Rhino 3D https://rhino3d.co.uk/ Rhino 3D Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:40:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://rhino3d.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cropped-rhino3d-site-icon-32x32.png Rhino 3D https://rhino3d.co.uk/ 32 32 Grasshopper UK UGM June 2025 – Meeting Notes https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-ugm-june-2025-meeting-notes/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:40:00 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3506 Read the technical write up report notes from our June 2025 Grasshopper User Group Meeting held at Arup, London. Find out what we learnt from Arup about the largest glass sculpture in the world (Mangrove, Manila), a project focused user case for Oasys GSA, and from the Hawkins\Brown team with the CDW Arches.

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The Grasshopper User Group Meeting Logo.


On Wednesday, 18th June 2025, Simply Rhino hosted the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting at Arup’s London offices. We are pleased to share a comprehensive report of the event, available below. Whether you were unable to attend or wish to revisit the insightful presentations, we hope you find the summary both informative and inspiring. Our sincere thanks go to Luca Biselli for his invaluable assistance in compiling this report.

Grasshopper Meeting Presenters

  • Paul Cowell from the Organisers of the Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings, Simply Rhino
  • Vincenzo Reale – Arup
  • Stamatios Psarras and Miguel Martinez – Arup
  • Elise Colley and Lizzie Terry – Hawkins\Brown

Grasshopper Meeting Interactive Report – June 2025

Grasshopper Meetings – Background

Grasshopper for Rhino3D is a powerful visual programming language and algorithm editor that operates seamlessly within the Rhino environment. It empowers designers to create complex, parametric models through an intuitive, node-based interface—eliminating the need for traditional coding.

Grasshopper User Group Meetings serve as dynamic forums where users come together to share knowledge, showcase work, and explore new possibilities. These events typically cover a broad spectrum of topics related to Grasshopper, including design strategies, modelling workflows, and analytical applications.

Each session features engaging presentations from experienced practitioners, industry leaders, and software developers. They offer deep dives into innovative projects, advanced techniques, and the latest software developments. Attendees are encouraged to participate actively—asking questions, joining discussions, and networking with fellow professionals and enthusiasts.

These gatherings play a vital role in nurturing the Grasshopper and Rhino3D community. They foster collaboration, keep users informed about cutting-edge advancements, and provide a space to sharpen skills and find creative inspiration for future projects.


The next Grasshopper UK meeting will take place in the autumn of 2025, to be among the first to hear about our upcoming events make sure you’re signed-up to our newsletter and to the Simply Rhino social channels including LinkedIn and Instagram.

Grasshopper UK User Group meetings are organised by Simply Rhino. If you’re interested in participating in a future meeting by way of presenting, or perhaps you’d like to host a meeting at your offices, then please get in touch with Paul or Stephanie at Simply Rhino, we’d love to hear from you. 

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Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting | June 2025 https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-user-group-meeting-june-2025/ Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:09:25 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3426 Simply Rhino are holding the next Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting in London, at Arup in June 2025. Presentations from Arup and Hawkins\Brown.

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The Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting logo

Simply Rhino were at Arup, London, for the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting on the 18th of June 2025.

Presentations were from Arup, Oasys and Hawkins\Brown.

Arup, London, kindly hosting June’s Grasshopper Meeting. Following a welcome from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers at Simply Rhino we enjoyed 3 presentations, first up were our hosts, Arup, followed by a case-study introduction to Oasys, and then closing the presentations our invited guests from Hawkins\Brown.

Alongside the main presentations there were opportunities for conversations and networking with drinks served from 18:00.

This meeting was free to attend but booking was essential. Booking closed at 12:00 on the 16th of June.

  • Meeting Date: Wednesday 18th June 2025
  • Time: 18:00-20:30
  • Location: Market Square Space, Arup, 80 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QS

Presentation outlines:


Meeting Introduction

Meeting welcome with Paul Cowell from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers, Simply Rhino.


Presentation 1 | Vincenzo Reale – Arup

The largest glass sculpture in the world​: Mangrove, Manila​

Vincenzo Reale from Arup will showcase the innovative Mangrove glass sculpture project—an inspiring collaboration with Nikolas Weinstein Studios that combines advanced scripting, physical testing, and seismic analysis to create one of the world’s largest glass sculptures. Discover how a carefully tailored mix of tools and close interdisciplinary collaboration transformed this visionary concept into reality.

