Graph Out Loud explores how a large-language-model (LLM) can become a dialogic partner inside the Grasshopper environment—one that designers can engage with naturally through voice, text, and sketches. The project reframes generative tools from transactional prompt-boxes into collaborative actors that co-reason with the designer, supporting Schön’s reflective practice (reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, and metacognition) across the entire workflow rather than only at the end. 

At the center of the system is an LLM “Actor” component that lives on the Grasshopper canvas. The actor listens to multimodal input—spoken intent, typed guidance, and quick ink/sketch overlays—and translates that intent into curve creation, parameter edits, component placement, wiring, and solver execution. Every action the actor takes is reversible, annotated, and linked to a provenance log so the designer can see what changed, why it changed, and how to change it again. 

To preserve agency while still harnessing breadth, the actor supports three modes that the designer can switch between at any time:

• Co-led: the actor proposes small, contextual edits in a conversational loop while the designer continues to drive.

• AI-led (burst): the actor generates diverse option sets on request, useful for canvassing the design space early on.

• Manual: the actor observes only, summarizing moves and offering explanations without taking initiative.
  These modes keep initiative calibrated, preventing the slide from “partner” to “autopilot.”