New bending-active timber project developed with Rhino & Karamba3D and Beaver3D

 

Developed as a viable tropical hardwood glulam hangar structure for the Global South, this project addresses the challenge of scaling timber construction in a context still dominated by massive steel and concrete industries. The structural hypothesis was a bending-active beam-string: More efficient than a conventional truss, especially in the connections, while remaining compatible with glulam production lines automated for straight elements.

Rhino and Grasshopper were used as the central parametric environment to control span, rise, subdivisions, curvature limits and cross-section constraints. The model was linked to Karamba3D for structural analysis and to Beaver3D for Eurocode 5 timber verification, including ULS/SLS checks and design-ratio visualization. The main challenge was a form-finding paradox: pre-assembly forces depend on beam inertia and system height, so simply adding material does not necessarily improve structural safety. Developed by João Pini at ITA Engenharia em Madeira and published as an article for the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, the result is a low-carbon, low-cost, and scalable structural product.

More information .....

Rhino & Grasshopper for Structural Engineers online course, September 16-18, 2026 (McNeel Europe)

Rhino & Grasshopper for Structural Engineers

Online Workshop

Tutor: Junghwo Park

September 16-18, 2026

10 AM-2:30 PM CEST (Barcelona)

Hosted on Zoom by McNeel Europe

Computational design and BIM workflows are transforming the way structural engineers design, analyze, and document projects. Rhino and Grasshopper have become essential tools for connecting geometry, structural analysis, and BIM workflows across platforms such as Revit, SOFiSTiK, Tekla, Dlubal, SCIA, and Karamba3D.

In this online workshop, Junghwo Park, BIM Manager at Doka GmbH and certified BIM trainer by buildingSMART Austria, will introduce Rhino and Grasshopper for structural engineering workflows, with a focus on parametric design, BIM integration, and data interoperability.

This workshop is designed for structural engineers who want to incorporate Rhino and Grasshopper into their daily practice.

Participants will:

• Gain a foundational understanding of modeling and documenting structural engineering projects in Rhino, including templates, drawings, hatching, graphics, and model coordination.
• Learn the core principles of parametric engineering with Grasshopper.
• Explore practical Grasshopper tips and techniques that enhance structural design workflows.
• Understand BIM interoperability and data exchange using Rhino.Inside.Revit.

Course requirements: Whether you are new to Rhino and Grasshopper or looking to expand your BIM and computational design skills, this workshop will provide a solid foundation for modern structural engineering workflows. Software requirement: Rhino 8

Online course fees per course: 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!

Karamba3D online workshop, November 24-26 (McNeel Europe)

 

Karamba3D Workshop - Introduction to Beam Structures

Tutor: Matthew Tam & Georg Lobe

November 24-26, 2025

10 AM-5 PM CET (Barcelona)

Hosted on Zoom by McNeel Europe 

Matthew Tam and Georg Lobe of Karamba3D are offering a workshop aimed at beginner users who want to gain a solid understanding of setting up beam models in Karamba3D. Teaching will be applied to real-world case studies to understand all the basic principles.

After the completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Have an in-depth understanding of model setup in Karamba3D for beams
• Set up beam structures parametrically to gain full geometric control
• Perform simple optimization and form-finding procedures on your geometry
• Learn how to integrate Karamba3D into your BIM/structural workflows

Day 1 - Introduction

• Introductory lecture to parametric engineering
• Parametric structural modeling with beams
• Defining cross-section and material properties
• Results retrieval and display for beams

Day 2 – Applications

• Optimization of cross-sections of beams
• Introduction to optimization procedures for shape and topology
• Form-finding procedures

Day 3 – Workflows & Interoperability

• Debugging models and troubleshooting errors
• Save states of your Karamba3D model into Rhino for quick versioning
• Harnessing the power of Speckle to send and receive structural models on the cloud

Course requirements: Prior knowledge of Grasshopper and Rhino is essential. Basic understanding of Karamba3D would be beneficial but not required.

Software requirement: Rhino 8 & Karamba3D 3.1.5
Karamba3D 1-year non-commercial-use licenses will be provided to participants free of charge.

Additional Software: Speckle v2, Revit (optional for interoperability workflow), RFEM, Robot, SCIA (optional for interoperability workflow)

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!

AECtech NYC Annual Conference, November 11-16

 

AECtech NYC 2025 Annual Conference
November 11-16, 2025

CORE studio is excited to welcome everyone to the 13th Annual AECtech Conference in NYC! They have a full schedule offering both virtual and in-person workshops, tech tours, tech crawls, a symposium, and a hackathon. Buy your tickets today!

Virtual Workshops | November 7

Immerse yourself in a full day of workshops hosted by design innovators and software pioneers, developed to introduce participants to a wide range of powerful new workflows that enable new ways of working and enhance existing design processes.

