REPEAT as an international competition established by TEX-FAB to foster the creative spirit in the burgeoning field of digital fabrication. We encourage the generation of cutting edge design proposals for a structure of your design with the only caveats being it be generated and conceived digitally, incorporate repetitive elements, be optimized for relocation and transportation and be produced through fabrication technologies available within Houston, Texas.

The winning entry will be built , exhibited and subsequently given to the winner. The design and fabrication of the piece will be paid for in full by TEX-FAB and installed to coincide with the TEX-FAB exhibition REPEAT, in February.

Jury: Patrik Schumacher, Marc Fornes, Lisa Iwamoto, Chris Lasch and Blair Satterfield

Competition Website

Competition Registration

The new Firefly Primer has been added to http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/firefly. The Firefly Primer is a 35 page introduction to using GH/Firefly with Arduino, Pachube and beyond. It covers basic installation, tools, examples, tutorials, basic electronics with many helpful links to get users started. We will be introducing many more tools in the next few months to allow GH/Firefly to connect with a wide range of additional micro-controllers, peripherals, actuators, sensors, web resources and more. Firefly has been beta-tested by over 60 users (architects, engineers, artists) and has proved to be a stable and versatile tool. We look forward to hearing what you think as we continue to develop Firefly!

Jason K Johnson and Andy Payne are excited to announce the public release of the latest version of the Firefly toolset (Build 1.002) for Grasshopper.  Firefly is a set of comprehensive software tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet and beyond. It allows near real-time data flow between the digital and physical worlds, and will read/write
data to/from internet feeds, remote sensors and more.  It also includes a Pachube reader.  The download file includes:

1. Firefly_1.002.gha (Grasshopper Assembly file)
2. Firefly Arduino Firmata 1.002 (.pde firmware that you upload once to you Arduino)
3. Firefly Primer (35 Pages covering Installation, examples, tutorials and more)
4. Firefly/Grasshopper Examples Files

I will be posting more videos, photos, and information about this exciting release.  Come download the latest build and learn more about how we can connect our worlds! http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/firefly

The Biodynamic Structures workshop (hosted by the AA and CCA) is well underway and it has been amazing to see the intensity by both the instructors and the students.  I will be posting more information about the final exhibition for this event which will be happening next Wed (July 22nd), but definitely make sure you take a look at the Flickr site which is updated daily with new photos from the event.  The flickr site can be found here.

ST. LOUIS, MO | RHINOSCRIPT, GRASSHOPPER, & FABRICATION | AUG 9TH-12TH, 2010

Hosted by Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Art and Design
Sponsored By McNeel Rhinoceros

Material Resonance will be a four day, intensive workshop focused on practical application of Rhinoscripting or Grasshopper.  The workshop will also train participants in CNC fabrication using MasterCAM and the Washington University DIL fabrication lab.  There will also be demos of the new plug-ins Firefly and Kangaroo. 

The workshop is meant for professionals or students with a working knowledge in Rhinoceros.  Prior experience with Grasshopper or Rhino VB scripting is not necessary.  The workshop will start from first principles and cover topics from tessellation, components and connections to part organization, nesting and labeling.

Instructors  
Marc Fornes _ theverymany Rhino VB scripting
Andy Payne _ LIFT Architects Grasshopper
Kenneth Tracy _ Associated Fabrication MasterCAM

For more information and to register go to:
http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/events/workshops/3630

I am excited to announce that I will be working as an Associated Faculty member at the Biodynamics Structures workshop being hosted by the Architectural Association and the California College of the Arts from July 12th-21st, 2010.  Both institutions have assembled a truly first class set of instructors and it promises to be a ground breaking event.  I would like to thank Andrew Kudless and Jason Kelly Johnson for this invitation.  See workshop details below.

