Rhinoceros Command Reference Manual

Command Reference
Version 2.0
Rhino 2.0 Command Reference
© Robert McNeel & Associates 2001.

All Rights Reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
Robert McNeel & Associates
3670 Woodland Park Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103
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Table of Contents
Welcome to Rhinoceros.............................................................................................................................. 17
Why Rhinoceros? 17
Contacting Robert McNeel & Associates 17
Frequently Asked Questions 17
Help 17
Shortcuts 18
Built-in aliases 21
Coordinate points........................................................................................................................................ 26
Enter construction plane coordinates 27
Enter world coordinates 27
UseWCSCoordinates 27
UseCPlaneCoordinates 27
Enter relative coordinates 27
Enter polar coordinates 28
Enter relative polar coordinates 28
Modeling aids .............................................................................................................................................. 28
Elevator mode 28
Use Tab to constrain along a line 29
Angle Constraint 30
Distance Constraint 31
Toggle crosshairs on and off 31
Trimmed surfaces ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Document properties .................................................................................................................................. 33
Document Properties dialog box, Dimensions tab 33
Document Properties dialog box, Grid tab 34
Document Properties dialog box, Notes tab 35
Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab 35
Document Properties dialog box, Render tab 36
Document Properties dialog box, Summary tab 38
Document Properties dialog box, Units tab 38
Viewport layout............................................................................................................................................ 39
Select objects .............................................................................................................................................. 40
Selecting parts of objects 41
Import and export file types ....................................................................................................................... 41
Rhino 1.0 file exchange 41
3D Studio file exchange 42
3D Studio MAX 2.5 file import plug-in 43
3D Studio MAX 3.0 OBJ file exchange 45
RemoveFlippedNormals 46
ACIS file export 46
Adobe Illustrator file exchange 47
Applied Geometry file exchange 48
AutoCAD DWG file exchange 49
AutoCAD DXF file exchange 49
AutoCAD export options 50
Export object properties 51
GHS file export 52
Lightwave file exchange 53
Moray UDO Export 53
Parasolid X_T file export 54
RenderMan RIB export 55
POV-Ray export 56
Raw Triangle file exchange 57
SLC file exchange 58
STEP file exchange 58
STL file exchange 58
VDA file exchange 59
VRML file export 60
Viewpoint Technologies file export 61
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Windows Metafile file export 61

DirectX file exchange 61
Moldex 62
PostScript file exchange 62
IGES file exchange 62
Troubleshooting IGES import 64
Edit IGES export types 65
Edit IGES export type details 66
OBJ (Wavefront) file export 67
IGES polygon mesh export 68
IGES Types 69
3D Studio MAX 3.0 IGES file exchange 69
Alias|Wavefront IGES file exchange 69
Ashlar Vellum IGES file exchange 70
AUTOFORM IGES file exchange 70
AutoShip IGES file exchange 71
Breault Research's ASAP IGES file exchange 71
CADCEUS IGES file exchange 71
CamSoft IGES file exchange 72
CATIA IGES file exchange 72
Cosmos/M IGES file exchange 73
Delcam IGES file exchange 74
FastShip IGES file exchange 74
FastSURF IGES file exchange 74
IronCAD IGES file exchange 75
Integrity Ware IGES file exchange 75
LUSAS IGES file exchange 76
Mastercam IGES file exchange 76
Maya IGES file exchange 77
ME30 IGES file exchange 77
Mechanical Desktop IGES file exchange 78
Microstation IGES file exchange 78
Multisurf IGES file exchange 79
NASA GridTool IGES file exchange 79
Okino NuGraf/Polytrans IGES file exchange 80
OptiCAD IGES file exchange 80
Pro/E IGES file exchange 81
SDRC's I-DEAS IGES file exchange 83
Softimage IGES file exchange 84
Solid Edge IGES file exchange 85
Solid Designer IGES file exchange 85
SolidWorks IGES file exchange 86
SUM 4.0 IGES file exchange 87
SURFCAM IGES file exchange 87
Tebis IGES file exchange 88
TekSoft IGES file exchange 89
Unigraphics IGES file exchange 89
Yamaha ESPri IGES file exchange 90
Context menu .............................................................................................................................................. 90
Select Color ................................................................................................................................................. 91
Object snaps................................................................................................................................................ 92
Osnap 94
NoSnap 94
End object snap 94
Near object snap 95
Point object snap 95
Mid object snap 95
Cen object snap 95
Int object snap 96
Perp object snap 96
Tan object snap 96
Quad object snap 97
Knot object snap 97
From object snap 97
PerpFrom object snap 98
TanFrom object snap 98
Along object snap 99
AlongParallel object snap 99
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OnSrf object snap 100

ProjectOsnap 100
Between 100
OnCrv object snap 100
SnapToLocked 100
Object properties....................................................................................................................................... 101
Object Properties, Object tab 101
Object Properties, Dimensions tab 101
Object Properties, Light tab 102
Object Properties, Material tab 102
Object Properties, Text tab 103
Options dialog box 104
Options dialog box, Aliases tab 104
Options dialog box, Appearance tab 104
Options dialog box, Files tab 106
Options dialog box, General tab 106
Options dialog box, Keyboard tab 108
Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab 108
Options dialog box, RhinoScript tab 110
Options dialog box, Shade tab 110
Options dialog box, View tab 112
Shade ......................................................................................................................................................... 114
Render........................................................................................................................................................ 114
Troubleshoot rendering............................................................................................................................ 115
Troubleshoot OpenGL 117
Layers......................................................................................................................................................... 117
Layer materials 118
Select Layers 119
Create a new layer 119
Rename a layer 119
Change the color of a layer 120
Delete a layer 120
Filter the layer display list 120
Surfaces through a sequence of curves ................................................................................................. 121
Troubleshoot fillets and chamfers........................................................................................................... 124
Troubleshoot Booleans ............................................................................................................................ 129
Edit the Rhino.ini file................................................................................................................................. 135
Toolbars ..................................................................................................................................................... 135
Close a toolbar 135
HideToolbar 135
Open a toolbar 135
ShowToolbar 135
ToggleToolbar 136
Move a toolbar 136
Dock a toolbar 136
Float a toolbar 136
Reshape a toolbar 136
Rename a toolbar 136
Import a toolbar from another layout file 137
Change toolbar name or button size 137
Create a new toolbar 137
Delete a toolbar 137
Create a flyout toolbar 137
Flyout a toolbar 137
Hide a flyout toolbar 138
Tear off a flyout toolbar 138
Manage toolbar buttons............................................................................................................................ 138
Move a toolbar button 138
Delete a toolbar button 138
Copy a toolbar button 138
Create a floating flyout button 138
Unlink a flyout toolbar 139
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Customize toolbar buttons ....................................................................................................................... 139

