Interview
Rhino 7 A new version of Rhino is a rare and unpredictable occurrence and therefore always welcomed by its broad, devoted user base. The latest release is probably the most feature rich update in its history. AEC Magazine talks with company CEO Bob McNeel and Scott Davidson, business development
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BOB MCNEEL
hino occupies a very special ital workflows, and digital fabrication place in most AEC firms’ starts to become more common, Rhino’s armouries. Despite the success importance is becoming even more of the multi-purpose 3D CAD apparent. tool, its developer, Robert McNeel and In addition, there is Grasshopper, Associates, doesn’t operate like an which sits inside Rhino and has become American corporation. In the single most used genfact, it is the very antithesis erative design platform, of how most CAD software driving everything from firms function. simple Python scripts to McNeel is employee defining the surfaces of owned, privately held, and the most complicated these things combined are curved buildings being probably the reasons why manufactured today. the company is so loved by However, defining its customers. Of course, it’s geometry isn’t Rhino’s also low cost and an absolute only superpower. With monster when it comes to broad support for industry defining complex geometry. formats and the unique At the heart of the devel- A user may think ‘Rhino.Inside’ developopment ethos is the concept they’re working ment platform, the power that Rhino is a generic modof Grasshopper and Rhino in Rhino and elling tool, neither skewed geometry can actually be another one may used as a glue to link BIM towards manufacturing nor architecture, and equally systems and drive geomethink they’re applicable to both. creation in popular working in Revit. try While new features may BIM modellers that lack But they’re provide core functionality, the generative ‘chops’ or such as mould design, it’s actually working are notoriously unfriendly not essentially a full or dediin this combined in OpenBIM environcated feature set, and other ments. product developers or customers are Rhino Inside has been welcome to develop on top. in development for some Rhino is just as at home in time and Rhino 7 sees the sneaker development, jewellery design, official release of Rhino.Inside.Revit, auto body, CAM, as it is in ZHD or Foster + which brings Rhino and Grasshopper Partners - the only rule being that the into the Autodesk Revit environment. geometry it defines can be manufactured. Rhino.Inside also works with ArchiCAD, As the AEC market moves towards dig- Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, BricsCAD
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January / February 2021
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BIM, ACCA Edificious and many others. It’s a potential invisible wire harness for all data between BIM and / or viz systems. Rhino 7 includes a host of other new features and is arguably the biggest release in the product’s history. These include SubD (SubDivision) surfaces, which look to be great for exploring organic, manufacturable shapes in architecture, a new display pipeline, enhanced drawing creation, better rendering and easier access to Grasshopper scripts. More details can be found in the box out on page 21. With such an epic release, AEC Magazine caught up with company CEO Bob McNeel and Scott Davidson (business development) to dig a little deeper into the feature set of Rhino 7, together with some exploration as to how Rhino is developing into a collaboration and data sharing tool within the broader AEC space. AEC Magazine: We’re finding that architects are getting increasingly frustrated with BIM tools because they want to get back to designing, as opposed to getting bogged down in detail documentation. They want design fluidity through applications from various providers. Rhino. Inside is already making a mark here. Scott Davidson: If you look at the philosophical BIM process, what we’re seeing is very much a move toward wanting the freedom to design and not to worry so much about the details of Level 300. I know it’s important at some point in the project, but it’s not important now. And we’re also seeing where part of the www.AECmag.com
27/01/2021 12:48
