As far as I understood, it is impossible to physically construct double-curved surfaces from quadrilateral and planar faces. This definition tries to find an optimized alternative to this problem. Any surface, single or double curved, is divided into standard sub surfaces. But this time, those surfaces are treated as planar surfaces, therefore one corner is moved to meet this requirement. The output consists of only planar surfaces ready for fabrication. […]

Today, we’ve studied fundamentals of component-based design methods. Using curves and surfaces as starting points, we’ve experienced ways of translating those entities via design criteria based on our purposes. First, a curve is used to construct a leaf structure. We’ve experienced dispatching data lists and combining them back together. Subdividing curves into points created further entities such as vectors and planes. We used those entities as inputs of regular drawing […]

This is the old-method Parametric Truss definition. Interestingly this quickly became a solid solution, used and taught for years. I couldn’t find a better answer yet. As Grasshopper updates, some of the components in this definition change but the overall structure remains. Subdivision of a free-form surface and addition of geometric components has, of course, a wide range of alternatives. Maybe we should combine this with different problems and solutions […]

In this experiment, I’m trying to use data recorder to change components on a surface. The component part is a standart triangular construction, but the attractor points are defined by a 2D slider that is connected to a data recorder. Data recorder remembers last 15 points, while you move the 2d slider, last 15 points are projected on the base surface. This creates an illusion as if a “snake” game […]

This study includes three main topics related to the basics of Grasshopper. The first one is the surface subdivision, the parametric definition of a surface component, that is, in this case, a simple pyramidal object. The second thing is the associative behavior of surface components with an external parameter, that is another entity in space; a curve. Traditionally, this is simply demonstrated by 1) finding the area centroids of each […]

A previous work showed a method to create interlocking structures to be created without boolean operations. This time, a small addition is made to create waffle objects using two surfaces, one is the top surface, and the other is the bottom. It was a small modification at the beginning; to replace the “extrude” component with an “edge surface” component. But the interlocking details are now different at each intersection, so […]

This is a basic formation of component-based design in a dataflow environment. A double-curved surface is subdivided and re-constructed using straight sections. Parametric model of a surface construction by variable components. The main data list of subsurfaces are distributed into four distinct lists, that will be used to construct lines out of double-curved quadrilateral faces. Such definitions could be further advanced by adding a precise fabrication detail. Parametric definition can […]

One of the most popular shapes in topology studies is the one-edge, one-face Moebius strip. Here is a basic definition that generates Moebius-like lofted surfaces. I say Moebius-like because, in Grasshopper, Rhino, or any NURBS surface method, I couldn’t manage to model this shape in its real topological singularity. The tricky part of this Grasshopper definition lies at the end, as I take the first segment of the surface, flip […]

There are a couple of experiments in different schools about organizing free-form surfaces (walls here) with a composition of modular elements (bricks). Even though they created robots to make such brick walls, I still couldn’t understand why. Although creating a parametric model that calculates the exact locations of bricks, seems very easy at first sight, there came severe problems to solve in order to achieve a correct layout without using […]

It has been a tough problem for me, for the last two days. A parametric model of an interlocking structure (sometimes also called egg-crate, waffle, or contouring structure) can be created easily in Grasshopper using a Contour component. In addition, you need a couple of list management operations and a boolean (or region) difference event. However, Rhino and Grasshopper are very slow at calculating boolean differences on both solids and […]

[2011_12_25_divide] here is the fundamental of surface subdivision in Grasshopper. In order to design a parametric truss exercise, this is the generally accepted starting point. Get a surface from the file, subdivide it into U and V directions to create point lists, and then manipulate these points to create something interesting. Having a list of points would also present good potential regarding attraction with other entities, such as point or […]

This time, in order to develop a potential “dummy” surface for Grasshopper experiences, I built a better definition. The Graph Surface definition uses a polygon as a basis, divides the edges and moves them according to various parameters. It’s fun to play with mapping different graph types and various polygons and subdivision values. Surprisingly, this definition led me to a wide range of possibilities I haven’t planned. Especially, shifting the graph […]

The smooth and continuous nature of the “Sine Surface” has garnered significant popularity among designers and architects alike. This captivating curved surface offers a visually pleasing aesthetic that adds an elegant touch to various design projects. Its flowing contours and gentle undulations create a sense of harmony and organic beauty. Recently, I delved into this with the help of Grasshopper’s Graph Mapping functionality, I began my artistic journey. Although I […]