Mini Studio | Grasshopper widgets and Rhino panels

01 · Interactive preview

Try a Mini Studio dashboard

Move the area slider, change the material, search the table or switch between light and dark. This browser preview uses mock data; the installed plugin runs locally inside Rhino and stays connected to the open Grasshopper definition.

Browser-only interactive example

Canal House dashboard

Try a slider, switch materials, run the study, and change the panel theme. The mock results update together.

✣ ontologic mini studioCanal House

Inputs

Number InputINPUT

m²

Dropdown InputINPUT

Toggle InputINPUT

Sequence InputINPUT

Frame 4 / 8

Results

MetricOUTPUT

Total floor area145m²from the Number Input

Bar ChartOUTPUT

Text OutputOUTPUT

Canal House
Timber structure · 3 active programmes

Mock data for documentation · real definitions run locally inside Rhino

Browser interactions here are examples. Download a Grasshopper sample below to try the live Rhino connection.

02 · First steps

From definition to panel

Mini Studio runs locally while Rhino and Grasshopper are open. Your Grasshopper document owns the data and saved layout.

01

Install

In Rhino 8.35+ on Windows, open Package Manager, enable prerelease packages and install OntologicStudio. Restart Rhino.

02

Add a Panel

Open Grasshopper, add Ontologic → Panel and your input or output components. Wire them as usual.

03

Arrange

Run OntologicMiniStudio in Rhino. Publish widgets, edit the layout and save the .gh definition.

Upgrading from the earlier ontologic-mini-studio beta? Close Rhino, uninstall that package, then install OntologicStudio. The two package names can otherwise load the same components twice.

You can also right-click a supported native Grasshopper Number Slider, Boolean Toggle, Value List, MD Slider, Colour Swatch, Button or text Panel and choose Publish to [panel name]. The original object keeps its wires and behavior.

A published MD Slider keeps its two Grasshopper axes; a Colour Swatch edits its RGBA color; a Value List keeps its selection mode, including checklists. Native text Panels are read-only in Mini Studio.

03 · Workflows

Start with a real task

A few small combinations show how inputs, Grasshopper logic and outputs fit together.

Option explorer

Number Input → Grasshopper model → Metric + Bar Chart

Adjust a design parameter and compare area or quantity results beside your model.

Project data review

File Picker → Grasshopper import → Table + JSON Preview

Choose a local data file, inspect its rows and check the structured source.

**Compare design results**
Bar, line, donut, scatter and radar charts from the Canal House sample.

**Inspect the underlying data**
A searchable table, JSON, Sankey flow and local plan image.

04 · A live definition

A Grasshopper wire becomes a panel result

The downloaded Canal House sample uses ordinary Grasshopper components and wires. Its Number Input feeds a Metric, so a changed slider value appears in the Rhino panel and remains part of the saved definition.

Real Grasshopper canvas with Ontologic components and a Number Input wired to a Metric — **On the canvas**
Configure data and connect components as usual.

Real Mini Studio Rhino panel showing inputs, metrics and charts from the Canal House definition — **In the Rhino panel**
Published controls and results stay linked to that definition.

05 · Complete catalog

Every component, from canvas to panel

See the Grasshopper component with its optional ports expanded, alongside the widget or interaction it creates. Use the filters to explore all 10 inputs, 12 outputs, two containers and three canvas-only tools.

Each left-hand image is a genuine close-up from installed Rhino 8 with applicable secondary ports expanded. On the right, switch between the real panel capture and an interactive web mock. Browser controls use mock data and do not connect to your open Grasshopper definition.

Input component

Number Input

A slider and typed number with clear bounds and precision.

Panel widget

In Grasshopper · all optional ports shown

Captured in Rhino · click to enlarge

In Rhino · installed panel capture

Example Adjust facade spacing and immediately see area estimates change.Options Set a range, step and decimal places; a label tree can create several sliders.

Read the Grasshopper ports

Primary inputs Label · Default · Minimum · Maximum

Optional inputs Step · Decimals · Randomize · Tooltip · ShowTooltip

Primary outputs Value

Optional outputs None

06 · More tools

Layout and Rhino interaction

Panels and Windows hold widgets; a few Ontologic components are designed for the Grasshopper canvas itself.

Panel & Window

Use a docked Rhino panel or a separate resizable window. Arrange widgets in tabs and sections with responsive columns.

Canvas Style

Apply Ontologic's light, dark or schematic styling to the active Grasshopper canvas.

Geometry Selector & Hover

Canvas-only components that output Rhino geometry, GUIDs and optional user text from selected or hovered objects. They do not appear in the panel.

Edit layout

Group and reorder cards; choose responsive columns, spacing, accents and an optional logo. Save the .gh file to keep the layout.

07 · Agent quickstart

Build with a Grasshopper-connected agent

Mini Studio is a local Rhino and Grasshopper plugin. An agent that can edit the open Grasshopper definition can assemble its components and wires; the Rhino panel displays their published controls and results.

01

Find the active definition

Use the agent's Grasshopper connection to inspect the open document. Add Ontologic → Panel, then choose input and output components from the catalog below. Inspect the actual ports and tooltips before wiring.

02

Wire an ordinary data flow

For a first test, wire Number Input's numeric value to Metric's value. Set the labels and optional settings on the components. The canvas screenshot above shows the same pattern.

03

Publish and verify in Rhino

Open OntologicMiniStudio in Rhino, publish the widgets to the intended Panel, and move the Number control. Confirm that the connected Metric changes in the installed panel.

04

Save a reusable example

Save the .gh file, reopen it and verify the panel and connections. Start from the downloadable Design Controls definition if your Grasshopper agent can open sample files.

The component catalog lists primary and optional ports for each item. A standard McNeel MCP connection can help an agent work on the Grasshopper canvas, but panel editing and final behavior should be checked in a running Rhino session. The browser demo above is illustrative mock data.

08 · Try it

Open a sample in Grasshopper

Download a .gh file, open it in Rhino 8.35+ with Mini Studio installed, then run OntologicMiniStudio. Start with Design Controls or Data Explorer if you want to move inputs and watch connected outputs respond. All examples contain mock data and can be edited freely.

Download all samples

Keep the included canal-house-plan.png beside the Grasshopper files so the image examples resolve locally.

Grasshopper sample

Make Grasshopper
easy to use.