Getting started with Grasshopper

👋 Hi there and welcome! This course will teach the foundations of computational design through the design tool Grasshopper.

What is Grasshopper?

Grasshopper is a computational design tool that works with the CAD program Rhino. It allows you to create designs not by modeling the geometry directly, but by defining relationships between smaller processes that come together to create the final design. Using computational design in Grasshopper allows you to think of designs as systems rather than static objects.

Ok, then what is computational design, and how is it different from just using a computer for design?

Computers have been impacting the way designers work since the arrival of the personal computer in the early 1980s. These days, computers are heavily integrated into the day-to-day work of almost every design professional. However, most designers still rely on out-of-the-box software solutions that come with standard user interfaces that support typical workflows for accomplishing specific design tasks.

Recently, however, a growing number of designers are going a level deeper to actually program computers to do more specialized tasks and leveraging the power of algorithms and computation to unlock new potentials for their creative design work.

When we talk about computational design, we’re usually referring to using a computer beyond the standard workflow created by a particular software. Traditional software is controlled through a visual user interface (UI) composed of elements such as buttons and text boxes which allow the user to perform a set of pre-defined tasks. Meanwhile, the core functionality of the software is hidden away from the user.

Computational design tools give users access to these core functionalities, allowing them to control the software directly through custom programs and algorithms. To build these algorithms, computational designers must be familiar with some level of computer programming, which is the practice of writing algorithms to describe specific tasks to a computer. Although computer programming is not…