#tutorial

In this fourth episode of Grasshopper for Beginners, the explanation of the graphical user interface continued. We call the data flow diagrams definitions. GH definitions are rendered on a large blank screen area called canvas. We can zoom in and out (zoom) the canvas with the middle mouse wheel. Or pan sideways by holding down the right mouse button. Tabs and panels are menus where all the components of the GH are grouped and placed. Left-clicking on the tabs displays…

We will try to create collapsible structures in this new series called Folding Experiments. In this example, we will be using Grasshopper and Kangaroo components to understand the Folding Experiments: Basics first. Like other projects, this is a Parametric Modeling course exercise that usually includes primary Grasshopper usage. In our first example, we will try to fold a mesh object. To be able to fold a surface like origami, we need to define the folding creases and faces. The most…

Installation In this episode of Grasshopper for Beginners, we will look at the Interface. If you do not have the Rhino software, you can download the 90-day trial version from www.rhino3d.com and install it. The website will give you the latest version, Rhino 7. The compatibility of the applications and examples with the Rhino 7 version has been checked. Therefore, all applications and examples can run on version 1.0.0007 of GH used on Windows-based computers, and SR34, the latest version…

We continue the Grasshopper for Beginners (2) series with the data flow programming concept. Control flow diagrams we use in traditional programming languages control the sequence of executed commands. In data flow diagrams, the focus is not on the order of commands but on how the data progresses. In the previous example, it doesn’t matter whether the Circle and Polyline command runs first. As a result, both are prerequisites for Extrude. Extrude command will not be executed until both are…

This is a new series aimed at beginners in Grasshopper. The design method pioneered by Grasshopper with the way he defines geometric relationships is becoming increasingly popular today. Its interactive interface, which looks like a game or a puzzle at first glance may seem easy and its impressive geometric results are a little dazzling. But when you enter the world of Grasshopper, it is understood that it is not a simple toy at all. It is very difficult to get…

This is a new paper published in Nexus Network Journal. I tried to implement euclidean constructions by compass in the approximation of famous parametric curves; Bézier curves, and B-Splines. Then, I created the algorithms to calculate the number of steps on a compass-only construction of Bézier curves. I developed a simple Python script to simulate the geometric constructions. However, I have been studying this topic for nearly four years. In the future, I wish that it would be a good…

Today, we started learning Robots add-on for Grasshopper. The first two codes we experimented with were similar to the first week’s jogging exercises. In the first one called “axial jogging”, we had 6 number sliders to control the angles of the axes. Every number slider generates values between -Pi and +Pi. These numbers are joined into a text by adding a comma in between. Then, Create program and Simulate Program components of the Robots plug-in are used to convert this…

On the second day of the Digital Fabrication course, we tried to understand what is a “tool” and how to draw/ produce/ attach/calibrate a simple penholder tool for our robot. This study will hopefully make students aware of the effects of these procedures in robotic design and fabrication. The tool we used here is based on this Rhino drawing laser-cut from a waste plexiglass sheet. The flange of our robot has a diameter of 50mm and has 8 holes for screws with a…

This video shows the method of constructing equal segments on a line by only using compass operations. Here, you can see that there is a pattern in the number of required compass operations. For example, if you need to divide the distance by 3, you need 13 circles (or compass operations). This reveals a simple equation of c = 2 * n + 3 where n is the desired number of segments and c is the number of required compass…

I realized this method of constructing basis splines from given control points while searching for a way to teach students about basis splines. I couldn’t find an easy and visual method to create clamped basis splines by connecting simple cubic Bézier spans. It is a tough job and requires lots of complex equations. However, I suddenly realized that there is a special way of doing that. So I decided to share this with the people searching for an easy way…