BIODYNAMIC STRUCTURES
AA Visiting School @ CCA California College of the Art
Monday 12 to Wednesday 21 July, 2010

Biodynamics is the study of the force and energy of dynamic processes on living organisms. Through simple mechanisms embedded within the material logic of natural systems, specific stimuli can activate a particular response. This response occurs in carnivorous plants such as the Venus fly-trap, which uses turgor pressure to trap small insects in order to feed, and worms, which by contracting differently oriented muscles, achieve movement. This ten-day intensive workshop, co-taught by the faculty of the Emergent Technologies and Design Programme at the AA and the faculty of Architecture and MEDIAlab at California College of the Arts, will explore active systems in nature, investigating biomimetic principles in order to analyze, design and fabricate prototypes that respond to electronic and environmental stimuli. Students will work in teams to research specific biological systems, extracting logics of organization, geometry, structure and mathematics. Advanced analysis, simulation, modeling and fabrication tools will be introduced in order to apply this information to the design of both passive and active responsive architectural systems. Investigation and application of robotics, sensors and actuators will be employed for the activation of the material system investigation through the construction of working responsive prototypes.

+ CONTENT TAGS: Biodynamic, Parametric, Scripted, Mimetic, Responsive, Interactive, Digitally Fabricated
+ SOFTWARE: Rhino, Grasshopper, Firefly, RhinoScript, Arduino, Processing

CORE FACULTY
Michael Weinstock (Academic Head, Director of Emergent Technologies Programme, AA London UK)
Christina Doumpioti, Evan Greenberg, Konstantinos Karatzas (Tutors, AA EmTech Programme, London UK)
Jason Kelly Johnson [Future Cities Lab], Andrew Kudless [Matsys] (CCA MediaLab Coordinators, SF CA)

ASSOCIATED FACULTY
George Jeronimidis (Director of Center for Biomimetics, University of Reading UK); Andrew Payne (LIFT Architects, Grasshopper Primer); Daniel Segraves (ASGG Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture); Ronnie Parsons + Gil Akos (Studio Mode, NY); Daniel Piker (Kangaroo Project Live Physics)

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
http://sanfrancisco.aaschool.ac.uk; or visit the CCA MEDIAlab website: http://mlab.cca.edu
(Workshops are non-credit. Enrollment is processed by the AA. Workshop will run the full 10 days.)

CONTACT
visitingschool@aaschool.ac.uk or mlab@cca.edu

SAN FRANCISCO, CA | PARAMETRIC URBANISM WITH GRASSHOPPER | FEB 13-14, 2010 | 10:00am-5:00pm

I am really excited to be participating in the upcoming Formations 2010 workshop series being held at the California College of the Arts campus in San Francisco.  There is a really great lineup of instructors teaching a wide array of topics:

• Mapping Urban Information with ESRI ArcGIS by Mona El-Khafif (CCA URBANlab) and Richard Kos (CCSF GIS Education Center/ San Jose State University)
• Neocartography - an Introduction to Interactive Mapping with Flash by Sha Hwang (Stamen Design)
• Parametric Urbanism with Grasshopper by Andy Payne (Lift Architects) and Andrew Kudless (Matsys/CCA MEDIAlab)
• Sensing the City with Arduino and Processing by Jason Kelly Johnson (Future Cities Lab/CCA MEDIAlab) and TBA instructor
• Parametric Design Modeling with Revit by David Fano (Case, inc./ DesignReForm.net/Columbia GSAPP)
• ECOlogics with Ecotect by Nataly Gattegno (Future Cities Lab / CCA ECOlab) and Olivier Pennetier (Symphysis)

Below is a synopsis of the Parametric Urbanism workshop I will co-teaching with Andrew Kudless.
Instructor: Andy Payne (Lift Architects) and Andrew Kudless (Matsys/CCA MEDIAlab)

This workshop will focus on the generative modeling of urban design logics using the Grasshopper plugin for Rhino 4.0. From the early work of firms such as MVRDV to the more recent investigations by Zaha Hadid, a parametric approach to urban design has allowed designers to condense complex hierarchies of design data into solutions that exhibit highly differentiated patterns of urban form. The workshop will cover several techniques that attempt to integrate common urban design parameters dealing with massing, program, and density into one associative model allowing the designer to quickly and accurately test multiple design scenarios. The first day of the workshop will introduce many of the central topics and techniques of parametric urbanism while the second day will focus on the implementation of these techniques in a large, complex urban masterplan.

Eligibility: Open to all design students and professionals.
Cost: $100 for students, $200 for professionals.
Click here to register for this event.

After an arduous amount of work the digital publication of the Grasshopper Primer (Second edition) has been translated into Spanish.  The goal of this endeavoer was to bring this knowledge to all interested professionals and students from the Hispanic community.  Congrats to the team for this amazing effort!

Translator's team: Francisco Calvo - Katherine Cáceres, both Chilean architects specialists in Rhino, and also members of Digital Tectonics - www.tectonicasdigitales.com - a web platform based on research in advanced architecture and the impact of new digital technologies in areas such as parametric design and urban simulation models.
Luego de una ardua tarea hemos finalizado la publicación digital del Manual de Grasshopper (Segunda edición) en su versión en español. Esperamos con esto, contribuir a la difusión acerca del manejo de este plugin para todos los profesionales y estudiantes de habla hispana interesados en el tema.

Grupo traductor: Francisco Calvo – Katherine Cáceres, ambos arquitectos Chilenos especialistas en Rhino, y miembros de Tectónicas Digitales – www.tectonicasdigitales.com - una plataforma web de investigación en base a la arquitectura avanzada y el impacto de las nuevas tecnologías digitales en temas como el diseño paramétrico y los modelos de simulación urbana.

Source Files:
The Grasshopper Primer_Spanish Edition.pdf (size: 13.3mb - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - adobe acrobat needed)
Primer Source Files (size: 193k - right-click and select 'Save Link As' - this is a collection of definitions and Rhino files needed to complete the examples in the primer)

FORWARD DESIGN OFFICE | LOS ANGELES, CA | ADV. GRASSHOPPER WORKSHOP | DEC. 6th, 2009 | 9:30am-5:30pm

Being able to quickly and efficiently control large amounts of data is vital in order to increase productivity with Grasshopper.  This one day advanced Grasshopper workshop will focus on developing strategies for dealing with complex data structures and list management through a series of well defined tutorials that deal with constraint based and associative modeling techniques.  This class will be similar in nature to the Advanced Grasshopper workshop taught at Forward Office Design in June, 2009 however specific topics can be addressed through participant feedback prior to the workshop (feel free to email me requests of particular areas of interest).  Note, this workshop does not require you to have taken the first workshop but will require a working knowledge of the software.  

If you are interested in signing up for this class, please email Jeffrey Kim at jeffrey@fwdoffice.com.  Cost $299.00 per peson and open to students and professionals (laptops required).

Location: Forward Design Office 758 East Colorado Blvd, Suite 210  Pasadena, CA 91101

ARLINGTON, TX | INTRO/INTERMEDIATE GRASSHOPPER WORKSHOP | FEBRUARY 6th, 2010 | 9:00am-6:00pm

I would like to thank Andrew Vrana, Brad Bell, and Kevin Patrick McClellan for inviting me to teach two sessions at the first ever TEX-FAB event being held at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture from February 4th-6th, 2010.  The weekend event promises to be an exiciting one with key note speakers, workshops, and an exhibition planned to highlight the growing interest in digital fabrication and design.

TEX-FAB is a new resource for designers, academics, fabricators, and students seeking out the innovative application of digital technology to the physical environment. Within Texas there is an emerging network of companies, institutions, and individuals focusing on the exploration of parametric design and the digital production of building components. Specifically, there is a growing opportunity for collaborative exchange between the academic, technical, and professional communities by leveraging the immense resources found in some of the largest metropolitan centers across the United States. TEX-FAB seeks to create a forum for the exchanges of these ideas and techniques through workshops, lectures, and exhibitions.

The above is a follow up video to the posting I made last week showing how we can use a Wii nunchuck to control parametric data in Grasshopper.  However, in this video, we are looking at reversing the flow of information and using parametric data (numeric sliders in Grasshopper) to control two different servos.  In this case, one slider controls the panning servo, while the other controls the tilting servo.

In this demo, we need to set up two different files.  The first is the Grasshopper definition (written for ver. 0.6.0019) which sends the numeric slider information over the serial port via a custom VB.NET component.  This component formats the two variables (the pan slider and the tilt slider) into a string that is separated by a comma.  This comma will serve as our delimeter when we read the data over the serial port on the Arduino side.  You can download the Grasshopper source file below.

