# Axolotl courses

> **PAACADEMY offers online Axolotl plugin courses, teaching computational designers how to generate complex, cell-based 3D structures including Auxetics and beam-based lattices for functional 3D printing.**

Axolotl is a Grasshopper plugin developed for generating and manipulating complex 3D structures including Auxetic structures, beam-based lattices, and other repeating geometric patterns used in computational structural and product design. Its cell-based structure generation capability makes it particularly suited to the parametric design of structural lattices for 3D printing, where precise control over unit cell geometry dictates physical performance.

At PAACADEMY, Axolotl is taught in _Structural Evolution_ by Nolan Kim alongside other volumetric plugins to cover specific families of structural geometry:

- **Auxetic Structures:** Designing geometries with a negative Poisson's ratio, allowing materials to expand laterally when stretched.
- **Beam-Based Lattices:** Generating highly organized 3D space frames with tunable node thicknesses for 3D printing.
- **Cell-Based Patterning:** Mapping repeating functional geometries across complex 3D surfaces in footwear and product design.

## At a glance

- Software hub: Axolotl
- Courses listed: 1
- Canonical: https://paacademy.com/software/axolotl

## Courses

- [Structural Evolution](https://paacademy.com/course/structural-evolution)

## FAQ

### What is Axolotl and what structural types does it generate in Grasshopper?

Axolotl is a Grasshopper plugin for generating Auxetic structures, beam-based lattices and repeating geometric patterns used in computational structural and product design. It provides cell-based structure generation for parametric lattice design where control over unit cell geometry and distribution is needed for functional 3D-printed structural performance. At PAACADEMY, it is taught in _Structural Evolution_ by Nolan Kim.

### What are Auxetic structures and how are they used in footwear design?

Auxetic structures have a negative Poisson's ratio, expanding laterally when stretched rather than contracting. In footwear design, this enables midsole and upper structures with tunable directional deformation behavior. At PAACADEMY, _Structural Evolution_ by Nolan Kim teaches Auxetic structure design using Axolotl in Grasshopper, with case studies from New Balance, Adidas, Puma and Formlabs showing production applications.

### How does Axolotl differ from Chromodoris for parametric structural design in Grasshopper?

Axolotl generates Auxetic structures and beam-based lattices through cell-based parametric geometry tools. Chromodoris generates triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) through isosurface meshing from implicit functions. At PAACADEMY's _Structural Evolution_ course, both are used for different structural families: Axolotl for Auxetics and beam lattices, Chromodoris for TPMS structures like Gyroid and Schwartz surfaces.