How to start? C# or Vb?

Hi everybody

I need help about starting with grasshopper scripting.

first of all I have 2 choices, c# or vb?

I have installed Microsoft visual studio and bought some video tutorials teaching c# but I feel that's not enough and the main part is to learn how to work with grasshopper c# scripting. at the other hand there is no good source for c# but for vb I can start with primer ebook and that will make me start quick.

I want to develop some components for grasshopper and it's important for me to learn it fast because it's for my thesis and i'm running out of time!

so any suggestions? should I stick to c# while I will slow down because of no grasshopper tutorials or start with Vb and use the primer?

Thanks for the help and sorry for my bad english

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andy Payne on August 8, 2011 at 6:33pm

Well, you can always convert a VB.NET script into C# using the Developer Fusion tools (http://www.developerfusion.com/tools/convert/vb-to-csharp/). You can also translate from C# back to VB (if you want). So, hopefully that helps a little bit.

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on August 9, 2011 at 4:50am

If you have no prior programming experience, then VB is the better choice in my opinion. The language is easier to understand (closer to written English) and somewhat more forgiving. As Andy mentioned, there are tools that will convert C# code to VB code and vice versa, even some free online ones.

If you do have prior programming experience, then you should choose the language that most closely resembles your experience.

The hardest thing to learn is not syntax, but rather the OOP concept. What are classes, structs, types, instances, interfaces, methods etc. How inheritance work. What implementing means. That sort of thing. It took me weeks to months to really get a solid grip on these topics, but I had previous experience with VBScript.

In my experience the web is a far richer resource than any book about programming. You can search for very specific examples, ask very specific questions and get very specific example code you can tinker with. Books -in my experience- don't start to become important until after you learn the basics and you're ready to get into advanced and in-depth topics.

David Rutten

david@mcneel.com

Poprad, Slovakia

Permalink Reply by Arthur Mamou-Mani on August 9, 2011 at 5:20am

Thanks David and Andy,

Very helpful !

Permalink Reply by Parametric House on August 9, 2011 at 2:37pm

Oh thanks Andy and David

Your support is always perfect :)

well I worked with c++ 4 years ago and I have experience writing a game with quick basic long time ago! I have the mind to handle algorithms but I guess I have forgotten programing and I have to work hard again to gain experience.

The converting VB to c# to see how c# works is a good idea thanks :)

David I guess I have to concentrate on your advice! Asking for a specific help on a specific topic will help more quicker than focusing on not really important works. for my thesis it's some combination of algorithmic genetic, structural optimization and the parametric methods nature uses to produce architectural forms. Again thanks for the help. I guess I have to come back when I'm stuck in a specific coding for my form finding case studies.

Permalink Reply by Luis Fraguada on August 9, 2011 at 3:06pm

there is a third option in Rhino 5 + GH... Python. While I use c# more often than vb, and rarely use python, I just wanted to point out there was a third option in case you had exposure to that language.

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