Is there a way to include Grasshopper definitions in Websites?

Hi to all,

does Grasshopper have interfaces to websites (e.g. Wordpress) to enable customers to customize their products directly?

Mass customisation is a big issue especially in combination with additive manufacturing (3D printing).
Therefore I asked myself if there is already a solution to get changed data from the customer.

And not only in the way ShapeDiver does and renders the GH definition.
More like a tool set of apps that renders the GH definition as customer feedback, provides an input for the GH definition from the website and an output from the server that forwards the files to production (e.g. 3D printers).

There is not a commercial solution to that. You are talking about a totally different environment that works as if it where grasshopper, but itā€™s not. Basically that system would require to be based in javascript. It would need to use webGl technology to render 3d objects in a browser and it would need to be integrated with node js to handle the requests from the user, send them to the server and execute a response.

Best regards,
Sir Ernest Shackleton

Came across this once, but havenā€™t tried it for myself yet.

Everything you are describing in your message is possible with ShapeDiver. In fact, most of our commercial users built a full mass customization pipeline where users can input parameters for the definition, run the solutions on our servers and both display the updated visualization as well as export manufacturing files that can be forwarded to production.

If you are talking about a turnkey solution that automatically connects e-commerce or ERP systems to your Grasshopper model, your are correct that ShapeDiver doesnā€™t offer that out of the box. However the javascript API gives a straightforward interface for web developers to build this connection themselves.

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@brglez.primoz
thanks for the connection to ShapeDiver

@mathieu1
Do you perhaps have an exemplary customer where I could take a look at the implementation? Just a Link for the Website. Shapeways uses a software that seems similar to me.
Can you give an estimation how long it would take to integrate it into a website? Just a ā€œfrom toā€ estimate, I realize that I ask too general questions to get a precise answer.

I just tried ShapeDiver last week and am VERY IMPRESSED! They are just getting started and it has some limitations and rough edges but itā€™s a tour de force at merging web technology and Grasshopper.

Here is an unmodified GH model I uploaded to test ShapeDriver - not bad at all!!! I love it.

https://app.shapediver.com/m/spiral-faceted-shape

from here:

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I forgot that the forum is more about architecture.
For me, consumer products would be more relevant.

But good example for your profession. :+1:

My profession? Iā€™m a retired programmer. Shapediver isnā€™t limited to architecture any more than Grasshopper is. Hereā€™s another model I posted to Shapediver that shows one of their current rough edges. Sliders that show REAL values are supposed to generate REAL (not INTEGER) values but they donā€™t, theyā€™re all integer sliders. :frowning: So some sliders with a range of zero to one become binary switches instead of the gradient values expected.

The ability to share an interactive CAD model with people who have only a web browser is fantastic! I wish them all the best. From what Iā€™ve seen looking at their web APIs, they have nailed this space, though are clearly at an early stage. @mathieu1, I hope you can fix this soon?

@Joseph_Oster Sorry I left you hanging about this bug. Itā€™s a strange one because real sliders work for most models (you can try any other, this one for example: https://app.shapediver.com/m/parametric-car-wheel-design). So it must be something specific to your model, which we have to investigate.

@reflection_in_action Since you are in the field of jewelry, you can check out this example: https://www.nove25.net/it/cms/mynove25/

If you want more details about estimations, you can contact us (ezequiel@shapediver.com).

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The ā€˜Spiral Faceted Shapeā€™ above exhibits the same problem with REAL sliders and that model is posted on the forum so please have at it. I didnā€™t use your plugin, is that the problem?


MODELO GH FORUM_2020_Jan12a.gh (26.4 KB)

@mathieu1 Thank you very much. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m looking for! :+1:

@mathieu1, itā€™s very hard to believe I am the first and only person to upload a Grasshopper model to Shapediver that doesnā€™t use your plugin? Do I win a prize for discovering this OBVIOUS defect with REAL sliders? Hope you can fix it because requiring the plugin reduces the value of the service for me. Otherwise, I love it.

https://app.shapediver.com/m/real-sliders-test

real_sliders_shapediver_2020Jan18a
real_sliders_shapediver_2020Jan18a.gh (5.0 KB)

There is no need to use the ShapeDiver plugin for uploading models on ShapeDiver, and this bug is definitely not linked to that. It is also a bug that has never been experienced by any user before you, so it was either introduced very recently (in the past two weeks at most) or has something to do with the version of Rhino/Grasshopper that you are using.

We are looking into it, it will likely be fixed early next week.

UPDATE: one of our developers has identified that it is a rounding bug with real sliders that have 3 decimal places. If you limit them to 2 decimal places, it should be enough to avoid the issue, until we fix it.

Hah! Yeah, that works. I have a real talent for QA, just use the default values (3 decimal places on sliders) and boom! Youā€™re welcome.

https://app.shapediver.com/m/real-sliders-test-2-1

As mentioned in another topic, the slider bug is now fixed:

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To answer your first question, yes, there is a way. It is not part of Grasshopper itself, but these interfaces are available.

We have a platform (www.packhunt.io) which is able to run grasshopper models on the cloud. These are mostly controlled through a graphical user interface which can be built to the users liking. This gives you the ability to customize products directly and use the outcome of it for different goals, like production. By running it online we are able to scale up based on the amount of usage the model is getting.

For an example, please visit the site of one of our customers, EeStairs. They are using our platform to customise their product (a staircase) to the users liking. To find the configurator, please go to the 1 m2 staircase. The eventual output in case of a purchase are drawings that are fed directly into the machines that produce the staircase. Furthermore it allows you to generate an .ifc model of your staircase for usage in BIM software, such as Revit for instance. All of 3D geometry and production output is controlled through Grasshopper models.

Feel free to get in touch with us if you want to learn more about Packhunt.io.

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@lieuwethysmeekma

Do you also have case studies about metal products such as jewellery, watches or similar products that are not luxury products? In order to get examples of rendering metals in realtime.

Hi Marc,

Thanks for your reply. We do have some examples of previous projects we did for retail products such as jewellery. Although I am not sure what you mean but ā€˜non luxury productsā€™. Unfortunantely I cannot give you direct access to the environments which hold these cases. However, feel free to send me a personal message and Iā€™ll see if I can show you some examples.