What is KUKA PRC and how is it used for robotic fabrication in Grasshopper?

KUKA PRC is a Grasshopper plugin that allows designers to program, simulate, and export robotic tool paths for KUKA six-axis robotic arms directly from within the Grasshopper environment. It handles TCP (tool center point) setup, end-effector behavior, joint configurations, and movement sequences, and exports the final code for physical execution on the robot. In this workshop, KUKA PRC is used alongside Weaver Ant to generate and simulate robotic winding paths for fibrous architectural installations.

What does the Fibrous Architecture workshop at PAACADEMY cover across its two sessions?

Session 1 focuses on manual winding strategy: scripting a Grasshopper workflow for single-curved stay-in-place formwork, designing frames with anchor fixtures and notching using Weaver Ant, generating winding patterns and data, and preparing files for CNC cutting. Session 2 introduces robotic fabrication: creating planar frame aggregations using MutAnt, designing detailed frames with anchor coordinates for robotic winding, simulating the full KUKA robotic process with KUKA PRC, and producing final AI-assisted renders using Nano Banana.

Do I need access to a KUKA robotic arm to join this fibrous architecture workshop?

No. The workshop is designed to accommodate participants without access to a robotic arm. A low-tech manual winding strategy using CNC-cut frames is implemented as an alternative, covering the same design logic and computational workflow. Participants working with the robotic track will use KUKA PRC for simulation and fabrication data generation, while the manual track uses the same Grasshopper definitions for winding patterns and frame preparation.

What will I produce by the end of this fibrous architecture workshop?

Participants will complete a full design-to-fabrication workflow for a fibrous architectural installation, including a Grasshopper script covering formwork design, winding pattern generation, and aggregation logic using MutAnt and Weaver Ant, fabrication-ready files for either CNC cutting and manual winding or KUKA robotic arm execution, and final AI-assisted visualizations of the installation produced in Nano Banana.

Jan 17 & 18, 202611 lessonsBeginner

FREE with Full Access Workshop Beginner 11 lessons 5.0 Rating

Fibrous Architecture: Robotic Fabrication & AI Rendering

Fibrous Architecture: Robotic Fabrication & AI Rendering is a two-session workshop on PAACADEMY that teaches participants to design computational fibrous workflows, simulate robotic winding using a six-axis KUKA robotic arm, and produce AI-assisted visualizations with Nano Banana. Working in Grasshopper 3D with the MutAnt and Weaver Ant plugins, participants develop both manual low-tech winding strategies and fully robotic winding workflows from design to digital fabrication at architectural scale.

This course includes

Live workshop · 5h 57m
Lifetime session recordings
Certificate of completion
Downloadable course files
4 design tools
Private Discord community
Included with Full Access

The workshop will be a loop between design and fabrication revolving around emerging morphologies of fibrous trajectories. The Workshop will delve into creating a workflow from design to digital fabrication for architectural-scale installation of an aggregated fibrous structure using a six-axis KUKA robotic arm. For projects where accessibility to a robotic arm would not be possible, a low-tech system for a manual wound strategy will be implemented.

Participants will learn how to create computational workflows within Grasshopper 3D using ‘MutAnt’ for aggregation of polygonal planar geometries and ‘Weaver Ant’ to design fibrous systems for robotic winding through ‘KUKA Prc’.

Create a computational workflow linking digital design and fabrication in Grasshopper 3D.
Design installations for low-tech fabrication using CNC cutting and manual cable winding.
Generate planar aggregations using boundary rule sets through MutAnt.
Build and simulate a robotic winding workflow using Weaver Ant and KUKA Prc for architectural-scale fabrication.
Rendering through Nano Banana.

This workshop guides participants through a complete workflow that moves from fabrication strategies to full robotic winding. It begins with the design of filament paths for manually wound systems using CNC-cut frames, developed through Grasshopper definitions that include formwork modeling, anchor fixtures, notching, and data extraction using Weaver Ant.

The workshop shifts to robotic fabrication, where planar frames generated through MutAnt aggregations are prepared with precise coordinates for KUKA robotic winding. Throughout the process, participants build a continuous chain from conceptual modeling and aggregation to winding pattern generation, frame preparation, robotic simulation, and final AI-assisted rendering with Nano Banana.

Program:

First Session

This session begins with the design of rope winding on a single-curved stay-in-place formwork. The filament strategy will be designed to be provided for manual winding onto a CNC-cut frame.

The workshop will focus on scripting a computational workflow within Grasshopper, from designing the frames to incorporating nuts and bolts with notches for fixing the frames together. ‘Weaver ant’ will be used to generate the filament pattern and to generate data for winding.

Introductory presentation of projects by UN[MOULD]™ pertaining to fibrous systems from an array of executed product to architectural scale strategies.
Conceptual modeling within grasshopper with required proportions of an installation
Designing formwork and anchor fixtures
Understanding Weaver Ant workflow, generating winding patterns.
Unrolling frame, text tags and making files required for CNC cutting.
Assignment with Q&A

Second Session

The second day will look into the design of rope winding on planar frames derived from aggregations. These frames will be designed with precise nuts and bolts; these coordinates will provide the anchor points for robotic winding using Weaver Ant and KUKA PRC.

Creating planar frame systems derived from aggregations generated through MutAnt.
Designing detailed planar frames in Grasshopper, including precise nuts and bolts used as anchor coordinates for robotic winding.
Generating winding geometries and knots using Weaver Ant for robotic execution.
Focusing on robotic fabrication: understanding TCP, end-effector behavior, TCP setup, KUKA movements, and simulation using KUKA Prc.
Producing final renders using Nano Banana for AI-assisted visualization.
Assignment and Q&A.

1. Introduction + PAACADEMY Updates