Create a new toolbar button 139
Change the toolbar button tooltip 139
Programming the toolbar button functions 139
Customize toolbar button bitmap icons.................................................................................................. 139
Clear the bitmap image 140
Draw or edit a bitmap icon 140
Capture a portion of the screen to use as a bitmap icon 140
Import a bitmap from another source 140
Save your bitmap to a file 141
Scripting tools ........................................................................................................................................... 141
VBScript and JScript 142
3-D digitizing.............................................................................................................................................. 143
Diagnostics ................................................................................................................................................ 143
Error messages ......................................................................................................................................... 144
Scripting Rhino Installers......................................................................................................................... 145
Workgroup License Manager (The Zoo).................................................................................................. 146
Rhino plug-ins ........................................................................................................................................... 146
Glossary..................................................................................................................................................... 146
Commands................................................................................................................................................. 151
34View 151
3DFace 151
3View 151
4View 151
AddNextU 152
AddNextV 152
AddPrevU 153
AddPrevV 154
AddToGroup 154
AlignBackgroundBitmap 155
AlignProfiles 155
AllCPlanesThroughPt 156
AllLayersOn 156
Angle 156
ApplyCrv 157
ApplyMesh 157
Arc 158
Arc3Pt 159
ArcDir 160
ArcSER 160
ArcTTR 160
Area 161
AreaCentroid 161
AreaMoments 161
Array 164
ArrayCrv 165
ArrayCrvOnSrf 165
ArrayPolar 166
ArraySrf 167
Arrow 168
Arrowhead 168
AssignBlankTexture 168
Audit 168
Autosave 168
Back 169
Baseball 169
BaseballEllipsoid 170
Bend 170
Bisector 171
Blend 172
BlendSrf 173
BooleanDifference 176
BooleanIntersection 176
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BooleanUnion 177
Bottom 178
BoundingBox 178
Box 178
Box3Pt 179
BringViewportToTop 179
Cap 180
Chamfer 180
ChamferSrf 181
ChangeDegree 181
ChangeDegreeSrf 182
ChangeLayer 183
ChangeToCurrentLayer 184
Check 184
CheckInLicense 184
CheckOutLicense 184
Circle 184
Circle3Pt 185
CircleD 186
CircleTTR 186
CircleTTT 187
ClearAllMeshes 187
ClearUndo 188
CloseDisplayWindow 188
ClosestPt 188
CloseViewport 188
CommandHistory 188
CommandPaste 189
CommandPrompt 189
Commands 189
Cone 189
Conic 190
ConicPerp 192
Continuity 192
Contour 193
ControlPolygon 194
ControlPolygonDensity 194
ControlPolygonHighlight 195
ConvertToBeziers 195
ConvertToPolyline 195
Copy 196
CopyClip 196
CopyCPlaneSettingsToAll 196
CopyCPlaneToAll 197
CopyDisplayWindowToClipboard 197
CopyViewToAll 197
CPlane3Pt 197
CPlaneElevation 197
CPlaneFront 197
CPlaneNext 198
CPlaneOrigin 198
CplaneOriginAll 198
CPlanePerpToCrv 198
CPlanePrev 199
CPlaneRight 199
CPlaneThroughPt 199
CPlaneToObject 199
CPlaneTop 199
CPlaneToView 200
CPlaneV 200
CPlaneX 200
CPlaneZ 200
CreateUVCrv 201
Crv2View 201
CrvDeviation 203
CrvEnd 203
CrvSeam 203
CrvStart 204
CrvThroughSrfControlPt 205
CSec 205
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CullControlPolygon 206
Curvature 207
CurvatureAnalysis 208
CurvatureGraphOff 211
CurvatureGraphOn 211
CurvatureSrf 213
Curve 213
Cut 214
CutArea 215
CutAreaCentroid 215
CutAreaMoments 215
CutPlane 216
CutVolume 216
CutVolumeCentroid 217
CutVolumeMoments 217
Cylinder 217
Delete 218
Delete control points on curves 218
DeleteAll 218
DetachTrim 219
Dig 219
DigCalibrate 220
DigClick 221
DigDisconnect 221
DigPause 221
DigScale 222
DigSection 222
DigSketch 222
DigSpacing 223
DimAligned 223
DimAngle 223
DimDiameter 224
DimHorizontal 224
DimOptions 224
DimRadius 225
DimRecenterText 225
DimRotated 225
DimVertical 226
Dir 226
DirectionalLight 227
DisableOsnap 228
DisplayBitmap 228
Distance 228
Divide 229
DivideByLength 229
DocumentProperties 230
Domain 230
Dot 231
DraftAngleAnalysis 231
DragMode 232
Drape 232
DrapePt 233
Dup 233
DupBorder 233
DupEdge 234
DynamicShading 234
DynamicShadingPerspective 234
EdgeSrf 234
EditDim 235
EditPtOn 236
EditText 236
Ellipse 237
EllipseD 238
Ellipsoid 239
EMap 240
EndBulge 242
EndBulgeSrf 242
Enter 243
Erase 244
EvaluatePt 244
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EvaluateUVPt 244
Exit 244
Explode 245
ExplodeMesh 245
Export 245
ExportCommandAliases 246
ExportWithOrigin 246
Extend 246
ExtendByArc 247
ExtendByArcToPt 248
ExtendByLine 248
ExtendCrvOnSrf 249
ExtendSrf 249
ExtractControlPolygon 250
ExtractIsoparm 251
ExtractPt 251
ExtractSrf 252
ExtractWireframe 252
Extrude 252
ExtrudeAlongCrv 254
ExtrudeSrf 254
ExtrudeToPt 254
Fair 255
Faro 255
Fillet 255
FilletEdge 256
FilletSrf 256
FitCrv 257
FlatShade 257
FlatShade1 258
FlatShadeAll 258
FlattenSrf 259
Flip 259
Flow 260
Front 260
GCon 261
Grid 261
GridAxes 261
GridOptions 261
GridSections 262
GridSize 262
GridThick 262
Group 262
HBar 262
Heightfield 263
Helix 264
Hide 265
HideBackgroundBitmap 265
HideOsnap 265
HidePt 265
HideSwap 266
Hotspot 266
Hydrostatics 266
Import 267
ImportCommandAliases 267
Improve 267
IncrementalSave 268
Insert 268
InsertEditPoint 269
InsertKink 269
InsertKnot 270
InsertLineIntoCrv 271
InterpCrv 271
InterpCrvOnSrf 272
InterpPolyline 273
Intersect 274
Invert 274
InvertPt 275
Join 275
JoinEdge 276
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JoinMesh 277
JoinSrf 277
LabelCurveEndpoints 277
Lasso 278
LayerLock 278
LayerOff 279
LayerOn 279
Leader 280
Left 280
Length 281
Line 281
Line4Pt 282
LineAngle 282
LinearizeTrims 283
LinePerp 283
LinePP 284
Lines 284
LineTan 285
LineTP 286
LineTT 286
LineV 287
List 288
LoadPlugin 288
LoadScript 288
Lock 289
LockSwap 289
Loft 289
Make2D 295
MakeCrvPeriodic 297
MakeSrfNonPeriodic 297
MakeSrfPeriodic 297
Match 297
MatchLayer 299
MatchSrf 300
Maximize 304
MaxViewport 304
Menu 304
MergeEdge 304
MergeSrf 304
Mesh 306
MeshBox 308
MeshCone 308
MeshCylinder 309
MeshDensity 309
MeshPlane 310
MeshPolyline 310
MeshSphere 311
MeshToNurb 312
Minimize 312
Mirror 312
Move 312
MoveBackgroundBitmap 313
MoveUVN 313
Mscribe 314
NamedCPlane 314
NamedView 314
NetworkSrf 314
New 318
NewViewport 318
NextOrthoViewport 318
NextPerspectiveViewport 319
NextU 319
NextV 319
NextViewport 320
NextViewportToTop 320
Normal 320
Notes 321
Offset 321
OffsetSrf 322
OneLayerOff 323
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OneLayerOn 323
Open 323
OpenWorkspace 324
Options 324
Orient 324
Orient3Pt 325
OrientCrvToEdge 325
OrientOnSrf 325
OrientPerpToCrv 327
Ortho 327
OrthoAngle 328
PackTextures 328
Pan 329
PanDown 329
PanLeft 329
PanRight 329
PanUp 330
Parabola 330
Paraboloid 330
Paste 332
Patch 333
Pause 334
Perspective 334
PerspectiveAngle 334
PerspectiveMatch 334
PictureFrame 336
Pipe 336
PlaceBackgroundBitmap 337
PlaceCameraTarget 338
PlaceTarget 339
Plan 339
Planar 339
PlanarSrf 340
Plane 340
Plane3Pt 340
PlaneThroughPt 341
PlaneV 341
PluginManager 341
Point 342
Point filters 342
PointCloudSection 343
PointDeviation 344
PointGrid 345
PointLight 345
Points 346
PointsAtNakedEdges 346
PointsFromUV 346
Polygon 347
PolygonEdge 348
Polyline 349
PolylineOnMesh 349
PolylineThroughPt 350
PopupMenu 350
PopupToolbar 350
PrevU 351
PrevV 351
PrevViewport 352
Print 352
PrintSetup 353
Project 353
Projection 354
ProjectToCPlane 354
Properties 354
PtOff 355
PtOffSelected 355
PtOn 355
Pull 355
PushViewportToBack 356
Radius 356
RailRevolve 356
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ReadCommandFile 358
ReadNamedCPlanesFromFile 359
ReadNamedViewsFromFile 359
ReadViewportsFromFile 359
Rebuild 359
RebuildEdges 360
RebuildSrf 360
Rectangle 361
Rectangle3Pt 362
RectangleCen 362
RectangleV 363
Redo 364
RedoMultiple 364
ReduceMesh 364
RefreshShade 365
RemapCPlane 365
RemoveBackgroundBitmap 367
RemoveFromGroup 367
RemoveKnot 367
RemoveMultiKnotSrf 367
RemoveWallpaper 368
Render 368
RenderAGEdges 368
RenderCrv 369
RenderEdges 369
RenderOptions 369
RenderPreview 369
RenderPreviewAll 369
RenderPreviewSelected 370
RenderPreviewSelectedAll 370
ReparameterizeSrf 370
Restore 371
RestoreCPlane 371
RestoreView 371
Revolve 371
RevU 372
RevV 372
Ribbon 372
Right 373
Rotate 373
Rotate3D 374
RotateCamera 374
RotateCameraDown 375
RotateCameraLeft 375
RotateCameraRight 375
RotateCameraUp 375
RotateCPlane 375
RotateDown 376
RotateLeft 376
RotateRight 376
RotateUp 376
RotateView 376
Run 376
RunScript 377
Save 377
SaveAs 378
SaveAsTemplate 378
SaveCPlane 378
SaveDisplayWindowAs 379
SaveSmall 379
SaveView 379
SaveWorkspace 379
SaveWorkspaceAs 379
Scale 380
Scale1D 380
Scale2D 381
ScaleBackgroundBitmap 381
ScaleNU 382
ScreenCaptureToClipboard 382
ScreenCaptureToFile 382
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ScreenCaptureToFile256 383
Section 383
SelAll 383
SelBadObjects 384
SelColor 384
SelConnected 384
SelCrossing 385
SelCrv 385
SelDim 386
SelDup 386
SelGroup 386
SelID 386
SelLast 386
SelLayer 387
SelLayerNumber 387
SelLight 387
SelMesh 387
SelNakedMeshEdgePt 387
SelName 388
SelNone 388
SelPolyline 388
SelPolysrf 388
SelPrev 389
SelPt 389
SelSrf 389
SelU 389
SelUV 390
SelV 391
SelWindow 392
SetActiveViewport 392
SetCurrentRenderPlugIn 392
SetGLShade 392
SetGroupName 393
SetLayer 393
SetLayerMaterialProperties 393
SetLayerToObject 393
SetMaximizedViewport 393
SetObjectMaterial 394
SetObjectMaterialProperties 394
SetObjectName 394
SetObjectNameMultiple 395
SetOrtho 395
SetPlanar 395
SetPt 395
SetRedrawOff 396
SetRedrawOn 396
SetSnap 396
SetViewportWindowSize 396
SetWorkingDirectory 397
Shade 397
Shade1 398
ShadeAll 398
ShadedViewport 399
ShadeOptions 399
ShadeSelected 399
ShadeSelectedAll 399
Shear 399
Show 400
ShowBackgroundBitmap 400
ShowBrokenEdges 400
ShowCamera 401
ShowEdges 401
ShowNakedEdges 401
ShowOsnap 401
ShowPt 402
ShowSelected 402
ShrinkTrimmedSrf 402
Silhouette 403
SimplifyCrv 403
Sketch 404
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SketchOnMesh 405
SketchOnSrf 405
Smooth 406
Snap 407
SnapSize 408
Sphere 408
Sphere3Pt 409
SphereD 409
Spiral 410
Split 411
SplitEdge 412
SplitSrf 412
SplitViewportHorizontal 413
SplitViewportVertical 413
Spotlight 414
SrfControlPtGrid 414
SrfPt 415
SrfPtGrid 415
StatusBar 416
SubCrv 416
SwapUV 416
SwapView 416
Sweep1 417
Sweep2 418
SynchronizeViews 420
Taper 421
TCone 422
Text 423
TextObject 423
TiltLeft 425
TiltRight 425
Title 425
ToggleOsnap 425
Toolbar 425
Top 425
Torus 426
Trim 426
Tube 427
Turntable 428
Twist 428
Undo 429
UndoMultiple 430
UndoSelected 430
Ungroup 430
UnifyMeshNormals 430
Units 431
UnLock 431
UnLockSelected 431
UnpackTextures 431
UnrollSrf 432
Untrim 433
ViewCPlaneBack 435
ViewCPlaneBottom 435
ViewCPlaneFront 435
ViewCPlaneLeft 435
ViewCPlaneRight 435
ViewCPlaneTop 435
ViewportProperties 436
ViewportTitle 436
Volume 436
VolumeCentroid 437
VolumeMoments 437
VRBSrf 437
Wallpaper 438
Weight 438
Weld 439
What 441
WireframeViewport 441
WireShade1 441
WorldAxes 441
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Zbuffer 442
Zebra 442
ZoomDynamic 444
ZoomExtents 445
ZoomExtentsAll 445
ZoomIn 445
ZoomNext 445
ZoomOut 445
ZoomPrev 445
ZoomSelected 446
ZoomSelectedAll 446
ZoomTarget 446
ZoomWindow 446
ZoomX 446
Index........................................................................................................................................................... 447
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xvi
Welcome to Rhinoceros
So you can get the most out of using Rhino, a lot of time has been spent developing the information in
this Help file. We have made every effort to explain the commands in detail and give examples of how
they work.
Here are some tips for getting the most from the Help file
You can get Help for most commands by pressing F1 while the command is running.
To explore the related topics, click the See Also button at the top of each topic window.
For a complete list of Rhino commands with a brief description, see the Rhino Command List.
A note about the graphics in the Help file

The graphics used to illustrate the commands often display alternate color schemes for the Rhino
viewports than the default gray background. This is to make the graphics easier to see either in the help
file or when you print the topic on a black and white printer.
Why Rhinoceros?
The software developers started calling this program "Rhino" as a prototype name early in the
development process. Rhinoceros knickknacks and pictures started accumulating in the office, and by the
time the product was in beta testing, the name stuck.
Contacting Robert McNeel & Associates

