Is this workshop too advanced for me?

This workshop is the perfect bridge for users ready to move beyond the basics. While prior knowledge of the native Grasshopper interface is expected, the specialized plugins (such as Dendro for volumetric design and Pufferfish for transformations) are introduced from the ground up. The focus is on learning how to integrate these tools into a cohesive workflow.

Why does the curriculum emphasize 'Hybrid Workflows' instead of just mastering one modeling type?

Complex design challenges often require more than one approach. By learning to transition fluidly between different paradigms, participants unlock the ability to generate intricate, performance-driven geometries.

What is the advantage of 'Volumetric' modeling compared to standard surface modeling in Rhino?

Volumetric (or Voxel-based) modeling allows the creation of seamless, complex forms such as lattice structures and organic blends without the typical topological errors found in surface modeling. The workshop demonstrates how to use tools like Dendro to treat geometry as a density field.

Will this workshop help me understand how to organize large, complex Grasshopper definitions?

Yes. A key learning objective is "Strategic Thinking." The sessions are structured around live-coding examples that demonstrate data management and logic.

Will I just be learning specific plugins, or does this workshop teach a broader design methodology?

The focus is on methodology. While you will master specific tools like Dendro and Weaverbird, the core goal is to develop "Computational Thinking." You will learn the underlying logic of how natural systems grow and organize branches, cells, networks, and how to apply those procedural rules to solve complex problems.

Feb 21 & 22, 202612 lessonsIntermediate

FREE with Full Access Workshop Intermediate 12 lessons 5.0 Rating

Advanced Grasshopper 3.0

Name: Advanced Grasshopper 3.0
Price: 93.50 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (3 reviews)

Advanced Grasshopper 3.0 is a workshop exploring three computational modeling paradigms NURBS, mesh, and volumetric within Grasshopper to build complex, fabrication-ready parametric geometry. The curriculum covers NURBS-based curvature and pattern systems using Pufferfish and LunchBox, mesh modeling with subdivision surfaces and physics-based form-finding using Weaverbird and Kangaroo, and volumetric workflows for voxel-based design, signed distance fields, lattice structures, and agent-based growth simulations using Dendro, Crystallon, Monolith, and Physarealm. Each session uses live-coded examples that combine native Grasshopper components with specialized plugins, teaching participants when and how to transition between geometric representations within a single parametric definition. Basic Grasshopper knowledge is recommended.

This course includes

Live workshop · 8h 19m
Lifetime session recordings
Certificate of completion
Downloadable course files
9 design tools
Private Discord community
Included with Full Access

In nature, complex forms emerge not through direct design, but through simple rules repeated over time. Branches grow toward light, cells divide and differentiate, and networks optimize for efficiency. This workshop introduces you to a procedural workflow where computational rules generate intricate geometries that would be impossible to model manually.

This workshop explores different computational design methods by examining three modeling paradigms—NURBS, mesh, and volumetric modeling—within the Grasshopper environment. The workshop presents a toolkit of strategies, allowing you to select the most appropriate method for each specific challenge.

Some exercises will focus on a single paradigm, while others will demonstrate the power of hybrid workflows that transition between multiple geometric representations. As digital fabrication and generative design continue to reshape architecture and product design, the ability to choose and combine different geometric methods has become essential.

Participants will move beyond basic parametric modeling to explore how specialized Grasshopper plugins unlock new possibilities for creating geometries that would be impractical through traditional modeling methods.

The workshop emphasizes strategic thinking: understanding when to use NURBS for precision and continuity, meshes for subdivision and topology control, and volumetric methods for implicit surfaces and performance-driven forms.

Through varied examples—from lattice structures to subdivision surfaces, from paneled facades to morphological transformations, you'll build a fundamental understanding of how each approach serves different design intentions.

By the end of this workshop, participants will possess both the technical skills and conceptual framework to approach complex geometric problems strategically, selecting and combining the right tools for each unique design challenge.

Work with NURBS, mesh, and volumetric modeling paradigms
Choose modeling methods strategically based on design intent
Build hybrid Grasshopper workflows across geometry types
Generate form through procedural and rule-based systems
Use advanced plugins for implicit and voxel-based modeling
Convert and optimize geometry for fabrication-ready output

This workshop is structured around exploring three modeling principles through examples that reveal their unique capabilities and applications. Participants exploring tools like Pufferfish and Lunchbox for controlled curvature and pattern-driven forms, the mesh modeling introduces subdivision surfaces, physics-based form-finding, and topology optimization using Weaverbird, Mesh+, and Kangaroo for organic structures.

The core focus emphasizes volumetric and implicit modeling through voxel-based design and signed distance field operations, where participants will create complex lattice structures, gradient density systems, bio-inspired cellular patterns, agent-based growth simulations, and performance-optimized forms using Dendro, Crystallon, Monolith, and Physarealm—generating geometries that would be extremely difficult with surface or mesh-based methods alone.

Hybrid workflows demonstrate the advantage of Grasshopper to fluidly combine multiple paradigms to address geometric conversion challenges and data management when transitioning between NURBS control surfaces, volumetric operations, and output mesh.

Each session includes theoretical foundations, live demonstrations, and hands-on exercises progressing from guided tutorials to open-ended design challenges, building both technical proficiency and strategic decision-making skills.

Each session will cover complete design examples that demonstrate how multiple design and modeling strategies work together within unified scripts to achieve specific geometric outcomes.

Rather than teaching tools in isolation, participants will build integrated definitions that combine native Grasshopper components with specialized plugins—learning how data flows between NURBS operations, mesh manipulations, and volumetric processes within a single workflow.

This workshop will live-code each example from start to finish, explaining strategic decisions about when to introduce specific plugins, how to manage data structures across different geometric types, and troubleshooting common integration challenges.

This method will help Participants develop intuition for how different tools complement each other. Through this process-oriented methodology, you'll understand not just individual plugin capabilities, but how to orchestrate them strategically—transitioning from NURBS surface generation to volumetric models, or from mesh subdivision to topology manipulation, all within parametric definitions.

Each session builds toward increasingly complex integrations, with collaborative reviews allowing participants to compare approaches and discover alternative component combinations for wider design challenges.

1. Introduction + PAACADEMY Updates