Rhino
rhino3d.comBuild Difficulty: 4/5
A few focused days to build a solid replacement
Design, model, present, analyze, realize
How to Replace RhinoOverview
Features
68 features across 15 categories
3D Capture(3)
Support for Microscribe, FaroArm, and ROMER digitizing hardware (Windows only)
64-bit support and enhanced graphics co-processor support for working with large point clouds
Capture 3D terrain data for agriculture, archaeology, conservation, geology, and land use planning
3D Printing & Fabrication(2)
Support for extracting curves, hatches, surfaces and slices of clipping planes
Create a watertight mesh around any geometry, ideal for 3D printing
Analysis(8)
Point, length, distance, angle, radius, bounding box, area, volume, and surface curvature analysis
Analyze surface and curve curvature with support for SubDs
Analyze draft angles using Named CPlanes with smarter CPlane options
Analyze Gaussian curvature for surface quality assessment
Analyze geometric continuity between surfaces and curves
Hydrostatic analysis tools for marine and floating object design
Measure point deviation with SubD support and validation for distances
Visualize surface quality using zebra stripe reflection analysis
Compatibility(3)
Import and export GL Transmission Format for sharing 3D models on the web using WebGL
Allow hundreds of other applications to read and write Rhino's native 3DM files
Export to Universal Scene Description format commonly used in visualization applications
Display(4)
Create clipping planes to view interior sections of models
Multiple display modes including shaded, working views, perspective, and new Monochrome mode
Clean, minimal display mode perfect for showcasing architectural work
Save and restore named camera views for consistent presentations
Drafting(6)
Arrows, dots, text blocks, leaders, and hidden line removal for technical drawings
Horizontal, vertical, aligned, rotated, radial, diameter, and angle dimensions with Unicode support
Create dynamic vector drawings of clipping sections
Draw stylized curves with pattern, width, and taper to communicate design or artistic flair
Reflected parallel projection viewport mode, perfect for RCPs
Clipping planes and section styles give more control when using clipping planes
Editing(7)
Edit curves and surfaces using control points, edit points, and handlebars with smooth and fair operations
General editing tools for deleting, removing duplicates, and joining objects
Offset surfaces and curves with ability to create multiple closed regions
Take control of structure and continuity for well-made surface models
Create fillets on surfaces with new UI featuring dynamic radius previews
Cut, copy, paste, move, rotate, mirror, scale, stretch, align, array, twist, bend, taper, shear, offset, and orient objects
Edit and modify object geometry by trimming, splitting, and extending elements
File Management(2)
Notes, templates, merge files, incremental save, and compression for managing large projects
Manage large projects and teams with collaborative worksessions (Windows only)
Interface & Tools(12)
Smarter Construction Planes that automatically align to eligible selections
More flexible and powerful block management for organizing and reusing geometry
Input precise values for coordinates and dimensions with support for various units
Move, scale, rotate widget with new grips for extending and extruding objects
Filter layers to show and organize only relevant objects
Complete rewrite of layer management with new features for organizing objects
Create and use named construction planes for organized workflow
Group objects together for easier organization and manipulation
Snap to specific points and features with identifying tags for precise placement
Unlimited undo and redo capabilities with support for multiple undos and redos
Highly customizable interface including light and dark modes, customizable toolbars, and window layouts
Customize, save, share, and restore favorite interface layouts
Mesh Tools(3)
Completely rewritten and more reliable Boolean operations for meshes
Create meshes from NURBS surfaces, closed polylines, or primitives like planes, boxes, cylinders, and spheres
Quickly create a quad mesh from existing surfaces, solids, meshes, or SubDs for rendering, animation, CFD, FEA, and reverse engineering
Mobile & Viewers(1)
Official Rhino 3dm viewer for iOS with pan, zoom, orbit, markup tools, and cloud storage integration
Modeling(8)
Create lines, polylines, free-form curves, circles, arcs, ellipses, rectangles, polygons, helixes, spirals, conics, and text
Generate curves through points, extend curves, fillet, chamfer, offset, blend, and create curves from multiple views and surfaces
Combine new tools to quickly sketch ideas in 3D with flexible, accurate, and open model creation tools
Create and manipulate points, point clouds, point grids, and extract points from objects with marking options
Grab a face and push or pull it, extruding or extending surfaces using curves to add or remove volumes from existing surfaces
Create primitive solids including boxes, spheres, cylinders, cones, pyramids, tori, and extrude solids from planar curves
SubD Creases feature great for making fillet-like features
Create surfaces from 3-4 points or curves, extrude, ribbon, rule, loft, sweep, revolve, blend, patch, drape, and more
Performance(1)
Blazingly fast 3D drawing with Metal technology, providing a massive speed boost for Mac users
Programming & Scripting(3)
Visual programming environment integrated with Rhino for generative design requiring no programming knowledge
Rich add-on library with over 1500 apps and resources for Grasshopper and Rhino
New data types available in Grasshopper for expanded programming capabilities
Rendering(5)
Updated Cycles engine for faster GPU-accelerated raytracing
Native per-pixel procedural textures in raytraced and rendered modes
Preview rendered results in real-time while working
Ray trace renderer with textures, bumps, highlights, transparency, various light types, and shadows
UV Mapping with floating UV Editor, new unwrapping algorithms, pinning, and improved texture quality
Pricing
New License
- ✓One time purchase
- ✓Perpetual license
- ✓Support included
- ✓Service releases included
- ✓Use for commercial work
Evaluation
- ✓No credit card required
- ✓90 day trial license
- ✓Support included
- ✓All features included
- ✓Use for commercial work
Commercial
- ✓One time purchase
- ✓Perpetual license
- ✓Support included
- ✓Service releases included
- ✓Floating license
Student Upgrade
- ✓Upgrade from any version
- ✓Perpetual license
- ✓Support included
- ✓Service releases included
- ✓Use for commercial work
- ✓Prior version license key needed
Commercial Upgrade
- ✓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 ValueBuild Your Own
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