Rhino

rhino3d.com
Design & Prototyping
Few Days

Design, model, present, analyze, realize

How to Replace Rhino

Overview

Rhino (Rhinoceros 3D) is a versatile 3D modeling software that enables creation, editing, analysis, documentation, rendering, and animation of NURBS curves, surfaces, solids, subdivision geometry, point clouds, and polygon meshes. It is used across multiple industries including architecture, engineering, marine design, jewelry, and film for transforming digital designs into real-world objects.

Features

68 features across 15 categories

3D Capture(3)

3D Digitizing Support

Support for Microscribe, FaroArm, and ROMER digitizing hardware (Windows only)

Large Point Cloud Support

64-bit support and enhanced graphics co-processor support for working with large point clouds

LiDAR Support

Capture 3D terrain data for agriculture, archaeology, conservation, geology, and land use planning

3D Printing & Fabrication(2)

Sectioning for Fabrication

Support for extracting curves, hatches, surfaces and slices of clipping planes

ShrinkWrap

Create a watertight mesh around any geometry, ideal for 3D printing

Analysis(8)

Analysis Tools

Point, length, distance, angle, radius, bounding box, area, volume, and surface curvature analysis

Curvature Analysis

Analyze surface and curve curvature with support for SubDs

Draft Angle Analysis

Analyze draft angles using Named CPlanes with smarter CPlane options

Gaussian Curvature

Analyze Gaussian curvature for surface quality assessment

Geometric Continuity Analysis

Analyze geometric continuity between surfaces and curves

Hydrostatics

Hydrostatic analysis tools for marine and floating object design

Point Deviation

Measure point deviation with SubD support and validation for distances

Zebra Stripe Analysis

Visualize surface quality using zebra stripe reflection analysis

Also in: Lexion, Ironclad, Juro

Compatibility(3)

GLTF Import/Export

Import and export GL Transmission Format for sharing 3D models on the web using WebGL

openNURBS Libraries

Allow hundreds of other applications to read and write Rhino's native 3DM files

USD Export

Export to Universal Scene Description format commonly used in visualization applications

Display(4)

Clipping Planes

Create clipping planes to view interior sections of models

Display Modes

Multiple display modes including shaded, working views, perspective, and new Monochrome mode

Monochrome Display Mode

Clean, minimal display mode perfect for showcasing architectural work

Named Views

Save and restore named camera views for consistent presentations

Drafting(6)

Annotation Objects

Arrows, dots, text blocks, leaders, and hidden line removal for technical drawings

Dimensions

Horizontal, vertical, aligned, rotated, radial, diameter, and angle dimensions with Unicode support

Dynamic Vector Drawings

Create dynamic vector drawings of clipping sections

Linetypes

Draw stylized curves with pattern, width, and taper to communicate design or artistic flair

Reflected Ceiling Plans

Reflected parallel projection viewport mode, perfect for RCPs

Section Styles

Clipping planes and section styles give more control when using clipping planes

Editing(7)

Control Points & Edit Points

Edit curves and surfaces using control points, edit points, and handlebars with smooth and fair operations

Delete, Duplicate & Join

General editing tools for deleting, removing duplicates, and joining objects

Offset

Offset surfaces and curves with ability to create multiple closed regions

RefitTrim

Take control of structure and continuity for well-made surface models

Surface Fillets

Create fillets on surfaces with new UI featuring dynamic radius previews

Transform Tools

Cut, copy, paste, move, rotate, mirror, scale, stretch, align, array, twist, bend, taper, shear, offset, and orient objects

Trim, Split & Extend

Edit and modify object geometry by trimming, splitting, and extending elements

Also in: Juro, Nuclino, Loom

File Management(2)

File Management

Notes, templates, merge files, incremental save, and compression for managing large projects

Worksessions

Manage large projects and teams with collaborative worksessions (Windows only)

Also in: Ironclad, monday.com, Smartsheet

Interface & Tools(12)

Auto CPlanes

Smarter Construction Planes that automatically align to eligible selections

Blocks Manager

More flexible and powerful block management for organizing and reusing geometry

Exact Numeric Input

Input precise values for coordinates and dimensions with support for various units

Gumball

Move, scale, rotate widget with new grips for extending and extruding objects

Layer Filtering

Filter layers to show and organize only relevant objects

Layer Manager

Complete rewrite of layer management with new features for organizing objects

Named Construction Planes

Create and use named construction planes for organized workflow

Object Groups

Group objects together for easier organization and manipulation

Object Snaps

Snap to specific points and features with identifying tags for precise placement

Unlimited Undo/Redo

Unlimited undo and redo capabilities with support for multiple undos and redos

User Interface Customization

Highly customizable interface including light and dark modes, customizable toolbars, and window layouts

Window Layouts

Customize, save, share, and restore favorite interface layouts

Mesh Tools(3)

Improved Mesh Booleans

Completely rewritten and more reliable Boolean operations for meshes

Meshes

Create meshes from NURBS surfaces, closed polylines, or primitives like planes, boxes, cylinders, and spheres

QuadRemesh

Quickly create a quad mesh from existing surfaces, solids, meshes, or SubDs for rendering, animation, CFD, FEA, and reverse engineering

Mobile & Viewers(1)

iRhino 3D

Official Rhino 3dm viewer for iOS with pan, zoom, orbit, markup tools, and cloud storage integration

Modeling(8)

Curves

Create lines, polylines, free-form curves, circles, arcs, ellipses, rectangles, polygons, helixes, spirals, conics, and text

Curves from Other Objects

Generate curves through points, extend curves, fillet, chamfer, offset, blend, and create curves from multiple views and surfaces

Modeling Simplified

Combine new tools to quickly sketch ideas in 3D with flexible, accurate, and open model creation tools

Points

Create and manipulate points, point clouds, point grids, and extract points from objects with marking options

PushPull

Grab a face and push or pull it, extruding or extending surfaces using curves to add or remove volumes from existing surfaces

Solids

Create primitive solids including boxes, spheres, cylinders, cones, pyramids, tori, and extrude solids from planar curves

SubD Creases

SubD Creases feature great for making fillet-like features

Surfaces

Create surfaces from 3-4 points or curves, extrude, ribbon, rule, loft, sweep, revolve, blend, patch, drape, and more

Performance(1)

Mac Speed Boost (Metal)

Blazingly fast 3D drawing with Metal technology, providing a massive speed boost for Mac users

Programming & Scripting(3)

Grasshopper

Visual programming environment integrated with Rhino for generative design requiring no programming knowledge

Grasshopper Add-ons

Rich add-on library with over 1500 apps and resources for Grasshopper and Rhino

New Grasshopper Data Types

New data types available in Grasshopper for expanded programming capabilities

Rendering(5)

Cycles Engine

Updated Cycles engine for faster GPU-accelerated raytracing

Procedural Textures

Native per-pixel procedural textures in raytraced and rendered modes

Realtime Render Preview

Preview rendered results in real-time while working

Rhino Render

Ray trace renderer with textures, bumps, highlights, transparency, various light types, and shadows

UV Mapping

UV Mapping with floating UV Editor, new unwrapping algorithms, pinning, and improved texture quality

Pricing

New License

$195
  • One time purchase
  • Perpetual license
  • Support included
  • Service releases included
  • Use for commercial work

Evaluation

Free
  • No credit card required
  • 90 day trial license
  • Support included
  • All features included
  • Use for commercial work

Commercial

$995
  • One time purchase
  • Perpetual license
  • Support included
  • Service releases included
  • Floating license

Student Upgrade

$95
  • Upgrade from any version
  • Perpetual license
  • Support included
  • Service releases included
  • Use for commercial work
  • Prior version license key needed

Commercial Upgrade

$595
  • Upgrade from any version
  • Perpetual license
  • Support included
  • Service releases included
  • Floating license
  • Prior version license key needed

Cost Calculator

Pricing data not available for Rhino. Check their website for current pricing.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Rhino alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 68 features.

Buy Rhino

Better Value
Monthly costContact Sales
3-year totalVaries
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$60,000
Maintenance$900/mo
3-year total$92,400
Dev time~5 months

Buying Rhino saves ~$92,400 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 68 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

8 known integrations

Discourse ForumFaroArmfood4RhinoMicroscribeModoRhinoTerrainROMERSketchUp