For computational designers, consultants & studios

Stop shipping .gh files. Deliver an app you keep.

If you build Grasshopper definitions for clients, you know how it usually ends: a file they can’t maintain, and a project that closes at delivery. With ShapeDiver you can deliver a hosted app instead - the client’s whole team uses it in a browser, the engagement becomes an ongoing relationship, and you choose whether to hand over the definition or keep it and license the app.

14-day trial. No credit card.

Diagram: you build the definition in Grasshopper and publish it as a hosted app; the client's whole team uses it in a browser, and every update you publish reaches them

The problem

A .gh file is the wrong thing to deliver.

When a project ends with a handed-over Grasshopper file, the client is usually left with something they can’t really run or maintain without Rhino and your skills - and the engagement closes there, with nothing left to be paid for. Handing over the file isn’t always what you want, either: sometimes it’s the right thing, and sometimes you’d rather deliver the result and keep refining the definition yourself. Today you don’t get much of a choice.

How it works

Deliver the result, keep the recipe

See how the platform works
  1. 01

    Build.

    You build your definition in Grasshopper, as always.

  2. 02

    Publish.

    It becomes a hosted app; you expose only the inputs and outputs the client needs.

  3. 03

    Deliver.

    The client’s team uses it in a browser - no Rhino, no plug-ins.

  4. 04

    Keep improving.

    You keep refining the definition; publish an update and everyone gets it.

What changes for you

Sell an app, not just a file

Deliver the result; share the definition only if you want to.

The client uses the app either way. You choose whether to hand over the Grasshopper definition (in which case it’s theirs, like any file you deliver) or keep it and license the app, even to more than one client.

Earn a recurring fee.

A hosted app on a subscription can replace the one-off fee; you’re paid while it’s used.

Stay in the relationship.

Because you keep refining the app, the work continues past handover.

No lock-in - for either of you.

Hand over the definition and the client owns it and can take it anywhere; keep it and it stays yours to reuse and move. Either way, no one is trapped, and the relationship lasts because the app is useful.

Package it your way - and grow with us

However you want to deliver it

Deliver it to suit the client

Client subscribes, you build.

The client holds a ShapeDiver subscription; you build and maintain their app.

Put your brand on it.

App Builder is open source and the viewer embeds anywhere, so the app can live under your name, on your client’s site.

And grow your practice two ways

What you can build for clients

One platform, every kind of client

The same skills let you deliver across industries - product configurators for made-to-order manufacturers, scan-to-print apps for medical and custom-fit devices, internal design tools for AEC practices, and automation that turns a definition into drawings, data, and production files. Whatever your niche, you build it in Grasshopper and deliver it as an app.

Proof

Studios already working this way

Read customer stories

Spain

instead of 3 weeks
3 min

The architecture and engineering studio behind the PENTAURA timber configurator, delivering automation “as a service”: in one case a three-minute workflow in place of a three-week manual drawing.

Read the story

Worldwide

Independent specialists and studios

Independent specialists and studios build client work on ShapeDiver worldwide - from product configurators to internal engineering tools.

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Your work, your call

You decide what to hand over

Keep the Grasshopper definition and license the app (the same app can serve several clients) or hand the definition over, in which case the client owns it, exactly as they would any file you deliver. Whichever you choose runs on SOC 2® Type II audited infrastructure with a permissions system you control, and you always own and can reuse what you built.

Security & Trust
Diagram: two ways to deliver - hand the definition over and the client owns it, or keep it and license the hosted app, even to several clients

Who it's for

Built for people who build for clients

Independent Grasshopper specialists, freelance computational designers, computational-design studios and consultancies, and design-technology teams who build parametric tools for clients.

Getting started

Ways to begin

Build a client app.

Start a free trial and turn a definition into a hosted app.

Resell to your clients.

Join the Reseller Program for reseller pricing and the marketing materials to go with it.

Talk it through.

Book a call if you’d like help shaping the offer.

FAQ

Questions studios ask

Does my client need Rhino or Grasshopper?

No - they use the app in a browser. Only you need Grasshopper.

Do I have to hand over my Grasshopper definition?

No - it’s your choice. Hand it over and the client owns it, like any file you deliver; or keep it and license the app, even to several clients. Either way, the client uses the app in a browser.

Can I charge a recurring fee?

Yes - deliver the app on a subscription, replacing the one-off fee.

Can I resell ShapeDiver, or get listed as a partner?

Both. Resell through the Reseller Program, and earn a place in our Grasshopper Partners directory by delivering results for clients. App Builder is open source, so the app can also carry your brand.

What if my client wants to leave?

They can - there’s no lock-in. If you handed over the definition, they own it; if you kept it, they can stop using the app.

Can I use it for any kind of client?

Yes - configurators, scan-to-print, AEC tools, automation; the same platform serves them all.

Consultants & studios

Turn your next project into a product

Start a free trial and deliver your next definition as an app - or look at reselling and the Grasshopper Partners directory if you want to grow your ShapeDiver practice.

Talk to our team

Your Business

How can we help?