ARLINGTON, TX | INTRO/INTERMEDIATE GRASSHOPPER WORKSHOP | FEBRUARY 6th, 2010 | 9:00am-6:00pm

I would like to thank Andrew Vrana, Brad Bell, and Kevin Patrick McClellan for inviting me to teach two sessions at the first ever TEX-FAB event being held at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture from February 4th-6th, 2010.  The weekend event promises to be an exiciting one with key note speakers, workshops, and an exhibition planned to highlight the growing interest in digital fabrication and design.

TEX-FAB is a new resource for designers, academics, fabricators, and students seeking out the innovative application of digital technology to the physical environment. Within Texas there is an emerging network of companies, institutions, and individuals focusing on the exploration of parametric design and the digital production of building components. Specifically, there is a growing opportunity for collaborative exchange between the academic, technical, and professional communities by leveraging the immense resources found in some of the largest metropolitan centers across the United States. TEX-FAB seeks to create a forum for the exchanges of these ideas and techniques through workshops, lectures, and exhibitions.

In this video, we will walk through how to setup a Grasshopper definition that will write the G-code for surface milling on a 3-axis CNC milling machine.  When surface milling - the contouring engine is crucial.  For speed reasons, I found the C# contouring definition written by Giulio Piacentino works extremely well because it allows the user to specify a step distance (tool path offset).  After we have generated the contours (or tool paths) we can subdivide each curve, using the evaluate length component, to create a series of points which will guide the CNC mill head in order.   Because we now have data structures, we can weave formatted text strings that have been derived from the point data into a G-code that will work with the ShopBot CAM software.

As in the previous example, we have formatted our text strings to work with the opensource CAM software, Shopbot.  You can download a free version of the software here: http://www.shopbottools.com/controlsoftware.htm.

 You can also check out this video in HD after the jump.

Note: This video is for demonstration purposes only. Andrew Payne and LIFT architects will not be held responsible for any damages that might arise from using this method. Please consult your machine's operating manual before implementing this fabrication method.

In this video, I will explain how to setup a Grasshopper definition that will write the G-code for 2D shape milling on a 3-axis milling machine.  G-codes are the codes that position the tool and do the actual work, as opposed to M-codes which manages the machine.  Actually, there are a whole host of different codes that can be written to control a CNC mill, however G-codes are what we are most interested in for this definition as it will allow us to streamline our fabrication process by sending the parametric data from Grasshopper directly to a CNC mill.

In this example I will be writing the tool path information for a 2D Vornoi Pattern generator, originally written by Sang Hoon Yoon.  You can find his vornoi diagram definition on his site www.sac3.blogspot.com.  This video explains how to use your data-structure (trees) to help weave together various text strings which control how the CNC mill head will operate.

I have formated the text strings to work with the open source ShopBot CAM software.  This software is excellent for many reason, not least of which is the fact that it's free and has a large online help community... much like Grasshopper.  It also allows the user to preview the cut even if their computer isn't connected to an actual CNC mill which can come in handy while testing out your cuts.  Syntactically, ShopBot part files are setup slightly differently from traditional G-code which harkens back to the days when cutting files were stored on punched tape and it's format was optimized for brevity.  You can find a lot of helpful resources on how to setup ShopBot part files in their Programming Handbook. 

You can check out this video in HD after the jump.

Note: This video is for demonstration purposes only.  Andrew Payne and LIFT architects will not be held responsible for any damages that might arise from using this method.  Please consult your machine's operating manual before implementing this fabrication method.

A huge congratulations goes out to Wu Di (aka Woody) and his team of translators for taking on the arduous task of translating the entire 160 pages of the Grasshopper Primer (second edition) into the Chinese language.  Months of hard work went into this translation and it is our hope that this printing will help spread information about this powerful software plugin to mainland China and across the world.  Wu Di has graciously offered to answer any questions you may have about this edition and you can reach him by his email address wudiwudi1212@gmail.com or at the Chinese 3D forum website http://g.shaper3d.cn.

