In addition, there is Grasshopper, which sits inside Rhino and has become the single most used generative design platform, driving everything from simple Python scripts to defining the surfaces of the most complicated curved buildings being manufactured today.
Rhino is just as at home in sneaker development, jewellery design, auto body, CAM, as it is in ZHD or Foster + Partners – the only rule being that the geometry it defines can be manufactured.Īs the AEC market moves towards digital workflows, and digital fabrication starts to become more common, Rhino’s importance is becoming even more apparent. While new features may provide core functionality, such as mould design, it’s not essentially a full or dedicated feature set, and other developers or customers are welcome to develop on top. Of course, it’s also low cost and an absolute monster when it comes to defining complex geometry.Īt the heart of the development ethos is the concept that Rhino is a generic modelling tool, neither skewed towards manufacturing nor architecture, and equally applicable to both. McNeel is employee owned, privately held, and these things combined are probably the reasons why the company is so loved by its customers. In fact, it is the very antithesis of how most CAD software firms function. Despite the success of the multi-purpose 3D CAD tool, its developer, Robert McNeel and Associates, doesn’t operate like an American corporation. Rhino occupies a very special place in most AEC firms’ armouries. AEC Magazine talks with company CEO Bob McNeel and Scott Davidson, business development
#Rhinoceros 6 new features update#
Rhino 7 is probably the most feature rich update in its history. A new version of Rhino is a rare and unpredictable occurrence and therefore always welcomed by its broad, devoted user base.