Get technical support:
By posting a question to the Rhino newsgroup news://news.rhino3d.com/rhino
By sending e-mail to rhino@rhino3d.com
Web site www.rhino3d.com
Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to frequently asked questions about Rhino on Web at www.rhino3d.com/support/faq.
Help
Access Rhino's Help file.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Help > Help Topics
Shortcut: F1
The Help Topics: Rhino dialog box appears. It has the standard Windows Help tabs of Contents,
Index, and Find. This page you are viewing is part of Rhino's help file, under the topic Help.
17
Rhino fully implements context-sensitive help: when you press F1, Rhino displays the Help topic
linked to the command you are running or the dialog box that is open. Try pressing F1 frequently as
you work.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts by function
Adjust the lens length of Shift+Page Up
the camera in a
perspective view.
Adjust the lens length of Shift+Page Down
the camera in a
perspective view.
Adjust the lens length of Ctrl+Shift+Alt + Right mouse button drag
the camera in a
perspective view. Lens
length displays on status
bar.
Click digitizer F12
Command History F2
Copy to Clipboard Ctrl+C
Copy while dragging Alt + drag
Cut Ctrl+X
Delete Delete key
Grid toggle F7
Grid snap S
Help F1
Layer Right click the Layer pane on the status bar.
Group Ctrl+G
Ungroup Ctrl+U
New Ctrl+N
Next viewport active Ctrl+Tab
Open Ctrl+O
Ortho toggle O, F8, Shift, Ortho pane on the status bar.
Pan Shift + drag with the right mouse button.
In parallel views like the default Top, Front,
and Right view, drag with the right mouse
button.
Shift or Ctrl + arrow keys.
Pan backward Ctrl+PageDown
Pan forward Ctrl+PageUp
Paste Ctrl+V
Planar mode P, click the Planar pane on the status bar.
Points Off F11
Points On F10
Previous viewport active Shift+Ctrl+Tab
Print Ctrl+P
Redo Ctrl+Y
Rotate Down Down Arrow
Rotate Left Left Arrow
Rotate Right Right Arrow
Rotate Up Up Arrow
18
Rotate view Ctrl + Shift + drag with the right mouse

button.
Perspective views and parallel views that are
not looking perpendicular to the construction
plane rotate with the right mouse button.
Rotate camera Ctrl+Alt+ Right mouse button drag
Tilt the view Shift+Alt+ Right mouse button drag
Save Ctrl+S
Select all objects Ctrl+A
Set current layer Status bar: Layer pane
Set maximized viewport Ctrl+F2
Front
Perspective
Right
Top
Snap toggle F9, Snap pane on the status bar.
Suspend object snaps Alt + click
Tilt left Ctrl+Shift+Page Up
Tilt right Ctrl+Shift+Page Down
Undo Ctrl+Z
Zoom in Ctrl + drag up right mouse button.
PageUp.
Rotate mouse wheel.
Zoom Next End
(Redo view change)
Zoom out Ctrl + drag down with the right mouse button.
PageDown.
Rotate mouse wheel.
Zoom Previous Home
(Undo view change)
Shortcuts by key
C Crossing selection
E Endpoint object snap
M Move
O Otho
P Planar mode
S Grid snap
U Undo
W Window selection
Z Zoom window
Alt + click Suspend object snaps
Alt + drag Copy while dragging
Arrow Down Rotate Down
Arrow Left Rotate Left
Arrow Right Rotate Right
Arrow Up Rotate Up
Ctrl + drag down with the right mouse button. Zoom out
Ctrl + drag up with right mouse button. Zoom in
Ctrl+A Select all objects
19
Ctrl+C Copy to Clipboard

Ctrl+F1 Set maximized viewport
Top
Front
Right
Perspective
Ctrl+G Group
Ctrl+N New
Ctrl+O Open
Ctrl+P Print
Ctrl+Page Down Pan backward
Ctrl+Page Up Pan forward
Ctrl+S Save
Ctrl+Shift + drag with the right mouse Rotate view
button.
Ctrl+Shift+Page Down Tilt right
Ctrl+Shift+Page Up Tilt left
Shift+Alt+ Right mouse button drag Tilt the view
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+ Right mouse button drag Adjust the lens length of
the camera in a
perspective view. Lens
length displays on status
bar.
Ctrl+Alt+ Right mouse button drag Rotate camera
Ctrl+Tab Next viewport active
Ctrl+V Paste
Ctrl+U Ungroup
Ctrl+X Cut
Ctrl+Y Redo
Ctrl+Z Undo
Delete Delete
End Zoom Next
(Redo view change)
F1 Help
F10 Points On
F11 Points Off
F12 Click Digitizer
F2 Command History
F7 Grid toggle
F8 Ortho toggle
F9 Snap toggle
Home Zoom Previous
(Undo view change)
PageDown Zoom out
PageUp Zoom in
Rotate mouse wheel Zoom in and out
Shift Ortho toggle
Shift + drag with the right mouse button. Pan
Shift+Ctrl+Tab Previous viewport active
20
Shift+PageDown Adjust the lens length of

the camera in a
perspective view.
Shift+PageUp Adjust the lens length of
the camera in a
perspective view.
Status bar: Layer pane Set current layer popup
Status bar: Ortho pane Ortho toggle
Status bar: Right- click Layer pane Display Edit Layers dialog
box
Status bar: Snap pane Snap toggle
Many of these shortcuts can be changed and you can add new shortcuts and aliases. See Options dialog
box, Keyboard tab and Aliases tab.
Built-in aliases
Rhino contains built-in aliases for many commands. Some are designed in to be shortcuts. Others are old
command names left from earlier versions that are included for the convenience of users who have written
scripts and customized buttons using these names.
Command Name Aliases

34View Toggle34View
AlignBackgroundBitmap AlignTrace
AllCPlanesThroughPt AllCPlanesThroughPoint
AllLayersOn ShowAll
ApplyCrv ApplyCurves
Arc3Pt 3Arc
Arc3Pts
ArcDir DirArc
ArrayCrv ArrayCurve
ArraySrf ArraySurface
Arrow AnnotateArrow
Arrowhead AnnotateArrowhead
Blend CurveBlend
BlendSrf SrfBlend
BooleanDifference bd
BooleanIntersection bi
BooleanUnion bu
BoundingBox CrvBox
CurveBox
Box3Pt 3box
Box3Pts
ChangeDegree UpDeg
ChangeDegreeSrf UpDegSrf
Circle3Pt 3Circle
Circle3Pts
CircleD 2Circle
ClosestPt ClosePoint
CommandPrompt ShowCommandPrompt
ConicPerp PConic
ControlPolygon CPTog
ControlPolygonDensity CPDash
ControlPolygonHighlight CPHighlight
21
ConvertToPolyline ConvertToPolylines
CopyCPlaneSettingsToAll MakeAllCPlaneSettingsTheSame
CopyCPlaneToAll MakeAllCPlanesTheSame
CopyViewToAll MakeAllViewsTheSame
CPlane3Pt 3CPlane
CPlane3Pts
CPlaneThroughPt CPlaneThroughPoint
CPlaneToObject CPlaneObject
CPlaneToView CPlaneView
CPlaneV VCPlane
CreateUVCrv CreatePCurves
Crv2View c2view
CrvDeviation CurveOverlap
CrvEnd CurveEnd
CrvSeam CurveSeam
CrvStart CurveStart
CrvThroughSrfControlPt SrfCVCrv
CullControlPolygon CullCP
CurvatureGraphOff COff
CurvatureGraphOn COn
DigSpacing SetSketchSkip
DisableOsnap FreezeOsnap
LockOsnap
DisplayBitmap Display
DivideByLength Measure
DocumentProperties FileProperties
Domain QueryDomain
Dot AnnotateDot
Drape ZBufferSrf
DrapePt ZBufferPoints
ZBufferPt
ZBufferPts
DupBorder Cob
EditPtOn ShowGrev
EllipseD EllipseEnds
Ellipsoid PolarEllipsoid
EvaluatePoint EvaluatePt
MeasurePoint
EvaluateUVPt QueryUVPoint
Exit Logoff
Logout
Quit
ExtendByArc CArc
ExtendByArcToPt CArcPt
ExtendByLine CLine
ExtendCrvOnSrf XtndB
ExtendSrf XtndF
ExtractControlPolygon CreateControlPolygon
ExtractIsoparm Flowline
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ExtractSrf Xtra
ExtractWireframe ConvertToCurves
Extrude sxtrd
ExtrudeAlongCrv SrfSum
ExtrudeToPt ExtrudeCrvToPt
FilletEdge FltE
FlattenSrf OldFlattenSrf
Grid ShowGrid
GridAxes ShowGridAxes
HBar HBarSrf
HideBackgroundBitmap HideTrace
HidePt HidePoints
HidePts
HideToolbar HideToolbox
Hotspot SetHotspot
Import Merge
InsertKink InsertKinks
InsertKnot InsertKnots
InsertKnotSrf
InterpCrvOnSrf InterpCrvSrf
InterpPolyline InterpolatePolyline
Intersect IntersectCrv
JoinEdge EJoin
JoinSrf JoinFaces
Line4Pt ELine
Line4pts
LineAngle AngleLine
LinePerp PerpLine
LineTan TanLine
LineV Vline
Lock Freeze
Ghost
Loft LooseLoft
Rule
Make2D Make2d4View
MakeCrvPeriodic MakeCurvePeriodic
MakeSrfNonPeriodic MakeSurfaceNonPeriodic
MakeSrfPeriodic MakeSurfacePeriodic
Match Attach
AttachEnd
FixCurveEnd
MatchSrf SrfMatch
MaxViewport ToggleMaxViewport
Menu ShowMenu
MergeEdge EMerge
MergeSrf SrfMerge
MeshPolyline TriangulatePolyline
Move m
MoveBackgroundBitmap MoveTrace
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NamedCPlane NamedCPlanes
NamedView NamedViews
OneLayerOn HideAll
OpenWorkspace OpenWS
Options Settings
Orient Align
Orient3Pt Align3D
OrientOnSrf AlignOnSrf
srfalign
Ortho o
PerspectiveAngle SetPerspectiveAngle
PlaceBackgroundBitmap TraceBitmap
Planar p
Plane3Pt 3Plane
Plane3Pts
PlaneThroughPt FitPlane
PlaneV VPlane
PointDeviation PointTest
PointsAtNakedEdges EnakedPt
PointsFromUV EvaluateUV
Polyline Pline
PolylineThroughPt SortPoints
Project Proj
Projection TogglePerspective
ProjectToCPlane ProjCP
Properties Texture
PtOff HideCV
POff
PointsOff
PtOffSelected PointsOffSelected
POffSelected
PtOn PointsOn
POn
ShowCV
RailRevolve RailRev
Rebuild Elmo
RebuildSrf ElmoSrf
Rectangle Rect
Rectangle3Pt 3Rectangle
Rectangle3Pts
Rect3Pt
RectangleCen CRectangle
RectCen
RectangleV RectV
VRectangle
RefreshShade ClearMesh
RemoveBackgroundBitmap RemoveTrace
RemoveKnot RemoveKnots
RemoveKnotSrf
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RenderCrv RenderCurves
ReparameterizeSrf ReparameterizeSurface
Revolve Rev
SaveWorkspace SaveWS
SaveWorkspaceAs SaveWSAs
Scale1D Stretch
ScaleBackgroundBitmap ScaleTrace
Section Sect
SelAll All
SelBadObjects SelectBadObjects
SelConnected SelectConnected
SelCrossing c
SelCrv SelCurve
SelCurves
SelCrvs
SelDup SelDups
SelID SelectID
SelLayer SelectLayer
SelLight SelLights
SelMesh SelMeshes
SelName SelectName
SelNone Deselect
DeselectAll
None
SelPolyline SelPolylines
SelPolysrf SelPolysrfs
SelSolid
SelSolids
SelPt SelPoint
SelPts
SelSrf SelSrfs
SelSurface
SelSurfaces
SelUV SrfCV
SelWindow w
SetPt SetPts
SetSnap GridSnap
SetGridSnap
Shade QRender
Shade1 QRender1
ShadeAll QRenderAll
ShowBackgroundBitmap ShowTrace
ShowBrokenEdges ebroken
ShowEdges eshow
ShowNakedEdges enaked
ShowPt ShowPoints
ShowPts
UnhidePoints
ShowToolbar ShowToolbox
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Silhouette Horizon
SimplifyCrv SimplifyCurve
Sketch CurveSketch
SketchOnMesh ZBufferSketch
SketchOnSrf CurveSketchSrf
Snap s
Sphere PolarSphere
Sphere3Pt Sphere3Pts
3Sphere
SphereD 2Sphere
Sphere2Pt
Sphere2Pts
SplitEdge ESplit
SplitViewportHorizontal SplitViewHorizontal
SplitViewportVertical SplitViewVertical
SrfControlPtGrid CreateUniformSurface
SrfPt SrfPoints
SrfPts
SrfPtGrid SrfPointGrid
StatusBar ShowStatusBar
SubCrv SubCurve
Title ShowTitle
ToggleToolbar ToggleToolbox
Toolbar Toolbox
Undo u
UnLock Thaw
UnGhost
ViewportTitle ShowViewportTitle
VRBSrf vrbf
WorldAxes ShowWorldAxes
ZoomDynamic ZoomMouse
zm
ZoomExtents ze
ZoomExtentsAll zea
ZoomPrev ZoomP
zp
ZoomSelected zs
ZoomSelectedAll zsa
ZoomWindow z
Zoom
Coordinate points
When prompted for a point, you can click the mouse in a viewport to define the point coordinates or you
can or type the coordinates in several ways:
Distance
If you type a distance, the marker moves around the last point at the specified distance.
Angle
If you type an angle with < prefix, the cursor moves around the last point in increments of the
specified angle.
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Coordinates
You can type x and y coordinates or x, y and z coordinates to place points. With w prefix you can
type world coordinates, with r prefix relative coordinates, and with wr prefix world relative
coordinates.
Enter construction plane coordinates