On the Arduino side, we first have to understand that serial communication receives individual bytes of information as a stream.  This can become complicated because most data types are more than 1 byte... so you have to understand the data type and then convert it on the Arduino side to the format you are looking for.  In this example, we are reading a string into the buffer and then working through each individual byte until we reach our delimeter (don't forget about the comma).  Once we reach the comma, we pass the data that has been read into the buffer into a variable that ultimately controls one of the servos.  We do a similar process for the second set of bytes after the comma.  The Arduino source code can also be downloaded below.

Again, I'd like to thank Robert Lee for his explanations and insights on how to set up this demo.

Source Files:
Grasshopper_controlling_PanTilt_Servo.pde (Right-click to 'Save Link As') This is the Arduino source code needed to program the micro-controller.  This file was written for Arduino IDE ver. 0017.

Grasshopper to PanTilt Servo.3dm (Right-click to 'Save Link As') This is the Rhino file that accompanies the Grasshopper definition.

Update: Please use the new FireFly toolbar to facilitate the Grasshopper to Arduino connection.  Click here for more information.

Note: These documents are in the public domain and are furnished "as is". The author, Andrew Payne, makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the usefulness of the software and documentation for any purpose. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/

The video above demonstrates how we can feed a stream of live sensor data (in this case, I chose to use the accelerometer data from a Wii nunchuck) into Grasshopper to control a parametric model.  I'll be the first to admit that this is not a 'new' demo... In fact, this demo was heavily inspired (in concept) by this video that was created in 2008 that shows how a Wii nunchuck can control a mechanical arm in 3D Studio Max . 

However, my own research was primarily concerned with understanding how to get the sensor data into Grasshopper (and how we can also reverse this flow of information to get Grasshopper to control servos, motors, LED's, etc...) in order to create more complex and sophisticated digitial and physical environments.

Before we get too far, I'd like to say thank you to Robert Lee for his insights on how to setup the VB.NET listener.

Now onto the more technical aspects.  Let's start with the hardware setup.  I am sending the accelerometer data from the Wii nunchuck to an Arduino Diecimila micro-controller which allows me to format the data into a block of code that the Grasshopper VB.NET listener will be able to understand.  I could have spliced up my Wii controller to connect the various parts of the circuit to the appropriate pins on the Arduino board, but I decided to buy a wonderful and cheap little adapter that simplifies the entire process.  You can buy your own from these online stores:

- FunGizmos.com. International shipping for $1 more.
- Tinker.it (UK)
- Little Bird Electronics (Australia)
- Sparkfun. Ships domestic & internationally. Be sure to order header pins too!
- Freduino.eu (EU)

Now, that we've properly connected the Wii nunchuck to our micro-controller, we'll need to program our Arduino board so that it can read the incoming sensor data and send it over the serial port.  For this, I have used a custom built library written by Tod E. Kurt that was designed to help the communication process between a Wii controller and the Arduino.  You can download the "nunchuck_funcs.h" library from his website at: http://todbot.com/blog/.  You can also get the source file needed to program your own board by clicking on the links below.

On the Grasshopper side of things, we need to create a custom VB.NET listener component that can read a string of data coming in over the serial port.  The nice thing about this listener is that it will display any string that is being sent from the Arduino... What you do with that string is another matter... but in this example, we are feeding a string of information that is separated by a comma ",".  The comma will be our delimeter which essentially tells us where to split the string so we can extract the integer value on the left side of the comma (which cooresponds to the X-value of the accelerometer) and the integer value on the right side of the comma (which will cooresponds to the Y-value of the accelerometer). 

Once we have successfully read the data from Grasshopper, we can connect a Timer Component to automatically refresh the solution at a given time interval.  In the video above, I was able to refresh the sensor data at 50 millisecond (the smallest time interval that is currently available in Grasshopper) without any lag or delay.  You can download both the Rhino file and the Grasshopper definition needed for this demo by clicking on the links below.

Source Files:
Wii Nunchuck to Grasshopper.pde (Right-click to 'Save Link As') This is the Arduino source file.  This file was written for Arduino IDE ver. 0017.

Wii Nunchuck to Grasshopper.3dm (Right-click to 'Save Link As') This is the Rhino file that accompanies the Grasshopper definition.

Update: Please use the new FireFly toolbar to facilitate the Grasshopper to Arduino connection.  Click here for more information.

Note: These documents are in the public domain and are furnished "as is". The author, Andrew Payne, makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the usefulness of the software and documentation for any purpose. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/