Recursion
-
Path Finder using a Recursive Process – Example 8.5
A not uncommon task for Landscape designers is to draw paths through the landscape. If you are working on a “flat site” (something which doesn’t exist) or if you are just deciding to ignore topography completely, you can just draw the paths anywhere in any configuration you want. This will lead to problems. Anyone who…
-
Growing, Branching, and Scaling Pattern – Example 10.6
Before leaving the topic of growing and branching structures, I wanted to show one more possible variation to the concept which was introduced in Example 10.4 and further explored in Example 10.5. This example at its core is very similar, with one significant exception. I tried to incorporate the logic of an L-system which I…
-
Curve Evolution – Example 8.4
This script uses a fairly straightforward recursive process known as “curve evolution” to create descending contour lines. The results can get quite interesting depending on the starting pattern. The concept of curve evolution is fairly straightforward. You take a curve, employ some operation to slightly modify the existing curve to create a new curve. After each “generation”…
-
Recursive Subdivision of a Topographical Surface – Example 8.3
This example is partly regional analysis, partly trying to make cool images, and partly could have some practical applications. I’ve seen a few scripts floating around called “Recursive Subdivision of a Surface.” One example is on the website of co-de-it a computational group from Italy (*note as of 2025 this website is defunct…will find a new link), where…
-
Changing the Script – Example 8.2
Most scripts develop over time, or combine elements from many different places to try and create something a bit different. In this example, I wanted to only change a few minor parameters from the previous Ice Ray Lattice Example. The two variations are as follows: A) Instead of always cutting through the center point, I…
-
Ice-Ray Lattice – Basic Recursion – Example 8.1
This script is a fairly basic introduction to the concept of recursion in Grasshopper, which is only really possible with one of two add-ons, Anemone or Hoopsnake, unless you want to try writing your own code with one of the scripting components! I derived this example initially from the page DesignCoding.net which has many very good…