Kangaroo

Information

Kangaroo is a Live Physics engine for interactive simulation, optimization and form-finding directly within Grasshopper.

Read about the new release here

The Discussion Forum below is the best place to ask any questions about using Kangaroo.

(Please avoid posting questions on the Comment Wall, as it does not allow organization of replies)

Website: http://kangaroo3d.com
Members: 2768
Latest Activity: on Wednesday

You can read an introduction to the ideas behind Kangaroo here:

http://spacesymmetrystructure.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/kangaroo/

Kangaroo2 is now available for testing (see full announcement here). Please bear in mind this is still a work-in-progress, and features are still subject to change.

You can download it from here:

http://www.food4rhino.com/project/kangaroo

This thread contains some troubleshooting tips if you have problems getting it installed and working:

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/kangaroo/forum/topics/kangaroo-2

The main source of example files for the latest version is here:

https://github.com/Dan-Piker/Kangaroo-examples

Some further example files for version 2.0 can be found here:

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/kangaroo/page/kangaroo2-additional-examples

with more to follow - if there is some particular feature you would like more examples of information on please ask there.

The Kangaroo2 solver library is now separate from the Grasshopper components, and can also be referenced and used in scripts, either in the GH VB/C#/Python components, or in RhinoScript/PythonScript in Rhino. Questions about these can also be posted on:

http://discourse.mcneel.com/c/scripting

Kangaroo2 is a complete rewrite, and the main solver/goal/force components are not cross-compatible with the previous version. However, you can keep both versions installed together allowing older definitions to be opened, and for now this is recommended, as there are also several utility and mesh processing functions relevant to both versions.

While v2 introduces many new features and improvements, not all the features from the old version currently have equivalents in the new version, but the plan is to add them all over time.

The links below are for the old version. More documentation and videos for the new version to appear soon.

example files(for version 0.099):

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/kangaroo/page/example-files

manual(for version 0.099):

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddpv

getting started video:

http://vimeo.com/20308963

demo videos:

http://vimeo.com/album/199263

Some more tutorial videos from EXLAB:

http://vimeo.com/exlab/videos

Discussion Forum

Fun with beams 8 Replies

Continue

Started by Daniel Piker. Last reply by Sanoop Siby on Wednesday.

Data visualisation with 2D Circle Packing 3 Replies

Hi all,I'm trying to do a 2D data visualisation animation where I have several circles that gradually change their radii over time. I want the circles to touch but not overlap, and to 'gravitate' towards the origin. I.e. it may start like this:…Continue

Tags: multiple, radii, gravity, attractor, kangaroo2

Started by Max Marschall. Last reply by Gregory Quinn Jul 2.

net Chebyshev on the surface 7 Replies

Hi Daniel. How to use the Kangaroo in order to build net Chebyshev? It is…Continue

Tags: length, Kangaroo, equal, surface, Chebyshev

Started by spiral. Last reply by spiral Jun 29.

Morph multicurved surface voronoi cells with attractor points

Hi everyone!I have created a voronoi geometry on a multi curved surface. My next step is move the initial cells in a way so i can loft the initial ones with the moved.The moved cells (before being lofted with the initial ones) are distorted…Continue

Started by Vanessa Co Jun 18.

Tensegrity structures 26 Replies

In response to a recent comment on this video: I'm posting the files here. The same grasshopper definition should work with any collection of struts and cables you draw in Rhino. This sort of thing does seem well suited to exploration in…Continue

Started by Daniel Piker. Last reply by Valerio S Jun 15.

K1 - Sail Anchored to Movable Rods + Testing Real Values of Stiffness

Hi everyone (hopefully also Daniel)!Last week I discovered Kangaroo and I'm having a blast testing structures that until now I was only able to do with models.One of the projects that I'm currently working on is a tensegrity structure that uses…Continue

Started by Antonio Jun 11.

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News and Updates

Force polygons of equilibrium structures

I have recently been exploring some reciprocal force diagrams using Kangaroo. From the 1869 paper by James Clerk Maxwell On reciprocal figures, frames and diagrams of forces : …to construct the Polygon of Forces, by drawing in succession lines parallel and proportional to the different forces, each line beginning at the extremity of the last. If the forces acting at the […]

Minimal surface puzzle

The top row shows three different minimal surfaces from the same boundary curves. The bottom row shows the same 3 surfaces rotated and in a different order. Which number corresponds to which letter?

Orthogonal Clustering

I’ve always aimed to make Kangaroo a specifically architectural physics engine. While it shares many characteristics with similar engines used for other purposes, such as games and animation, it has some features that are uniquely suited to designing buildings. Form-finding and physics-based-modelling often result in curved shapes, with an elegant and natural appearance which is something […]

Variation from Uniformity

All of these triangles are identical and equilateral: In architectural geometry over the last few decades, a common topic of research has been how to build and clad doubly curved surfaces in an efficient way. While computer aided manufacturing has made it possible to make buildings where every panel has slightly different dimensions, there are […]

MeshMash!

As regular readers of this blog will know, I’m passionate about the use of relaxation and force-based methods for optimizing geometry in a very interactive way. There is a great variety of form-finding that can be done by assigning physical forces as interactions between sets of particles. However, in my investigations so […]

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Comment Wall

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Comment by Alexander Kalachev on October 30, 2010 at 10:28am: Thnx for invitation

Comment by Beltrán Fernández Mariño on October 30, 2010 at 9:44am: Thanks for the invitation :]

Comment by Tushar Sharma on October 30, 2010 at 6:30am: thanks for the invitation!!

Comment by Ante Ljubas on October 30, 2010 at 6:27am: Thanks for your invitation giving company to an important development. The book will be out in November and we mentioned your important work along with your renderings. I´m looking forward for more of your stunning developments. Cheers!