What software is used in 3D printing courses?

The tools vary depending on the scale and material of the output. PAACADEMY's 3D printing courses draw from two tool families: Rhinoceros 3D, Grasshopper 3D, Karamba3D and fabrication plugins for architectural and structural applications, and Houdini and Blender for ceramic, fashion and product design workflows.

What is the difference between 3D printing and robotic fabrication in architecture?

3D printing deposits material layer by layer through a fixed or gantry-mounted printhead, commonly used for concrete, ceramics and polymer components at architectural scale. Robotic fabrication uses a multi-axis industrial robot arm to wind, place or assemble material along custom spatial paths, enabling fibrous structures and aggregated assemblies that a standard print axis cannot produce. PAACADEMY covers both: concrete and ceramics printing in separate courses, and robotic fabrication in Fibrous Architecture: Robotic Fabrication and AI Rendering .

What is 4D printing in architecture?

4D printing adds a time dimension to standard 3D printing by using smart or responsive materials that change shape, stiffness or configuration after fabrication in response to heat, moisture or mechanical force. In architectural applications this enables components that self-assemble, adapt to environmental conditions or transform between states without additional mechanical systems. PAACADEMY's 4D Printing: Time-Based Fabrication course covers these material behaviors and their design implications.