Tech Tours | November 11 | Multiple NYC Locations | In-Person

Enjoy a tour through contemporary architecture projects in NYC hosted by the architects and engineers who designed them! 

Tech Crawls | November 12 | Multiple NYC Locations | In-Person

Join your colleagues for a visit to local Architecture and Engineering firms for a tour and discussion on innovation in practice. 

In-Person Workshops | November 13 | Cornell Tech Verizon Education Center

Join your peers for a full day of Masterclasses hosted by design innovators and software pioneers, developed to introduce participants to a wide range of powerful new workflows that enable new ways of working and enhance existing design processes.

Rhino and Grasshopper workshops include:

• Bringing Rhino models to life with Unreal Engine, presented by Epic Games + Heatherwick studio
• Grasshopper inside AI: Run Grasshopper definitions from AI assistants with MCP and Rhino.Compute, presented by KPF
• Computational Design with Grasshopper 2, presented by McNeel + Proving Ground
• Developing Custom Plugins for Grasshopper 2, presented by McNeel + Proving Ground
• Scaling Up Parametric Engineering Workflows with Karamba3D, presented by Karamba3D

Symposium | November 14 | Cornell Tech Verizon Education Center | Hybrid

Be inspired by highly acclaimed leaders in design and technology within the AEC industry. Join us for a series of presentations, discussions, and round table panels reflecting on the state of practice today and what is on the horizon.

Hackathon | November 15-16 | Thornton Tomasetti | In-Person

Create something incredible with a team of your peers during the 26-hour hackathon. Starting on Saturday morning and ending on Sunday afternoon. AEC Tech’s Hackathon is an event for all levels of programmers, developers, engineers, and others. Additionally, it is created for attendees to collaborate, network, build new relationships, and generate new ideas and processes for the AEC community.

Details... 

Getting to know... Pentaura: Parametric Timber Structures!

In this ShapeDiver interview, you'll learn about Pentaura, a timber pavilion designed primarily as a climate shelter and playground. The project was conceived and built in 2023 by students of the Master in Parametric Design in Architecture (MPDA) at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC), under the guidance of the CODA team and with the support of international experts. The pavilion project leverages Grasshopper to power a generative system that balances user input with engineering constraints, Kangaroo2 for form-finding, and Karamba3D for structural validation. Once the design is final, an automated workflow generates CNC- and laser-ready fabrication files, enabling fast and precise manufacturing through a distributed European network of robotic timber workshops.

Read the full interview...

Rhino/Grasshopper online workshop for structural engineers, June 30-July 2 (McNeel Europe)

 

Rhino & Grasshopper Training for the Structural Engineers

Online Workshop

Tutor: Junghwo Park

June 30-July 2, 2025

10 AM-5 PM CEST (Barcelona)

Hosted on Zoom by McNeel Europe

Structural engineering analyzes given geometries to calculate, optimize, or aesthetically refine structures, ensuring they can stand without failure while fulfilling the designer’s intentions. Before the advent of CAD software, engineers mathematically defined material properties, loads, and support conditions per design codes, verifying their calculations through physical model experiments. In architectural design, early parametric approaches were introduced by pioneers such as Antoni Gaudí and have since evolved into contemporary practices, where architects and engineers use tools like Rhino and Grasshopper. These tools are now widely integrated with structural engineering software such as SOFiSTiK, Tekla, Dlubal, SCIA, and Karamba3D, bridging design, analysis, and documentation workflows. This integration enables seamless data exchange across BIM platforms and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration throughout all project phases.

The workshop is taught by Junghwo Park, Head of Innovation and Technology Center in Virtual Design and Construction at Umdasch Group Ventures, and a certified BIM trainer by buildingSMART Austria. It is designed for structural engineers who want to learn how to use Rhino and Grasshopper for parametric BIM engineering.

Upon completion of this course, participants will...

• Gain a foundational understanding of how to model and document structural engineering projects in Rhino, including templates, drawings, hatching, graphics, and model coordination.
• Learn the principles of parametric engineering using Grasshopper.
• Explore essential Grasshopper tips and tricks to enhance daily practice in structural design workflows.
• Understand seamless data interoperability for BIM workflows using Rhino.Inside.Revit and Speckle.

Course requirements: This course is intended for structural engineers, drafters, and modelers without prior experience with Rhino and Grasshopper. 

Software requirement: Rhino 8

Online course fees for each course: EUR 395 (+VAT); full-time students and university teachers get 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!

Practical AI for Rhino - Online Course by Sustainable Design Academy

Practical AI for Rhino

Online Course by Sustainable Design Academy

Learn to use AI Assistants in Rhino and Grasshopper to instruct tools like Ladybug, Honeybee, Karamba, and One Click LCA. You will learn to use chat-based instructions to run analysis, query results, and much more.

