From the course: Grasshopper Essential Training (2017)

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Simulating basic tensile structures

Simulating basic tensile structures

From the course: Grasshopper Essential Training (2017)

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Simulating basic tensile structures

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- [Instructor] In this video, we'll look at simulating tensile structures using the Kangaroo add-on for Grasshopper in Rhino. In Rhino here, I've got an example file tensile-example.3dm open just so we can have a rough idea of what we're shooting for here. Tensile structures are a really unique idea from architecture and design for creating very strong structures from thin, flexible, light materials often fabrics. You'll often see them used in tents and pavilions. And what makes them so special is that they are strong because of curvature in two directions. You can see in our example tensile structure here, if I look from the top viewport, I have essentially a square footprint. But if I go back to perspective, I could see this is curving in two different directions. So I kind of have this arc here and then this arc here. And those are perpendicular to one another. And that's what really gives this kind of structure its strength for bearing loads from above, things like snow that might…

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