Designing with Living Systems online workshop, May 6-8 (McNeel Europe)

Designing with Living Systems online workshop

Tutors: Mariusz Hermansdorfer, Puja Bhagat, Jonathan Wong, 

Eleftherios Kourkopoulos, Jens Joschinski, and Verena Vogler

May 6-8, 2026

10 AM-5 PM CEST (Barcelona)

Hosted on Zoom by McNeel Europe

This workshop introduces a computational design framework that integrates environmental conditions, ecological processes, and human behavior within Rhino and Grasshopper. Participants will work across three simulation systems to understand how spatial decisions influence microclimate, vegetation dynamics, and pedestrian experience over time in an urban context.

The workshop is led by the development team of Rhino.Ecologic -Verena Vogler, Eleftherios Kourkopoulos, and Jens Joschinski (McNeel Europe), together with invited contributors including Mariusz Hermansdorfer, former Head of Computational Design at Henning Larsen, developer of jifto, and the development team behind Kova PedSim, Puja Bhagat, and Jonathan Wong from the Architectural Association London/ Populous. The instructors bring expertise spanning computational design, environmental simulation, ecological modeling, and socially driven agent-based systems.

Learn how to construct integrated simulation workflows that connect geometry, environmental analysis, ecological modeling, and human behavior. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to evaluate design scenarios across climate, biodiversity, and pedestrian dynamics, and use simulation outputs to inform design decisions. 

Day 1: Designing with Microclimate (jifto-a real-time sustainability analysis plugin for Rhino)

• Thermal comfort as a design driver in architecture and urban design
• Solar exposure, shadow behavior, and seasonal variation
• Wind, radiation, and environmental forces shaping outdoor space
• Real-time microclimate analysis within Rhino
• Integration of environmental data into early-stage design decisions

Day 2: Ecological Simulation in Design (Rhino.Ecologic-an ecological simulation framework for Rhino and Grasshopper)

• From geometry to ecological domain: Voxel-based spatial modeling
• Environmental mapping: Soil, solar, and precipitation as design parameters
• Simulation of plant communities (growth, competition, succession)
• Biodiversity and biomass as measurable design outcomes
• Scenario-based evaluation of long-term ecological performance

Day 3: Social Simulation and Pedestrian Dynamics (Kova PedSim-a socially-driven pedestrian simulation framework for Grasshopper)

• Foundations of agent-based and socially driven pedestrian modeling
• Simulation types: Network-based, cellular automata, and physics-based
• Analysis of density, interaction, congestion, and movement patterns
• Integration of behavioral data into generative design workflows
• Evaluation of spatial performance under dynamic and changing conditions

Course requirements: Intermediate Rhino knowledge is required.  No prior experience with environmental, ecological, or human interaction analysis needed. We will start with the fundamentals.

Software requirement: Rhino 8 for Windows. Rhino.Ecologic, Kova PedSim, and jifto will be provided to all participants.

Online course fees: EUR 395 (+VAT). Full-time students and university teachers receive a 50% discount (proof of status required). Please note that we will confirm your seat after your payment has cleared.

Maximum number of participants for each course: 25. If there is no quorum, the course will be canceled 15 days before.

Course language: English

Educational seats are limited. Sign up now by contacting Verena!

RhinoCFD v3: Professional CFD Analysis Now Fully Optimized for Rhino 8

RhinoCFD v3 brings professional-grade Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) directly into Rhino 8. This latest release officially establishes compatibility with Rhino 8, enabling users to leverage the platform's updated interface and improved performance for complex fluid and thermal simulations entirely within their CAD workspace.

Powered by the brand-new PHOENICS 2025 v1.0 engine, this update introduces a decoupled Monitor Plot Window. This feature allows designers to track convergence, residuals, and spot values in real time without slowing down Rhino. Simulation setup is now more intuitive than ever; the computational grid reacts instantaneously to geometry changes—such as moving, adding, or copying objects—making the design-to-analysis loop faster and less error-prone.

New physical modeling capabilities include the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model for aerospace/external flows and advanced VOF boiling and condensation mechanisms. Post-processing is similarly enhanced, enabling users to apply custom mathematical expressions to results and automatically visualize critical data points with new minimum/maximum markers.

By keeping the entire workflow within Rhino, RhinoCFD v3 eliminates the need for cumbersome geometry exports, making high-fidelity engineering analysis seamless part of the modern design process.

Complete details and download...

Webinar - Rhino3D for Building Performance Using TAS

 

Live demo on importing Rhino models into TAS, using EDSL API and Dynamic CFD

December 16, 2025 -  3 PM (UTC+1) 

Join us for this live demo where Ian Highton, EDSL Founder, and Andrew Hilmy, Systems Director at EDSL, will show how to import a Rhino CAD model into TAS:

• Introduction to TAS building simulation software
• Working in Rhino and importing a 3D model into TAS
• Running an energy and thermal simulation
• Dynamic CFD for indoor thermal comfort
• Getting started with the TAS API

Details and registration...

