3D-Printing Clay Mastery

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

Seats:
50
Format:
Online On Zoom
Date:
Jul 19, 20, 2025
Duration:
8 Hours
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Language:
English
Certificate:
Yes
Registration:
€85.00
Members:
72.25 EUR (27.75%) discount
Recordings:
Available Indefinitely
€100.00
€85.00
Last 1 seats at this price!
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.
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.

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.
  • 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  
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.

Instructors:

Biography
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 betweenbodies, 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.

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