What is the difference between a design workshop and a regular course at PAACADEMY?

Design Workshops at PAACADEMY are intensive studios and advanced masterclasses that combine digital tool instruction with architectural research and formal experimentation. They typically assume prior knowledge of parametric or computational tools and move faster than introductory courses. Regular software-specific courses build skills from the ground up. Design Workshops are better suited for designers who already know their primary tool and want to develop a more advanced design process or engage with a specific material, structural or fabrication problem.

Do I need prior experience for PAACADEMY design workshops?

Most Design Workshops assume participants have working knowledge of at least one computational tool, typically Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper 3D. Some workshops include a brief tool onboarding, but the primary focus is on design process, formal research and fabrication rather than software basics. Check the prerequisites listed on each individual course page before enrolling.

What topics are covered in PAACADEMY design workshops?

Design Workshops span parametric geometry, fabrication-aware modeling, generative urbanism, AI-integrated workflows, wearable and body architecture, structural experimentation, acoustic design and environmental performance. The category draws from across PAACADEMY's catalog and groups the most advanced, research-oriented courses by practice area.

Online Parametric Design Courses and Studios

courses per page

Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo

Days

Hrs

Min

Sec

Full AccessNew

Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo

Virginia Melnyk

Verified Account

8 HoursBeginner

Full AccessNew

Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo

8 HoursBeginner

What you'll learn

Understanding the principles of deployable structures in architecture (particularly scissor mechanisms)
Develop parametric workflows in Rhino and Grasshopper to create scissor mechanisms that deploy and collapse
Use Kangaroo physics to simulate membrane surfaces attached to deployable structures

Virginia Melnyk

Verified Account

Full Access

3D-Printing Clay Mastery

Lili Yas Tayefi

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate10 lessons

Full Access

3D-Printing Clay Mastery

8 HoursIntermediate10 lessons

What you'll 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.

Lili Yas Tayefi

Verified Account

Full Access

Fluid Forms: Geometry Rationalization with Maya & Rhino3D

Hazel Özrenk

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate12 lessons

Full Access

Fluid Forms: Geometry Rationalization with Maya & Rhino3D

8 HoursIntermediate12 lessons

What you'll learn

The creative flexibility and design potential of mesh modelling in Maya
Best practices for exporting from Maya to Rhino
Techniques to convert mesh into SubD and NURBS in Rhino3D

Hazel Özrenk

Verified Account

Full Access

Artefacts of Growth: Biomorphic Structures in Cinema 4D

Andreas Palfinger

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

Full Access

Artefacts of Growth: Biomorphic Structures in Cinema 4D

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

What you'll learn

Introduction to Spline, Mesh, and Subdivision Surfaces
Parametric workflows using MoGraph Effectors & Fields
Volume Builder, Cloner, Atom Array, and Voronoi Fracture

Andreas Palfinger

Verified Account

Full Access

Scripting Forms: Grasshopper3D & Blender

June Lee

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

Full Access

Scripting Forms: Grasshopper3D & Blender

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

What you'll learn

Creating design languages using components in Grasshopper and Geometry Nodes.
Analyzing design elements and developing conceptual parametric designs.
Applying multiple basic design languages to construct complex structures.

June Lee

Verified Account

Full Access

Grasshopper3D: Data Structures & Design Automation

Aditya Jain

Verified Account

8 HoursAdvanced11 lessons

Full Access

Grasshopper3D: Data Structures & Design Automation

8 HoursAdvanced11 lessons

What you'll learn

Tree Structures: Understanding and manipulating data using trees with real-world applications.
Lists and Patterns: Advanced data manipulation and generation.
Build your own custom tools that can be called on the Grasshopper canvas like any other tool.

Aditya Jain

Verified Account

Full Access

Procedurally Performant Patterns

David Burpee

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

Full Access

Procedurally Performant Patterns

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

What you'll learn

Contexts, operators, and attributes within Houdini
Interoperability between CAD and Mesh workflows
Concepts for Algorithmic Design

David Burpee

Verified Account

Full Access

3D-Printing Concrete: Sketch to real-scale prototype

Kristýna Uhrová, Jiří Uran Vítek +1

Verified Account

8 HoursBeginner11 lessons

Full Access

3D-Printing Concrete: Sketch to real-scale prototype

8 HoursBeginner11 lessons

What you'll learn

Learn the basics and applications of 3D concrete printing in architecture.
Master design techniques specifically for 3D printing.
Gain hands-on experience with Rhinoceros 7 and Grasshopper.

Kristýna Uhrová, Jiří Uran Vítek +1

Verified Account

Full Access

Computational Mindset: Foundations for Innovation in Design

Jak Drinnan

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

Full Access

Computational Mindset: Foundations for Innovation in Design

8 HoursIntermediate11 lessons

What you'll learn

The key elements we build within Grasshopper, and the importance of a numerical basis for all parametric design.
Guidelines to structure your scripts efficiently - from simple to complex.
A deeper understanding of the topology of curves and surfaces.

Jak Drinnan

Verified Account

Full Access

The Unreal Engine Blueprint

Gediminas Kirdeikis

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

Full Access

The Unreal Engine Blueprint

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

What you'll learn

Rhino to Unreal Engine 5 to Windows app pipeline. It’s strengths as well as its shortcomings.
Basic operations within Unreal Engine
Introduction to Unreal Engine’s material node-based system

Gediminas Kirdeikis

Verified Account

Full Access

3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns

Alejandra Rojas

Verified Account

8 HoursBeginner12 lessons

Full Access

3D-Printing Clay: Exploring Coded Patterns

8 HoursBeginner12 lessons

What you'll 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.

Alejandra Rojas

Verified Account

Full AccessBestseller

The Diffusion Architect 2.0

Ismail Seleit

Verified Account

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

Full AccessBestseller

The Diffusion Architect 2.0

8 HoursIntermediate13 lessons

What you'll learn

Understand the fundamentals of AI diffusion models and their role in architectural design workflows.
Learn to use SDXL and Flux models effectively for high-quality and innovative design outputs.
Master tools like Automatic1111, ComfyUI, and Fooocus for running AI-powered workflows.

Ismail Seleit

Verified Account