Parametric Design Tutorial Triangulated Contour Wall Design Using Grasshopper for Rhino 8 3D

Parametric Triangulated Wall Contour Design

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Triangulated Contour Wall: Walkthrough

1. Idea

   Start with a flat rectangular plane in Rhino 8, sprinkle a set of random points across it, and let Grasshopper connect those points into a lightweight triangulated mesh. That mesh becomes the scaffolding for everything that follows.

   
   

2. From Mesh to Contours

   Rather than modeling thousands of panels by hand, you slice the mesh like a loaf of bread. A Contour component steps through the surface at regular intervals and outputs clean, evenly spaced curves. These curves give the wall its layered, topographic look.

   
   

3. Adding Depth

   Each contour is projected back to the base plane and then converted to a narrow surface strip. By extruding those strips forward and backward an equal amount, you create solid fins that appear to “float” around a central plane. A single slider controls the fin spacing and thickness, so one definition covers everything from subtle ripples to a dramatic, sculptural partition.

   
   

4. Why It’s Useful

   Versatility: The same workflow scales from a living-room feature wall to a full-height building façade.

   Speed: Changing the point count or contour spacing instantly generates fresh variants—perfect for quick concept iterations.

   Fabrication-Ready: The result is a clean, intersect-free BREP you can export for CNC or laser cutting.

   
   

5. Next Steps

   • Watch the full tutorial for an on-screen demo of the components and sliders.

   • Download the free Grasshopper file from my site to experiment with your own point seeds and contour distances.