At the command prompt, type coordinates in the format: x,y,z and press Enter.
For example:
1 From the Curves menu, click Line, then click Single Line.
2 At the Start of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type 0,0,0 and press Enter.
This starts the line at the construction plane origin.
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type 12,6,10 and press Enter.
The line is drawn from the construction plane origin to a point 12,6,10 in the construction plane
coordinates.
Note
If you enter only x- and y-coordinates, the point will lie on the construction plane.
Enter world coordinates

At the command prompt, type coordinates in the format: wx,y,z and press Enter.
For example:
2 At the Start of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type w0,0,0 and press Enter.
This starts the line at the world coordinate origin.
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type w12,6,10 and press Enter.
The line is drawn from the world origin to a point 12,6,10 in the world coordinates.
Note
If you enter only x- and y-coordinates, the point will lie on the world x,y plane.
UseWCSCoordinates
Sets the dislay and entry modes to world coordinates.
Note
Use this command to change the display in a script or button. It has the same effect as clicking the
pane in the status bar.
UseCPlaneCoordinates
Sets the dislay and entry modes to construction plane coordinates.
Note
Use this command to change the display in a script or button. It has the same effect as clicking the
pane in the status bar.
Enter relative coordinates

At the command prompt, type coordinates in the format: rx,y (relative construction plane
coordinates) or wrx,y (world relative coordinates) and press Enter.
For example:
2 At the Start of line ( BothSides ) prompt, enter the starting point for the line.
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type r2,3 and press Enter.
The line is drawn to a point 2 units in the x-direction and 3 units in the y-direction from the last point.
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Enter polar coordinates

At the command prompt, type coordinates in the format: wd<a (world polar coordinates) (where d is
the distance from the construction plane origin and a is the angle from the x- axis) and press Enter.
For example:
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type 4<45 and press Enter.
The line is drawn to a point four units away from the construction plane origin, at a 45 degree angle
from the construction plane x-axis.
Enter relative polar coordinates

At the command prompt, type coordinates in the format: rd<a or wrd<a (world relative polar
coordinates) (where d is the distance from the last point and a is the angle from the x- axis) and
press Enter.
For example:
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type r4<45 and press Enter.
The line is drawn to a point four units away from the last point entered, at a 45° angle from the
construction plane x-axis.
Modeling aids
Elevator mode
Use elevator mode to pick a point off the construction plane.
Draw a curve using elevator mode

1 From the Curve menu, click Free-form, then click Interpolate Points.
2 At the Start of curve ( Tangent Knots=SqrtChord ) prompt, click a point in the perspective
viewport.
3 At the Next point of curve ( Tangent Knots=SqrtChord Undo ) prompt, click another point in the
perspective viewport.
4 At the Next point of curve. Press Enter when done ( Close Tangent Knots=SqrtChord Undo )
prompt, hold the Ctrl key and pick a point in the perspective viewport.
5 Drag the mouse around in the perspective viewport.
A white tracking line will display, indicating that the marker is constrained to move perpendicular to
the construction plane. Click the left mouse button to select the point. Notice the location of the
marker in the other views.
Drawing using elevator mode

Drag objects perpendicular to the construction plane using elevator mode
1 Select the objects to move.
2 Hold the Ctrl key and click and drag with the left mouse button on the selection set.
3 A white tracking line will connect the point you picked to the marker, indicating the new location of
the selection set.
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Elevator mode.
4 Release the left mouse button to place the objects.
Turn off elevator mode if you have started elevator mode in error
1 After starting elevator mode, type NoElev.
Or press Tab twice.
2 Continue with picking locations.
You can start elevator mode in another location.
Other ways to use elevator mode
Multiple elevator:
1 Press Ctrl and click to start elevator mode.
2 Change viewports, release Ctrl, press Ctrl, and click again.
A new elevator mode starts relative to the new construction plane.
Cancelling elevator:
1 Press Ctrl and click to start elevator mode.
2 Release Ctrl, then press Ctrl and click.
Elevator from direction lock:
Elevator mode can now also be activated from direction lock, but only if the point can be truly 3- D. This
makes it possible to do point filtering in Rhino.
Note
You can type a number at the command prompt to specify the elevation of the point. Positive
numbers are above the construction plane, negative numbers are below.
Specifying 3- D points using 2- D input devices (the mouse and monitor) is aided with construction
planes. Anything drawn in Rhino by simply picking points is always drawn on the construction plane
of the current viewport.
Elevator mode allows you to specify a point that is a given distance above or below a point on the
construction plane.
Use Tab to constrain along a line

Use the Tab key to constrain the marker movement along a line.
2 Place the first line point.
3 Drag the mouse out.
4 Press Tab.
The marker is now constrained along the line between the first point and the point where the marker,
was when you pressed Tab.
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Line snapped to endpoint
The mouse constrained to the line between the first point and the Tab point
Note
You can use Tab constraint when you want the line to pass through the end of a curve and then go
beyond it. Turn on end object snap. When you move the cursor close to the end of the curve, the
marker snaps to the curve end. Press Tab and then move the mouse beyond the curve end and pick.
Your line will pass through the end of the curve.
You can use Tab constraint combined with the Distance constraint to draw a curve of a specified
length and then constrain the angle with the Tab key.
If grid snap is on and ortho is activated, Tab direction lock snaps to grid lines.
If grid snap is on and ortho is not activated, Tab direction lock snaps to the snap points.
Angle Constraint
The angle constraint ensures that the next point will be placed at a specified angle relative to the last
point.
1 Type an angle at the command prompt in the format <a and press Enter.
The cursor moves along a line at the specified angle.
2 Click to place the point.
Or, type a distance and press Enter.
For example:
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type <60.
The line is restricted to 60 degree angle from the last point.
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Distance Constraint
The distance constraint ensures that the next point will be placed a specified distance from the last
point.
1 Type a number at the command prompt and press Enter.
The marker moves around the last point at the specified distance.
Or, type an angle in the format <a and press Enter.
The marker moves around the last point at the specified distance and in increments of the specified
angle.
For example:
3 At the End of line ( BothSides ) prompt, type 10.
The line endpoint moves around the last point 10 units away.
Toggle crosshairs on and off

Rhino provides full-screen crosshairs in addition to the smaller cursor. If you are used to using full-screen
cross-hairs, you can turn them on.
Menu: Tools > Options
On the Appearance tab select Crosshairs.
Trimmed surfaces
A trimmed surface has two parts: there's a surface that underlies everything that defines the geometric
shape, and there are trimming curves that either trim away the outside portion of the surface or cut holes
in its interior.
Those trimming curves exist on the underlying surface. The underlying surface may be larger than the
trim curves, but you won't see the underlying surface because Rhino doesn't draw anything for the part of
the surface that is outside the trim curves.
Only the underlying surface defines the actual geometry of the shape. The trim curves don't define a
surface—they are only markers on the surface as to which part is to be considered trimmed away.
If you have a trim curve that runs diagonally across a surface, the trim curve itself doesn't have any real
relationship to the control point structure of the surface. You can see this if you select such a trimmed
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surface and turn its control points s on. You'll see the control points for the whole underlying surface,
which doesn't necessarily have any connection with the trim curves.
Control points on trimmed surface

Here's what happens when two surfaces are merged—the surfaces are defined by their control points, so
it's really a matter of merging the two surfaces' rectangular control point grids together.
If you turn on the control points for two trimmed surfaces, you can see that even though the surfaces can
touch up to one another nicely at their trims, their control points don't line up because the trim curve just
doesn't have anything to do with the control points - it can be zinging around all over the place and
squiggling around instead of being lined up in a straight rectangular grid like the control points are.
Surfaces trimmed with same curve have overlapping control points

If the control points don't line up on two trimmed surfaces, the surfaces cannot be merged, since control
points are merged together to make a single surface out of two individual surfaces.
If you use Untrim on the two trimmed surfaces that you want to merge, this will become more clear.
You'll see that even though the trimming edges of the two surfaces are connected, their underlying
surfaces aren't lined up with one another in any way, and it's the underlying surfaces that provide the
actual definition of the shapes involved, so those are the things that need to be merged.
Untrimmed surfaces
You can remove the trim curves and get back to the underlying surface, by using the Untrim or
DetachTrim commands to remove holes or outside boundaries.
When you have a trimmed surface where the underlying surface is much larger than the outside trimming
boundary, you can use the ShrinkTrimmedSrf command to shrink the surface back so that it is only
large enough to hold the trimming boundaries and doesn't have a large extra unused area.
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Document properties
Menu: File > Properties
Document Properties dialog box, Dimensions tab
Options
Appearance
Dimension text font
Sets the font for the dimension text.
Decimal
Fractional
Feet & inches
Precision
Sets the number of decimal places the dimension will use.
Size
Scale factor
This is normally the inverse of the print scale. The text height, extension line extension, extension line
offset distance, and arrow length are multiplied by this number.
This option also affect annotation text created with the Text command.
Text height
The text height in Rhino units.
Dimension features
Extension line extension
The length of the extension line above the dimension line in Rhino units.
Extension line offset
The distance from the dimension point on the object to the start of the extension line in Rhino units.
Arrow length
The length of the dimension arrow in Rhino units.
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Text alignment
Above dimension line
Places text above the dimension line. Rotates the text to align with the dimension line.
Dimension text above the dimension line

In dimension line
Cuts the dimension line and centers the text inside it.
Dimension text cut in the dimension line

Horizontal to view
Draws the text horizontal to the view, regardless of the direction of the dimension line.
Dimension text horizontal to the view
Document Properties dialog box, Grid tab
Options
Snap spacing
Sets the snap spacing in Rhino units. Toggle snap by clicking the Snap pane on the status bar.
Grid spacing
Sets the grid spacing in Rhino units.
Major lines every
Defines the thick grid line interval in number of minor gridlines.
Grid extents
Defines the extents of the grid in Rhino units.
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Show grid
Toggles the visibility of the grid.
Show grid axes
Toggles the visibility of the red and green grid axes in the middle of the grid.
World axes icon
Toggles the visibility of the world coordinate icon in the bottom left corner of each viewport.
Use as defaults
If the grid settings are stored as defaults, whenever you start a new model without a template, these
settings are used.
Apply to all viewports
Clear this check box to adjust the grid settings in the active viewport only.
Document Properties dialog box, Notes tab

Add notes to your model.
Menu: File > Properties > Notes tab
On the Notes tab, type information you want to save with the model.
Note
These notes can also be accessed through the Notes command.
Notes are saved with Rhino 3DM and IGES files.
Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab

