While not the preferred CAD tool of choice for every designer and engineer, there’s no denying that Rhino is here to stay. For those that do use it, the NURBS-based modeling program is well-loved for its ability to quickly create free-flowing organic models or rough 3D sketches before moving into a more robust parametric modeling program like SolidWorks.
Released earlier this month, Rhino 6.0 is the latest stable release from Robert McNeel & Associates—with a slew of new features to boot.
The most notable update is McNeel’s decision to fully bake in Grasshopper — the popular visual programming language used for generative design and other intricate organic form structures. Previously a plug-in, the update sees Grasshopper as a stable development environment directly within Rhino 6.
But, this being a major update, that’s not all McNeel & Associates have up their sleeves in the new release.
While not as significant as fully embracing Grasshopper, additional features will undoubtedly assist in existing workflows and modernize the Rhino user experience.
For one, McNeel & Associates wanted to speed up the display pipeline and leverage features found on modern graphics hardware—such as GPU sensitive shaders and memory optimization. The result is a smoother and more stable display environment that’s more friendly for large or complicated models.
Second, the company wanted to make design documentation and presentation for each step of the design process. This is reflected in both an updated annotation-style interface for drawings, and a streamlined render workflow for communicating ideas, fast.
Those interested in taking the plunge with the all-new Grasshopper integration can get started with a license today on Windows for $995, or upgrade from an older version of Rhino for just $395 before May 15th, 2018. At this time, Rhino 6 is only available for Windows users.
Find out more over at McNeel & Associates.
feature image via Rhinoceros-corsi.it
