BeingAliveTerrain

Introduction

The BeingAliveTerrain plugin for Grasshopper implements a set of powerful terrain editing and analysis tools for landscape architects, civil engineers, and environmental designers. Developed at the Chair of Being Alive at ETH Zurich, this plugin provides intuitive methods for terrain manipulation and cut-and-fill volume analysis.

This software allows users to quickly edit terrain meshes using points, curves, or closed areas with smooth transitions and customizable influence zones. It also provides comprehensive cut-and-fill analysis with multiple visualization color maps for informed decision-making in earthwork projects.

The tool serves both landscape design and civil engineering fields, supporting various design and analysis workflows when working with terrain data.

Features

Terrain Editing Tools

• Point-Based Terrain Editing (TerrainPointEdit): Pull or push terrain mesh vertices using one or multiple control points with smooth falloff.
• Curve-Based Terrain Editing (TerrainCurveEdit): Edit terrain along curves with customizable influence distance and strength.
• Area-Based Terrain Editing (TerrainAreaEdit): Modify terrain within closed boundary curves with options for flat or sloped surfaces.

Analysis Tools

• Cut and Fill Analysis (CutFill): Calculate earthwork volumes between existing and proposed terrain meshes with:
  • Detailed volume calculations (cut, fill, and net volumes)
  • Visual analysis meshes with customizable color maps
  • Separate extraction of cut and fill mesh regions
  • Support for multiple boundary areas
  • Six built-in color maps: Parula, Jet, Plasma, Viridis, RedWhiteBlue, and RedWhiteGreen

Key Capabilities

• Smooth Interpolation: Multiple smoothing functions (SmoothStep, SmootherStep, Cosine) for natural-looking terrain transitions
• Multi-Element Support: All tools support multiple control elements (points, curves, areas) simultaneously
• Customizable Color Maps: Six professional color schemes for analysis visualization
• Real-Time Feedback: Interactive editing with immediate visual feedback
• Volume Calculations: Precise earthwork volume computations for project planning

Usage

Terrain Editing

1. Point Edit: Select a mesh and add control points with desired heights. Adjust strength (-100 to +100) and blur distance to control the editing influence.

2. Curve Edit: Use curves at desired elevations to reshape terrain. The mesh will interpolate smoothly between the curve and surrounding terrain.

3. Area Edit: Define closed boundaries to create plateaus, depressions, or graded surfaces. Use the "Flat" option to create level areas or leave it off for sloped transitions.

Cut and Fill Analysis

1. Input boundary curves defining analysis areas
2. Provide existing and proposed terrain meshes
3. Set grid size for analysis resolution (smaller = more accurate, slower)
4. Right-click the component to select preferred color map
5. Extract volume data and visualization meshes for documentation

Install

Via Rhino Package Manager

For Rhino 8+, users can use the embedded PackageManager to install the plugin (when available):

1. Type PackageManager in the Rhino command window
2. Search for BeingAliveTerrain and install

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest .gha file from the Releases page
2. Copy the file to your Grasshopper Libraries folder:
   • Windows: %AppData%\Grasshopper\Libraries
   • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/McNeel/Rhinoceros/Scripts
3. Unblock the file (Windows: Right-click → Properties → Unblock)
4. Restart Rhino/Grasshopper

System Requirements

• Rhino 8.15 or higher
• Grasshopper 1.0 or higher
• .NET 8.0 Runtime
• Windows or macOS

Credit & Citation

Author: Dr. Zhao Ma

If BeingAliveTerrain contributes to an academic publication, please cite it as:

@software{beingaliveterrain,
  title = {BeingAliveTerrain},
  author = {Zhao Ma},
  url = {https://github.com/ChairBeingAlive/BeingAliveTerrain},
version = {0.1.3},
  year = {2024}
}

Author

The tool is created by Dr. Zhao MA at the research group Chair of Being Alive, ETH Zurich.

The author would like to thank the following colleagues for their generous contribution: Prof. Teresa Gali-Izard, Luke Harris, Bonnie-Kate Walker, Cara Turett, Uxia Varela.

License

BeingAliveTerrain is released under an MIT License.

BeingAliveTerrain is created and maintained by academics: Please cite BeingAliveTerrain or otherwise give a shout-out if and when it contributes to published works.

Technical Details

• Target Framework: .NET 8.0 (Windows and cross-platform)
• Dependencies: Grasshopper SDK, System.Drawing.Common
• Color Maps: 6 built-in perceptually-uniform and diverging color schemes
• Interpolation: SmootherStep (Ken Perlin's improved smoothstep) for natural terrain transitions

Support

For bug reports, feature requests, or questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub Issues

Related Projects

• BeingAliveLanguage - Soil visualization and analysis tools for Grasshopper

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Chair of Being Alive | ETH Zurich | www.gali-izard.arch.ethz.ch