Menu: File > Properties > Render Mesh tab
Whenever you shade or render a NURBS surface, the surface is converted into a polygon mesh first. These
detailed render mesh options control the way the NURBS surfaces are converted to polygon meshes.
You may want to adjust these values if you are not satisfied with the default shade and render quality.
Options
Jagged & faster
Objects may look jagged, but should shade and render relatively fast.
Smooth & slower
Objects should look smooth, but may take very long to shade and render.
Custom
Set the custom options.
Custom options
Max angle
Smaller values result in slower meshing, more accurate meshes, and higher polygon count. Setting Max
angle to zero turns off the option.
The default value for this option is 20 degrees and the suggested range is from 5 to 90 degrees.
When the Refine check box is selected, the mesh is refined until the angle between adjacent polygon
vertex normals is smaller than this value.
This setting is scale independent.
Max aspect ratio
Smaller values result in slower meshing and higher polygon count with more equilateral and nicely
shaped polygons. Setting Max aspect ratio to zero turns off the option.
The default value for this option is zero and the suggested range, when not zero, is from 1 to 100.
This is approximately the maximum aspect ratio of the quads in the initial mesh grid.
This setting is scale independent.
Min edge length
Bigger values result in faster meshing, less accurate meshes and lower polygon count. Setting Min
edge length to zero turns off the option.
35
The default value for this option is 0.0001 units and the usable range depends on the size of the model.
When the Refine check box is selected, a polygon is not refined further if any edge is shorter than this
value. This is also approximately the minimum edge length of the quads in the initial mesh grid.
This option is scale dependent.
Max edge length
Smaller values result in slower meshing and higher polygon count with more equally sized polygons.
Setting Max edge length to zero turns off the option.
The default values is zero and the usable range depends on the size of the model.
When the Refine check box is selected, polygons are refined until all polygon edges are shorter than
this value. This is also approximately the maximum edge length of the quads in the initial mesh grid.
This option is scale dependent and can be used for making sure the polygons are approximately the
same size.
Max dist, edge to srf
dist, edge to srf to zero turns off the option.
The default values is zero and the usable range depends on the size of the model.
When the Refine check box is selected, polygons are refined until the distance from a polygon edge
midpoint to the NURBS surface is smaller than this value. This is also approximately the maximum
distance from polygon edge midpoints to the NURBS surface in the initial mesh grid.
This option is scale dependent and can be used as a general polygon mesh tolerance setting.
Min initial grid quads
Bigger values result in slower meshing, more accurate meshes and higher polygon count with more
evenly distributed polygons. Setting Min initial grid quads to zero turns off the option.
The default values is 16. The suggested range is from 0 to 10000.
This is the number of quads per surface in the initial mesh grid. In practice, Rhino will use at least this
many polygons for each surface.
This option is scale independent and can be used for making sure that surfaces with very subtle details
are meshed with high enough polygon count.
Refine mesh
Clearing this box results in faster meshing, less accurate meshes, and lower polygon count. Clearing this
box also means untrimmed individual surfaces and surface areas away from trim edges and joined
edges are meshed with evenly sized quadrangles.
By default, Refine is selected.
After initial meshing, Rhino uses a recursive process to refine the mesh until it meets the criteria
defined by Max Angle, Min edge length, Max edge length, and Max dist, edge to Srf options.
Jagged seams
Causes faster meshing, lower polygon count and cracks between joined surfaces in the rendered image.
By default, Jagged seams is not selected.
This options means that all surfaces are meshed independently and the meshes of joined surface edges
are not stitched together.
Simple planes
Causes in slower meshing and minimum polygon count on planar surfaces. Meshing can be slower
especially for complex trimmed surfaces.
By default, Simple planes is not selected.
All planar surfaces are meshed by meshing the surface edges and then filling the area bounded by the
edges with triangles.
Document Properties dialog box, Render tab
Options
Resolution
Viewport resolution
The active viewport is rendered using the viewport resolution.
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Custom
The active viewport is rendered using the custom resolution. Type the custom width and height resolution
in pixels.
Antialiasing
Antialiasing in Rhino means that each pixel in the rendered image is calculated by averaging several
samples taken from the pixel area. This makes the image appear smoother, but also slows down
rendering.
None
Each pixel is sampled once.
Normal and Slower
A pixel color is calculated from nine samples taken from the pixel area.
Best and Slowest
A pixel color is calculated from 25 samples taken from the pixel area.
Render colors
Ambient light
Sets the overall ambient color in the scene. In practice, this option sets the color of the darkest spot on
the objects in the scene in the rendered image. The color of areas of the model in low light be a blend of
the object color and the ambient light color.
Background
Sets the color of the render background.
Misc
Render backfaces
Controls whether the backsides of polygons are rendered or not. Not rendering the backfaces speeds up
rendering, but makes it necessary to make sure all surface normals are set correctly.
Use lights on layers that are off
Controls if spotlights that are on hidden layers are rendered or not.
Render wireframe
The wireframe curves of surfaces and curve objects are rendered with the surfaces.
Render polygon mesh edges
Polygon mesh object wireframe curves are rendered with the objects.
Shadows
Control the shadow quality in the rendered image. In Rhino, if the shadows are turned on, all objects cast
and receive shadows from all spotlights.
None
No shadows.
Normal and Slower
Objects cast hard shadows.
Best and Slowest
Objects cast soft shadows.
Map size
Defines the width and height the shadow map in pixels. A shadow map is a z-buffer rendering of the
scene as seen from the spotlight location.
Offset
Defines the distance in units a point on a surface is moved towards a spotlight before checking if it is in
the shadow or not. This option is used for compensating the inaccuracy of the shadow map z- buffer to
prevent surfaces from shadowing themselves.
In general, there is no need to change this setting unless you are modeling very small or large objects.
With small objects, if the shadows are unnaturally far from the objects in the rendered image, use
smaller shadow offset.
With large objects, if you see self shadowing artifacts like streaks on surfaces in the rendered image, use
bigger shadow offset.
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Document Properties dialog box, Summary tab

Shows summary information about the file:
Author
Last saved by:
Revision number:
Application name:
Date and time created:
Date and time last saved:
This is similar to what is displayed when you right-click a 3DM file and select Properties in Windows
Explorer.
Document Properties dialog box, Units tab
Options
Model units
Controls the units used in the model. When you change from one units to another, Rhino asks if you want
to have the geometry automatically scaled to match the unit change.
Absolute tolerance
Tolerance in units used when creating new geometry that cannot be absolutely accurate. For example,
trimming surfaces, doing offsets and Booleans operations usually create approximate geometry.
Relative tolerance
Sets the relative tolerance used in some commands. In those commands, if the relative tolerance based
on a certain dimension in the object is smaller than the absolute tolerance setting, the relative tolerance is
used instead.
Angle tolerance
Sets the angle tolerance used in some commands.
Custom units
Enter a unit name and a scale in units per meter.
Unit systems
Enter distances using any of the Rhino unit measurements including fractions. You can mix fractional and
decimal input.
Example types and forms are:
Microns Mils
1.2mic 1.2mil(s)
1.2micron(s)
Feet and Inches
Millimeters 1"
1.2mm 1in
1.2millimeter(s) 1inch(es)
Centimeters 1'2-1/2(")
1'2.2(")
1.2c 1-1/2"
1.2cm 1.5"
1.2centimeter(s) 1'
Meters 1ft
1foot
1.2m 1feet
1.2meter(s)
Miles
Kilometers
1mi
1.2km 1mile(s)
1.2kilometer(s)
Microinches
1.2microinch(es)
Distance display
Sets the distance display for the status bar and distance and length commands. Select Decimal,
Fractional, or Feet & Inches.
38
Display precision
Sets the number of decimal places for the distance display.
Note
It is best to select a tolerance when you start modeling and stick with it.
Importing a model in a format that supports units and tolerances does not adjust units or tolerances
in Rhino. A dialog box will warn if the units do not match.
The following three items are a good guide to choosing tolerances.
Rhino 2.0 can work in any unit system and with any tolerance. The default unit system is millimeters
and the default tolerance is 0.01 millimeters. You can change the default unit system and tolerance
by setting up a template. If you frequently need to work in more than one unit system or with more
than on tolerance, set multiple templates.
In general, Rhino will work best if you choose a unit system so that the absolute tolerance you need is
around 0.01 to 0.001, the "size" of a small feature (like a tiny fillet or small curve offset distance) is
>= 10 x tolerance, and the "size" of the model is <= 100000.
Using an absolute tolerance that is smaller than 0.0001 will noticeably slow some intersection and
fitting processes.
Viewport layout
Viewports are windows on the Rhino screen that show you a view of your model. You can move and resize
viewports by dragging the title bar or borders. Each viewport has its own construction plane that the
cursor moves on and a projection.
You can create new viewports, rename viewports, and use predefined viewport configurations. You can
toggle the viewport title and world axis icons display to make more room for your work. You can specify
which viewport is maximized, step through the viewports, and place a named viewport on top.
The Viewport menu:

Activate the viewport menu by right-clicking the viewport title.
The Viewport menu

From the viewport menu, you can:
Maximize and restore the viewport.
Swap the viewport position with a different viewport.
Zoom Window, Extents, or Extents of the selected objects.
Use defined and named views.
Close the viewport.
Set the viewport to display in wireframe mode.
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Wireframe display mode

Set the viewport to display in shaded mode.
Shaded display mode

Refresh the shade mesh.
Edit Grid properties.
Edit viewport properties.
Note
Navigating with the keyboard works at all times except during view-dependent selections (Window,
Crossing, Lasso) so you can change your view in the middle of a command.
To set your view so you are looking straight down on the construction plane, from the View menu,
click Set View > Plan.
To bring all your objects into view, from the View menu, click Zoom Extents All.
Select objects
General
Click an object to select it. To select additional objects, press and hold Shift or Ctrl and click objects. To
remove an object from a selection set, press and hold Shift or Ctrl and click the object again.
Drag a selection rectangle from left to right to do a Window selection and from right to left to do a
Crossing selection.
When you make a Window selection, objects completely enclosed in the selection rectangle are selected.
When you make a Crossing selection, all objects inside or partially inside the selection rectangle are
selected.
Press and hold Shift when you drag the selection rectangle to add objects to the selection set and press
and hold Ctrl when you drag the selection rectangle to remove objects from the selection set.
Selection menu
A selection menu pops up if several objects appear to be stacked in the area you picked an object and
Rhino is not able to tell which one you want to select.
When the selection menu pops up, the current object and its designation in the list highlight.
40
To select an object:
Click the object name in the list.

When object is highlighted, press Enter or the spacebar.
Click the left mouse button at the original pick point to cycle through the list and click the right mouse
button to accept the current choice.
To cancel the selection process:
Click None.
Click another object.
Selecting parts of objects

This will only work for commands that ask you to pick objects after the command starts (Extrude,
Sweep1, Sweep2). There is a separation between commands that work on any type of object (Move,
Copy, Delete) that let you pick the object beforehand and commands that look for specific types of
geometry and where the order you pick is important (Loft and Extrude). These commands let you use
filters to pick a sub-part of an object rather than the whole object. The things you can type are:
for curves: curve or crv or c
for edge: edge
for boundary: boundary or bnd
for face (surface): f or face
for shell (solid): s or shell
Boundary is different from curve. It selects the whole boundary of a surface or a hole. For instance if you
have a plane, and you picked an edge as a curve, you'd get one line, but if you picked it as a boundary,
then you'd get the whole rectangle that defines the outside of the plane.
Import and export file types
Rhino 1.0 file exchange

1 From the File menu, click Export or Save As.
2 In the Save as type box, select Rhino 1.x 3D models (.3dm).
3 In the File name box, type a filename.
Saving 1.x files from Rhino 2.0

If you save as a 1.x file from Rhino 2.0, no 2.0 rendering information is saved in the 1.x file. Rendering
information includes:
• render meshes
• analysis meshes
• shaded viewport mode
• point and directional lights
• Flamingo render materials
• object color
• locked and hidden objects are unlocked and displayed
Loading 1.x files into Rhino 2.0

If you load a 1.x file into Rhino 2.0, mesh information is lost including:
• render meshes
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• analysis meshes
• shaded viewport mode
3D Studio file exchange

