BENCH DESIGNER

WHY BENCH DESIGNER?

Furniture design has always been a balance between functionality and aesthetics, but traditional methods often leave little room for personalization. The Bench Designer was created to change that—giving users the freedom to design their own bench with real-time customization and instant feedback.

Customization in furniture is becoming more important as people seek unique pieces tailored to their space and personal style. However, the process of designing and manufacturing a custom bench can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming. Customers typically rely on predefined options or expensive custom orders, often without a clear visualization of the final product.

This is where computational design and Rhino Compute come in. By integrating parametric design tools with a user-friendly web interface, the Bench Designer allows users to explore different materials, shapes, and structural configurations in real time. Rhino Compute processes these inputs and generates the geometry on demand, making the customization process intuitive and accessible.

FROM INPUT TO FINAL DESIGN

The Bench Designer is built around user interaction and real-time parametric modeling. The customization process is simple and interactive—users can modify key design parameters and instantly see the results.

User Inputs:

The app allows users to control various aspects of the bench, including:

• Bench Type: Single-seated, single-seated with backrest, or double-seated with backrest.
• Material: Concrete or wood.
• Length: Adjustable to fit different spaces.
• Curviness: Affects the organic flow of the bench.
• Sliced or Solid: Choose between a continuous or segmented bench structure.

Once the user sets their preferences, the data is sent to Rhino Compute, a cloud-based computation service that processes parametric models remotely. Rhino Compute takes these inputs and runs them through a Grasshopper script, which dynamically adjusts the bench’s geometry based on the selected parameters.

Why Rhino Compute?

Rhino Compute is a powerful tool for customization in design because it allows complex parametric models to be processed without requiring heavy computations on the user’s device. This means:

• Faster design iterations—users can tweak settings and instantly see the updated geometry.
• Scalability—the computation can handle increasingly complex models.
• Accuracy—the parametric system ensures that the design is manufacturable with precise measurements.

The computed results are then sent back to the frontend, where they are visualized using Three.js. This seamless connection between user inputs, Rhino Compute, and 3D visualization creates an interactive and engaging design experience.

UNDER THE HOOD

To make the Bench Designer an intuitive and responsive tool, we combined several powerful technologies:

1. Vue.js – The Frontend Framework: Vue.js provides a reactive UI where users can instantly adjust parameters and see changes reflected in real-time. The framework makes it easy to manage user interactions, parameter updates, and rendering logic.
2. Three.js – The 3D Visualization Engine: Three.js is used to render the bench design in an interactive 3D environment. With features like orbit controls, dynamic lighting, and real-time geometry updates, Three.js allows users to explore their bench from all angles.
3. Rhino Compute – The Parametric Processing Engine: Rhino Compute is the backbone of the parametric generation process. It executes Grasshopper scripts remotely, allowing complex geometry calculations without needing Rhino installed locally.
4. Grasshopper – The Design Logic: Grasshopper, Rhino’s parametric modeling tool, defines how the bench responds to different inputs. It controls material selection, curvature generation, slicing logic, and structural optimizations.

How They Work Together:

1. User selects parameters in the Vue.js interface.
2. Vue.js sends these inputs to Rhino Compute.
3. Rhino Compute runs the Grasshopper script, updates the bench design, and calculates metadata (e.g., material usage, cost, and seating capacity).
4. The results are sent back to the frontend, where Three.js renders the updated 3D model.

WHAT’S NEXT?

While the Bench Designer already enables real-time parametric customization, there’s plenty of room for expansion. Some exciting future developments include:

More Materials & Finishes

• Expanding material options beyond concrete and wood.
• Adding textures and colors for a more detailed preview.

Export for Fabrication

• Generating cutting sheets for the sliced bench
• Generating manufacturing-ready files (DXF, STL, or G-code) for CNC milling or 3D printing.
• Allowing users to download their customized bench model for real-world production.

Expanding to Other Furniture

• The Bench Designer concept can be scaled to other types of customizable furniture like tables, chairs, or shelving.
• The same parametric principles can be applied to create an entire modular furniture collection.