Colour headshot photo of Vincenzo Reale from Arup

Vincenzo Reale – Vincenzo is a chartered structural engineer (ICE) and architect (ARB). He holds a master’s degree with distinction in Structural Engineering and Architecture from the University of Bologna and a Master of Science from the Architectural Association in London. During the last ten years he has worked with several contemporary architectural and design practices, including Zaha Hadid Architects and Antony Gormley Studio.

He joined Arup London in 2013. Here, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, he has gained experience in a wide range of projects with internationally awarded architects and since 2018 he works in the Arup’s Specialist Technology + Research team with a focus on special structures, timber and seismic engineering.

Concurrently with his professional work he has held several academic positions such as lecturer at the Architectural Association, unit master at AA Visiting School Jordan, and teacher of several parametric courses for engineers at the Arup University, the Imperial College London and the Bartlett School of Architecture.

His works and collaborations have been exhibited worldwide, notably at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Royal Academy of Arts, White Cube and Design Museum in London.


Presentation 2 | Miguel Martinez and Stamatios Psarras – Arup

Total Design through Oasys GSA to align architectural and structural aspirations – The case of 176-178 York Way

The presentation will introduce Oasys GSA Suite, which provides simple and advanced structure analysis of any structure, fully integrated with Revit, Grasshopper, LS-DYNA, OpenSees and IDEAStatiCa.

As engineers and architects continue to push boundaries with new creations, GSA offers a quick, accurate, and affordable solution for even the most advanced project. GSA has supported a wide range of projects worldwide, including the Swiss Re (London), CCTV Headquarters (Beijing) and Las Vegas High Roller, and has global recognition as one of the most complete packages for structural engineers. GSA’s easy-to-use interface and customer support mean you’ll be creating and sculpting models in no time. A spreadsheet-friendly file format and smooth interaction with other tools make this software the perfect choice. GSA is BIM (Building Information Modelling) compatible, and also designed to connect with a range of other leading software packages, including Autodesk Revit. GSA Suite is our most comprehensive structural package, offering all of the GSA variant features, intuitive nonlinear analysis, along with form finding and fabric analysis tools for tensile and gridshell structures.

Showcasing 176-178 York Way as a case study of its implementation, maximise the use of a historic brownfield site by identifying key site constraints, and by adopting novel computational methods, incorporate the constraints as design features and overcome the most ambitious client and design team aspirations.

As a highlight of this session, we will present a compelling case study: the redevelopment of 176–178 York Way, a historic brownfield site. This project showcases the strategic use of GSA to navigate site constraints and transform them into key design features. Through innovative computational methods and close collaboration between the client and design teams, the project not only maximized the site’s potential but also exceeded the most ambitious expectations.

Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how the Oasys GSA Suite can elevate your structural design practice.

Miguel Martinez is a Principal Structural Engineer with a proven track record of successfully leading and delivering challenging projects to the highest standards. He combines high technical engineering knowledge with his architectural training, as an ARB-registered architect, to achieve the best outcomes for projects when working in multidisciplinary teams. He has specialist knowledge on tall buildings design and construction and design under seismic and extreme conditions.

He has received numerous awards during his career, including the 2020 IStructE Young Structural Engineering Professional Award.

Stamatios Psarras is an architect working as a software engineer with over 10 years’ experience. At Arup, he leads digital discipline efforts in London and serves as the lead developer for the Oasys Grasshopper tools, driving innovation in structural and environmental design workflows.

He also teaches programming at UCL and is pursuing a PhD focused on how spatial perception and visual saliency influence navigation and the understanding of the built environment.


Presentation 3 | Elise Colley and Lizzie Terry – Hawkins\Brown

Behind the Bricks: The CDW Arches

‘Behind the Bricks’ explores the design and fabrication of two sculptural stone arches built for Clerkenwell Design Week, using a fully parametric workflow developed with Grasshopper, Rhino, Human UI, and Rhino.Inside.Revit. This custom design engine responded dynamically to 2D and 3D geometry updates, allowing rapid design iterations while maintaining a continuously live set of construction drawings. The project represents a typology of end-to-end computation, one that could be replicated on future projects and design processes.

