Getting Started

Overview

SheepMetal is a Grasshopper plugin for designing and preparing sheet metal parts. It converts 3D geometry into structured sheet metal objects, detects features like bends, flanges, and hems, and unrolls parts into flat patterns with precise bend compensation.

Disclaimer:
SheepMetal is in early development. Features may change, and results should be verified before use in production.

Basic Workflow

Create a Sheet - Convert your geometry into a Sheet object
Analyze - Inspect the sheet structure and validate topology
Unroll - Generate flat patterns with bend compensation
Export - Use bend information for manufacturing

Component Categories

Creation - Convert geometry into sheet metal objects
Analysis - Inspect and visualize sheet structure
Unrolling - Generate flat patterns with bend compensation
Utilities - Helper tools for sheet manipulation

Full introduction tutorial

Known Limitations

SheepMetal is actively under development. The following features are not yet implemented or have known limitations:

Single Bend Radius - Currently only one bend radius is supported per part (excluding hems, which can have independent radii)
No Rolled Parts - Cylindrical or rolled sheet metal geometries are not yet supported
Unrolled Part Orientation - Control over flat pattern orientation is coming in a future release
Countersink Holes on Unrolled Sheets - Thickening unrolled sheets with countersink holes requires additional development
Performance - Optimization for large or complex parts is an ongoing focus

These limitations are being addressed in upcoming releases. Please consider them when planning your workflow and share feedback to help prioritize improvements.

Download & Support

Food4Rhino:
SheepMetal

Author:
Felix Brunold / VektorNode AG

Contact:
felix@vektornode.com

Please verify results before production use and share feedback to improve stability.