Karamba installation instructions

Karamba is a structural analysis environment for Rhino and Grasshopper used as one method for structural simulation. Follow the instructions below to get the tool installed.

Step 0: Rhino + Grasshopper

• You must have Windows installed (Windows 7 or 10 recommended, free for MIT students). Mac users, the best way to go is probably to use a virtual machine using VMware or parallels. Grasshopper for mac is a WIP, and does not work with Karamba.
• If you don’t already have Rhino 5 installed, download and install it. (Free for MIT students on CRON-controlled machines, contact CRON for details.)
• If you don’t already have Grasshopper installed, download and install it. (free for all use)

Step 1: Download and install Karamba files

• If you had Karamba installed before, uninstall it and search your computer for all Karamba*.rhp files in C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 5 (64-bit)\Plug-Ins and delete them. It is important that you remove each instance or the license will not be able to connect properly.
• Locate your existing Rhino 5 Plug-ins folder – the path should be something like C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 5 (64-bit)\Plug-ins. It is important to note the exact path (for example, “...\Rhinoceros 5...” vs. “...\Rhinoceros 5.0...”). Copy the path to your clipboard.
• Download Karamba version 1.2.2. You probably want the 64 bit version. Do not use version 1.2.1 if you want the MIT license, as the license server does not work with it.
• Double click the karamba.msi file to run the installer.
• Choose “professional/student” instead of the “free” version when asked, if you want to use the MIT license.
• At the screen that asks you for the installation location, be sure that the selected path matches the existing Rhino 5 plug-in folder path (copied to the clipboard) exactly (the default is wrong for most people).
• Decide between metric and imperial units. This can be changed after installation, but it’s easiest if you make the right decision at installation time. If you choose metric, you must model your geometry in meters, and if imperial, feet.

Step 2: Install the Karamba floating license in Rhino (MIT students only)

• Download the file Karamba_1_x_x.rhp to C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 5 (64-bit)\Plug-Ins. You need to be logged in to your MIT Dropbox account to access this file.
• Double-click on the file to open it. Rhino will open and you should get a message in the command line saying that you have a license. If prompted for license information, select "Use Zoo" and give the server name arch-zoo.mit.edu.
• Optional: add the command karamba to the startup config of Rhino (otherwise you will need to type it every time you want to use Karamba, before loading Grasshopper). To do this, go to Tools > Options > General, and type karamba in the box labeled “Run these commands every time Rhino starts.”

Step 3: Verify that Karamba and the license have been installed correctly.

• Open Grasshopper (type Grasshopper).
• Verify that the Karamba tab shows up in the list of tools.
• In the Karamba tab, drag the License component onto the canvas and connect the output to a panel component to view its content.
• It should read:

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Karamba 1.1.0
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License type: pro
FOR COMMERCIAL USE
Date of expiration: never to come
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Licensee:
Name: Floating License
E-Mail:
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Best regards,
your Karamba-team