How to Ask for Things

Rook understands intent. There’s no special syntax — but a few habits get you better results, faster. The same habits work whether you’re handing off setup work or asking for a hand with the design.

Describe the result

Say what you want to end up with, not the steps to get there.

✅ “Sort my selection onto layers by type and name them sensibly.”

❌ “Create a layer, then select these, then change their layer, then…”

Rook knows the steps. Your job is to be clear about the goal.

Give the details that matter

Specifics help Rook get it right the first time:

• Counts and spacing — “a 5 × 8 array, 2 metres apart”
• Names and structure — “layers called Walls, Floors, Site”
• Scope — “just the curves on the Plan layer,” “everything I’ve selected”
• Constraints — “keep it within the existing grid”

Leave something out and Rook makes a sensible choice — which you can then correct.

Work in a back-and-forth

Treat it like working alongside someone:

1. “Sort my selection onto layers by type.”
2. “Good — now rename Layer 03 to Glazing.”
3. “Move the glazing objects up 50mm.”
4. “Now set out a grid I can lay these onto.”

Each step builds on the last. You see the result and adjust as you go.

Refer to things naturally

Rook remembers what it’s worked on in the conversation, so you can point at things the way you would with a colleague:

“Move my selection onto the Site layer.”

“Tidy up those blocks.”

“Undo that — let’s try it differently.”

Asking for help with the design

Most of the time you’ll hand Rook the setup and busywork. But when you do want a hand with the design, the same approach works — and it’s best framed as a starting point you’ll refine:

“Give me a rough massing for a six-storey block on this footprint, and I’ll shape it from there.”

Rook gives you something to react to. You stay the designer.

When you’re not sure it’s possible

It almost always is — Rhino and Grasshopper are deep tools. If a first attempt isn’t right, describe what’s wrong rather than giving up:

“Close, but the spacing should follow the grid, not be even.”

Rook will refine. You rarely need to know how something is done — only what you want.

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For a tour of the work Rook is happiest doing, see Everyday Tasks. Curious how it works under the hood? See Under the Hood.