Rhino, Grasshopper 2, and TRfem: Computing Heat Flow InsideSolids - Mathias Fuchs

Recorded at CDFAM Computational Design Symposium, Amsterdam , 2025 https://cdfam.com/amsterdam-2025/

Organization: McNeel & cydric.com

Presenter: Mathias Fuchs

Rhino, Grasshopper 2, and TRfem: Computing Heat Flow Inside Solids

Presentation Abstract

While environmental analysis tools in Rhino typically focus on surfaces and 2D domains, optimization workflows in design for additive manufacturing often require analyzing physical properties inside solids. In this talk, we introduce some of the key novelties of Grasshopper 2 for Rhino, we show why its concept of field manipulation is an ideal platform for such tasks, and present TRmesh and TRfem – a pair of finite element plugins for Grasshopper 1 and 2 that compute heat conduction within volumetric/tetrahedral domains, natively in Rhino. We focus on typical applications such as the design of heat exchangers or, conversely, insulation. Covering both geometric modeling and accurate simulation, GH2, TRmesh and TRfem together enable a slick physics-informed topology workflow. Interview: TRfem: Thermal Simulation in Grasshopper II with Mathias Fuchs

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