What software programs and plugins will I need to use for this workshop?

You will use Rhinoceros 3D, Grasshopper 3D, Cura, and PrusaSlicer, alongside Grasshopper plugins including Human, Lunchbox, and Pufferfish.

What material preparation and physical setup skills will be covered for 3D clay printing?

You will learn the physical stages of clay, proper material consistency and loading techniques, and how to set up and operate a clay 3D printer.

What specific design typologies and architectural forms will we create during the exercises?

You will focus on designing vertical column and tower typologies that incorporate intricate textural patterns and non-planar geometries.

How will we generate G-Code to control printer movements directly from Grasshopper?

You will learn advanced parametric workflows in Grasshopper that skip traditional slicers to write custom G-Code directly, giving you precise control over non-planar toolpaths and textures.

What practical skills will I develop as the four course workflows progress in complexity?

You will progress from basic Rhino CAD modeling sliced in Cura to parametric Grasshopper geometry, direct G-Code texture generation, and complex non-planar path coding.

Full Access Workshop Feb 1 & 2, 2025 8 Hours Beginner

3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns

Name: 3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns
Price: 93.50 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (2 reviews)

This workshop focuses on creating parametric ceramic designs using Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, PrusaSlicer, and Cura for 3D clay printing.

Alejandra Rojas

Verified Account

1 course5.0

About 3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns

The workshop will explore design opportunities of 3D printing with clay, blending traditional craftsmanship with new fabrication tools. Rhinoceros and Grasshopper will be used to develop parametric geometries and translate them into G-Code, a programming language directly controlling 3D printers.

By mastering this process, participants will gain precise control over the printer's movements, enabling them to create highly customized and intricate ceramic designs.

Grasshopper is a visual programming language integrated into Rhinoceros. It offers an intuitive way to create parametric models and explore various design possibilities.

Through this workshop, students will translate digital designs into tactile ceramic forms and explore innovative approaches to materiality and form, experimenting with the boundaries of what is possible with clay and technology.

What you will learn

Understand the basics of clay as a material.
Learn the setup and operation of a clay 3D printer.
Prepare clay for 3D printing, including proper consistency and loading techniques.
Model simple geometries in Rhino.
Use Grasshopper to create parametric designs and generate geometry definitions.
Export designs to Cura for slicing and 3D printing preparation.
Understand and adjust slicing software settings for optimal print results.
Translate digital designs into G-Code for precise control over 3D printer movements.
Create and refine G-Code using Grasshopper for custom outputs.
Explore textural features and non-planar geometries using parametric design techniques.

Methodology

The workshop begins with an overview of key concepts and techniques:

A brief introduction to my design practice and how it informs the integration of 3D printing with ceramics.
Understanding clay as a material: its stages (greenware, leather-hard, bone dry, bisque, glaze, and glaze-ware).
Fundamentals of 3D printing with clay, including printer setup and clay preparation.
Introduction to G-Code and its role in controlling 3D printers.
Hands-on exercises paired with demonstration videos showcasing the printer in action for each exercise.

Design Focus:

The workshop will center on creating column and tower typologies, emphasizing vertical geometries that integrate unique textural patterns. Participants will explore how to develop and refine these patterns by manipulating geometric paths and combining functionality with aesthetic appeal.

Building Complexity:

The exercises are structured to progressively increase in complexity, enabling participants to build foundational skills before tackling more advanced techniques. This approach ensures a balance of technical learning and creative exploration, culminating in tall, intricate ceramic forms that showcase the possibilities of clay 3D printing.

The workshop will employ four distinct workflows to guide participants through the process of designing and 3D printing clay objects, progressively increasing in complexity.

Workflow 1: Basic Geometry Model

Model a simple geometry in Rhinoceros.
Export the geometry to Cura, a 3D printing slicing software.
Review and adjust Cura settings for 3D printing.
Send the geometry to print.

Workflow 2: Introduction to Grasshopper

Create a simple geometry definition in Grasshopper.
Bake the geometry into Rhinoceros.
Export the geometry to Cura for slicing.
Send the geometry to print.

Workflow 3: Develop Textural Features

Develop an advanced geometry definition in Grasshopper, incorporating textural elements.
Generate G-Code directly from the Grasshopper definition.
Send the geometry to print.

Workflow 4: Non-Planar Geometry Exploration

Design a non-planar geometry using Grasshopper.
Generate G-Code for complex geometry directly from the Grasshopper definition.
Send the geometry to print.

Course Content

12 Lessons

Software & tools

Highlights

Instructors

Alejandra Rojas

1 Course5.0

Alejandra Rojas is an artist, designer, architect, and educator based in New York City. She is a Peruvian immigrant who grew up in an artistic environment. She pursued a career in architecture at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Later, she completed a Master’s in Architecture and Urbanism at the Architectural Association in London, where she specialized in computational design and fabrication. Her studies allowed her to travel to multiple cities for work and study, including Toronto, NYC, Rome, and London. She started working with clay as a creative outlet but decided to bring what she had learned and loved from architecture and establish her studio.

For the past few years, she has developed her research for patterns and unusual forms and transformed them into sculptural clay objects. In parallel, she has taught in multiple universities, design studios, computational design and fabrication, visualization, and advanced modeling workshops. She is currently an adjunct faculty at the New School. Alejandra’s work has been showcased at several international exhibitions. Most recently, she presented her work at Milan Design Week 2024 as part of the Isola Design Exhibition: This Future is currently unavailable.

She has also participated at the London Festival of Architecture as part of the Architect-Maker Pop-up at Cuemars and 1000 vases for the 1000 VASES Paris exhibition during Paris Art Week. She has showcased her work in the US at multiple trade shows, including Wanted Design for ICFF NYC, Shoppe Object NYC, and NYNOW. Her work has been acquired by Alexis Bittar Stores and The Jewish Museum Store, among others.

3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns FAQ

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Reviews

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5.0avg2 Reviews

2 Comments

Gab Brambilla

great course, very helpful for beginners

Mar 19, 2026

H Wu

Good tutorial

Sep 26, 2025