To open 3D Studio files:
1 From the File menu, click Open.
Or, from the File menu, click Import/Merge.
2 In the Open dialog box, in the Files of type, select 3D Studio.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the 3DS file.
4 Click Open.
Note
3DS files contain polygon mesh objects. Polygon mesh objects are imported into Rhino as polygon
mesh objects. They are not converted to NURBS.
Rhino is able to read texture mapping coordinates from 3DS files.
3D Studio export uses exact object names whenever possible.
If the object name in Rhino is: RhinoObjectName, 3DS export uses the first 10 characters of the
name, because MAX and 3DS only support object names up to 10 characters. The result looks like
this: RhinoObjec
Rhino then checks whether or not the object name has already been used. If so, the object name is
truncated to 6 characters and a 3-digit index is added, like this: RhinoO_010 The index is the last
three digits from the mesh counter used in the exporter.
If no object name is defined, Rhino uses a generic name: Obj_000010. In this case the index is the
last six digits from the mesh counter.
To save 3D Studio files:

1 From the File menu, click Save As.
Or, from the File menu, click Export Selected.
2 In the Save as type box, select 3D Studio.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the 3DS file.
4 Click Save.
5 In the Create mesh from NURBS object dialog box, set the way Rhino creates a polygon mesh
from the NURBS geometry.
Note
Rhino writes texture mapping coordinates and bump map names to 3DS files.
To export to 3DS MAX:

1 Save a Rhino 3DM file.
2 Read the 3DM file with a Rhino 3DM file import plug-in for MAX 1.2, MAX 2.0, or MAX 2.5.
You can import geometry from Rhino 3DM files into versions 1.2, 2.0, 2.5 of 3D Studio MAX using a Rhino
3DM file import plug-in. Each version of MAX has its own plug-in.
For version 3.0 use IGES to transfer files.
Tips on exporting to 3D Studio MAX

Surface direction in MAX
By default Rhino shows and renders everything two sided, whereas MAX renders surfaces one sided. Turn
off backface rendering in Rhino with render properties. This way the surfaces that have their normals
pointing the wrong way show up in Rhino before exporting the model. Use the Flip or Dir commands to fix
the normals.
Making morphs in Max

Rhino supports doing morph targets from a single surface to another single surface. Polysurfaces or doing
several connected surfaces separately does not work. When building morph targets, the most curvy
surface should be meshed first and the mesh then applied to less curvy surfaces with the ApplyMesh
command.
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File formats
In general, use 3DS file format. It avoids the hassle of having to mesh the objects first and then export
them in 3DM format and use the plug-in. 3DM format is good if you want to transfer untrimmed surfaces
or models with polygon counts too high for 3DS.
To export the meshed model as a 3DM file

1 Explode model if it is joined or if it has any flat surfaces.
2 Select all the flat surfaces and mesh using minimum setting you should end up with one polygon per
flat surface. This helps if you have long flat and skinny surfaces.
3 Now mesh your curved surfaces. If they touch each other or flow into each other you may need to go
to a higher mesh setting depending on your model.
4 Delete all NURBS surfaces and keep only the meshed model. Clear all render meshes and save file as
yourfilename.3dm.
5 Open the 3dm mesh file in Max.
Tips on Exporting Curves from MAX to Rhino
If you need to export curves from MAX3 to Rhino, export to a DWG. Only Spline objects get exported.
MAX does not export NURBS curves.
3D Studio MAX 2.5 file import plug-in

The Rhino 3DM file import plug-in for 3DS MAX 2.5 reads polygon mesh and NURBS geometry from a
Rhino 3DM file directly into MAX2.5.
This plug-in will not work with 3DS MAX version 1, 3DS MAX version 2, or 3D Studio R4.
To install this plug-in:

1 Delete any files called 3dmimp.dli, RhinoMax2imp.dli, RhinoMax20imp.dli, or RhinoMax25imp.dli from
the directories in your MAX2.5 plug-ins path.
(3dmimp.dli, RhinoMax2imp.dli, and RhinoMax20imp.dli are versions the Rhino -> MAX plug-in that
work with earlier versions of MAX. RhinoMax25imp.dli is the version of the Rhino -> MAX plug-in that
works with MAX2.5)
2 Copy the file RhinoMax25imp.dli into your "3dsmax2.5\plugins\" directory.
Get the plug-in from:
The Rhino web site at http://www.rhino3d.com/plugins/max/
The Plug-ins directory on your Rhino CD.
To use this plug-in:

1 Create NURBS or polygon mesh geometry in Rhino.
2 Save the 3DM file from Rhino.
3 Open 3D Studio MAX2.5.
4 From the MAX2.5 File menu, click Import.
5 In the MAX2.5 File Import dialog box, from the Files of type box, select Rhino 3D Models.
6 Select the 3DM file to import.
What is imported
Meshes
Mesh geometry plus UV texture mapping coordinates are imported.
NURBS curves
All NURBS curves are correctly imported.
NURBS surfaces
Some surfaces, including those created by Rhino's default cylinder and sphere commands, are imported in
several pieces. This happens because the MAX2.5 does not support NURBS surfaces with fully multiple
interior knots. Some surfaces are imported with additional control points. This happens because MAX2.5
does not support linear NURBS surfaces.
NURBS trimmed surfaces
When the Rhino to MAX2.5 importer encounters a Rhino file that may contain trimming curves, an
Attempt Trimming dialog box asks:
MAX is unable to import some trimmed surfaces.
You can either attempt to trim or import untrimmed surfaces and 3-D trimming curves.
Attempt trimming?
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If you answer yes, then the plug-in will attempt to import a Rhino trimmed surface into MAX as a trimmed
surface. If you answer "no," then the plug-in will import a Rhino trimmed surface as a MAX untrimmed
surface together with the 3-D curves that lie along the trims.
In general, you should save your MAX scene before importing anything. The first time you attempt to
import a Rhino file, answer "yes" to the "Attempt trimming?" question. If MAX crashes, attempt the import
a second time and answer "no" to the "Attempt trimming?" question.
The good news
If a trimmed surface uses a surface that can be imported into MAX 2.5 as a single surface and you answer
yes to the "Attempt trimming?" question, then sometimes that trimmed surface is imported with the
trimming intact.
The bad news
If a trimmed surface cannot be imported into MAX 2.5 as a single surface, then it is imported as multiple
untrimmed surfaces. The 3D trimming curves are imported along with the untrimmed surface pieces.
Sometimes MAX crashes when attempting to import trimmed surfaces. Given the information we have, it
is not possible to say what is going wrong. Using developers tools, all we can determine is that the
crashes are occurring after MAX has completely finished executing the code in the plug-in and is running
code in a MAX2.5 module called "ACISMAX2."
Other news
Sometimes it takes a long time to import surfaces with complex trims. Be patient.
Note
Rhino geometry is imported with the MAX object wire color set to the Rhino geometry's layer color.
To closely examine and edit MAX2.5 NURBS objects you need to:
Select a MAX2.5 NURBS object.
Click the MAX2.5 Modify tab (the tab whose icon is a red thread coming off a silver spool).
In the Modifier Stack section of the Modify palette, click the Sub-Object button.
To the right of the Sub-Object button there is a drop-down box. Depending on what NURBS objects
you imported, it will contain one or more of SurfaceCV, Surface, CurveCV, Curve.
Select the type of object you want to modify and then use the appropriate tools.

The Rhino 3DM file import plug-in for 3DS MAX 2.0 reads polygon mesh and untrimmed NURBS geometry
from a Rhino 3DM file directly into MAX2.0.
This plug-in will not work with 3DS MAX version 1, 3DS MAX version 2.5 or 3DS DOS.
To install this plug-in:

1 Delete any files called 3dmimp.dli or RhinoMax2imp.dli from the directories in your MAX2 plug-ins
path.
(3dmimp.dli and RhinoMax2imp.dli are earlier versions of the Rhino -> MAX plug-in.)
2 Copy the file RhinoMax20imp.dli into your "3dsmax2\plugins\" directory.

1 Create NURBS or mesh geometry in Rhino.
3 Open 3D Studio MAX2.
4 From the MAX2 File menu, click Import.
5 In the MAX2 File Import dialog box, from the Files of type box, select Rhino 3D Models.
What is imported:
Meshes:
Mesh geometry plus UV texture mapping coordinates are imported.
NURBS curves:
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Almost all NURBS curves are correctly imported. There is a multiple knot reduction bug in MAX2 that
causes NURBS circles to be imported with a bulge near their start/end point. On December 10 1997, The
Kinetix Developer Consulting Group reported that "…there is a bug in the multiple knot reduction code…
This is just a bug that has now been logged and will be fixed for 2.1."
NURBS surfaces:
Any trimming information is lost because MAX2 does not support trimmed NURBS.
Some surfaces, including those created by Rhino's default cylinder and sphere commands, are imported in
several pieces. This happens because the MAX2 does not support NURBS surfaces with fully multiple
interior knots.
Note
1 Rhino geometry is imported with the MAX object color set to the Rhino geometry's layer color.
2 If the Rhino object had been assigned a Rhino render material, then that material definition is applied
to the imported MAX object.
To closely examine and edit MAX2 NURBS objects you need to:
1 Select a MAX2 NURBS object.
2 Click the MAX2 Modify tab (the tab whose icon is a red thread coming of off a silver spool).
3 In the Modifier Stack section of the Modify palette there is a Sub-Object button. Click the Sub-Object
button.
4 To the right of the Sub-Object button there is a drop down. Depending on what NURBS objects you
imported, it will contain one or more of the following SurfaceCV, Surface, CurveCV, Curve.
5 Select the type of object you want to modify and then use the appropriate tools.

This plug-in will read polygon mesh data from the 3DM file directly into 3D Studio MAX 1.2 or 3D Studio
VIZ.
This plug-in will read in the mesh geometry and UV texture mapping coordinates.
You will need to Mesh the objects in Rhino before saving, otherwise there will be nothing for the plug-in
to read.


1 Copy 3dmimp.dli into your "3dsmax\stdplugs\" directory.
2 Create NURBS geometry in Rhino.
3 From the Tools menu, click Mesh, then click From NURBS Object to create mesh entities.
5 Open 3D Studio MAX.
6 From the File menu, click Import.
7 In the File Import dialog box, from the Files of type box, select Rhino 3D Models.
3D Studio MAX 3.0 OBJ file exchange

The free OBJ file exchange plug-in is available from http://www.habware.at/duck3.htm supports OBJ
groups and thus makes it possible to get layers names to come through. Use one object per layer or put
objects that should be grouped together on the same layer.
This OBJ plug-in supports vertex normals which makes it possible to get optimally smooth results from
rendering Rhino models. It should help with closed smooth shape seams too.
Note
To make the MAX OBJ import work as expected, the vertex scale setting in the MAX OBJ import dialog
box must be set to 1.
Mesh your objects in Rhino using detailed settings. Clear the Weld control.
3D Studio MAX uses the first 10 characters of the object name. If there is no Rhino object name,
obj+number is used as a name.
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RemoveFlippedNormals
Remove flipped normals from NURBS surfaces.
At the Select object prompt, select surfaces or polysurfaces and press Enter.
The normals are recalculated to match over the whole surface or polysurface.
A natural surface normal is defined as the cross product of the u- and v-direction vectors. In Rhino,
there is an additional flag attached to every surface called that tells if the surface normal matches the
natural normal or is reversed.
The RemoveFlippedNormals command adjusts the surface u- and v-directions to match the current
normal direction so the flag can be cleared. It does not fix geometry problems.
Note
Use the Dir command to see the normals graphically.
ACIS file export

