HST: Helmet Shape Tools Short

Gallery Product Design
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Helmet Shape Toolkit, Parametric Generation

A new toolkit for parametric helmet design is being developed, using Rhino3D, Grasshopper, Processing, OSCPilot, and other tools. This system allows for streamlined design processes and innovative approaches to helmet aesthetics and functionality.

Key Features:

  • Rhino3D: Core 3D modeling software
  • Grasshopper: Visual programming for parametric design
  • Processing: Creative coding platform for interactive visuals
  • OSCPilot: Advanced control interface for live applications
  • XNurbs Surfacing
  • Additional Tools: Integrated to enhance the design process

Designers
Feedback from helmet professionals is sought to refine this toolkit to better meet industry needs. Feature requests, feedback, or ideas for demos are highly encouraged. Challenges welcome.

Thank you for your interest and feedback.

5 Likes
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This is awesome. While I dont create helmets for consumers Im often asked to create ones for the film industry. What a nice streamline way of working. Is this something that is available ?

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Thanks, Scott!

Your comment on the prototype Sub-D predecessor was one of the inspirations for this further development of the HST project. I’ve always been fascinated by helmet shapes in movies and shows and how they convey character. While helmet production for industry is obvious, it got me thinking about other scenarios where experience with helmet surfacing could be applied and integrated with an interface.

As I experimented more with Grasshopper and Nurbs, I discovered numerous possibilities. Comparing the time it took me to explore these capabilities previously, the current program speeds up the process by a couple of orders of magnitude without compromising on Nurbs quality.

The concept is working well and is stable. It involves guiding a parametric model through a designer-friendly UI, allowing designers to explore shapes in real-time with comprehensive tools for visualization and analysis. Currently, HST is designed for a specific workflow, and users are expected to undergo training to effectively utilize its features. We plan to refine the interface based on feedback from more users. The entire approach is modular, aiming to create customized versions for various industrial applications.

We’re also considering integrating HST with Unreal Engine for in-environment evaluation and character animation. However, at this stage, our focus remains on viewing helmet models in Rhino, which performs effectively even on my seven-year-old 980 laptop.

Looking ahead, we have an extensive roadmap planned, including different topologies, features like cuts and bosses, and “onion layering” of surface sets. Currently, HST focuses on establishing base surface forms and flow lines, creating “graphed” images for initial sketches, and subsequent refinement using traditional Rhino methods.

AI is also integrated into our future plans. We envision AI models being trained through a process where initial and final states of a model are set, changes are verbally narrated, and the resulting modifications are uploaded to the AI engine. The goal is to enable voice-controlled modifications to models through AI, which aligns with our project’s end goal.

I’m eager to discuss this further and explore opportunities to bring this project to market. Let’s start the conversation!

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I think if you can put together a system that streamlines the advantages of GH while at the same time making it so people like me who are never going to grasp GH to the extent we would like can use it with an intuitive UI it will be a game changer. My issue with GH is its not intuitive for the average user. Im a visual designer, not a mathematical one. Im sure there are loads of people who understand it and love using it. Im not one of them. I compare it to going to the hardware store and buying a tool vs making the tool myself. The former gets me on task the latter adds to my workload and never yields the results Im after.

Integration with Unreal sounds interesting although Im not a user of Unreal so Im not able to offer any insight or feedback.

AI is a touchy subject for me. I have fundamental issues with its use at least in the visual arts. In this application perhaps it may be the most logical use of that tool but as with Unreal im unfamiliar with it technically.

I look forward to seeing more development.

thanks for sharing

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Quite impressive ! Do you have a live demo of your application ?

I’m not into helmet design, but your approach might be interesting to understand how the same approach might be applied to designing other products related to the human body (hats, neck medical aids and so on).