Discover is an optimization tool built to work with Rhino Grasshopper. It is being developed by Colidescope as free software with the goal of promoting performance-driven automated design workflows in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.
Currently Windows does not ship with Python, so if youâve never used Python or youâre not sure, you will need to install a version of Python on your computer.
Discover is built on Python 3.7.4, which is the latest version at the time of writing, but any version of Python 3 should work. If youâd like to use Python 2 it can probably be made to work but it is not supported at this time. If you already have Python 3 installed you can skip to the next step.
discover.bat
script in the folder where you unzipped Discover. The first time you run the script it will install any dependencies which are needed for Python. This only needs to happen once. After checking the dependencies the script will start the Discover server and launch the app in your default web browser.Discover includes a Grasshopper library of custom components which allows the optimization server to communicate with your Grasshopper model. To install the components:
File -> Special Folders -> Components Folder
. This will open the folder where Grasshopper stores its custom plugin files./Grasshopper Plugin
folder of the Discover zip file to Grasshopperâs Components Folder
.Double-click the discover.bat
script in the folder where you unzipped Discover. This will open a Command Prompt window, start the Discover server, and launch the app in your default web browser. Make sure to keep the Command Prompt window open while youâre using Discover.
When youâre done using Discover, close the Command Prompt window to shut down the server.
.gh
file. There is a known issue where if your .gh
file is in a folder which is hosted on a network or a cloud sharing service like Dropbox, the writing process can take too long, causing the components and server to get out of sync. This can result in the optimization process stopping or many of the same designs being generated at once. If you experience these issues make sure your .gh
file is located in a local folder on your computer and is not being shared over any network.This program is distributed for free in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty or guarantee that it will work the way itâs described or work at all. That being said, if youâd like to get in touch please email us at support(at)colidescope.com or submit a bug using the link below: