1.2. Basic Components

DESCRIPTION 

Grasshopper data can be stored in hierarchical structures not dissimilar to a branching tree. Data is still stored in lists, but each list now has a ‘path’. ‘Paths’ are a series of indices describing the position of the data branch inside the tree. 

DESCRIPTION 

This exercise introduces the importance of data paths: the “addresses” or access paths where specific geometric data is stored and accessed from. 

PROCEDURE 

1.Create two surfaces and add them both into one button: a list shows two items in one branch address. 2.Explode all items from the list: a list connecting to the “edge” output shows two branches with 4 items, the four edges of the surfaces.  
3.Flip matrix: by flipping the matrix instead of having 2 branches with 4 items, we create 4 branches with two items: the first two edges, the second two edges, the third two edges and the fourth two edges.  
4.The loft command lofts all the edges within one branch of the data tree. 

DESCRIPTION 

Similarly mathematic surfaces can be visualised. 

PROCEDURE 

 1.Create a parametric point grid with varying domain and resolution  
2.Calculate for each point its distance from the origin = vector length  
3.Use this length as input parameter for an expression  
4.Move the point grid up acc. to these values  
5.Create a surface from these points. Note input parameter u which requires the number of points in the u-direction to be specified 

DESCRIPTION 

This exercise shows the usage of the f(x,y,z) expression component. You can quickly edit the expression by double-clicking the Eval component, or by right clicking its input parameter F.  

PROCEDURE 

1.Visualise complex mathematical functions instantly 

DESCRIPTION  

Here we use expressions to create a relationship between the height of a box object and its distance away from a variable point. In this case the expression is stored ‘in-line’ (inside the Z-parameter of the Box component). 

PROCEDURE  

1.Calculate the distance from a point grid to a varying point on a circle  
2.Generate boxes on the point grid, with as a height a function of this distance  

DESCRIPTION 

Culling Patterns remove unwanted points from a set following a list / pattern of Boolean values. Here, whenever the distance from a point in the set exceeds a certain value (Boolean value 0 = false), it is culled from the list.

PROCEDURE 

1.Create a point grid  
2.Create a circle you can move with a slider  
3.Find the closest points on the circle from each grid point. Use the distance between them  
4.Use a function to test if that value is lower than a slider value. Outcome: true / false  
5.Cull the list with as a pattern this true / false outcome 

DESCRIPTION 

Here we dispatch the items from a list into two target lists based on a list of Boolean (true/false) values. This allows us, to e.g. to find points within a particular range.  

PROCEDURE 

1.Create a slider that allows you to locate any point on a curve. Reparametrise the curve by right-clicking on the icon.  
2.Calculate the distance from all points in a point list to this curve point.  
3.Check if this distance is below a specific parameter  
4.Dispatch the list of points into two lists: those closer and those further away than the selected parameter. 

DESCRIPTION 

This exercise implements a non-optimised ‘Find-N-Closest-Points’ search routine in Explicit History. First all points are sorted based on distance, then the N closest points are extracted.  

PROCEDURE 

1.Create a slider that allows you to locate any point on a curve. Reparameterise the curve by right-clicking on the icon.  
2.Calculate the distance from all points in a point list to this curve point and sort this list  
3.Connect the curve point to the N closest points using a slider