Do I need a clay 3D printer to participate in this workshop?

No. The course focuses on simulation, design strategy, and G-code generation. You don’t need a printer to follow along or benefit from the workshop.

What is the LYT.Studio Grasshopper plugin, and will I be able to use it after the course?

Yes. The workshop teaches you how to use this custom plugin, developed by LYT.Studio, to generate material-aware toolpaths for clay printing directly in Grasshopper 8. You’ll be equipped to apply it independently in your own workflows.

Can I use a body scan or scanned object in the workshop?

Yes, optionally. If you have access to a 3D scan (of a body or any organic object), you can incorporate it into your design process. It’s not required, but it opens creative possibilities.

Is prior experience with Rhino and Grasshopper necessary?

It’s helpful but not mandatory. The workshop is designed to clearly explain the concepts and workflows, even for those with limited prior exposure to Rhino or Grasshopper.

Will I learn how to troubleshoot real-world clay printing issues?

Yes. The course addresses practical challenges like drying, material stress, deformation, overlaps, and nozzle behavior.

Full Access Workshop Sep 20 & 21, 2025 8 Hours Intermediate

3D-Printing Clay Mastery

Name: 3D-Printing Clay Mastery
Price: 93.50 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (6 reviews)

This workshop teaches advanced clay 3D printing techniques using Rhino and Grasshopper for optimized, material-aware toolpaths.

Lili Yas Tayefi

Verified Account

1 course5.0

About 3D-Printing Clay Mastery

This workshop is designed for artists, architects, designers, and digital fabricators interested in deepening their understanding of clay 3D printing. Over two intensive live sessions, you’ll explore technical and material-driven strategies for generating optimized toolpaths using a newly developed custom plugin for Grasshopper 8 by LYT Studio, based on a decade of accumulated research.

Rather than treating the digital model as a static object, this course approaches design as an active, material-aware process, where the toolpath itself becomes the object to design. Participants will learn how to design for gravity, extrusion flow, and drying behavior, developing forms with both technical precision and experimental potential.

Whether working with simple forms or 3D scans of the body (optional), you’ll leave with strategies to print smarter, cleaner, and more intuitively with clay.

What you will learn

Design optimized forms for additive layering with extrusion constraints in mind.
Understand how line thickness, overlaps, cantilevers, and nozzle sizes affect real-world prints.
Use the LYT.Studio Grasshopper 8 plug-in to generate custom G-code for clay 3D printers.
Export toolpaths directly from Rhino without using an external slicer.
Develop surface textures and clean a base for your model using parametric control.
Integrate body-inspired geometries as a framework for sculptural experimentation (optional)
Consider the full clay workflow: from recipe to print to drying and shrinkage.
Troubleshoot issues related to scale, material stress, and deformation during printing.

Methodology

Workshop Format

This live workshop follows a hands-on, exploratory approach featuring live demonstrations and walkthroughs in Rhino and Grasshopper using a custom plug-in. Participants engage in design exercises that emphasize toolpath-based thinking.

Technical Content

The course covers technical strategies for clay extrusion, including managing cantilevers, overlaps, and understanding geometry behavior during printing.

Case Studies and Applications

Real-world case studies from modular sculpture and architectural ceramics illustrate practical applications of the techniques taught.
Participants may explore optional body-scan workflows for hybrid digital-organic design experimentation.

Support and Accessibility

An open Q&A session offers individualized troubleshooting support.

Knowledge Requirements

What you should already know or have ready before you start, experience, tools, and any baseline skills the instructors expect. Scan the list below so nothing catches you off guard.

Prior experience with Rhino and/or Grasshopper is recommended but not required—concepts will be
clearly explained.
You do not need a clay 3D printer to follow along; the course is focused on simulation and design
preparation
A body 3D scan (or simple 3D scanned object) may be used optionally for experimentation, but is not
mandatory

Course Content

10 Lessons

Important Notes

You do not need a 3D printer to attend. This workshop is accessible to remote participants who want to understand, simulate, and prepare digital toolpaths in advance of fabrication.
Please ensure you have all the software installed before the workshop starts. Software installation is NOT a part of the workshop.

Screenshots

Software & tools

Rhinoceros 3D

Grasshopper 3D

Highlights

Instructors

Lili Yas Tayefi

1 Course5.0

Lili Yas Tayefi is an Iranian-Canadian interdisciplinary artist, educator, and designer working across computational design, digital fabrication, and sculptural ceramics. Her practice explores the space between
bodies, buildings, craft, and code—translating softness, modularity, and movement into tactile form.

Since 2015, Lili has worked extensively with 3D-printed biomaterials, beginning at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), where she specialized in large-scale clay 3D printing and bio fabrication techniques. Her projects include Spain’s first 3D-printed earthen dwelling and numerous international collaborations bridging material experimentation and digital craft.

As founder of LYT.Studio, she develops custom tools and workflows for clay 3D printing, including a newly launched Grasshopper plugin for optimized g-code generation. Her teaching practice spans architecture, art, and technology, with a focus on intuitive design, hands-on methods, and body-aware fabrication.

3D-Printing Clay Mastery FAQ

Showcase

Reviews

Purchase or enroll in this course to leave a review.

5.0avg6 Reviews

6 Comments

Vins

very interesting, congratulations

Nov 9, 2025

Ronan Bolaños

The workshop led by Lili was a great approach into 3d printing with clay

Oct 21, 2025

Zahra Boustani

The workshop was really helpful. Although I was not familiar with 3d printing with clay material, I could learn a lot. Thank you Lili

Sep 29, 2025

Gowtham Jeyabalan

insightful

Sep 24, 2025

Walter Patrick Smith

Lili’s 3D-Printing Clay Mastery workshop was both rigorous and fun. She reframed clay 3D printing as an active, material-aware process where the toolpath itself is the design. With clear demonstrations, she showed how to use her custom Grasshopper 8 plugin to optimize G-code and address real issues like scale, material stress, and deformation. Complex topics—extrusion flow, cantilevers, drying behavior—became approachable through her step-by-step guidance. What made the sessions special was the sense of play: Lili encouraged experimentation, created space for questions, and made even technical troubleshooting feel exciting. The balance of precision and creativity left me with practical strategies for printing smarter and cleaner, as well as a renewed enthusiasm for clay as a medium of exploration.

Sep 22, 2025

Mazen Ahmed Hussein

Really Good Workshop

Sep 22, 2025