Dataflow languages also allow automatic parallelization, which is likely to become one of the greatest programming challenges of the future.[5]
The Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J# etc. languages of the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE are not visual programming languages: the representation of algorithms etc. is textual even though the IDE embellishes the editing and debugging activities with a rich user interface. A similar consideration applies to most other rapid application development environments which typically support a form designer and sometimes also have graphical tools to illustrate (but not define) control flow and data dependencies.
As a generative modeling tool, Grasshopper offers a fluid visual interface for creating sophisticated parametric models, but by default, it lacks the ability to communicate with hardware devices such as programmable microcontrollers or haptic interfaces. Firefly fills this void. It is an extension to the Grasshopper parametric interface; combining a specialized set of components with a novel communication protocol (called the Firefly Firmata or Firmware) which together enable real-time interaction between hardware devices and the parametric plug-in for Rhino.
We're delighted to share the release of the 1st edition of the Essential Guide to C# Scripting for Grasshopper. This latest publication by McNeel is intended for designers experienced in Grasshopper visual scripting, who would like to take their skills to the next level to create their own custom scripts using the C# programming language. This guide does not assume nor require any background in programming. It includes a description of the C# component in Grasshopper, an overview of C# programming basics, and a detailed review of the RhinoCommon geometry. It also includes a few examples of design algorithms implemented using C# in Grasshopper.Download C# Guide text and Grasshopper examples...
During my study and career, I moved from Excel to visual programming tools like Grasshopper and eventually ended up working with Python. Currently, I'm involved in a project where these aspects come together. We are making an application to automatically create complex truss structure geometries and perform structural analysis. I am responsible for the Python part which mostly provides the user interface. Our partner-colleagues from FrameFlux, who have the domain knowledge, work with Grasshopper to design the truss structures and perform the structural analysis. 2ff7e9595c
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