Introducing Carbonfly: CO2-based CFD for Indoor Air Quality in Rhino and Grasshopper

Carbonfly is a free, open-source Python library and Grasshopper toolbox for CO₂-based indoor airflow and air quality simulation. Developed by researchers at the Institute of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Building (E3D) - RWTH Aachen University, Carbonfly brings the power of scientific Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) into the visual programming environment of Grasshopper, making professional indoor environmental modeling more accessible to architects, engineers, and design practitioners.

Carbonfly integrates OpenFOAM through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), enabling complete CFD workflows to run seamlessly on Windows machines commonly used in architectural and engineering practices. Users can prepare boundary conditions, build simulation cases, and run CFD processes directly within the Rhino and Grasshopper environment.

The toolbox provides predefined boundary conditions tailored for indoor airflow simulations, including mechanical supply and exhaust, window-driven natural ventilation, and dynamic human respiration. Additional helper tools assist in estimating wind-driven ventilation and air exchange rates based on building physics standards.

Carbonfly also includes documented examples of mechanically ventilated rooms, naturally ventilated spaces, and dynamic breathing scenarios, offering an intuitive learning path for new users.

By combining the strengths of Rhino and Grasshopper in parametric modeling with the high-fidelity physics of OpenFOAM, Carbonfly creates a streamlined workflow for user-centered, healthy building design—all without leaving the Grasshopper interface.

Download Carbonfly on food4Rhino...

Project Repository (Open Source on GitHub)...

IBEX 2024 - Orca3D Marine CFD Workshop

Where: Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida 
When: Monday, September 30, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm–5 pm EST
Cost: $175/person (lunch will be provided)

Whether you are a current user of Orca3D Marine CFD or interested in becoming a user, this Orca3D Marine CFD workshop is for you! The workshop will help you improve your designs using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD has proven to be a very useful technology for marine design, and its use is now becoming widespread throughout the small-to-mid-size boat design community.  

The Orca3D Marine CFD workshop is held with the IBEX show in Tampa, Florida. Registration for IBEX is now open and is part of the IBEX Attendee Registration process (in Step 6, Education, under Pre-Conference Sessions). This is an in-person event; no streaming or recording will be available. 

More information here.

Space will be limited, so please be sure to register soon.

Join us at IBEX and see Orca3D Marine Design Software for Rhino at Booth 2-345 to see how this can become a valuable tool for your design process.  

 

Now available: The much-anticipated Orca3D Version 3

Orca3D Version 3 is compatible with Rhino 7 and 8. 

If you currently use Orca3D Version 1 or 2, upgrade to Orca3D Version 3 to be compatible with Rhino 8.

Orca3D's packaging has changed in Version 3. In prior versions of Orca3D, you could purchase Level 1 and Level 2, with Level 2 adding to the Level 1 functionality. In Version 3, instead, four modules are available and may be purchased in any combination.

• Design: This includes the Hull Design and fairing and Basic Hydrostatics and stability features. It is equivalent to the previous Level 1.
• Analysis: This includes the Speed/Power feature, the CFD interface, and the Weight & Cost feature. It is equivalent to the previous Level 2, except that it does not include the Level 1 functionality. The Analysis module may be purchased without the Design module.
• Advanced Stability: Includes compartmentation and tank modeling, fluid and solid loads, unlimited load cases, free surface effects, intact and damaged stability with stability criteria evaluation, and tank tables. This is a major new module.
• Orca3D Marine CFD: Requires the Analysis module as a prerequisite.

Watch a 3-minute video highlighting the features of Orca3D Version 3.

More information on food4Rhino...

A New Digital Wind Tunnel App in Rhino

A New Digital Wind Tunnel App in Rhino

April 19, 2023

3:00 pm CET / 9:00 am ET

SimScale has launched a new microclimate modeling app, a Rhino plugin visualizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations directly from within Rhino! The app used the powerful CAD tools in Rhino and integrates SimScale's fast and accurate wind and outdoor comfort studies tools.

Attend an upcoming webinar and learn how architects and engineers use this new app for microclimate design insights. See how to set up and run a complete simulation of a city model from Rhino step by step, including how to:

• Start with a CAD model in Rhino
• Use the app to set up the climate data and location
• Run the simulations without leaving Rhino
• Postprocess and visualize the simulation results directly in Rhino
  
  

This app was developed jointly by Thornton Tomesetti and SimScale.  Presenters are Jeroen Janssen and Richard Szoeke-Schuller. Jeroen is an Associate Director leading the CORE studio team for Thornton Tomasetti in London. Jeroen mainly focuses on the design of microclimates for urban spaces. Richard Szoeke-Schuller is a Product Manager at SimScale and has an extensive background in applied mathematics and mechanical engineering.

Register for this live event. Even if you cannot attend, you will receive the recording.

Rhino Flow RT CFD is now available

Rhino Flow RT enables Rhinos users to calculate and view computation fluid dynamics in real-time. Simerics is looking for beta testers for its early release program.

Rhino Flow RT provides one workflow within Rhino to enables accurate virtual testing for multi-purpose (MP) applications involving single-phase or multiphase flow, velocity, pressure, and additional physics.  It is all based on the popular Simerics-MP engine and can be used for marine, aerospace, automotive, and architectural applications.

Join the Rhino Flow RT Early Release Program...