Master Computational
Design, Step by Step

What is computational design? Understand the parametric mindset before any software. Install Rhino (90-day free trial from rhino3d.com). Explore the viewport: navigation, display modes, command line. Watch the intro video by Gediminas to understand what you're aiming toward.

Rhino 2D fundamentals: points, lines, polylines, arcs, circles. Practice drawing a building floor plan from scratch. Master layers, object properties, and snaps (Osnap toolbar). Export as DWG — verify it opens in AutoCAD/DraftSight.

Rhino 3D: extrude, boolean union/difference, loft, sweep1/2, revolve. Build a simple building massing with windows cut out. Understand NURBS vs polysurface vs mesh. Render a quick viewport screenshot with Materials and Shadow mode.

Open Grasshopper for the first time (type "Grasshopper" in Rhino command line). Explore the canvas, components, wires, and parameter types. Do NOT build anything yet. Watch David Rutten's official GH intro videos — he created Grasshopper. Read the first 20 pages of the GH Primer. Understand: what is a component, what is a wire, what is data?

GH interface: number sliders, integer sliders, panels, boolean toggles, md sliders. Build your first definition: parametric rectangle with width, depth, height on sliders. Extrude in GH. Right-click each component to preview/hide. Bake into Rhino. Follow Gediminas's 2024 full course — work through the first third.

Geometry components: Point, Line, Circle, Rectangle, Plane. Reference existing Rhino geometry into GH (Set One Point, Set One Curve). Build a parametric grid of points — use Series + construct point. Connect to a Polyline. Move, Scale, Rotate in GH. Understand "internalize" vs "reference."

Data fundamentals: numbers vs integers vs text vs booleans in GH. List operations: List Item (index), List Length, Reverse List, Sort List, Cull Pattern, Dispatch. Build a series of 8 columns with mathematically varied heights. Use a Graph Mapper to control the profile. Label all components — this habit is essential.

Review week. Rebuild all Week 5, 6, 7 exercises from scratch without tutorials. Document every gap. Go back and re-read GH Primer chapters on data. Read Zubin Khabazi's "Generative Algorithms" — free PDF from TU Delft's own repository. Add colour-coded groups, labels, and notes to all your definitions — professional habit from Day 1.

Data trees: what are paths, branches, items. Use Param Viewer to see tree structure live. Study Flatten (removes all branches → one list), Graft (every item becomes its own branch), Simplify (removes redundant paths). These three operations control 80% of GH errors. Spend double time here — this is the wall where most architects quit. Watch the Gediminas Advanced Course specifically on data trees.

Mathematical operations: Range, Series, Remap Numbers, Graph Mapper. Build an attractor-point system: a flat grid of squares where each panel scales based on its distance from a movable attractor point (use Distance → Remap → Rectangle). This is the classic GH exercise every architect should complete.

Surface division: Divide Surface (U/V count), Isotrim (sub-surface from UV domain), Surface Closest Point, Evaluate Surface. Build a parametric facade grid on a curved surface — adjustable panel count and extrusion depth per panel. Use Deconstruct Brep to get faces of a polysurface. This is the basis of almost every parametric facade project.

Curve + geometry manipulation: Offset Curve, Move, Rotate, Mirror in GH. Cull Pattern to create regular voids. Build a parametric jaali screen pattern inspired by Indian geometric art — a repeating grid of rotated squares with controllable void ratio. Bake, print to scale, check proportions. This is directly applicable to Indian architecture projects.

Phase 3 Milestone: Design a parametric screen wall with minimum 3 independent parameters. Bake, document, screenshot. Label every group. Use colour-coded groups (Surface Logic = green, Math = blue, Output = orange — pick your system). Save permanently as your GH template starting point. Write a paragraph describing what each section of the definition does — future-you will thank you.

Install plugins via Food4Rhino (free). Install LunchBox — explore triangular, quad, hexagonal panel types on curved surfaces. Install Weaverbird — apply mesh subdivision and thickening to a mesh geometry. Understand plugin management: PackageManager in Rhino vs manual .gha install. Keep a "plugins installed" text file in your GH folder.

Install Ladybug Tools (free). Download the EPW weather file for Mumbai (or your city) from climate.onebuilding.org — completely free. Run a sun path diagram in GH. Visualise hourly sun positions for the full year. Understand solar altitude and azimuth. This is the foundation for all climate-responsive design in GH.

