gh-python-remote

Installation

Requires a Python 2.7 installation, not compatible with Python 3. Compatible with Mac and Windows with Rhino 7.

1. Install the software dependencies:

Before installing gh-python-remote in Rhino 7, you will need to install Python 2, Rhino 7, and open Grasshopper in Rhino 7 at least once.

Before installing gh-python-remote in Rhino 6, you will need to install Python 2, Rhino 6, and open Grasshopper in Rhino 6 at least once.

Before installing gh-python-remote in Rhino 5, you will need to install Python 2, Rhino 5, Grasshopper and GHPython, and drop the GHPython component on the Grasshopper canvas in Rhino 5 at least once.

Install the following:

conda create --name rhinoremote python=2.7 numpy scipy

2. Install gh-python-remote:

From the Windows command prompt, or Mac terminal (or the special Anaconda, or Python prompt if pip is not in your path by default), run:

(If you are using a virtual environment, remember to activate it first. With the conda virtual environment from above, you would need to run conda activate rhinoremote in the command prompt.)

pip install gh-python-remote --upgrade
python -m ghpythonremote._configure_ironpython_installation

This will install gh-python-remote for Rhino 7, and install the gh-python-remote UserObject in all Grasshopper versions.

The ghpythonremote._configure_ironpython_installation script takes an optional location argument that can be 5, 6, 7 (default), or the path to a target IronPython package directory.

For example, to install for Rhino 5, replace the second command with:

python -m ghpythonremote._configure_ironpython_installation 5

To install to another location:

python -m ghpythonremote._configure_ironpython_installation ^
  "%APPDATA%\McNeel\Rhinoceros\7.0\Plug-ins\^
  IronPython (814d908a-e25c-493d-97e9-ee3861957f49)\settings\lib"

Usage

All the examples files are copied to %APPDATA%\Grasshopper\UserObjects\gh-python-remote\examples on Windows, and ~/Grasshopper/UserObjects/gh-python-remote/examples on Mac. You can also download them from the github repo.

From Grasshopper to Python

Step-by-step

1. Open the example file GH_python_remote.ghx in Grasshopper, or drop the gh-python-remote component on the canvas.

2. Use the location input to define the location of the Python interpreter you want to connect to.

3. Use the modules input to define the modules you want to access in the GHPython component.

4. Change run to True to connect.

5. In the GHPython component, the imported modules will now be available via the sticky dictionary. For example if you are trying to use Numpy:

   import scriptcontext
   np = scriptcontext.sticky['numpy']

Notes

Creating remote array-like objects from large local lists is slow. For example, np.array(range(10000)) takes more than 10 seconds. To solve this, you need to first send the list to the remote interpreter, then create the array from this remote object:

import scriptcontext as sc
import ghpythonremote
np = sc.sticky['numpy']
rpy = sc.sticky['rpy']

r_range = ghpythonremote.deliver(rpy, range(10000))
np.array(r_range)

Additionally, Grasshopper does not recognize remote list objects as lists. They need to be recovered to the local interpreter first:

import scriptcontext as sc
import ghpythonremote
from ghpythonlib.treehelpers import list_to_tree  # Rhino 6 only!
np = sc.sticky['numpy']

a = np.arange(15).reshape((3,5))
a = ghpythonremote.obtain(a.tolist())
a = list_to_tree(a, source=[0,0])

ghpythonlib.treehelpers is Rhino 6 only, see the treehelpers gist for an equivalent implementation if you need it on Rhino 5.

Quick-ref:

* marks an input that is only available by editing the gh-python-remote UserObject, or in GH_python_remote.ghx.

From Python to Grasshopper

You can also use gh-python-remote to programmatically control a Rhinoceros instance, and connect to it via Python. Have a look at examples/python_to_GH.py for a full working example.

License

Licensed under the MIT license.