More possibilities.
More informed decisions.
The purpose, method and people behind Morpho: a design exploration workflow that keeps computation and human judgment in conversation.
The idea behind Morpho
Morpho Design Explorer is a multi-objective design exploration tool for Rhino and Grasshopper. It helps designers create a population of alternatives, record how those alternatives perform, and decide which directions deserve further exploration.
A design brief contains measurable criteria and judgments that are harder to express numerically. Mass, displacement, area or daylight can become recorded outputs when your analysis model provides them. Proportion, spatial character, visual coherence and architectural intent still call for your judgment. Morpho brings those two forms of assessment into the same review process.
The central question is not only which alternative has the best value. It is what the collection reveals: where the tensions lie, which combinations are promising, and what you want to explore next.
An evolutionary search you can direct
The Morpho manual describes its approach as the Non-Destructive Dynamic Population Genetic Algorithm (NDDP-GA). A population is the accumulated collection of saved solutions. Each solution carries its input values, recorded outcomes and associated media.
- Define the variables. Your sliders describe what can change and within which bounds.
- Explore broadly. An initial random search samples alternatives from that space.
- Record the evidence. Store input values, analysis results and views of each alternative.
- Choose a direction. Select parents by numerical criteria, direct IDs or both.
- Generate and reconsider. Recombine eligible parent values, introduce mutation, and inspect the expanded population.
Non-destructive exploration keeps saved alternatives available for later review. Dynamic selection lets you change the criteria for the next run as you learn. Your definition still determines the underlying geometry: changing parameters explores the family of designs that the model can express.
Morpho supports exploration and comparison. It does not guarantee a global optimum, validate a structural design, or replace the simulation and professional judgment needed for the project.
Questions it can help you investigate
Structural form and fabrication
Vary the rise, depth or subdivision of a truss. Record quantities from your own analysis, such as member count, member length, mass or displacement. Review fabrication implications alongside the architectural expression of the structure. The manual’s arched-truss examples illustrate this kind of study.
Envelope and environmental studies
If your definition and analysis tools provide the values, compare façade parameters against daylight, shading or material quantities. Keep captured views so numerical improvements can be assessed in relation to the building’s visual character.
Spatial and geometric alternatives
Explore parameterized dimensions, proportions and arrangements. Record the metrics relevant to your question and examine patterns across the generated forms. These are possible workflows for your own models, not supplied simulation modules or prevalidated project outcomes.
Teaching and design research
Use a recorded population to explain how variables influence alternatives, compare competing priorities, and document why a shortlist was selected. The CSV and visual records make the exploration easier to discuss and revisit.
Research behind the approach
The project connects to research on combining genetic algorithms with the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) during conceptual design. That work explores how designers can structure a problem, investigate alternatives and address conflicts among design objectives while remaining involved in the process.
Khodadadi, A., & von Buelow, P. (2022). Design exploration by using a genetic algorithm and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). Automation in Construction, 141, 104354.
Read the research paper ↗ · University at Buffalo publication record ↗
The conceptual method and the software interface serve different roles. The current plug-in provides parameter generation, fitness filters, data capture and visualization; it does not contain an automated TRIZ problem-solving engine.
Manual: Khodadadi, Anahita (2026), Morpho 2.0 User Manual. Read the hosted PDF or view the Zenodo record. The manual retains its published title; the downloadable software packages on this site are version 2.1.0.
People, origins and contact
Morpho is led by Anahita Khodadadi. Its development was supported by the University at Buffalo Research Foundation.
The manual acknowledges Krishna Sivakumar, Jagruthi Kelavalli Jagadish and Babak Askari for computational development, Ryan Mellen for initial documentation and formatting, and Kimia Ghaderian for the Morpho logo. Khodadadi led verification, refinement and further development of Morpho and its documentation.
The name refers to the Morpho butterfly and its iridescent blue wings—a connection between visual beauty, structure and performance that also motivates the design tool.
For project questions and feedback, contact morphodesignexplorer@gmail.com or akhodada@buffalo.edu, as listed in the manual.
The manual identifies Morpho under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International. Review the published terms for your intended use. The download’s installation guide includes notices for bundled third-party libraries. Free download does not imply unrestricted commercial use.
Project background, credits and manual images are attributed to Anahita Khodadadi’s 2026 manual. Current interface and component descriptions have also been checked against the 2.1 source.
Make your next move.
Bring your own Grasshopper model, define what matters, and start exploring.
Download Morpho 2.1