10 Best Grasshopper 3D Courses and Certifications Online

Grasshopper 3D is a popular parametric design tool used in various industries such as architecture, engineering, and product design. To enhance their skills and proficiency in using this software, many individuals and professionals seek online courses. These online courses provide flexible learning options and access to expert instructors. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the best Grasshopper 3D courses available online, detailing their features and benefits.

Here’s a look at the Best Grasshopper 3D Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Grasshopper 3D Courses and Certifications Online

1. Grasshopper: Beginner to Advanced by Mesrop Andriasyan (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

Course Title: Grasshopper: Beginner to Advanced Course
Instructors: Mesrop Andriasyan

This course is designed to teach learners how to use Grasshopper, a powerful algorithmic modeling platform. It is suitable for beginners who have no prior knowledge of Grasshopper and also for those who wish to enhance their existing skillset. The course is structured in a continuous flow format rather than a component-wise approach. This means that learners will gradually gain knowledge about the interface, functions, and best practices.

The course includes a consolidation of theory and practice which are both necessary for creating strong and useful algorithms. Learners will be introduced to the basic concepts of Grasshopper and gradually progress to more advanced topics. The course also includes new and interesting projects that will be added over time.

The course is divided into three sections – Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each section covers various topics in detail and provides step-by-step explanations of the logic and practice behind the platform.

The course is designed to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of Grasshopper and enable them to use it effectively in their professional or personal projects.

2. The Grasshopper Bible: Fundamentals by Yuval Kahlon (Udemy)

The Grasshopper Bible: Fundamentals course is designed to teach individuals how to use Grasshopper from scratch in a simple, efficient, and fun way. The course is ideal for students or professionals interested in Parametric Design. The goal is to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of how Grasshopper works, in order to enable them to build whatever they want to build with ease.

The course is designed to be simple, efficient, and comprehensive. The explanations are given in a daily language, which is easy to understand. The videos in the course are focused and concise, with an average of less than 5 minutes. The course covers all the basic features, tools, and functions needed to get going.

By the end of the course, learners will not only have a good understanding of how to use Grasshopper but also how Parametric Design can help them to create flexible models for their designs. This will enable them to enter this new territory with great confidence and a good set of skills to get started.

The course is divided into several sections, including an introduction, getting started, basic 2D geometry, basic math and sets, mini-project, basic 3D geometry, basic transformations, basic surfaces, important tools, and a final project. The mini-project involves creating a parametric tower, while the final project involves creating a parametric bracelet.

Overall, the Grasshopper Bible: Fundamentals course is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning Grasshopper and Parametric Design from scratch. The course’s simple, efficient, and comprehensive approach makes it easy for learners to grasp the concept and build their projects with ease.

3. Develop Parametric Architecture with Grasshopper by Stefan Boeykens (Udemy)

The course titled “Develop Parametric Architecture with Grasshopper” is aimed at applying basic 3D modelling concepts into a Parametric Approach. It teaches techniques used by architectural firms like Foster and Hadid to create complex designs. The course comprises three hours of video tutorials and short quizzes that guide learners through the use of Grasshopper, a parametric design add-in for McNeel Rhinoceros.

The course covers the basics of Grasshopper, including the user interface and the fundamental concepts of controlling numbers, points, and curves. Learners will then explore different approaches for panelling and subdividing a façade or roof model. There is also an extensive section where learners will create a model inspired by a twisted tower design by Calatrava. Finally, learners will explore options for generative modelling, including optimisation using the Galapagos module.

The course offers straightforward example projects from real buildings, which learners can apply in other projects. The course material allows learners to develop an interactive, adapting model controlled by a few chosen design parameters that can generate a wide range of design variants. The course enables learners to use a combination of modelled and generated geometry while still allowing visual, artistic control over the result.

The updated course includes a notice that the Mac version of Grasshopper is available, a PDF eBook with the course summary and highlights, and added lectures on Data Trees and the Galapagos module. The course price reflects recent updates, and upon enrolment, learners will receive all future updates or additions at no added cost.

Overall, the course aims to provide learners with a popular visual programming system that can produce surprising results with ease.

4. Kangaroo for Grasshopper by Mesrop Andriasyan (Udemy)

The Kangaroo for Grasshopper course teaches students how to use the physics simulation engine Kangaroo, created by Daniel Piker, to simulate various phenomena in Grasshopper. The course covers the creation of goals to simulate different structures, including tensegrity, bending active rods and plates, and hybrids. It should be noted that prior knowledge of Grasshopper is necessary to take this course.

The course is comprised of five sections, including an introduction, Membranes, Tensegrity, Bending Active, and an Extra section. Students will learn how to create different goals to simulate their structures, and will be introduced to the peculiar structures listed above. The course also includes a Bonus section.

The course uses the Kangaroo logo from Food4rhino, and music credit goes to BenSound (creative minds).

5. Rhino 3D Grasshopper Flower of Life & Other Cool Patterns by DCO GraphicStudio (Udemy)

DCO GraphicStudio offers a Rhino 3D Grasshopper Flower of Life & Other Cool Patterns Course that teaches students how to create a flower of life pattern, as well as other patterns using circles and polygons. The course uses a method of form and pattern finding that allows students to visualize and conceptualize patterns by modeling. The tools taught in the course are great for students who are trying to expand their design arsenal and can create impressive geometries in a short amount of time. Other plugins and software that can create these structures in simpler ways are also mentioned.

The course is taught by DCO GraphicStudio, which specializes in architecture, design, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and digital media and fabrication. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor directly if they have any questions, ideas, or concerns.

The course is divided into six sections: Introduction, Creating the pattern, Pattern development 1, Pattern development 2, Pattern development 3, and Pattern conclusion. In addition to the flower of life pattern, other examples of patterns are also discussed during the course. Students are encouraged to follow the instructor for future lessons.

6. Archicad <-> Grasshopper Live connection by Mesrop Andriasyan (Udemy)

Course Title: Archicad <-> Grasshopper Live Connection

This course, taught by Mesrop Andriasyan, is designed to enhance your BIM practice using the Archicad – Grasshopper live connection toolset. This connection toolset bridges the gap between two major AEC industry practices of BIM and algorithmic modeling.

The course is targeted towards individuals who already have a good understanding of both Archicad and Grasshopper. It is an advanced course that focuses on practical applications of the live connection.

To ensure successful completion of this course, it is recommended that individuals take the “Grasshopper: Beginner to Advanced” course prior to enrolling.

Course Content and Sections include:
– Introduction
– Terrain/Mesh operations
– Facade balconies
– Floor structure and tiles

Image credits for the course are attributed to GRAPHISOFT.

7. Introduction to Rhino Grasshopper: Parametric Design Primer by Brandon Aaron (Udemy)

The “Introduction to Rhino Grasshopper: Parametric Design Primer” course is designed to teach the basics of 3D Parametric Design with Rhino Grasshopper to individuals interested in advancing their design skills. The course is led by Brandon Aaron, a licensed Architect and instructor with experience in helping thousands of students master design, modeling, and rendering in today’s top design programs.

The course focuses on teaching individuals how to build and develop parametric models with Grasshopper 3D. The course begins with an extensive introduction to the Grasshopper interface, followed by the creation and development of basic variables, inputs, and outputs for Grasshopper data. The course then delves into the mathematic and sets functions in Grasshopper that allow for the handling of complex data and calculations.

In the following sections, students learn how to develop and work with various forms of Rhino geometry in Grasshopper to adapt their skills to any project type. The course concludes with lessons on working with the display and manipulation of data in Grasshopper, as well as a bonus section on how to render and animate Grasshopper models.

Upon completion of the course, individuals will be able to create and edit Grasshopper models, and contribute and collaborate in parametric design projects. The course covers important concepts and workflows for successful Grasshopper programs, as well as debugging for program issues.

The course is designed for individuals who are ready to build their Parametric Design skill and is broken down into several sections, including Introduction, Grasshopper Basics, Grasshopper Geometry, Grasshopper Advanced Functions, Exporting Geometry, Rendering and Animating Grasshopper Geometry, and Conclusion.

8. Introduction to Parametric Design: Grasshopper by Felipe Gutiérrez, Paula Echeverri Montes (Udemy)

The course titled “Introduction to Parametric Design: Grasshopper” is aimed at teaching procedural and parametric design using Grasshopper for Rhinoceros3d. The course is instructed by Felipe Gutiérrez and Paula Echeverri Montes. The primary objective of the course is to train the students on creating simple to intermediate definitions using Grasshopper.

The course is structured to help students understand the concepts used by the industry for advanced computational design workflows. Students will learn to create complex relations between objects and how to structure their thought process for developing programs that produce these kinds of procedures. The course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the Grasshopper UI, starting from the basics and progressing to custom code production for complex geometry.

The course is divided into several sections, including the introduction, Grasshopper, and Rhino’s interface, modeling types, Grasshopper internals, Grasshopper’s data structures, maths for computational design, transformations, and hands-on parametric modeling. By the end of the course, students will be able to navigate the Grasshopper UI confidently and create custom code to produce complex geometry using procedural and parametric design. Overall, the course provides an excellent opportunity for beginners to learn and intermediate learners to advance their skills in Grasshopper.

9. Rhino Grasshopper Architectural Building Structure by DCO GraphicStudio (Udemy)

The Rhino Grasshopper Architectural Building Structure Course offers instruction on creating an architectural multi-floor building structure with foundation columns and beams using Grasshopper for Rhino. The course instructor, David Copete of DCO GraphicStudio, will guide students through the exercise steps to acquaint them with the Grasshopper interface. This course is suitable for students and professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, and design, as well as 3D modelers and 3D print designers interested in parametric design.

The course content is divided into eight sections, which include an introduction and a conclusion, as well as instruction on the grid, columns, beams, floor slabs, multi-floor system, and building foundation. The steps in this tutorial are useful for many other applications, making it a valuable addition to students’ design arsenal.

What sets this lesson apart is its simplicity and straightforward approach, with full explanations of the process of parametric design using Grasshopper, making it accessible for beginners. The course offers a real-world example, giving students a useful script that they can use to share with their colleagues or impress their peers. Overall, the course provides a better understanding of how parametric design works and how to apply it to specific use cases.

10. Rhino Grasshopper – HUMAN UI plugin for Data Visualization by Sebastian Guzman (Udemy)

The Rhino Grasshopper – HUMAN UI plugin for Data Visualization course is designed to train architects, designers, engineers, and computational design enthusiasts how to create interactive interfaces for data visualization using Grasshopper, Rhino, and the HUMAN UI plugin developed by Andrew Heumann. The plugin enables users to develop interactive and dynamic graphical interfaces for their Grasshopper scripts. The course aims to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to create professional, customizable, and user-friendly graphical interfaces using the HUMAN UI plugin.

The course covers the following topics:
– Understanding the logic of how the HUMAN UI plugin works
– Using the most important tools of the plugin
– Creating customizable graphical interfaces
– Displaying information inside Grasshopper definitions, such as the number of panels in a paneling subdivision.

Prerequisites for the course include basic to intermediate knowledge of Grasshopper, understanding data tree structures, and basic modeling knowledge of Rhinoceros.

Upon completion of the course, learners will be proficient in using the HUMAN UI plugin to create interactive interfaces for data visualization. The course is suitable for anyone interested in enhancing their computational design knowledge.