Elise Colley and Lizzie Terry – Elise and Lizzie began developing their computational design skills during their postgraduate studies in Architecture.

Now qualified architects at Hawkins\Brown, they are active members of the practice’s Digital Design Network, participating in Hackathons, problem solving challenges and automation opportunities.

They continuously seek ways to integrate computational methods throughout the architectural design process and across projects of varying type and scale.

LinkedIn: Elise Colley & Lizzie Terry


The Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings are Organised by Simply Rhino

Have you read our detailed report from February’s meeting at Zaha Hadid Architects?


Meeting Sponsored by Chaos and BEAM

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Grasshopper UK UGM February 2025 – Meeting Notes https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-ugm-february-2025-meeting-notes/ Thu, 15 May 2025 15:50:50 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3419 Read the full technical report from our last Grasshopper User Group Meeting which was held at Zaha Hadid Architects. Find out what we learnt from the ZHA Code team, Buro Happold engineers and Chaos.

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The Grasshopper User Group Meeting Logo.


On Wednesday 12th February 2025 Simply Rhino held the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) in London. We have made a full report of the meeting and invite you to view it below. We hope this is useful for those that were not able to attend and those who joined us but would enjoy a reminder of the presentations. Our thanks to Luca Biselli for his help with the write up of this meeting.

Grasshopper Meeting Presenters

  • Paul Cowell from the Organisers of the Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings, Simply Rhino
  • Vishu Bhooshan – Zaha Hadid Architects
  • Tommaso Casucci – Zaha Hadid Architects
  • Norbert Gräser – Chaos
  • Sarah Fahlaoui – Buro Happold
  • Dr Al Fisher – Buro Happold

Grasshopper Meeting Interactive Report – February 2025

Grasshopper Meetings – Background

Grasshopper (GH) for Rhino3D is a visual programming language and graphical algorithm editor that is seamlessly integrated with Rhino. Grasshopper allows users to create complex parametric designs and algorithms through a visual interface, without the need for traditional programming code.

Grasshopper User Group Meetings are gatherings where users unite to exchange knowledge, experiences, and insights. During these meetings, participants generally cover various aspects of utilising Grasshopper for design, modelling, and analysis.

The sessions feature presentations from seasoned users, industry experts, and software developers, who highlight innovative projects, exhibit advanced techniques, and present new features or updates. Attendees frequently have the chance to participate in discussions, pose questions, and connect with fellow Grasshopper and Rhino enthusiasts.

These user gatherings play an important role in cultivating a community around Grasshopper and Rhino3D, encouraging collaboration, and offering a platform for users to remain updated on the latest advancements in the software. They provide an excellent opportunity for users to improve their skills, maintain connections within the community, and draw inspiration for their own design and modelling projects.


The next Grasshopper UK meeting will take place in June 2025, to be among the first to hear about our upcoming events make sure you’re signed-up to our newsletter and to the Simply Rhino social channels including LinkedIn and Instagram.

Grasshopper UK User Group meetings are organised by Simply Rhino. If you’re interested in participating in a future meeting by way of presenting, or perhaps you’d like to host a meeting at your offices, then please get in touch with Paul or Stephanie at Simply Rhino, we’d love to hear from you. 

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Shape to Fabrication 2025 https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/shape-fabrication-2023-2/ Tue, 25 Feb 2025 11:44:43 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3403 Shape to Fabrication is back this April, 2025, with a specially curated 1-Day Workshop series and the main AEC Focused 2-Day Conference featuring project based presentations from companies including KPF, Grimshaw, Heatherwick Studio and many more!

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The Shape to Fabrication 2025 logo.

Simply Rhino are proud to share news of the Shape to Fabrication 2025 AEC Focused Workshops and Conference.

Simply Rhino have announced that their popular AEC & Design Workshops and Conference, Shape to Fabrication (STF), are back for April 2025 in London.