Source Files:
The Grasshopper Primer_Chinese Edition.pdf (size: 6.3mb - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - adobe acrobat needed)
Primer Source Files (size: 193k - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - this is a collection of definitions and Rhino files needed to complete the examples in the primer)

After a monumental effort from Rhino specialist Atsuo Nakajima, the Grasshopper Primer has been translated into Japanese.  The tutorials found in the Japanese edition have been written to work with plugin version 0.6.0012 and will match the first set of chapters in the second edition (English version).  These tutorials primarily deal with getting familiar with the plugin interface and will walk new users through the process of creating beginning and intermediate level definitions.  For now, the main difference between the two editions is that the advanced chapters dedicated to VB scripting and creating your own custom components can only be found in the English edition.  Personally, I am extremely excited about this release, as it is a fantastic addition to the growing community dedicated to helping people around the world help understand this amazing tool.  Should you have any questions about this version, please feel free to contact Atsuo at the address below.

Atsuo Nakajima
151-0063 Tomigaya 1-6-9 A-1 Bldg, 2F
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
(tel) 81-3-5790-8431 (fax) 81-3-5790-8432
(email) nakajima@applicraft.com
URL:http//www.applicraft.com http//www.rhino3d.co.jp

Source Files:
The Grasshopper Primer_Japanese Edition.pdf (size: 5.0mb - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - adobe acrobat needed)
Primer Source Files (size: 193k - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - this is a collection of definitions and Rhino files needed to complete the examples in the primer)

The second edition of the Grasshopper Primer is out and it wouldn't have been possible without the tremendous contribution from Rajaa Issa.  Rajaa is a developer at Robert McNeel and Associates and is the author of several other Rhino plugins including ArchCut and the ever popular PanelingTools.  This revision provides a much more comprehensive guide than the first edition, weighing in at almost 160 pages with over 70 new pages dedicated to creating your own customized scripting components.

This printing coincides with two events; the first being the new release of Grasshopper version 0.6.0007 which proves to be a giant upgrade to the already robust Grasshopper platform. Existing users will find subtle, and some not so subtle changes to how data is stored in the current version; making some previous definitions outdated or even unusable.  It is the hope that this primer will help new and existing users navigate many of the changes to the software system. The second event that overlaps with this publication is the conference titled FLUX: Architecture in a Parametric Landscape that is being held at the California College of the Arts. The event explores contemporary architecture and design through its relationship with changes in design technologies such as parametric modeling, digital fabrication, and scripting. Among other things, the event will consist of an exhibition and a series of workshops dedicated to parametric software systems.

Source Files:
The Grasshopper Primer_Second Edition.pdf (size: 10.7mb - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - adobe acrobat needed)
Primer Source Files (size: 193k - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - this is a collection of definitions and Rhino files needed to complete the examples in the primer)

You can download Grasshopper version 0.6.0009 from the forum.  Here is a link: Grasshopper Version 0.6.009

I have been asked by Andrew Kudless from Matsys to teach a seminar class on Oct. 16th at the California College of the Arts on how parametric modeling techniques and the Grasshopper plugin have influenced my work.  What better way to do this than to show a tutorial on how I used Grasshopper to help create one of our latest projects where we suspended over 3,000 mason jar lids from the ceiling to create a fluid surface.  Given the new release of Grasshopper 0.5, I have modified my original definition to be more efficient and robust.  The definition now creates a set of points that center themselves inside each panel and has an expression function that helps keep the point spacing consistent between panels.  I have also created a step-by-step tutorial that shows how to create the full definition and explains some of the more complicated aspects of the system.

Source Files:
Suspended Ceiling Tutorial.pdf (size: 1.4mb; step-by-step instructions)
Suspended Ceiling_rhino scene.3dm (size: 322k)
Suspended Ceiling_full definition.ghx (size: 484k; Grasshopper definition)

Note: This software and its documents are in the public domain and are furnished "as is".  The author, Andrew Payne, makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the usefulness of the software and documentation for any purpose.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/