Funicular: Hanging Models
Form-finding architecture
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
The hanging (funicular) model Gaudí used, made digital. Invert the catenary into a structure that stands in pure compression. Form-finding in your hand. Buy once.
The rational form that gravity reveals.
Antoni Gaudí designed buildings — including the Sagrada Família — using hanging, or "funicular," models. A string loaded with weights sags into a catenary/funicular curve set by the load at each point. Invert that curve and you get a form that carries its load in pure compression, with no bending — the classic technique of form-finding. Funicular makes that method digital.
■ The operation is the design process
1. Span strings between dots on the base (orthogonal or radial grid)
2. Place weights and let the load sink the curve
3. Tune each weight (stepless), its position, and string lengths toward your target form
4. Invert, and verify the self-standing compression structure
Connections can cross levels, and changing one point makes every layer below follow physically.
■ Three form-finding engines
・Antoni Gaudí — masonry vaults / ruled-surface shells
・Frei Otto — minimal-surface tensile membranes
・Heinz Isler — smooth thin shells from an inverted hanging cloth
Wall thickness and surface bulge are adjustable parameters. Generation is non-destructive — return to the frame and regenerate anytime.
■ Finishing
Trencadís (broken-tile mosaic), stained glass, terracotta, and palette-based coloring.
■ Design principles
・Experience load → curve → inversion through direct manipulation, not sliders
・Turntable object-rotation view; direct string dragging
・Branch your explorations by duplicating; export images
・Fully on-device (offline)
The core is free. Pro (a one-time purchase, no subscription, no ads) removes scale limits on dots, levels, and base dimensions, and unlocks all art finishes. For iPhone and iPad.
Build your architecture with Gaudí's method.
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The developer, TENRAPID INC., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
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The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Purchases
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Information
- Seller
- TENRAPID INC.
- Size
- 11.4 MB
- Category
- Entertainment
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English and Japanese
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Funicular Pro $6.99
- Copyright
- © TENRAPID INC.