  • STF Workshops taking place on 15th April
  • STF 2-Day Conference taking place on 16-17th April at the University of Westminster, Marylebone

Shape to Fabrication looks to cutting-edge technology, innovative construction & applications in architecture, design, engineering & construction. This year will see the 9th iteration Shape to Fabrication and will feature workshops, projects and presentations from leading studios, innovators and makers including:

Visit Shape to Fabrication to for all details and to get your tickets to join us in April.

Shape to Fabrication is organised by Simply Rhino, the UK Rhino Experts.

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Industrial and Product Design Detailing with Rhino https://rhino3d.co.uk/news/industrial-and-product-design-detailing-with-rhino/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:59:56 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3351 Industrial and Product design detailing with Rhino 8. Join Simply Rhino's senior Rhino trainer, and Product Designer, Phil Cook and see how Rhino can be used to create detailing for part manufacturing and assembly.

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In our latest video tutorials Phil Cook, Simply Rhino’s Senior Rhino trainer, looks at Industrial and Product Design Detailing with Rhino 8.

Image is of two 3D modelled parts that would ultimately fit together to make a single piece. They are separated to demonstrate the detailing on the internal areas of the parts. We can see the insides of both flat pieces which are both green in colour.

When we consider Rhino and its use in Industrial Design and Product Design, we often think about creating and developing exterior shape and form, managing complex surface transitions and very much concerning ourselves with the visual ‘appearance’ of a product. 

Internal features for manufacture and assembly

However, it’s very often the case that designers need to concern themselves with interior features that are very often unseen, to describe, even if only in outline detail, how parts can be manufactured and assembled. Adding this type of detailing isn’t just the preserve of engineers using engineering solid modellers, it can be done in Rhino too.

We see the cross section of a 3d modelled object. The item is coloured green and the edges that are exposed and closest to us are marked in red.

Adding Internal Detailing in Rhino3D

The assumption for these videos is that we are dealing with the final design and we’ve spoken to the toolmaker/moulder and have agreed the draft and other moulding details. Phil then starts our Rhino tutorial by adding internal detailing to an injection moulded assembly, working onwards from the external or ‘A’ surfaces.

Shelling, Offsetting & Creating a clamshell lip

In the first video of the two, features such as shelling, offsetting and creating a clamshell lip feature are explored. Phil investigates using both Solid and Surface metaphors to create detailing using Rhino 8.

Watch the Industrial and Product Design Detailing with Rhino Video – Part 1

Adding Internal Ribs and Fixing Bosses

In the second video of the two we take a look at using Rhino when adding internal ribs and fixing bosses to our agreed design. Again, both Solid and Surface metaphors are explored.

Watch the Industrial and Product Design Detailing with Rhino Video – Part 2

Watch more Rhino 8 Videos

Don’t miss out on our other Rhino 8 Videos, we have looked at ShrinkWrap, SubD Crease, Rendering with Rhino 8, and the significant Rhino 8 for Mac speed increases. More Rhino 8 videos coming soon too!


Find Out More About Rhino 8 and Expert Rhino Training


Simply Rhino are the UK’s Favourite Supplier of Rhino Software and Rhino Grasshopper Training.

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Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting | February 2025 https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-user-group-meeting-12th-february-2025/ Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:07:10 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3233 Simply Rhino held a Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting in London, at Zaha Hadid Architects in February 2025. Presentations were from ZHA, Chaos, and Buro Happold.

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The Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting logo

Simply Rhino were at Zaha Hadid Architects, London, for the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting on the 12th of February 2025.

We were kindly hosted by Zaha Hadid Architects for the recent Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting. Following a welcome from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers Simply Rhino we had presentations from our hosts, Zaha Hadid Architects, and our invited guests from Buro Happold engineers and Chaos, the developers of Enscape and V-Ray. At the end of the meeting there was time for conversations and networking.

These GH meetings are free to attend but you must book your place to join us.

  • Meeting Date: Wednesday 12th February 2025
  • Time: 18:30-20:30
  • Location: Zaha Hadid, 101 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7EZ

Following is an outline of the night’s presentations, if you would like to read the full interactive meeting report then you can find that at the Grasshopper UK UGM February 2025 Meeting Notes page.


Meeting Introduction

Meeting welcome with Paul Cowell from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers, Simply Rhino.


