# Trying to create repeating 3D sine wave surface

**URL:** <https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938>\
**Category:** Grasshopper\
**Tags:** mac, surface, topography\
**Created:** [August 18, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938 "2026-08-18T17:05:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wosewick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/wosewick/32/526713_2.png) [@wosewick](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/wosewick)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/1 "2026-08-18T17:05:16Z")

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Hi, I haven’t used grasshopper in a few years, and I’m a little rusty, so I’d love it if someone could point me in the right direction!

Looking to make a surface (eventually a volume) where a sine wave is created that is working in the X and Y axes, creating a repeating topography-like pattern.

Here are some failed attempts and my Grasshopper file; I would love it if someone could point me in the right direction.

 ![Screenshot 2026-08-18 at 1.00.00 PM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/d/6/b/d6bd619319ef8ea144e54e37ab126b2e7dcc11a8.jpeg)

 ![Screenshot 2026-08-18 at 1.00.31 PM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/d/4/8/d48d6e2ad471f0abba5c10c041b0bede6bce24be.jpeg)

 ![Screenshot 2026-08-18 at 1.01.17 PM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/0/c/3/0c338cf2ab732b7607573c09c3c172d40fd8dada.jpeg)

[topo.gh](https://discourse.mcneel.com/uploads/short-url/auzC6i6yFfZd3KN6UpkdFexoapR.gh) (29.3 KB)

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**Author:** ![Cole\_Howell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/cole_howell/32/742510_2.png) [@Cole\_Howell](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/Cole_Howell)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/2 "2026-08-18T17:52:07Z")

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Is this sort of what you’re looking for?

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/c/8/6/c866636336d1b1e58c6b5c670e420d2ab14cc7ec.png)

[ch\_topo\_01.gh](https://discourse.mcneel.com/uploads/short-url/aKmRALWnjjCJfPPw9LemrK2L5FI.gh) (4.3 KB)

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**Author:** ![wosewick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/wosewick/32/526713_2.png) [@wosewick](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/wosewick)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/3 "2026-08-18T18:40:58Z")

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Wow, that’s incredibly close! I guess a more accurate description isn’t a sine wave, but a bell curve, where the shapes are uniform.

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**Author:** ![Cole\_Howell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/cole_howell/32/742510_2.png) [@Cole\_Howell](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/Cole_Howell)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/4 "2026-08-18T19:10:58Z")

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The effect of each sine wave can be nulled out by mapping their amplitudes with a Gaussian curve, one per row and one per column. Their product forms a conical form of sorts.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/uploads/default/original/4X/6/5/b/65b0b247dcc018bad497ac4075a5b1c6213377ac.jpeg)

[ch\_topo\_02.gh](https://discourse.mcneel.com/uploads/short-url/eqpyyVMcu8C0DCDyPQmpC0BfMPq.gh) (21.0 KB)

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**Author:** ![Volker\_Rakow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/volker_rakow/32/758767_2.png) [@Volker\_Rakow](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/Volker_Rakow)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/5 "2026-08-18T19:11:21Z")

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> [@wosewick](#):
>
> Looking to make a surface (eventually a volume) where a sine wave is created that is working in the X and Y axes, creating a repeating topography-like pattern.

Do you mean like a Sum Surface?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Volker\_Rakow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/mcneel/user_avatar/discourse.mcneel.com/volker_rakow/32/758767_2.png) [@Volker\_Rakow](https://discourse.mcneel.com/u/Volker_Rakow)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/trying-to-create-repeating-3d-sine-wave-surface/221938/6 "2026-08-18T19:22:10Z")

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> [@Creating a wavy roof surface (No Plugin)](https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/creating-a-wavy-roof-surface-no-plugin/215179/6):
>
> From the image , I can see that the edge 1 is a cosine curve with parametric amplification , and edge two seams like a regular cosine curve. Combining these two with Sum Srf will lead us through a shape near the roof wave surface. For generating the domes , I just made some points manually in rhino , then use them as attractor points , then rebuild the surface . [Southern Cross station.gh](https://discourse.mcneel.com/uploads/short-url/9z8r4f7bh3lIsF3pNqo4ITXjJB7.gh) (33.2 KB) Playing with parameters specially Graph Mappers wi…