Rhino for Mac is out

[thingmaker]

Rhino for Mac was released today. I have been using the beta for the last year or so and I really like it. For me it's the closest thing to Modeler (still miss the great layers and other features in Modeler though..)  Great introductory price, $295. Doesn't have all of the scripts as the windows version or plugins but those will come as free updates. 

 

 

http://www.rhino3d.com

[BuzzLightyear]

OK…,

 

         You definitely have my attention if you’re comparing Rhino to the Modeler (which I am still addicted to, and STILL hope to see it resurrected some day).  When you say "closest to Modeler", in what ways?  I’m a Boolean modeler, not so much poly’s and nurbs.  Are the Boolean’s as solid, predictable and as fast as Modeler?  How well does Rhino export to EI (via .obj, I imagine).  Is it as tedious as Maya where you have to laboriously tessellate every surface manually to get a smooth export?  Do the tools make sense (like Modeler) and are they easily configured?  You said you miss the layering in Modeler.  I consider Maya like a giant messy child’s “Toy Boxâ€, where you dump all your geometry into their “Outliner†window, and you have to dig through it constantly to find your parts.  It’s extremely disorganized, and they really need folders (layers) like Modeler to speed up finding things.  Does Rhino allow you to organize/move/group your parts by dragging them into folders, rather than making you constantly defining new layers and adding objects by hand?  (I know Maya has their “Layer Windowâ€, but it’s not easily re-ordered, and leaves the main Toy Box still just a big dumpster full of chaotic parts.  As you can see, I’m a real fan of Modeler (and beta tested it for years).  If just a few of the major bugs were fixed, and it was re-released for our new OS just as it was, I would pay dearly for it.  Thanks for any specifics on why you find Rhino similar to Modeler.  I fear the day Modeler will no longer run, and I’ll have to jump ship.  Because it was written for EI, it exports efficient smooth models with virtually no tweaking necessary.  It saves a lot of time over importing obj's.  If Rhino has Modelers speed, simplicity, and powerful Booleans…, I’d be happy to hear it.  What other Modeler features does Rhino lack that you mentioned above?   Many thanks.  Chip

[thingmaker]

Chip, Rhinoceros is a primarily a free form NURBS surface modeler. One popular thing about it is that it is modular and companies write some serious plugins for it. If I had to say what it was best for it would probably be industrial design. 

 

You can't just drag objects to another layer but you can select the object and change the layer via a pulldown and I like that it is more descriptive than Maya.  I can't say for sure if the booleans are better than Modeler as I haven't used it seriously for years and just keep it in Parallels/Snow Leopard to update older files. I too would gladly pay for an updated Modeler but at this point it seems very unlikely. You should download Rhino, I think the demo is 90 days.  There are some great tutorials on DigitalTutors and YouTube. I would be interested to see your take on it. -Derryl

[Frankg]

The biggest problems about Rhino are the lack of construction history, which means that you always start from scratch if you're unhappy with the final result and their own 3D-library which isn't conform with industry-standards as ACIS or Parasolid. This causes severe problems in any production-workflow.

On the other hand it is (unfortunately) the most popular 3D-Freeform NURBS modeler around.

 

A much better solution with crisp and fast renderer for technical issues ( not to be compared with EIAS) is Solidthinking Evolve based on Parasolid by Siemens and fully reliable in production workflows and much much more intuitive to use as there are less tools which replace complete Rhino-Workflows.
The price is the same as Rhinos if you add all the Plug-ins you need. It also has a production-ready version of EIAS Modelers ÃœberNURBS integrated.

 

regards

 

Frankg

[BuzzLightyear]

Many thanks Darryl and Frank-

 

         Your input is most appreciated.  It’s a bit concerning that Rhino's 3D library doesn’t conform to established standards.  That’s the biggest problem I find with new software - everyone creates their own 3D formats that aren’t compatible (and render with poor results) when you import them into other programs.  I’m spoiled with the water tight models and nice interface of Modeler, even though I know I should move on.  But I’m too productive in Modeler, and not surprisingly Animator accepts the files perfectly with great rendering results. 

 

         I’ll definitely keep an eye on Rhino, and maybe give it a test drive.  Thanks again for your opinions.  Chip  

[BuzzLightyear]

Hi Frank-

     Chip again with one more question before I try the Rhino path (before the price goes up ;-).  I found a post by Buggsy (26 Aug. 2014. http://www.eias3d.com/forums/topic/6194-getting-rhino-models-into-ei/) having problems with exporting clean meshes to EI.  I still cling to the EI Modeler not only because I like the interface (despite it's bugs), but because it generates bomb-proof FACT files that almost always render flawlessly.  I spend so much time massaging Maya models to look right in EI, I thought I should ask you how you export Rhino data to EI, and are they clean?  (I'm sure a lot has changed in Rhino since Buggsy posted his issues a year ago.)  What file format do you export, and do you have to "filter" the data through other software and write it out again to get good results in EI?  Thanks for any input.  Chip.    

 

[Frankg]

Hi Chip,

I always use ViaCAD for file conversion. It reads Rhino .3dm and exports FACT quite well.
Even the cheapest version ViaCAD 2D 3D can do this.

 

Best regards

 

Frankg

[BuzzLightyear]

Thanks Frank-

I'll look into ViaCAD as an option.  The 2D version says it will read 3D files, but it doesn't explicitly say it will export them.  If it can, I'll definitely buy it (or the 3D version if necessary).  Thanks again for all your input!

Chip