Grasshopper: Architectural Prototyping

Grasshopper: Architectural Prototyping

2h 29mIntermediate2018-03-05

Authors

Walter Zesk

Walter Zesk

Designer, Professor, and Cofounder of Conform Lab

Course details

Grasshopper is a powerful visual programming plugin for Rhino, but the most effective design patterns within Grasshopper remain inaccessible to a majority of architectural designers. This course attempts to correct that gap. Watch and learn how to use Grasshopper scripts to create a variety of prototypes that can test concepts, predict costs, and help in the architectural proposal process. Instructor Walter Zesk shows how to use existing scripts, adapt and repair scripts, and design new scripts from scratch, focusing on a modular, component-based designs that can accept a variety of inputs. The course closes with some best practices for running prototypes, collecting data, and sharing your prototypes with colleagues.

Learning objectives
Useful prototype examples
Modifying an existing prototype
Adding modularity with clusters
Planning outputs and inputs
Planning data flow
Finding and wiring components
Using and sharing your prototype

Skills covered

GrasshopperRobert McNeel & AssociatesProgramming LanguagesSoftware DevelopmentDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

Introduction

  • Welcome
  • What you should know
  • How to use the exercise files

Useful Prototypes

  • What makes a prototype useful
  • The power of Grasshopper
  • Installing Kangaroo
  • Form-finding prototypes
  • Performative prototypes
  • Systems of assembly prototypes

Analyzing and Modify an Existing Prototype

  • Troubleshooting version and dependencies
  • Troubleshooting old components
  • Troubleshooting inputs
  • Troubleshooting data trees
  • Organizing your scripts
  • Adding modularity with clusters

Designing a Prototype

  • Planning by starting with outputs
  • Type output
  • Visualization output
  • Data output
  • Planning contextual inputs
  • Planning controllable inputs
  • Planning data flow

Implementing a Prototype Design

  • Finding components
  • Wiring components
  • Resolving issues
  • Flexing inputs

Using and Learning from Your Prototype

  • Gathering data
  • Modularizing and distributing
  • Sharing example files

Conclusion

  • Next steps
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