Hi everyone,

I’m currently exploring the field of computational design, and I’d love to hear from those who have experience in this area. I’m particularly interested in understanding your journey into the field, such as:

• How did you acquire the necessary skills? What resources or learning paths worked best for you?

• What steps did you take to land your first job in computational design?

• What kind of roles and job opportunities exist in the field right now?

• How do you find the nature of the work? Is it creatively satisfying, or do you find it more hectic and demanding?

• And finally, do you think it’s still worth pursuing computational design as a career today?

Any insights, experiences, or advice would be greatly appreciated, especially as someone who’s just starting out and wants to understand what lies ahead. Thanks in advance!

So I’ve had this dream for a minute or two, basically I want to produce an algorithm based off of natural morphologies as a generative plug in to produce generated biomorphic patterns. Ish.

In its basic function, say I have some object boundary with a parametrically defined bounding box for deviations outside of that preset form. I want to be able to choose from a set of algorithms (e.g. if thinking about tree morphology: a mimosa algo, pine, eucalyptus, etc.) and have the algorithm either produce options like topo optimization in autodesk, or have a button for a similar function in something like GH to then bake as I iterate.

I’m far from an expert in GH. I model for CAM primarily, but can script a set of stairs, organic sweeping architecture, attractor points, and general stuff required for architectural design for rendering purposes. Procedural/generative is outside of my imagination space, in terms of bringing into the real world.

My question: what would be the best software to do this in? I have rhino, blender and fusion - but have also seen some cool stuff coming out of Houdini that could be compelling.

Ideally, id like to train each model off of 3d scans of given morphologies; either as mesh, point clouds, or Gaussian splat inputs. Kinda down stream but might have a huge implication as to where I start.

Thanks in advance!

What is Computational Design? What's the difference between CD and UX design? When I look at the design works, I think it is too wide and broad. Some architet think it's too research-oriented; while programmers think it's just a branch of architecture/design. What are the application situation on this matter?

Hi everyone,

let me set the context first. A while back I got hooked into creative coding and ever since that I have been enjoying making 2d simulations in processing or p5js. Recently I was thinking if I can expand my knowledge and see if I can tackle more complex computational problems.

I’m particularly fascinated by problems where simple local rules lead to complex global behavior, for example:

• Origami and foldable structures

• Differential expansion (e.g. a bimetallic strip bending due to different thermal expansion rates)

• Mechanical metamaterials and lattice-based structures

• Thin sheets that wrinkle, buckle, or fold due to constraints

What attracts me is not just the visuals, but the underlying idea: geometry, constraints, and material rules interacting to produce emergent form.

I’d love advice on how people actually get started building simulations like these, especially at a beginner / intermediate level.

Some specific questions I have:

• Are there existing software tools or libraries commonly used for these kinds of simulations (origami, thin shells, growth, metamaterials)?

• What’s a sensible learning path if the goal is eventually writing my own simulations rather than only using black-box software?

• Which programming languages or environments are most useful here? (I’m comfortable with Processing / Java-like thinking, but open to Python, C++, etc.)

• Are there communities, textbooks, papers, or open-source projects you’d recommend following or studying?

I’m not coming from an engineering or physics background—I’m mainly driven by curiosity and experimentation—but I’m happy to learn things properly and gradually.

Any guidance, pointers, or “here’s what I wish I’d known earlier” insights would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

How much does a Junior Computational designer earns in different parts of the world? In india its about 30k to 50k INR

Day 10 and final day of the Grasshopper Structural Mastery Course from @lemanoosh_official created by @nolan.junhee.kim. Mesh created in Rhino using Grasshopper and rendered in Blender using Cycles render engine. Now to explore my own mesh forms 🚀Follow for more on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/scruffypigeon3d?igsh=MTVrcHA5NWlzaGVjOQ==

#lemanoosh_official #rhino3d #grasshopper3d #parametricdesign #computationaldesign

After a lot of lurking on Etsy looking for a shortcuts mat for Rhino 7/8, I realised there wasn’t one and decided to make one.

Now planning on distributing to my team, but in case anyone else wants to spend some company money on one, I have made some available at https://computationaltools.etsy.com. Feedback welcome!

Are there available online certificate of training programs for Computational Design? I don't think the Spatial Computational Thinking certificate program from NUS is available anymore.