Watch the course tutorials here:
What is the course about?
This course will provide a comprehensive guide to one of the most difficult but important concepts needed to master Grasshopper: data structures. Grasshopper is a powerful parametric modelling tool, but leveraging this power to it’s full potential requires an in depth understanding of how to use, create and manipulate data trees to control your outcomes
In this course, we will discuss different types of data in Grasshopper, including items, lists and data trees. We will examine how we can use Grasshopper to manipulate data, and apply this to projects.
What will you learn in each video?
- 12 tutorials
- 1hr
- Grasshopper
Grasshopper creates algorithms by passing data from one component to the next. This lesson will describe the 3 different types of data structure used in Grasshopper, and explain why controlling the structure of the data we used is critical to controlling our algorithms in Grasshopper.
Lists are collections of data we can use in Grasshopper. This lesson will explain the key properties of lists and explore different tools for better understanding the data in our lists, such as the Panel and Param Viewer components.
There are many ways to generate lists of data in Grasshopper. This lesson will explore the different ways lists can be generated inside Grasshopper.
Lists can be adjusted and manipulated top suit the specific needs of a problem we are attempting to solve inside Grasshopper. This lesson will explore a collection of the components commonly used to operate on lists in Grasshopper.
When multiple lists are used as different inputs to a Grasshopper component, a list’s output can vary greatly depending on the different ways input lists are structured. This lesson will explain the rules associated with list matching in Grasshopper.
Data Trees could be though of in simple terms as a collection of lists within lists. This lesson will explain the key properties of data trees and explore different tools for better understanding the data in our lists, such as the Panel, Param Viewer and Tree Properties components.
There are many ways to generate data trees in Grasshopper. This lesson will explore the different ways data trees can be generated inside Grasshopper.
When data trees are used as different inputs to a Grasshopper component, the data structure of the component’s output can vary different depending on other inputs. This lesson will explain the rules associated with data tree matching in Grasshopper.
The outputs of any Grasshopper component come with shortcuts that can be used to manipulate the data structure being output. This lesson will explain the component shortcuts for Graft, Flatten, Simplify, Reverse.
Grasshopper contains data tree operators that can be used to locate, adjust and offset large amounts of data in a tree. This lesson will explore components such as Tree Branch, Tree Item and List Item.
Data trees in Grasshopper can accumulate junk and complexity as our algorithms get more complicated. It’s important to keep our data trees ‘clean’ to avoid any potential errors. This lesson will examine different methods to clean our tree branches, null or invalid items, and simplify over-complex data structures.
There are many instances where the structure of a data tree in Grasshopper needs to be redesigned to perform a certain operation. This lesson will examine a collection of techniques that let us manipulate the structure of a data tree.
What are the learning objectives for the course?
- Understand what data structures are in Grasshopper.
- Demonstrate an understanding of List creation, operation and matching in Grasshopper.
- Demonstrate an understanding of what Data Trees are in Grasshopper and which situations they are useful.
- Understand how create data structures in Grasshopper.
- Have the ability to manipulate data structures in Grasshopper.