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What is Generative Design?

If you work in the building, product, or manufacturing industries, you've likely heard about recent advances in AI and wondered how they might affect your profession. Generative design uses cutting-edge tech to automate the repetitive and unlock new creative workflows. At Colidescope, our team of designers, researchers, and software developers helps you harness these tools through hands-on training and custom software solutions.

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guides

Our step-by-step guides introduce you to the concepts behind Generative Design and the software tools you can use to implement this computational technique in your design workflows. View all guides

Intro to Computational Design

Computational design empowers designers to move beyond traditional software by using programming tools and algorithmic thinking to create adaptive, automated, and performance-driven design workflows.

Intro to Grasshopper

Grasshopper offers an intuitive visual programming environment within Rhino that lets designers create and control parametric models by connecting components, enabling fast iteration and design automation.

Working in Grasshopper

This guide introduces components and wires, the two primary elements of Grasshopper's UI, and demonstrates how they can be used to build a parametric model of a twisting tower.

Working with data

Lists and DataTrees are two powerful tools in Grasshopper that allow you to control complex design logic by working with structured data.

Intro to Python

Python scripting in Grasshopper opens up deeper control and complexity in computational design by integrating directly with Rhino’s geometry libraries, allowing designers to mix visual and code-based workflows seamlessly.

Variables and data types

Variables, data types, lists, and dictionaries are foundational tools in Python that allow us to store and access the data that represents the state of our program.

Conditionals and loops

Loops and conditionals are fundamental tools in Python that allow designers to control program flow and give us the ability to generate, manipulate, and filter our design data.

Functions

Wrapping reusable logic into functions allows you to make your code more organized, modular, and maintainable, making it easier to reuse logic throughout your code.

Recursive Systems

Recursive functions excel at solving complex problems by breaking them down into smaller, self-similar parts, and can be used to generate highly complex forms from a small set of parameters.

Classes

Custom classes in Python empower designers to structure code around objects that encapsulate both data and behavior, enabling more modular, extensible, and maintainable design workflows.

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webinars

Webinars go deep into advanced topics and show you how to implement various concepts with a live hands-on approach. View all webinars

Intro to Generative Design

This session provides an overview of the generative design methodology, including its theoretical context, its foundations in artificial intelligence, and its applications in industry

Designing with parameters

In this session we review the main types of inputs a designer can use to control an optimization process

Unpacking the Genetic Algorithm

In this session we review the fundamentals of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and its context within the broader field of optimization

Hands-on with Grasshopper

In this webinar we get first hand experience with Grasshopper by building a parametric building tower and facade

Python bootcamp

This webinar covers the basics of Python - everything you need to know to start working with Python code in Grasshopper

Working with recursion

In this session we cover recursive functions which are functions that can call themselves

Dividing Spaces

A recursive approach can be used to model the process of iteratively dividing a space to derive a set of connected spaces (a floorplan)

Circle Packing with OOP

A circle packing can be represented with a dynamic system comprised of agents (the individual circles) carrying out a set of simple instructions

Visualizing Generative Design

This session will review a variety of visualization approaches based on examples from industry

Simulating occupancy

This session provides an introduction to occupancy simulation using a custom set of tools developed for Grasshopper

Simulating daylight

This session provides an introduction to daylight simulation using the Ladybug Tools plugin developed for Grasshopper

Simulating views

This session provides an introduction to view analysis using a custom set of tools developed for Grasshopper

Simulating structure

This session provides an introduction to building-scale structural analysis using the FEA solver Karamba in Grasshopper

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If you have questions about site membership or custom training, consulting, and software development services, please reach out using the form below:

Privacy and Data Use

What is Generative Design?

/guides

Intro to Computational Design

Intro to Grasshopper

Working in Grasshopper

Working with data

Intro to Python

Variables and data types

Conditionals and loops

Functions

Recursive Systems

Classes

/webinars

Intro to Generative Design

Designing with parameters

Unpacking the Genetic Algorithm

Hands-on with Grasshopper

Python bootcamp

Working with recursion

Dividing Spaces

Circle Packing with OOP

Visualizing Generative Design

Simulating occupancy

Simulating daylight

Simulating views

Simulating structure

/ contact

/
guides

/
webinars