Truchet Patterns
Below is a classical Truchet Patterns example we used to discuss in design computing class. Now, we can create a much faster and cleaner definition using the newly added Array component. The new version of Grasshopper brings several important features: Patch surfaces and date/time components. We used to implement a VB component to create simple clocks that measure temporal operations in Grasshopper. Parsing and executing MusicXML and related applications were based on that. Now I see there is a whole component tab, dealing with time-based issues in Grasshopper. The second and more important component was the special surface construction method of Rhinoceros, the Patch command is now available in Grasshopper. I also see an “Array” tab in the Transform panel, which is another big improvement. Besides that, the help reference documentation of Grasshopper is still not sufficient.
Below is a more sophisticated version if you want to play a little more:
These patterns are good exercises and also nice designs suitable for tilings on the floor and walls. I’m glad I can study some of my projects better with this new version of Grasshopper. Thus, I hope that more interactive definitions will come soon.
Cite this post
Related Posts
Truchet Tiling
March 13, 2013
This elegant and straightforward tiling geometry is credited to Dominican priest Sebastien Truchet in 1704 and was documented in a book titled “Memoir sur les Combinasions” (A Memoir on Combinations). After delving into the renowned Truchet Patterns in 2013, I revisited their three-dimensional tiling counterparts today. This served as a valuable exercise in geometry during my previous Design Geometry course. I believe it enhances one’s proficiency in mastering the technical aspects of Rhino software and in creating seamless tilings through…
Macro Assignment
May 15, 2014
It seems that our first-year students of architecture, interior design, and industrial design take Rhino’s macro functionality very seriously. This encourages us to study algorithmic techniques more and more in the freshman year Design Computing class. Below are some of the results of this week’s assignment. They explicated the modeling process of their prototiles into macro codes, ready to be molded. Zeynep Dutipek developed the macro to reconstruct her prototile with different parameters. She also had a smile there (if you watch carefully) Meltem Bayrak…
Fermat’s Nightmare
October 14, 2026
Revisiting a specific mathematical phenomenon that I previously explored twice, here (in 2017) and here (in 2011), from a different angle in 2026 now. This was the final video (from 2023) that I found in my junk folder during the blog’s resurrection. Today, designers mostly know Fermat through the famous 137.5-degree angle of rotation, which is the mathematical formula used to describe the arrangement of sunflower seeds. However, today I will speculate on a nightmare of Fermat’s. Because Fermat, in…
Field Deformation
October 8, 2026
Ever since I restructured designcoding, I’m still sorting through the trash folder. All 580 posts published on the blog have been reviewed, and their files have been uploaded as open source. The mysterious trash folder, where I couldn’t even tell where things belonged, is shrinking fast. While checking this folder yesterday, I found a video. This is probably a simple tutorial I prepared about 10 years ago for the parametric modeling elective course (probably related to this 2012 post). The…
Scary Patterns
August 6, 2026
While digging through my archives, I found an old animation I made in 2023. Back then, I was generating patterns with Parakeet. Thanks to this talented add-on, I managed to create a nice pattern by dressing a different component onto a Snub Square tiling base. However, for some reason, things started turning into a horror movie after that. MultiPipe was popular back then. So, I converted this pattern into surfaces using MultiPipe and attempted an animation using Rhino’s rendered viewport…