Emily Waltham The Needle’s Eye

Introduction to Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a visual programming language and environment that runs within the Rhinoceros 3D CAD application. It is primarily used for parametric design and is popular among architects and designers. This tutorial will guide you through the basics of using Grasshopper, from installation to creating your first parametric model.

Installing Grasshopper

Before you can start using Grasshopper, you need to have Rhinoceros 3D installed on your computer. Grasshopper comes bundled with Rhino 6 and later versions, so no additional installation is necessary. If you are using an earlier version of Rhino, you will need to download and install Grasshopper separately from the official website.

Getting Started with the Interface

Once you have Rhino and Grasshopper installed, open Rhino and type ‘Grasshopper’ in the command line to launch the Grasshopper interface. The interface consists of several panels, including the Component Panel, Canvas, and the Tabs containing various components. Familiarize yourself with these panels as they are crucial for creating and managing your parametric models.

Creating Your First Parametric Model

Let’s create a simple parametric model to understand the basics of Grasshopper. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Grasshopper and locate the ‘Params’ tab. Drag and drop a ‘Point’ component onto the Canvas.

Step 2: Next, go to the ‘Curve’ tab and add a ‘Polyline’ component. Connect the ‘Point’ component to the ‘Polyline’ component by dragging a wire from the output of the ‘Point’ to the input of the ‘Polyline’.

Step 3: To make the polyline dynamic, add a ‘Slider’ component from the ‘Params’ tab. Connect the slider to the ‘Point’ component, and you can now adjust the slider to see the polyline change in real-time.

Conclusion

This tutorial provided a basic introduction to Grasshopper, including installation, interface navigation, and creating a simple parametric model. As you become more familiar with the tool, you can explore more complex designs and functionalities. Grasshopper’s visual programming approach allows for flexibility and creativity, making it a powerful tool for parametric design.