The Polyhedra Unroller with Flaps is a simple tool I developed for the obvious purpose. It picks any polyhedra (closed polysurface) from the user and unrolls it flat on the XY plane. This part is easy because a short Python script is sufficient. The important function of the script is the generation of the production drawings from the unrolled net. It means, the generation of the flaps. Here, the continuous lines represent the cutting paths and the dashed lines represent…

The Weaire-Phelan structure is an optimal solution to the problem of partitioning space into equal volumes with the least surface area. Denis Weaire and Robert Phelan discovered it in 1993. This structure gained attention due to its efficiency in filling space, offering a configuration that achieves a more balanced distribution of volume and surface area compared to other known structures at the time. Here is my model for the Weaire-Phelan space-filling structure. The Weaire-Phelan structure consists of two different shapes:…

In this study, I explore Cesaro Fractal, generated by Grasshopper. Usually, it is not possible to code recursive algorithms in Grasshopper. With the help of the Anemone add-on, these fractal curves are easy to model. I studied similar fractal algorithms here before. This one is very similar to the Koch’s snowflake. The only difference (as far as I understood) is the side of the spikes. Koch’s Snowflake generates triangular spikes pointing to the outside of the polygon. Cesaro Fractal does…

Here are the variations of classical six-pointed star patterns generated by Grasshopper. Generally, you can see these patterns under the title “Islamic patterns” because they are frequent in the decorations of mosques and palaces. I studied these patterns in Grasshopper earlier in these posts. I always find this an interesting geometry exercise. This time, my main goal was to develop a useful code only with the native Grasshopper components that create laser-cut-ready products of hexagonal star lattice. Thus, I made…

Perlin noise is a gradient noise function that has been widely used in computer graphics, procedural generation, and various other applications to generate natural-looking patterns. Here is my brief exploration of the Perlin Noise Generator. Although I didn’t fully follow the traditional steps the result looks similar. I started with the square grid and generated random gradient vectors on every grid corner. Then, I implemented the original algorithm’s dot product method. To calculate the value of a point in this…

This Grasshopper exercise is a special one. I used Hoopsnake components to develop the branching design I studied earlier here. This time I multiplied the number and orientations of several tree structures to generate my interpretation of the Tree of Life. The challenging part of the algorithm was to finalize every branch tangent to a predefined circle. Group 3 handles this issue by utilizing a Blend Curve component. There are many Number Sliders to play with the design. Thus, I…

Recently I found this VB.net component in an old Grasshopper project. I am not sure if it is mine or not, but I wanted to share it with you. This code modifies Rhino viewport colors quickly without entering the Rhino options window. I frequently modify the viewport colors and grid settings to create renders or animations within Grasshopper. This is why, this component might be useful in making quick modifications to the screen colors. Here is the VB.net code inside…

In this short trial, I will be testing the Open Nest add-on for Grasshopper. The add-on is available in food4rhino as of 2023. For this test, I will use the latest exercise on Interlocking structures I experimented with here. Nesting is an important topic, especially in today’s economic crisis. It reduces the waste materials on laser-cut plates. First, I should re-visit the interlocking structures Grasshopper definition here. The below image is the new definition for the interlocking structure: The new…

Here is a short tutorial on getting help from Grasshopper in physical terrain modeling. It is a classical architectural terrain modeling process. Let’s see how Grasshopper can help us with this. Part 1: Terrain modeling for Laser cutter The terrain model entered in the Brep data store in this application is a closed/solid model. For now, you can also use ready-made components such as Cone or Sphere (Sph) to quickly produce a solid model. In this application, after we obtained…

I am still trying to find the simplest solution to some geometric definitions. This is why I called this Grasshopper definition “Basic Grid Deformation”. Here you see the Curve Proximity (CrvProx) component in use. This component calculated the shortest distance between two curves. I think the underpinnings of this component are very interesting. I hope I can code it in Python one day. In order to see the result more clearly, the Previews of the Interpolate Curve (IntCrv) and Square…