Grasshopper: For the (office) Masses!

I've been asked to prepare a short 'inspirational' presentation for my office. The topic, not surprisingly, is Grasshopper and I've put together the above study for this purpose. More than anything, I hope to use it as a platform for launching 'variable design' as a conceptual platform to further (our) use of parametric design... A quick narative on how I've worked concept(s) into a system and relationship of variables within Grasshopper.

Generative Sketch below. It happened to be sitting on my (virtual) desktop.

Grasshopper: Between Skins

This weekend? Skinning studies.

Lofting (parametric) curves, then dividing these equally into # segments. Each common point is linked between the two skins with a generic beam connecting the two... next up? Study of how these connecting elements should logically vary in thickness, per location, loading, etc.

Enough for one night.

Grasshopper: Output

It's about the process. There's nothing interesting nor innovative about this as a formal exercise, ribbed/lasercut models being several  years dated. The big difference here, for me and as a learning process, is how little time was spent setting up fabrication. In similar projects I've spent an enormous amount of time constructing logic(s) to inform jointing, layout,etc... but in this case I ran only a few simple scripts. Between semi-automated output and parametrically derived geometry, the time required for iterative design study is much more palatable. And that's good for everyone.

Enjoy the long weekend...

Grasshopper: Building, Learning

First off, big thanks to V. Soler from 'http://www.grasshopper3d.com/forum' for helping me out with a component that I couldn't implement correctly. Secondly, more output. It's nothing exciting but it -does- represent my own progress with the Grasshopper.

The second image represents my most comprehensive study to date. It began with a series of (3) catenary curves, deformed toward a common, editable point. Each defining curve is anchored to vertices of an equilateral triangle. A mesh is finally applied, defined by each catenary. Theoretically, it's the first output with basis in structure, gravity, etc.

Grasshopper: Now = Generative Components

I've been playing around with Grasshopper a bit more and while I don't 'understand' it in any significant way, I'm at least to the same level with it as a program/tool as I ever reached with Generative Components. It would be a dis-service to call my faculty with either as 'functional', but I'm fine with 'experimental'. I'll continue my early-morning / post-work studies...

Grasshopper: <3 the GUI.

I'm taking a little time to learn Grasshopper. I hear, see, and realize that it's what all the cool kids are up to. And I've always wanted to be one of the cool kids, despite never quite having pulled it off. Just the same, incomparison to Generative Components, I'm a huge fan of the interface. This isn't to say that Grasshopper is necessarily better (or worse!) than GC, just that it's much, much prettier. Pop culture seems to indicate that 'pretty' can carry something a good, long way.

100% spirals + sine waves for now.
Architecture later. Hopefully.