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Udemy3D ModelingPaid courseAll LevelsCertificate

Develop Parametric Architecture with Grasshopper (Udemy.com)

Learn to model freeform 3D with straight-forward example projects from real buildings, ready to apply in other projects

Created by: Stefan Boeykens

Last updated August 2017

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What you will learn

  • Create flexible, parametric models for architectural design exploration
  • Understand the basic components to steer program flow
  • Describe a design problem parametrically

How it compares

Against the other 545 rated Udemy courses in 3D Modeling on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.3 out of 5higher than 15% of them
  • Reviews502#159 of 546 by number of reviews
  • Length3.6 hoursshorter than 68% of them
  • Last updatedAugust 2017earlier than 90% of them

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Course Description

Update 2017: Added notice that the Mac version of Grasshopper is available (in WIP)

Update 2nd March 2015: Completed Section 6 about Data Trees and two Diagrid examples + bonus tip on remapping domains.

Update 26th Feb 2015: Added section 6 about Data Trees & Section 7 about Galapagos: a module for automatic optimisation and finding optimal solutions.

Update 23d Feb 2015: Section 5 with eight new lectures added: almost 45 minutes! Create a twisted tower, inspired by a design from S. Calatrava.

Update 20th Feb 2015: Added a PDF eBook with the course summary and highlights. This even previews some of the upcoming chapters.

Course price reflects recent updates. Join over 300 students now and receive all future updates or additions with no added cost.


In this course, you apply a basic knowledge of 3D modelling into a Parametric Approach.

Instead of creating one or two design models for a project, you learn how to develop an interactive, adapting model, controlled by a few chosen design parameters and capable of generating a wide range of design variants. Use the clever components to define an efficient and powerful system of interconnected components, creating geometry and applying geometric and mathematical operations.

Learn the same techniques innovative architectural offices apply, such as Foster of Hadid, to develop their complex designs.

Use a combination of modeled and generated geometry and still allow visual, artistic control over the result.

In a series of around three hours of video tutorials and a few short quizzes we learn Grasshopper, a parametric design add-in for McNeel Rhinoceros, which can be freely used, provided you have access to Rhinoceros.

  • The first lectures will explain the user interface and the basic concepts to control numbers, points and curves.
  • We extend this into 3D Surfaces and look at different approaches for panelling and subdividing of a façade or roof model.
  • There will be an extensive section where you’ll create a model that is similar to a twisted tower design by Calatrava, built in Sweden, step-by-step.
  • And finally, we’ll take a look at options for generative modelling, where we look at optimisation, using the Galapagos module.

So please join us and discover this widely popular visual programming system and discover how you can create some surprising results with ease.

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Instructor Details

Stefan Boeykens

Stefan Boeykens is an architect-engineer from Belgium. 

After graduation, he worked a few years as a professional architect, for several local offices, where he was involved in design, building permits, drafting, site supervision, visualisation and IT management. 

At the end of 2000, he got the opportunity to return to his former university (KU Leuven), at the Department of Architecture, where he started teaching Computer Aided Architectural Design. Initially AutoCAD and 3D Studio VIZ, but step-by-step, he introduced SketchUp, Rhinoceros + Grasshopper, ArchiCAD, Artlantis, Unity, Processing and Cinema 4D. He completed a PhD on Building Information Modelling in 2007 and worked a few years as a post-doc, focusing on the use of BIM throughout the design process. He became familiar with a wide variety of IT skills: Windows, OSX, Linux, VBA in Excel, php, C++, Java/Processing, Autolisp and C # in Unity. 

At the moment, Stefan is a part-time guest professor at KU Leuven, teaching Building Information Modelling. 

In parallel, he is working as a senior Innovation and BIM manager/consultant for D-Studio, a Belgian company focusing on BIM middleware and consultancy. He is a frequent speaker at BIM-related events and is actively involved in different professional working groups on BIM standardisation, including CEN/TC 442 (Europe) and TC BIM & ICT + CLUSTER Digital Construction (Belgium).

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Reviews

4.3

502 ratings on Udemy

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By Camilo Galletti on 1/26/2021

This is a short, compact and very well explained course. The first part introduces you to the world of Grasshopper, explaining a basic set of components and their characteristics. The second part gets much more interesting as it shows how to use some of these components developing practical examples. Finally, there´s a pdf that summarizes all what has been explained during the course, including the scripts. Highly recommendable.

By Diego Vazquez Rojas on 9/11/2020

I think this is a great course! and i really liked that you can download the complete course in pdf. The only thing that may miss, is to explain a little more the geometry and math concepts that we used. but i really liked it i totally recomend it (especialy if you allready have knowledge in geometry and algebraic functions)

By Anupam Shekhawat on 7/24/2020

I am an architecture student and wished to learn the basics of Grasshopper after learning Rhino. This course is a really great platform to gain knowledge of some of the most important aspects of Grasshopper. Although there is a lot more to learn in grasshopper than taught in the course, this is a perfect start. Thank You Mr. Stefan Boeykens

By William Tay on 6/16/2020

Really helpful for architecture students before starting or continuing their course. However perhaps because the learning curve is steep with in-built functions, there are limitations in which the course provider can make it easy for the complete newbie to understand.

By Valeryn Horlanso on 12/29/2019

I often got confused why is this being done like that bcs there's no preview about what's will be done in the end/ what are we making and with what outputs

By Renato Limón Cisneros on 3/26/2019

Grasshopper always involves a lot of logic and a lot of thinking which sometimes it's not so easy. This teacher does his best at explaining basic stuff so you can understand more complex programs from simple building blocks. If you don't get something clear, take your time studying the videos, pause them if you need to understand whats going on. It is a very good introductory course to some of grasshoppers native features.

By Berardino LAMURA on 6/3/2017

Da un attento esame dei vari tutorial deduco la grande preparazione dell'insegnante, anche se sarebbero giusti approfondimenti per l'uso appropriato dei components e come collegarli tra loro. Tuttavia avrei preferito che il tutto fosse in lingua italiana per avere una compren- sione profonda. "Stefan Bravissimo". Corso consigliatissimo.

By Dan Robert Richardson on 7/31/2016

Encroyable!! It is important to me to rewatch everything to "firm up" my understanding of what each Group does and what each Component within each Group does. The course builds on itself and is clearly and patiently explained. This course, along with David Ruttens videos on the Rhino website are very helpful. Merci beaucoups, Stefan!

By Max Vanhalst on 3/31/2015

As a student Architecture-engineering at KU Leuven, this course was very useful! I now know the basics of Grasshopper and it helps me improve my design skills as well as my computerprogramming skills. Grasshopper succeeds to connect these two different domains and thanks to this course I can easily understand the principles and it helped me alot comprehending the program and its virtues and possibilities.

By Evert Rosseel on 3/15/2015

Working with real-life examples of structures makes the course interesting and easier to follow, since you know what the result should look like. I did miss some information about the efficiency of the modeling solutions though. Some of the models can require high processing power and it would be nice to know some ways to increase the efficiency of the components.

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Overall Score : 86 / 100