Presentation 1 | Vishu Bhooshan – Zaha Hadid Architects

Integrated Design: technologies for research-enabled architectural practise; by Computation and Design (CODE) group of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA).

Image ©Zaha Hadid Architects

The presentation explores the customized deployment of computational technologies to deliver the benefits of research and development to parametric projects at ZHA. We are streamlining collaborative workflows between design, analysis, and visualization, by integrating McNeel Rhino and Grasshopper, Autodesk Maya, and NVidia Omniverse, with the computational framework developed by ZHACODE since 2007; We will highlight applications across different scales, from the Striatus footbridge to masterplans, showing how this approach enables high frequency of design iterations leading to innovation in both small and large-scale projects.

Image ©Zaha Hadid Architects

Vishu Bhooshan – Vishu is an Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects, where he co-administers the Computation and Design group (ZHA CODE). He leads the development of a state-of-the-art, proprietary computational code framework to synthesize high-performance geometries and consequently enables their structural optimisation, parametric modeling and coordination.  Since joining Zaha Hadid Architects, he has been involved in several design competitions and commissions ranging from technology demonstrators, products, galleries, stadiums, metro stations, residential buildings, masterplans etc. to designing for the metaverse and gaming industry.


Presentation 2 | Norbert Gräser – Chaos

Enscape, Enscape Impact, V-Ray and Envision

Norbert Gräser from Chaos will present the latest innovations in real-time rendering, with a focus on Enscape’s integration with Rhino. He will highlight how Enscape empowers users to create instant 3D walkthroughs, animations, and VR simulations directly within Rhino, with the added benefit of AI-enhanced performance in its latest versions.

The presentation will also showcase the new connected workflow between Enscape and V-Ray, which allows designers to seamlessly transition from real-time design to photorealistic rendering. This compatibility bridges the gap between design and visualization teams, enabling smoother collaboration and higher-quality results.

Additionally, Norbert will introduce Enscape Impact, a tool that integrates sustainability metrics into the design process, and offer a preview of Envision, Chaos’ brand new standalone 3D animation tool for scene assembly and design exploration. Together, these innovations enhance every stage of the design process, from quick visualisations to photorealistic renders and beyond.

Norbert Gräser – Norbert is the teamlead in Application Engineering for Chaos Enscape.

Norbert has been a 3D enthusiast since the early days in the 90s. He was born in Germany and has worked in AEC and BIM in Europe and overseas. At Chaos Enscape, he leads the team of application engineers to support clients and colleagues around the globe.


Buro Happold landscape logo. Black name type in capitals with green horizontal line above and below type.
Presentation 3 | Sarah Fahlaoui + Dr Al Fisher – Buro Happold

Supercharged Design Workflows with Rhino and Grasshopper

Image ©Buro Happold

Sarah and Al will show how Rhino+Grasshopper really has become a key ingredient of Buro Happold’s design and engineering workflows. From early conceptual design of both simple and complex forms, through to detailed visualisation and analysis. Plugging into wider workflows such as game engines and BIM, using the agility of Grasshopper and the interoperability with the BHoM has been a game-changer for us.

Images ©Buro Happold

Sarah Fahlaoui – Sarah is a Senior Structural Engineer at Buro Happold. With experience on large multidisciplinary projects across multiple sectors and regions internationally, Sarah has worked on a variety of challenging projects throughout her career. She has been the computational lead on significant cultural and religious buildings, canopies, towers, and aviation projects. Passionate about design and innovation, Sarah has a particular interest in complex geometry and shape optimisation and contributes to our global innovation and technology steering groups, promoting the use of computational workflows within our Structure team in all our projects, regardless of complexity or design stage.

Dr Al Fisher – Al leads computational development for Buro Happold globally, directing a distributed development community across the practice and encouraging contributions from the widest possible diverse set of skills and experience. Al’s background is in structural design computation with a masters and PhD in Civil and Architectural Engineering from the University of Bath and experience of applying computation to a variety of wide span and complex geometry projects. Flow-based programming, and specifically Grasshopper, has proven to be the bedrock of embedding computational workflows into so many of Buro Happold’s projects, something Al has been doggedly advocating for through his career. Most recently Al’s research has focused on solving wider wicked type problems, involving collective participation and the subjective performance of co-authored distributed systems.


The Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings are Organised by Simply Rhino


Meeting Sponsored by Chaos and BEAM

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Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting | 6th November 2024 https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-user-group-meeting-6th-november-2024/ Wed, 25 Sep 2024 14:31:42 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3195 Simply Rhino held the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting in Manchester, at Arup, on Wednesday 6th November. Presentations were from our hosts at Arup, plus the Grasshopper plug-in Peregrine was shown.

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The Grasshopper UK User Group logo.

This meeting took place at Arup, Manchester, on the 6th November 2024.

On Wednesday 6th November we were kindly hosted at Arup for our second Manchester based Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting. Following a welcome from Paul Cowell from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers Simply Rhino we had Grasshopper focused presentations from our hosts, Arup, and from LimitState with Peregrine. At the end of the meeting there was time for conversations and networking. Look forward to coming back to Manchester next year!

  • Meeting Date: Wednesday 6th November 2024
  • Time: 18:30-20:30
  • Location: Arup, 6th Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN, United Kingdom

Photos from the Grasshopper meeting:

Presentation 1 | Giorgio Gatti – Arup

Mount Tirana – Developing grasshopper-GSA workflows to iterate on complex geometry

A photorealistic rendered image showing a tall angular skyscraper building with vegetation at various levels. In the foreground there are people, trees and a seated area showing people sat under parasols.

In this presentation, we explore multiple applications of Grasshopper in the concept and scheme design stages of a landmark skyscraper project in Albania. Mount Tirana presented a set of unique challenges due to its highly irregular geometry, with a gradual receding façade to shape the building as a mountain.

Images ©Arup

The architects CEBRA provided updated and organised Rhino models throughout the design stages. Through a proactive approach by our lead engineer and an open approach to upskilling by the rest of the team, Grasshopper enabled rapid generation of global dynamic and local static analytical models using in-house structural plugins, like GSAgh, allowing visualisation of analysis results directly in Rhino.

Giorgio Gatti – The presentation will be recounted through the lens of a graduate structural engineer, Giorgio who has recently joined ARUP in the Property, Science and Industry Portfolio. He has been contributing to re-start the computational design club (formally known as Grasshopper club) in the office and has been learning the extensive benefits of grasshopper when applied with a thorough comprehension of its limitations and capabilities.


Presentation 2 | Dr Tom Pritchard – LimitState

From Concept to Creation: Using Peregrine to Optimise Truss Structures for Metal 3D Printing

In this presentation, Dr. Tom Pritchard will introduce the Peregrine truss layout optimization plug-in for Grasshopper and explore its role in the design and manufacture of materially efficient truss structures, facilitated through the application of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology.

Screenshot showing the Grasshopper plugin, Peregrine, in use.

Drawing on his extensive experience from multi-partner European research projects, Dr. Pritchard will address key challenges in optimizing large-scale structure designs for additive manufacturing and demonstrate how the Rhino/Grasshopper environment offers an ideal platform to address these.

Through a series of truss design case studies, he will showcase how integrating structural optimization early in the design process can lead to innovative truss designs and highlight the pioneering new technologies being developed to support this workflow.

Photo of a metal 3D printer in use.
Peregrine optimized cantilever truss during manufacture using WAAM

Dr Tom Pritchard (PhD MEng) is Principal Engineer at LimitState. His doctoral research considered the application of novel computational techniques to the efficient optimization of truss structures. He has over 20 years of experience in integrating such technologies into innovative software solutions across a range of engineering sectors and platforms to solve real world challenges. 

As project manager and technical lead for LimitState on a range of high-value, multi-partner European research projects, Tom has overseen the development and application of Peregrine, LimitState’s Grasshopper-based structural optimisation tool, to the design and manufacture of building-scale optimised truss structures using metal additive manufacture (3D print) technologies.

Websites: LimitState | Peregrine | Pioneer Project


Presentation 3 | Sam Styles – Arup

Arup STOMP – Structural Optioneering and Massing Program for the early-stage structural design studies

Making informed decisions at the early stages of design is crucial for identifying the optimal structural solution for building design projects. However, the design programme and commercial drivers rarely allow for multiple full-scale options to be tested; instead, we often rely on subjective judgements or rough numerical estimates from typical bay studies. 

