Geographia Technica, Vol 17, Issue 1, 2022, pp. 167-176
3D MODELLING OF BULDINGS AND URBAN AREAS USING GRASSHOPPER AND RHINOCERSOS
Domenica COSTANTINO 
, Arianna GRIMALDI , Massimiliano PEPE
ABSTRACT:
3D modelling of buildings using modern tools and techniques is an important objective for the management and planning of urban areas. Rhinoceros with Grasshopper is a powerful 3D modeller in the field of architecture, engineering and construction. In this paper, 3D modelling of several case studies based on the joint use of Rhinoceros and Grasshopper are shown. In particular, different levels of geometric complexity and detail are investigated. In order to achieve these objectives, adequate canvas designs have been developed according to the different case studies examined; specifically, several cases have been analysed, starting from simple volumes up to complex geometries and even large dimensions. The input sources for the elaborations in Grasshopper can be multiple; for example, numerical cartography, geodata from Open Street Map and point clouds generated by airborne LIDAR sensors were analysed. The 3D models generated in this way have parametric characteristics that are useful for integration into Building Information Models (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), for analysis and simulation, or for visualising projects from illustrations to photorealistic renderings.
Keywords: Grasshopper, 3D city model, Rhinoceros, Open Street Map, Point Cloud, Extrusion.
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