Guide · Rhino & Grasshopper

Installation Guide

Everything you need before Session 1 — installed and working in about 20 minutes. No licence purchase required; the free trial covers the whole workshop.

What you'll install

Three things, all free for the workshop:

  • Rhino 8 — the modeling software (free 90-day trial).
  • Grasshopper — the visual programming tool, built into Rhino 8. Nothing extra to download.
  • Four free plugins — LunchBox, Weaverbird, Pufferfish, and Kangaroo (Kangaroo ships with Rhino 8).
System: Any modern Windows or Mac laptop works. No dedicated GPU required. A mouse is strongly recommended over a trackpad.

1 · Install Rhino 8

  1. Go to rhino3d.com/download and choose Rhino 8 for Windows or Mac.
  2. Run the installer and accept the defaults. It's a large download (~1 GB) — get it done before class day.
  3. Launch Rhino. The first time, it asks you to log in or create a free McNeel account — do that; it's how the trial is tracked.

2 · Start the 90-day trial

When Rhino opens it will offer to evaluate (trial), buy, or enter a licence. Choose Evaluate / Start Trial. You get the full software for 90 days — more than the six weeks of the workshop.

Already have a student licence? Even better — use it. A student licence is inexpensive if you decide to continue after the trial.

3 · Open Grasshopper

Grasshopper is already inside Rhino 8. To open it:

  1. In Rhino's command line (top of the window), type Grasshopper and press Enter.
  2. The Grasshopper canvas opens in a separate window. That's where all the parametric work happens.
  3. Set Rhino units to Meters: type Units → set Model units to Meters. (We model at real-world scale.)

4 · Add the plugins (5 minutes)

Rhino 8 has a built-in package manager, so you don't hunt for downloads:

  1. In Rhino's command line type PackageManager and press Enter.
  2. Search and install each of these (click Install, it handles the rest): LunchBox, Weaverbird, Pufferfish.
  3. Kangaroo is already included in Rhino 8 — nothing to install.
  4. Restart Rhino after installing. The new plugins appear as extra tabs in Grasshopper.
What they're for: LunchBox = paneling, Weaverbird = mesh smoothing, Pufferfish = morphing/tweening, Kangaroo = physics & form-finding. We introduce each in the right session.

5 · 60-second check that it all works

  1. Open Grasshopper (Grasshopper in Rhino).
  2. Double-click the empty canvas, type Number Slider, and drop one in.
  3. Double-click again, add a Point component, and wire the slider into one of its inputs.
  4. Drag the slider — if you can see values changing in a Panel (add one the same way), you're fully set up. 🎉

That's it — you're ready for Session 1. We'll do the real modeling together, live.

Troubleshooting

"Grasshopper command not found"

You're likely on Rhino 6/7 or an old build. Make sure you installed Rhino 8; Grasshopper is built in there.

Plugins don't appear after installing

Fully quit and reopen Rhino — plugins only load at startup. Still missing? Re-run PackageManager and confirm they show as Installed.

Trial expired / licence prompt

The 90-day trial is per McNeel account. If it lapses, a student licence is the cheapest way forward — or reach out and we'll help.

Mac vs Windows

Both work for everything in the workshop. A couple of menu names differ slightly; we'll point those out live.

Stuck? Bring it to Session 1 — we keep the first 10 minutes for setup gremlins. Or grab the free attractor mini-lesson to test your install early.