MIT Department of Architecture4.113 Applied Architecture Design Studio I, Spring 2011, M/WF 2:00-5:00Instructors: Skylar Tibbits, Nick GelpiTeaching Assistant: Joshua Cotton, Sasa Zivkovic

Grasshopper tutorial | Creating a 3D box array

Open Grasshopper by typing “Grasshopper” into the command line. The Grasshopper window looks like this:

Tools and components can be found in the tab line [Params, Logic, Scalar, Vector, Curve, etc.]

Other important info:

egg symbol – bake your geometry in Rhinosymbol right from the egg: visibility modes for Grasshopper geometryblindfolded person – disable preview for selected component

Step 01 | Creating a 2D Grid

> Different grid geometries can be found in the command tab “vector – select one and place it in the Grasshopper document.

> Create a 2D grid by defining input parameters [size of grid cells, expansion in x-and y direction]. Use number sliders inorder to later adjust the size of your grid.

> The grid component will give 2 output parameters: the grid cell outlines and a set of points

Step 02 | 3D Grid

> There are different ways of adding the z dimension to the grid: We will duplicate the 2D grid and copy it in relation to thesize of your initial 2d grid cells. In order to do this a vector needs to be defined along which the grid duplicate can be moved.

> a vector can be created from two points: follow this logic:

create a series of numbers [logic tab] and use the size of your 2D grid as an input for the step size as well as the input for thefirst number of the series [this will ensure an equal grid size in all three dimensions]. The series parameter will give you anoutput of numbers which we can use to define the end points of our vectors.

> Points are defined by their x,y and z values within the Rhino coordinate system. Create points by using the output of theseries to define z-coordinates. [vector tab] . Create a point with 0/0/0 value and use both components to create vectors.

> You can use a slider to define the number of values in your series: in this case you will end up with 6 vectors. This willenable you to control the number of duplicates in z-direction.

Step 04 | Duplicate the 2D grid points

> Create a 'move' component and connect it with the vector as well as your input geometry [points]. Due to internalorganizational logics this will result in an unwanted move without duplicates. In order to successfully duplicate we need a'graft' component to flatten our internal organization of the point grid [see yellow boxes]. We'll explain the logics of listmanagement later...

> we now have a parametric grid of points which can be modified in all three dimensions by moving the number sliders.

Step 05 | Create a geometry based on point input

> Attractor: Draw a point in Rhino/ go to 'Params' and drop a point parameter / right click and add the rhino point

> Create attractor vectors that go from each point of your grid to the attractor point

> Use your attractor vectors to create a perpendicular plane [in relation to the to the vectors] at each point of your grid

> Use the planes to orient/create boxes [grid point = center point of box]

> Compute the length of of your attractor vectors (number will be too high of an input for as a scale factor therefore divide thevector length using a number slider)

> Scale your box geometry in relation to the length of the attractor vectors

Step 06 | Bake your geometry

> Select your final output parameter and press bake to transfer your geometry into rhino.

> bake different 3d arrays (size, density, box properties)

> use different geometries (sphere, pyramid, cylinder, cone, etc.)

> test different operations (scale, rotate, shear, etc)

> test different grids