To save SAT files:
2 In the Save as type box, select ACIS SAT.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the file.
4 Click Save.
5 In the ACIS SAT Detailed Export Options dialog box, select the options for the export.
Note
There are 12 different types for saving Rhino files as SAT files.
All of the version types export curves, but not all programs based on ACIS can import curves.
Hidden geometry is skipped when creating the SAT file.
The options can be changed by editing the INI file. Using ACIS Version 5.0 is currently not suggested.
For all of the AutoCAD products and for Mechanical Desktop:
Curves are read by these products, but import in as bodies. To change these into splines, select the
curves and explode them.
Note: These products will not export splines to an SAT file.
These products do not fully implement ACIS file support. Some actions cannot be performed on
imported NURBS objects.
ACIS types
Default
ACIS version: 4.0
curves are not exported
curve knots and surface knots are clamped
closed surfaces are split
ACIS Version 1.5
ACIS Version: 1.5
Exports curves
Curve knots and surface knots are clamped
Closed surfaces are split
ACIS Version 2.0
ACIS Version: 2.0
Exports curves
ACIS Version 3.0
ACIS Version: 3.0
Exports curves
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ACIS Version 4.0

ACIS Version: 4.0
Exports curves
AutoCAD R13
ACIS Version: 1.5
Exports curves
AutoCAD R14
ACIS Version: 1.5
Exports curves
AutoCAD 2000
ACIS Version: 4.0
Exports curves
Mechanical Desktop
ACIS Version: 4.0
Exports curves
Inventor
ACIS Version: 4.0
Does not export curves
Inventor does not read any ACIS object that is not a legitimate solid.
SolidWorks 98
ACIS Version: 1.5
SolidWorks 99
ACIS Version: 4.0
SolidWorks ignores anything that is not a surface or a solid.
Adobe Illustrator file exchange

To open Adobe Illustrator files:
2 In the Files of type box, select Adobe Illustrator.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the AI file.
4 Click Open.
5 In the AI Import Options dialog box, under Scale, select a scale option.
Option
Fit to default screen
Objects are scaled to be visible in the default Top viewport.
Preserve units
Set the scale for conversion to Rhino units from inches in Adobe Illustrator.
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Note
Due to a file format change, Rhino cannot yet open AI 9.0 files. Save your file from Adobe Illustrator
as a version 8 or older file format.
Convert text to curves before saving or exporting the Adobe Illustrator file. Rhino only reads curve
geometry, not text.
Rhino centers the curves from the Adobe Illustrator file around the world origin and scales them so
you can see them easily.
To save Adobe Illustrator files:

1 Before exporting, position the objects in the viewport the way you want them to fit the page in the
illustration program.
2 Make the viewport you want to export from active.
4 In the Save as type box, select Adobe Illustrator.
5 In the File name box, type a name for the AI file.
6 Click Save.
7 In the AI Export Options dialog box, under Scale, click a scale option.
Options
Snapshot of current view
Rhino exports the curves as a 2-D snapshot from the active viewport.
Preserve unit scale
Sets the scale factor and units you want to use.
You cannot preserve scale and units from a perspective viewport.
Note
Adobe Illustrator is based on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper (by default in the US) with the origin
in the bottom left hand corner of the sheet. Rhino is based on a 3-D environment centered around the
world origin. This means any objects that have coordinate values outside 0,0 > 8.5,11 fall off the
page in Illustrator. In some situations, Adobe Illustrator may fail to read files that have objects far
from the page.
Rhino exports text and dimensions to AI files.
Rhino exports NURBS geometry and polygon meshes as wireframe curves.
Under some circumstances, curves need to be refit before exporting. This can result in a curve with
more control points than the original.
This happens because the Adobe Illustrator file format can only contain non-rational cubic Bezier
curves that are commonly used in illustration programs. Rational curves or curves higher than degree
3 are approximated with a cubic Bezier that by default is within 0.1 units from the original curve. You
can change the refit accuracy by changing the ExportRefitTolerance setting in the Adobe
Illustrator section in the Rhino.ini.
If you draw curves using the free-form curve tools degree 3 or lower and export them from the top
view, they won't get refit and will look exactly the same in Adobe Illustrator.
All curves will be refit if you use a perspective viewport instead of an orthogonal parallel viewport.
Applied Geometry file exchange

To open AGLib binary files:
2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select AG.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the AG file.
4 Click Open.
To save AGLib binary files:
2 In the Save as type box, select AG.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the AG file.
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4 Click Save.
Note
The AGLib binary file format stores NURBS geometry information only. Object properties, viewport
settings and mesh information is lost. For this reason you can use AGLib format to create NURBS part
libraries for Rhino.
The AGLib binary file format is not publicly documented.
AutoCAD DWG file exchange

To open AutoCAD DWG files:
2 In the Files of type box, select AutoCAD DWG.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the DWG file.
4 Click Open.
To save AutoCAD DWG files:
2 In the Save as type box, select AutoCAD DWG.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the DWG file.
4 Click Save.
5 In the AutoCAD Export Options dialog box, select the options for DWG export.
Note
Importing ACIS solid objects in R13 or R14 DWG files is not supported. You can transfer NURBS
geometry between AutoCAD and Rhino using IGES with the IGES import/export module. You can
export Rhino geometry to AutoCAD using the ACIS SAT file format.
DWG files can contain polyface mesh and 3D face entities. Polyface mesh and 3D face entities are
imported into Rhino as polygon mesh objects. They are not converted to NURBS.
Wide polylines are converted to Rhino surfaces. If the polylines are narrower than Rhino's current
tolerance setting, wide polylines will be imported as Rhino polylines.
Rhino will not import images, rays, regions, OLE objects, or anything in paperspace.
AutoCAD line types are ignored.
Layer names and colors are preserved during import and export.
The lock status of layers in AutoCAD has no effect in Rhino.
Off and frozen layers import into Rhino as off layers.
XREF's are imported, but XREF layers with the same names as the base drawing layers are merged. If
any of the layers contributing to a merged layer is off or frozen in AutoCAD, the combined layer will
be off in Rhino.
AutoCAD DXF file exchange

To open AutoCAD DXF files:
2 In the Files of type box, select AutoCAD DXF.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the DXF file.
4 Click Open.
To save AutoCAD DXF files:
2 In the Save as type box, select AutoCAD DXF.
4 Click Save.
5 In the AutoCAD Export Options dialog box, select the options for DXF export.
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Note
DXF files can contain polyface mesh and 3D face entities. Polyface mesh and 3D face entities are
Rhino will not import images, rays, regions, OLE objects, or anything in paperspace.
AutoCAD line types are ignored.
Wide polylines are converted to Rhino surfaces. If the polylines are narrower than Rhino's current
tolerance setting, wide polylines will be imported as Rhino polylines.
Layer names and colors are preserved during import and export.
Off and frozen layers import into Rhino as off layers.
The lock status of layers in AutoCAD has no effect in Rhino.
To break a polygon mesh into separate triangles and quadrangles, Export it in DXF format writing
meshes as 3D Faces, Import it back into Rhino and use ExplodeMesh.
To break a polygon mesh into triangles, use RAW instead.
XREF's are imported but XREF layers with the same names as the base drawing layers are merged. If
any of the layers contributing to a merged layer is off or frozen in AutoCAD, the combined layer will
be off in Rhino.
AutoCAD export options

Write surfaces as:
Surfaces can be exported as polygon mesh approximations or as curves.
Meshes
If you export surfaces as meshes, the Create Mesh from NURBS object dialog box lets you adjust the
way Rhino creates the polygon meshes.
Curves
If you export surfaces as curves, Rhino exports the wireframe as curves. Use the Write curves as setting
to specify how these and other curves are exported.
Write curves as:

When exporting curves to R12 DWG/DXF, curves are approximated with polylines. When exporting to R13
and R14 DWG/DXF, you can export either polyline or spline entities.
If the Use simple entities checkbox is checked, arcs, circles, and lines are exported as AutoCAD arc,
circle, and line entities.
3-D curves are never simplified.
2-D curves are simplified. This means if the curve is just one line, arc, or circle, it is exported as an
AutoCAD line, arc, or circle. If there are arcs in the curve with discontinuous curvature at the ends, it is
exported as a bulge arc in a polyline.
Polylines
If you export curves as polylines, all curves are approximated with polylines before exporting. You can
adjust the way polylines are created in the Curve options.
Splines
All curves are exported as AutoCAD spline entities.
Rhino curves will be exploded upon export if this option is turned on. Rhino polylines will translate as
multiple separate AutoCAD linear splines. Other Rhino compound curves will translate as separate splines.
If you have mostly Rhino polylines, you will probably want to export curves as polylines. If you have
mostly non-compound curves and want to have real curvature in AutoCAD, export curves as splines.
Write meshes as:

Polygon meshes can be written as polyface mesh entities or as 3D Face entities.
Polyface meshes
Polygon meshes are exported as polyface meshes.
3D Faces
If you export polygon mesh objects as 3D Faces, each polygon in a polygon mesh is exported as a
separate 3D Face.
Some programs that read DXF files do read 3D Faces, but do not properly read polyface meshes.
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Entities only DXF file:

Only the entities are written to the DXF file, not the file header. This option is available if the AutoCAD
version is set to Release 12.
Some programs support DXF files that contain the entities only.
AutoCAD version:
You can export as AutoCAD Release 12, or later DWG/DXF.
Curve options:
Project to plane
Objects are projected to the plane of the view in the active viewport before export. They will appear on
the world XY plane in the DWG/DXF file. Exporting this way does not automatically include silhouette lines.
For silhouette lines, see the Silhouette and Make2D commands.
Use simple entities
Circles, arcs, ellipses, and lines are exported as AutoCAD circle, arc, ellipse, and line entities.
Rhino compares each curve with an exact arc, circle, line, and ellipse to determine if it can be exported as
a simple entity. If the curve is within the simplify tolerance of one of the simple entities, it is exported as a
simple entity.
Simplify tolerance
Because Rhino represents circles, arcs, lines, and ellipses as NURBS curves, it must evaluate each curve to
determine if it is a simple entity. If a curve is within simplify tolerance of an arc, line, circle, or ellipse, it
will be exported as such.
If the simplify tolerance is too large, some curves may be exported as simple entities when they shouldn't
be.
If the simplify tolerance is too small, some curves may not be exported as simple entities when they
should be.
The default simplify tolerance should work well for most cases.
Polyline max angle
When exporting curves as polylines, Rhino must approximate each curve with a polyline. The Polyline
max angle setting combined with the Polyline chord height and Polyline seg length settings
determine how the polylines are created.
The Polyline max angle option sets the maximum angle between adjacent polyline segments. The larger
this number, the farther away the polyline segment midpoints will be from the original curve.
Polyline chord height
The distance from the polyline segment midpoint to the curve will be less or equal to this number. Smaller
numbers make the polyline fit the curve better, but increase the number of polyline segments.
Polyline seg length
The Polyline seg length is the maximum length of a polyline segment. This setting uses current model
units, and ensures that all polyline segments are shorter than this setting.
Note The physical size of the model should be taken into consideration when using this setting – exporting
a boat that is 100,000 units long with a maximum segment length of 0.01 will result in millions of polyline
segments and a huge DWG/DXF file.
Export object properties

To export object properties to a comma-delimited file:
1 Select objects.
2 From the File menu, click Export Selected.
3 In the Save as type box, select Object Properties (.csv).
5 Click Save.
Options
Layer properties
Layer name
Layer color
Layer index
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Object properties
Object name
Object ID
Object description
Object color
Object material
Mass properties
Length
Area
Area centroid
Area moments
Perimeter
Volume
Volume centroid
Volume moments
Cumulative mass properties
Include header file
Note
Creates a comma-delimited text file in CSV (comma separated value) that contains a tabulation of
various object properties including layer name, layer color, object name, object render color and
selected mass properties. The text file is created in a way that makes it easy to import information
into spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel.
GHS file export