To address this challenge, we developed STOMP: a program that generates building-scale geometry for simple structures from minimal inputs. It provides metrics such as embodied carbon, material quantities, building height, cost, and programme, among others. This enables quantitative comparison between different structural options and facilitates high-value conversations with clients.

STOMP uses simple algorithms for the preliminary sizing of structural elements, allowing it to generate schemes in seconds. This capability enables users to appraise a wide range of structural systems and grid arrangements at the project’s outset.

STOMP’s ability to rapidly generate whole-building geometry in Rhino allows for the production of high-quality 3D models and renders for bids, massing studies, and concept design appraisals. Recently, STOMP has been integrated with Arup InForm, a platform that enables designers and clients to refine their designs in real time, making the tool even more accessible. The presentation will explore case studies demonstrating the use of STOMP and InForm.

Images ©Arup

Sam Styles – Sam is an Associate in Arup’s Property, Science and Industry, North-West and Yorkshire (PSI NWY) group. As a Chartered Structural Engineer with 17 years of experience, he has a strong background in structural design and multi-disciplinary project management across the commercial, education, sport, infrastructure, and healthcare sectors.  In addition to his engineering expertise, Sam is a seasoned digital practitioner. He combines these two domains in his role as the leader of the PSI NWY ‘Pit Stop’ team, which focuses on delivering impactful interventions on real-life projects. Sam developed the STOMP tool to assist with the generation and comparison of early-stage structural solutions and has led its development and management since its inception.


The Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings are Organised by Simply Rhino


Meeting Sponsored by Chaos and BEAM

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Rhino 8 for SketchUp Users – New and Improved Solid Modelling Tools https://rhino3d.co.uk/rhino-for-windows/rhino-8-new-and-improved-solid-modelling-tools/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:18:27 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3148 The final Rhino tutorial in our 'Rhino for SketchUp Users' video series. We look at the new and improved solid modelling tools in Rhino 8.

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Introducing the final video in our ‘Rhino for SketchUp Users’ series in which we look at Rhino 8’s solid modelling tools, some of which are new to this latest version of Rhino software and others improved in Rhino v8.

Ideal for SketchUp users that are new to Rhino

This beginner level tutorial, exploring how Rhino can be used like SketchUp, is for you if you work in Architecture, or related industries, and are familiar with SketchUp but are new to Rhino. The video continues on from the other videos in this short series, these are PushPull Modelling Explored in Rhino 7 and Solid Modelling Tools for Architecture.

New and improved tools in Rhino 8

This video covers the creation of the building we used in our recent ’Sun and Sky Architectural Exterior Rendering’ video where we looked at creating an interior architectural visual in Rhino 8 using the built-in Sun and Sky system and Rhino’s Raytrace render engine. Within this new Rhino modelling tutorial we look at how the new and improved features of Rhino v8 further enhance and simplify the process of creating quick solid models and massing studies.

Rhino 8 Toolset Enhancements

Rhino 8 has an enhanced toolset that Simply Rhino’s senior trainer, Phil Cook, introduces to us in the video. These new tools include:

  • PushPull
  • Inset Face
  • Auto CPlane
  • Improvements to the Gumball

Rhino 8’s New and Improved Modelling Tools Video Tutorial

The Rhino for SketchUp Users Video Series

There are 3 videos in our short Rhino for SketchUp Users series and this video is the third. You can find the other 2 videos listed here:


Find Out More About Rhino and Rhino Training

Simply Rhino are the UK’s Favourite Supplier of Rhino Software. If you’d like to find out more then you have several options:

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Grasshopper UK UGM June 2024 – Meeting Notes https://rhino3d.co.uk/events/grasshopper-uk-ugm-june-2024-meeting-notes/ Mon, 15 Jul 2024 12:17:15 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3133 Would you like to find out about the presentations at our last Grasshopper User Group Meeting which was held at Thornton Tomasetti? Find out what we learnt from our hosts, Engineers Thornton Tomasetti, and our invited guests including Populous, Spherene, and VisualARQ in our full event report write-up.

