With Bentley already there and Autodesk in hot pursuit I was pretty amazed to see an early demonstration of Grasshopper in Rhino last year. The output appeared to be similar to GC but the way the scripts are generated was amazingly Ùplug and playÝ. You donÝt need to know how to program to create a parametric model using Grasshopper as there is a new window for creating what amounts to a bank of geometry Ùeffects peddlesÝ, as you would with a guitar. You take the input, which may be a line and you literally plug it into an effect, which can be any kind of mathematical transform, and which can subsequently be plugged into other mathematical effects peddles, all driving the creation of a script (in the background) that drives RhinoÝs geometry engine. ItÝs all drag and drop and plug and play.
The system uses some specific terms, namely Parameters, Components and Connectors. A parameter stores data; a Component contains an action; and a Connector connects ÙIns to OutsÝ or ÙOuts to InsÝ.
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