Use Ladybug to design a climate-responsive shading device. Parametrically adjust overhang depth and angle in GH, and use Ladybug's Sunlight Hours Analysis to calculate how much direct sunlight hits a south-facing window in Mumbai's hottest months (Apr–Jun). Find the minimum overhang that blocks 90% of summer sun. This is evidence-based design — computation serving a real purpose.

Introduction to Galapagos evolutionary solver. Set up a simple optimisation problem — adjust 2 sliders (overhang depth + angle) to maximise shading while minimising total fin area. Connect to Galapagos, set the fitness function, run the solver. Study the fitness history graph. Understand what "fitness," "genome," and "Pareto front" mean. Understand the limits: solvers find local optima, not absolute truths.

Pick one repetitive element from an active project — a facade panel, a jaali screen, a ceiling pattern, a spout array, or a louvre system. Rebuild it parametrically in GH. Start with just geometry correctness, then add parameters. Don't over-engineer on the first pass. The goal is a GH definition that generates the correct geometry with at least 2 adjustable parameters.

Add 3 controllable parameters to your live project element. Generate and screenshot 3 distinct design variations from the same GH definition — just by moving sliders. This is the core value of computational design: one script, infinite variations. Present these options to a colleague. Explain the parametric logic to someone who doesn't know GH — if you can explain it, you understand it.

Introduction to GhPython scripting. Open a Python component in GH (GHPython or Script component). Write a script that generates a list of numbers following a custom Fibonacci-like rule. Use RhinoScriptSyntax (rs.AddLine, rs.AddPoint) to create geometry from code. No prior programming experience needed — GhPython is the gentlest intro to coding you can get. Python unlocks everything GH's visual components cannot do.

Rhino.Inside.Revit — the bridge between Grasshopper and Revit BIM. Install free from rhino3d.com/inside/revit. Launch Grasshopper from inside Revit via the new Rhino tab. Build a GH definition that creates Revit Walls, Levels, and Columns from GH sliders — watch Gediminas's 3-part beginner series. Understand the workflow: parametric geometry in GH → push directly to Revit without remodelling. This is the most important office productivity upgrade in this entire plan.

Begin portfolio project: a climate-responsive facade for a Mumbai high-rise, or a parametric jaali wall referencing Indian geometric art (Jali from Amer Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, or Sidi Saiyyed Mosque as reference). Define the design intent in a paragraph before opening GH. The computation must serve an idea, not replace one. Sketch by hand first.

Build the portfolio project GH definition. Integrate everything from Phases 1–5: surface division, attractor logic, Ladybug climate analysis, data tree management, Python components where needed. Aim for 3–5 adjustable parameters. Document with groups and labels as you build — don't leave it to the end.

Render and document. Bake to Rhino. Use D5 Render (free tier) or Blender (completely free) with the exported OBJ/FBX for rendering. Create: one hero render, two parameter-variation screenshots. Lay out an A3 portfolio sheet in Figma (free) or Canva (free) showing design intent → GH definition → rendered output → parameter range.

Share your work. Post on McNeel Grasshopper forum with a description of the definition logic and ask for one specific technical critique. Post the portfolio sheet on LinkedIn. Upload the GH file to GitHub or Pastebin so others can learn from it. Engage with at least one other person's project on the forum. Community critique is irreplaceable — textbooks cannot simulate it.

Celebrate finishing Phase 1–6. Reflect: what was hardest (data trees)? What was most useful (Ladybug? Rhino.Inside.Revit?)? What project would you tackle next? Plan your next 6 months. Options ahead: advanced GhPython/C# scripting, Wallacei multi-objective optimisation, or Phase 7 below — Grasshopper for Urban Design and Town Planning. Read Arturo Tedeschi's "AAD Algorithms-Aided Design" book — free preview available. Decide: Phase 7, or real project focus?

GIS fundamentals for architects. Install Heron plugin (free, Food4Rhino). Install Elk plugin (free, Food4Rhino). Import OSM (OpenStreetMap) data into Rhino — get roads, building footprints, land use boundaries for any site globally. Practice importing a Mumbai neighbourhood. Understand coordinate systems: WGS84 vs local. Export a site plan DWG from the imported OSM data.