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The Grasshopper User Group Meeting Logo.


On Wednesday 12th June 2024 Simply Rhino held the Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting at Thornton Tomasetti (TT) in London. This free event was kindly hosted by the team from TT and delivered to a busy room at their London base.

We have made a full report of the meeting and invite you to view it below. We hope this is useful for those that were not able to attend and those who joined us but would enjoy a reminder of the presentations. Our thanks to Luca Biselli for his help with the write up of this meeting.

Grasshopper Meeting Presenters

  • Paul Cowell from the Organisers of the Grasshopper UK User Group Meetings, Simply Rhino
  • Jeroen Janssen and Weiting Kong from Thornton Tomasetti
  • Christian Waldvogel from Spherene
  • Francesc Salla from VisualARQ
  • Felipe Oeyen from Populous

Grasshopper Meeting Interactive Report

Grasshopper Meetings – Background

Grasshopper (GH) for Rhino3D is a visual programming language and graphical algorithm editor that is seamlessly integrated with Rhino. Grasshopper allows users to create complex parametric designs and algorithms through a visual interface, without the need for traditional programming code.

Grasshopper User Group Meetings are events where users come together to share knowledge, experiences, and insights. During these user meetings, participants typically discuss various aspects of using Grasshopper for design, modelling, and analysis.

The meetings include presentations by experienced users, industry professionals and software developers, showcasing innovative projects, demonstrating advanced techniques, and introducing new features or updates. Participants often have the opportunity to engage in discussions, ask questions, and network with other Grasshopper and Rhino enthusiasts.

These user meetings play a valuable role in building a community around Grasshopper and Rhino3D, fostering collaboration, and providing a platform for users to stay informed about the latest developments in the software. They are an excellent way for users to enhance their skills, stay connected with the community, and gain inspiration for their own design and modelling projects.


The next Grasshopper UK meeting will take place in October 2024, to be among the first to hear about our upcoming events make sure you’re signed-up to our newsletter and to the Simply Rhino social channels including LinkedIn and Instagram.

Grasshopper UK User Group meetings are organised by Simply Rhino. If you’re interested in participating in a future meeting by way of presenting, or perhaps you’d like to host a meeting at your offices, then please get in touch with Paul or Stephanie at Simply Rhino, we’d love to hear from you. 

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Rhino 8 – Sun and Sky Render https://rhino3d.co.uk/news/rhino-8-sun-and-sky-render/ Tue, 14 May 2024 14:48:46 +0000 https://rhino3d.co.uk/?p=3086 In our latest video tutorial Phil Cook, Simply Rhino’s Senior Rhino trainer, looks at rendering an architectural interior with Rhino 8. Rendering with Rhino 8, for beginners This beginner level […]

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In our latest video tutorial Phil Cook, Simply Rhino’s Senior Rhino trainer, looks at rendering an architectural interior with Rhino 8.

Rendering with Rhino 8, for beginners

This beginner level video looks at creating an interior architectural visual in Rhino 8 using the built-in Sun and Sky system and Rhino’s Raytrace render engine.

How to apply library and custom materials

The video commences by introducing a method of setting up the interior perspective view by controlling Rhino’s camera widget before moving on to look at applying both library and custom materials to scene elements.

Rhino 8 Sun and Sky Render – Connecting the sun and sky

Phil then looks at setting up the Sun as a source of direct illumination and replacing the default environment with the Physical Sky model in order that the sun and sky are connected.

Raytrace Render Engine

The final render is then created with the Raytrace render engine and Phil outlines how to use post effects to improve the exposure, and how to export a transparent background in order that the colour-ramp sky can be easily replaced with a photographic image in subsequent editing.

Watch the Rhino 8 Sun and Sky Render Video

Watch more Rhino 8 Videos

Don’t miss out on our other Rhino 8 Videos, we have looked at ShrinkWrap, SubD Crease, and the significant Rhino 8 for Mac speed increases. More Rhino 8 videos coming soon too!


Find Out More About Rhino 8 and Expert Rhino Training


Simply Rhino are the UK’s Favourite Supplier of Rhino Software and Rhino Grasshopper Training.

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