🎢Elements

Alpaca4d provides different finite element types to model 1D, 2D and 3D structural components. The main Grasshopper components are Line to Beam, Mesh to Shell and Brick Element.

Beam elements – Line to Beam

The Line to Beam component converts Rhino curves into Timoshenko beam elements.

• Usage

  • Use beams when one dimension (length) is much larger than the cross‑section dimensions.

  • Suitable for frames, trusses, columns, beams, braces and similar members.

• Behaviour

  • Timoshenko formulation → includes both bending and shear deformations.

  • The cross‑section is defined separately and can be oriented using the orientSection input.

  • The beamType option allows you to release end rotations and/or forces, e.g. to create axial‑only (truss) elements.

Shell elements – Mesh to Shell

The Mesh to Shell component converts mesh faces into shell elements.

• Usage

  • Use shells when one dimension (thickness) is much smaller than the in‑plane dimensions.

  • Typical applications: slabs, walls, plates, folded shells, roofs, tanks.

• Behaviour

  • Triangular faces are converted to ASDShellT3 elements.

  • Quadrilateral faces are converted to ASDShellQ4 elements.

  • The element thickness and material are defined through the assigned shell section.

Brick elements – Brick Element

The Brick Element component converts hexahedral solids into 3D brick elements (e.g. SSPbrick / bbarBrick).

• Usage

  • Use bricks for fully 3D stress states, such as foundations, solid walls, blocks, soil volumes, or regions with strong 3D effects.

• Behaviour

  • The input must be a hexahedral mesh (six‑faced solid with quadrilateral faces).

  • Creating high‑quality hex meshes can be challenging; the MeshSeriesToBrick utility component can help generate simple brickable volumes from a series of meshes.

In practice, you will usually combine these element types in the same model: beams for the main frame, shells for slabs and walls, and bricks for local 3D regions where needed.