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Abstract: Free‐form grid structure is a kind of structure whose shape cannot be expressed by analytical functions. Although this kind of structure has been widely used in practice, how to generate the structural shapes that not only satisfy architectural requirements but also have excellent mechanical properties is still a problem. This article focuses on the shape generation of complex grid structures and proposes a novel shape‐generation method for free‐form grid structures. The method integrates numerical inverse hanging method and multiobjective optimization. First, it uses numerical inverse hanging method to generate structural shapes in low bending moment level. Next, it uses dynamic weight multiobjective firefly optimization algorithm to adjust the parameters of the inverse hanging method adaptively so that the structural shape can satisfy architectural requirements. Comparisons with former shape‐generation methods show that the proposed method is more effective. Numerical examples based on real structures illustrate the applicability of the proposed method in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]