Details and registration...

Master in Parametric Design, Spring 21st Edition by Controlmad

MaSTER COURSE IN PARAMETRIC DESIGN

A unique study program to introduce you to the world of computational design, the state-of-the-art field for product design, architecture, landscape, engineering, digital fabrication... through creating physical and digital parametric models using as main tools Grasshopper for Rhino and CNC machines and 3D printers.

The course is divided into two parts: 

• Part I, 24 March-30 May: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Karamba, Python, AI, visualization (Fully online)
• Part II is optional to take, 2-26 June: Digital Fabrication (Onsite at Controlmad or online, as you wish)

You may choose multiple ways to take it:

• Entire course onsite or remotely
• Just Part I online
• Hybrid: Part I online + Part II onsite.

The last early bird fees are available!

Master in Parametric Design, Autumn 20th Edition

A unique study program to introduce you to the world of computational design, the state-of-the-art field for product design, architecture, landscape, engineering, digital fabrication... through creating physical and digital parametric models using as main tools Grasshopper for Rhino and CNC machines and 3D printers.

The course is divided into two parts: 

• Part I, entirely online: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Karamba3D, Python, AI, visualization
• Part II, optional to take: Digital Fabrication (Onsite at Controlmad or online, as you wish)

You may choose multiple ways to take it:

• Full course onsite or remotely
• Part I online
• Hybrid: Part I online + Part II onsite.

Course details

• Language: English
• Part I: October 28, 2024–January 16, 2025 
• Part II:  January 20–February 13, 2025 
• Minimum number of students:  8

Early bird fees are available!

Design Modelling Symposium - September 2024, University of Kassel

 

Design Modelling Symposium 2024

The Design Modelling Symposium will take place this September in Kassel, Germany. International research groups from ETH Zurich, the University of Hong Kong, Autodesk, Uni Stuttgart, the University of Innsbruck, and others will present their latest work on the four topics of Realizing Circular Design, Scaling Digital Concepts, Biomaterial Design, and Digital Construction.

This will be complemented by distinguished keynote talks from Philip F. Yuan of Tongji University Shanghai, Andrea Klinge of ZRS Architects Berlin, Corentin Fivet from EPF Lausanne, Kerstin Müller of Zirkular Basel, Anke Parson of Urban Beta Berlin, Olivier Baverel Ecole des Ponts ParisTech and Greta Tiedje of Henning Larsen Copenhagen.

See here the final schedule of the conference: Schedule DMS 2024

Two intensive days of workshops will be held on the topics of  Immersive Design Based on Human Motion by the University of Hannover, Structural Design for Reuse by Karamba / Bollinger Grohmann, Human Robot Interaction by Prof. Stefana Parasho of EPFL, Design with Mycelium Materials by EDEK University of Kassel in cooperation with the Royal Danish Academy and Form-fit spatial frames by TWE University of Kassel, knippershelbig and Strong by Form.

See here the schedule of the workshops: Schedule Workshops

It is possible to register individually for the conference or workshops, and there are also special rates for bundles and students.

Register here...

Getting to know… Beaver Structures: Redefining Parametric Timber Engineering!

Dive into ShapeDiver's latest case study to uncover the innovative Beaver plugin for Rhino and Grasshopper. This tool, which integrates seamlessly with Karamba3D, promises to enhance both educational and real-world structural design applications.

The article features a comprehensive case study with João, Marcio, and Renan, the creators behind Beaver. They delve into their journey from academic research to developing a tool that’s now a favorite among industry leaders. The discussion covers their inspiration for focusing on timber engineering, the specific market needs Beaver addresses, and the benefits of its open-source nature.

Explore how Beaver is transforming timber engineering workflow, helping professionals shift from safety-checking to active design roles, and streamlining complex tasks with integrations like Karamba3D and ShapeDiver.

Read the full article here...

Getting to know... Construsoft and Optinave!

Construsoft is a leading supplier and developer of BIM (Building Information Modeling) software and related services. Their portfolio includes products and applications that provide an accurate, detailed, and data-rich 3D environment for the design and construction industry.

They were interested in creating a free online application that would allow them to showcase their knowledge for calculating and optimizing the design of metal structures. They knew Grasshopper was a powerful tool to build such an application, but they needed a way to host these files online and make them available to anyone via a web browser. Recently, they found out that ShapeDiver could give them these capabilities and even allow them to use third-party plugins such as Karamba3D and Geometry Gym.

In this interview, ShapeDiver talks with Construsoft's team and discusses the topics surrounding this powerful online tool called Optinave.

Read the full interview...