Parametric Box | Parametric Architecture

AntiFreeze: a useful Bedrock feature for Grasshopper When Grasshopper gets stuck in an endless solution, you usually have to restart Rhino. Bedrock has AntiFreeze: it automatically stops the solution after a set timeout and hands control back to Grasshopper. We set ours to 60 seconds. That’s enough for heavy calculations and saves you when something hangs. You can install Bedrock through the Rhino Package Manager. Bedrock plugin ↓ https://www.food4rhino.com/en/app/bedrock #PBworkflow #plugin

Parametric Box Team Tools ◽️ Public space modelling Before the final form appears, the team needs to understand how the space will work. For this, we use Space Syntax: we analyse the routes, the connections between zones, and the anchor points. Based on these parameters, the algorithm proposes layout options. The team then reviews them architecturally. The modelling begins with the logic of human movement. Space Syntax Tutorial ↓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgTiGKkDD0U #PBworkflow

Parametric Box Team Tools ◽️ Rhino.Inside In interior projects, some elements are easier to build in Rhino. The interior then needs to move into the working environment for documentation. We use Rhino.Inside for this. It connects Rhino and Revit. The geometry stays controlled, and the data can move further. Interior elements no longer need to be rebuilt by hand at every change. #PBworkflow

How we model complex facades 🔳 You cannot edit every element by hand when working with facades. The base geometry is built in Rhino. The logic is set up in Grasshopper: the step, the angle, the height, the rotation, and the fabrication limits. After that, the facade can be changed without rebuilding the whole model. One edit in the system updates the whole geometry. Next, the data can move into Revit, Tekla, or preparation for production. #PBworkflow

Nature already designed the most beautiful forms in architecture. Nature keeps repeating the same principles: rhythm, branching, spirals, fractals and proportion. Mathematics helps us see this logic, and architecture turns it into space. A curve can follow the distribution of load, a facade can develop through an algorithm, and a complex form can emerge from a few exact rules. A rock’s relief, the structure of a feather or the growth of a tree can all become a starting point. Through computational design, the logic of nature becomes a system that can be modelled, tested and built. #PBcase

We recently visited an airport built from our working documentation. The facade had hundreds of unique elements, and the fabricators first suggested simplifying the form. Over three months we delivered five iterations of documentation. With Rhino and our own scripts, we kept the original concept and reduced the geometry to 15–20 production types. The finished facade now matches the digital model to the millimetre. Discuss a project ↓ parametricbox.com #PBcase

While working with StreamDiffusion and TouchDesigner, we used the documentation from the Derivative community. This tutorial covers the full setup for StreamDiffusion TD: CUDA compatibility, installing Python, CUDA, Visual Studio, NDI and Git, updating NVIDIA drivers and verifying PATH variables. A useful checklist that saves hours on setup and debugging. Resource: https://derivative.ca/community-post/tutorial/setting-your-system-streamdiffusion-td/69338 #PBworkflow

Parametric Box Team Resources ◽️ How do you round a number down to the nearest allowed value in Grasshopper? For example, if the input is 9.55 and the available values are 9.4 and 9.6, the nearest value is 9.6, while the lower value is 9.4. This McNeel thread shows solutions for fixed steps and custom value lists ↓ https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/round-to-nearest-but-always-to-smaller-value/153382 #PBworkflow

Parametric Box Team Resources ◽️ Sharing one of the fundamental references in architecture: Neufert. Often called the architectural bible, it is a core handbook on ergonomics and how people use space. While developing a hotel concept, we used Neufert to check areas, functional zones and layout organisation before moving to the 3D model in Rhino. Neufert: Architects’ Data https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Architects%27%2BData%2C%2B6th%2BEdition-p-9781119873945 #PBworkflow

Parametric Box Resources ◽️ How we built an interactive AI installation: touchscreen + TouchDesigner + StreamDiffusion Drawings from a touchscreen are streamed into TouchDesigner and sent to StreamDiffusion for real-time AI processing. The full workflow: touchscreen input → TouchDesigner → AI processing → visual output. This setup lets us build prototypes faster and adapt them to different spaces and projects. StreamDiffusion integration: https://github.com/motius/remote-stream-diffusion-td #PBworkflow

Parametric Box Resources ◽️ Complex patterns on curved geometry This is our 2020 Grasshopper definition (from All U) uses Starfish to create complex patterns on curved surfaces. It adds folds, bends and rotations to a mesh while preserving connections and resolving overlaps and complex joints. The definition also uses Vipers. Both files will be shared in the comments ↓ Starfish: https://www.food4rhino.com/en/app/starfish Vipers: https://github.com/zohozer/Vipers #PBworkflow