A Year of Grasshopper Experiments with DS10

It has almost been already a year that Toby and I started tutoring DS10 at Westminster. One of our main ambitions was to link physical and digital experiments so that one feeds the other.

Physical reality is much more than surfaces on a screen therefore students created complex parametric models working as systems linked to many forces (gravity, environment, structure…etc…) and not just finished objects. These very precise digital models allow students to implement what they learn from their physical models, to simulate even more design options and further understand the rules behind them.

To do so, they used Grasshopper and its numerous plugins provided by generous developers. Grasshopper is a graphical algorithm editor integrated with Rhinoceros 3D modelling tool and a 18,000 strong community exchanging ideas and helping each other on the Grasshopper3d.com forum.

Below are most of the printscreens that I used to help the students with their journey into parametric modelling which is based on help that I also received previously. I hope that this will help others to design amazing things! If you have any questions on one of the images, please do not hesitate to ask.

Below is my favourite image: packing balloons on a surface using Kangaroo (with Emma Whitehead)

Author: Arthur Mamou-Mani

Arthur Mamou-Mani AA dipl, ARB/RIBA FRSA – is a French architect, director of Mamou-Mani Architects, specialised in a new kind of digitally designed and fabricated architecture. He is a lecturer at the University of Westminster and owns a digital fabrication laboratory called the Fab.Pub which allows people to experiment with large 3D Printers and Laser Cutters. Arthur has been selected as one of the RIBAj's 2017 cohort of Rising Stars. He has won the Gold Prize at the American Architecture Prize for the Wooden Wave project installed at BuroHappold Engineering and since 2016, he is a fellow of the The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Prior to founding Mamou-Mani in 2011, he worked with Atelier Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid Architects and Proctor and Matthews Architects. View all posts by Arthur Mamou-Mani

5 thoughts on “A Year of Grasshopper Experiments with DS10”

At first glance I thought you were using Unity, because I saw that little snake chart interface thingy, but sadly not, I am looking for an application that can easily animate Zbrush models, unity is a bit complex, any suggestions? @ WeWantToLearn

Are any of the grasshopper files available for these forms? I am trying to make a parametrically controlled kite arch to save the world from an energy crisis. It’d be nice if I could use them or if you could advise, participate…

Hi Roderick, we would love to help you save the world. Which file do you need?

Hi, I am working on a project for the homeless, for which I am incorporating inflatable ergonomics. I have been looking for a concept similar to Emma’s packing balloons on a surface to achieve my design, would it be possible for me to check that grasshopper file? I would greatly appreciate it.

Hi Arthur, I hope you can see this message: I am a architectural student working on a school design project attempting to achieve similar effect as Emma did. May I have a look at the complete grasshopper script? Thank you very much!