Parametric plot subdivision. Build a GH definition that subdivides a site polygon into plots based on: minimum road frontage, minimum plot area, and setback distances. Encode Indian planning standards — 1.5m side setbacks, 3m front setback, 60 sqm minimum plot (per MMRDA typical guidelines). Adjust FSI via slider and see maximum built volume update live as a 3D massing.

Street network generation with Urbano plugin (free, Food4Rhino). Generate hierarchical street networks — arterial, collector, local — from a site boundary. Analyse connectivity, average block size, and pedestrian catchment. Compare three typologies: grid, organic, and superblock for a 10-hectare site. Directly applicable to township projects like JSW Nandyal.

Density and massing studies. Build a GH definition that places building typologies (row houses, mid-rise, high-rise) across a masterplan grid. Control: unit mix, building footprint, height, open space ratio. Calculate total dwelling units, FSI consumed vs permitted, open space m², and percentage — live in GH panels, updating with every slider change. This is what separates computational urban design from manual iteration.

Spatial analysis with Decoding Spaces toolkit (free, Food4Rhino). Run isovist/viewshed analysis on a public plaza — which parts are most visible from an entry point? Run visibility analysis on street intersections and convex space mapping across a neighbourhood layout. Use outputs to argue for design decisions with spatial data: "the plaza needs shifting 8m north to improve passive surveillance" — evidence-based urban design.

Urban microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort. Use Ladybug's UTCI (Universal Thermal Climate Index) map on a masterplan. Map pedestrian comfort for Mumbai's hottest month (May). Identify which streets and plazas are unbearable and iterate building placement and shade tree coverage to improve scores. Required skill for Indian Smart City and AMRUT project submissions — outdoor comfort is increasingly a deliverable, not optional.

Walkability and amenity catchment mapping. Build a GH definition placing amenities (school, primary health centre, market, park) across a masterplan and calculate 400m (5-min walk) and 800m (10-min walk) catchment zones for each. Visualise underserved areas in red. Cross-reference UDPFI neighbourhood unit hierarchy — primary school within 0.5km, health centre within 1.5km, market within 0.8km. Directly applicable to PMAY housing layouts and township planning.

Generative layout exploration with Wallacei (free — multi-objective evolutionary solver, far more powerful than Galapagos for urban work). Set 3 competing fitness goals: maximise walkability score, maximise open space ratio, minimise road area. Run Wallacei and explore the Pareto front — solutions that are good across all three with different trade-offs. Curate 3 options from the front. Key lesson: computation generates options, design judgment selects from them. The architect's role changes, not disappears.

Speckle for collaborative urban design (free, fully open source). Install Speckle Connector for Rhino. Push your GH-baked masterplan model to a live Speckle web viewer. Share a link with consultants or clients — they view it in a browser, no software install needed. Explore embedding Speckle viewers in presentation pages. Urban projects always involve multi-team coordination — parametric data sharing via Speckle replaces repetitive DWG email exchanges and version confusion.

Indian development control and RERA compliance checker. Encode Maharashtra DCR rules into GH: minimum corridor width (1.2m), parking (1 per 50 sqm CFA), open space as % of plot, fire tender access (4.5m clearance), maximum building height per zone. Build a definition that flags non-compliance in red GH panels when parameters cross thresholds. This automates what architects currently check manually against a PDF — saves hours per design iteration round.

Urban Design Portfolio Project — parametric masterplan for a 5-hectare mixed-use Indian city site. Integrate all Phase 7 tools in one GH workflow: OSM site import via Elk → street network via Urbano → building massing with FSI calculator → Ladybug UTCI outdoor comfort → walkability catchment → Decoding Spaces visibility → Speckle for publishing. Document with a definition flowchart. Render an aerial via D5 Render or Blender. Compose a 2-page portfolio report.

Reflect, share, and plan Phase 8. Share the urban project on McNeel Forum, LinkedIn, and the Urbano community. Get specific technical feedback. Review all 7 phases — what has fundamentally changed about how you approach a design problem from scratch? Plan your next path: deep C# scripting in GH, Rhino.Inside.Revit for full BIM-parametric fusion in urban projects, machine learning with ShapeDiver, or real GIS analysis in QGIS + Python. You are no longer a beginner — you are a practising computational designer.