To save as GHS:
1 Select the surfaces/polysurfaces you want to save.
2 At the Select the base point of the centerline prompt, pick a point that is a point on the
longitudinal axis of the boat. This is normally a point on the bow at centerline. If you have previously
selected a centerline, you can press Enter here to use the last centerline specified.
3 At the Select endpoint of centerline prompt, pick another point at the end of the longitudinal axis.
Options
Shape Name
Each independent surface or polysurface selected in the drawing will become a separate shape in the GHS
file. You can give each shape the name you would like here. Shape names must be valid GHS shape
names.
Station
Spacing
The distance between slices for the currently selected shape.
Break Angle
The angle between segments of each station polyline. When exporting curves as polylines, Rhino must
approximate each polyline. This setting determines how the station lines are created. This option sets the
maximum angle between adjacent polyline segments. The larger this number, the farther away the
polyline segment midpoints will be from the original curve. Rhino produces one component for each shape.
Each component will have the same name as the shape.
Component
Symmetry
Specifies GHS's side factor. Specify whether you are modeling the whole hull shape (.S) or only half (.C).
Effectiveness
Specifies the permeability of the component. All component origin shift is considered 0,0,0.
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Part
Name
The default part name is HULL. Each component will initially be a member of this part. You can enter new
names for more parts and group different components in each part.
Type
Specify the part type: Displacement, Containment, or Windage (sail).
Fluid
The name of the fluid that the vessel floats on or contains. This setting includes the specific gravity of the
fluid named.
Lightwave file exchange

To open Lightwave files:
2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select Lightwave.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the LWO file.
4 Click Open.
Note
Rhino imports line and point objects from LWO.
Rhino breaks apart objects into separate meshes and sorts them into layers by surface type.
LWO files contain polygon mesh objects. Polygon mesh objects are imported into Rhino as polygon
To save Lightwave files:

2 In the Save as type box, select Lightwave.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the LWO file.
4 Click Save.
Note
Rhino exports line and point objects to LWO.
The LWO file is limited to 65,535 points for the entire file. You will need to export large Rhino models
in pieces or export as OBJ file format, which does not have the 65,000 polygon limitation.
Use ExtractControlPolygon to convert smooth Rhino surfaces into polygon meshes that you can
convert into MetaNURBS objects in Lightwave.
Object names will be used when exporting the .lwo file instead of a generic name.
Moray UDO Export

To save Moray UDO files:
2 In the Save as type box, select Moray UDO.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the UDO file.
4 Click Save.
Note
Object names are supported. UDO export uses the first 40 characters of a string
layer_name_object_name. The 40-character limitation is defined in the POV-Ray specifications. If the
same name is used for multiple objects, Moray automatically numbers the objects.
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Use this format if you want to define POV textures and set other POV specific information in Moray.
Moray is a shareware wireframe modeler available from http://www.stmuc.com/moray/.
When you export to UDO, Rhino creates a .UDO file and a .INC file. Exporting the UDO file to …\Moray
For Windows\PovScn\ folder seems to help you avoid the hassle of having to move the INC file before
rendering.
To import the object into Moray, from Create menu, click User Defined.
The wireframe view in Moray is a line approximation of the wireframe you see in Rhino and for that
reason Moray screen redraw is faster than if you viewed the polygon wireframe.
Parasolid X_T file export

To save X_T files:
2 In the Save as type box, select Parasolid X_T.
4 Click Save.
5 In the Parasolid Export Type dialog box, select the target application for the export.
Note
Parasolid X_T files are always in meters. If Rhino units are set to a real-world unit other than meters,
the exported geometry is scaled by the appropriate factor.
Solid Works 98 Plus and Solid Edge 6.0 will not read in open surfaces. You can lie to Solid Edge 6.0 by
choosing the "Export Surfaces as Solids" option which simply sets a flag in the file. Solid Works 98
Plus will not be fooled by this deception. Neither program gives any feedback that it is ignoring open
surfaces, they display a blank window.
In general your model should consist of objects which are joined solids with no naked edges. Use the
Properties command to ensure your models are closed solids, and ShowNakedEdges command to
ensure there are no naked edges.
Simple planes are supported as Parasolid primitives. A simple plane is one that is defined in Rhino as
four control points arranged in a rectangle. Planes are important primitives. Many feature-based
modelers (SolidWorks in particular) only allow sketching on planar surfaces defined by a plane
primitive. Flat NURBS surfaces are not the same.
File Export types:

Mastercam Mill
Imports solids, surfaces, and curves
Solid Edge 6.0
Imports solids and surfaces
Solid Edge 7.0
Solid Edge Viewer
SolidWorks 98+
Imports solids and colors
SolidWorks 99
Imports solids, surfaces, and colors. Export solids into one file and surfaces into another. Import the
surfaces and solids separately into SolidWorks.
Opening the model in SolidWorks 99

Problem
"I exported a model from Rhino into X_T format, but when I open it in SolidWorks 99 I just get a blank
screen."
Solution
The model probably exported just fine, the trick is how to properly import it into SolidWorks 99. If you
choose the File Open menu command in SolidWorks 99 and choose a X_T file, only closed solids will be
imported. If the file contains open surfaces, they will be ignored with no warning. If the file consists of
only open surfaces then the resulting window in SW99 will just be blank.
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To import files containing open surfaces you must make a new part or import into an existing part model.
Then choose the Insert> Surface > Imported … command and choose the exported file.
It is important that any solids in Rhino be joined before exporting to X_T.
RenderMan RIB export

To save RenderMan RIB files:
2 In the Save as type box, select RenderMan.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the RIB file.
4 Click Save.
Blue Moon Rendering Tools (BMRT)
Blue Moon Rendering Tools (BMRT) are a set of rendering programs and libraries that adhere to the
RenderMan standard. BMRT can be installed from your Rhino CD.
Rhino rendering
BMRT rendering with reflective and refractive materials

In an effort to make BMRT easier to use with Rhino, toolbars for assigning materials and lights are
included in the Rhino toolbar layout. BMRT is not completely supported in Rhino, however.
BMRT Materials toolbar

Documentation for BRMT is included in HTML pages in the folder where you install BMRT. The BMRT web
site will also be a good source of information: www.bmrt.org
Get answers to questions about using BMRT from the Rhino newsgroup: news://news.rhino3d.com/rhino
There is also a RenderMan newsgroup: news://comp.graphics.rendering.renderman
Books about rendering with RenderMan include:
The RenderMan Companion: A Programmer’s Guide to Realistic Computer Graphics by Steve Upstill,
Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201508680.
Advanced RenderMan: Creating CGI for Motion Pictures by Anthony A Apodaca and Larry Gritz, Academic
Press/Morgan Kaufmann; ISBN: 1558606181.
There are links to these book on the Rhino web site: www.rhino3d.com
To use BMRT inside Rhino:

1 Open the BMRT toolbars: BMRT Materials and BMRT Lights.
2 Use the buttons in the BMRT Materials toolbar to assign properties to objects in Rhino.
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The left mouse button assigns a material property like "glass" or "shiny metal." The right mouse
button opens the Rhino Object properties dialog box where you can set the object color,
transparency, and highlight.
3 Use normal Rhino lights or use the BMRT Lights buttons to assign light types to Rhino lights.
4 Set up your scene with materials and lights.
5 To test render the scene, click the big blue "R."
Two windows will open, the MS-DOS Command Prompt window and a preview window for the test
render.
To cancel the rendering process, close the Command Prompt window or press Ctrl+C.
6 Save or export your scene as a RenderMan file.
7 Render the file by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.
Error message
If you get the following message:
Unable to run program renrib -d16 c:\temp.rib
reboot your computer.
Note
Rhino uses the active view for the RIB export. Make sure the correct view is active when you export.
Rhino spotlights are exported to RIB. The intensity is always set to 1, the beam distribution to 2
(these are shader defaults).
You can also use SetObjectMaterial in Rhino to assign a material to an object. This material name is
exported for use by the renderer.
Object names are exported to make it easier to identify surfaces in the RIB file. Use Properties to set
the object names.
A name attribute definition is inserted before each light.
The transparency color is the color of the object.
A Rhino compliant spotlight shader makes the RIB scenes look very close to Rhino scenes when
rendered with default settings.
Rhino writes the surface, color, and opacity statement for each object. It makes it easier to parse the
RIB file and replace the settings with something else if necessary.
Export to RIB file format appends the Rhino search paths to existing paths instead of replacing them.
This makes it possible to define custom search paths in .rendribrc.
Export to RIB file format supports render background color.
POV-Ray export
To save POV Ray files:
2 In the Save as type box, select POV-Ray Mesh.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the POV file.
4 Click Save.
Persistence of Vision Raytracer (POV-Ray)
POV-Ray is a free raytrace rendering program available from http://www.povray.org.
Rhino’s POV-Ray export requires POV-Ray version 3.1.
In an effort to make POV-Ray easier to use with Rhino, a toolbar for assigning materials has been added
to the Rhino toolbar layout. POV-Ray is not completely supported in Rhino, however. Documentation and
tutorials are available from on the POV-Ray web site: http://www.povray.org.
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POV Materials toolbar
To assign POV-Ray materials to Rhino objects:

1 Open the POV-Ray toolbars: POV Materials and POV Lights.
2 Use the buttons in the POV Materials toolbar to assign properties to objects in Rhino.
The left mouse button assigns a material property like "glass" or "shiny metal." The right mouse
button opens the Rhino Object properties dialog box where you can set the object color,
transparency, and highlight.
3 Use normal Rhino lights or use the POV Lights buttons to assign light types to Rhino lights.
4 Set up your scene with materials and lights.
5 Save or export your scene as a POV-Ray file.
6 Render the file by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.
Note
There are two files in the POV directory under the main Rhino directory (materials.inc and lights.inc)
that contain example materials and a list of variables you can use for writing custom materials.
All Rhino objects are exported as polygonal mesh objects to POV. Rhino does not support POV solid
primitives or CSG (constructive solid geometry).
Rhino can write each object in a scene to separate POV files, or into one large POV file. The first
option is useful for hand editing textures on each object.
The view in the POV file is the same as the active viewport when the object is exported.
Point object on layers whose names begin with the letters "POV" are exported as point light sources.
Assigning a color to the point objects in Rhino (like you would any other object for rendering) causes
the point lights to emit that color of light.
Textures are not exported, but object colors are. Surface normal information based on the original
NURBS surface is exported to POV. This will provide better quality renderings than those done with
files converted from DXF or RAW files.
Object names are exported to POV to make it easier to detect objects in the POV file. You can use
Properties to set the names of the objects.
You can also use SetObjectMaterial in Rhino to assign a material to an object. This material name is
exported for use by the renderer.
Raw Triangle file exchange

To open Raw Triangle files:
2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select Raw Triangles.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the RAW file.
4 Click Open.
Note
RAW files contain polygon meshes consisting of triangular polygon faces. Polygon mesh objects are
To save Raw Triangle files:

2 In the Save as type box, select Raw Triangles.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the RTF file.
4 Click Save.
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5 In the Create mesh from NURBS object dialog box, you can adjust the way Rhino creates a
polygon mesh from the NURBS geometry.
Note
RAW files contain polygon mesh objects that consist of triangular polygon faces only. All quadrangles
are converted to triangles.
To break a polygon mesh into separate triangular faces, Export it in RAW format, Import it back into
Rhino, and use ExplodeMesh.
To break a polygon mesh into triangles and quadrangles, use DXF instead.
SLC file exchange

To save SLC files:
2 In the Save as type box, select SLC.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the SLC file.
4 Click Save.
5 At the Select the base point of slicing normal prompt, pick a point that will be start of your slicing
normal.
The slices will be evenly spaced, (you can modify the distance between slices in an upcoming dialog
box) and perpendicular to the slicing normal.
6 At the Select the base point of slicing normal prompt, pick a point that will be the end of slicing
normal.
Options
Distance between slices
The distance between the slices or layers of curves that your final output will contain. The distance should
be based on the slice thicknesses of your final output device. (For example, The ModelMaker II has slice
thicknesses of 0.0127mm, 0.0254mm, 0.0381mm, 0.0508mm and 0.0762mm.)
Angle between polyline segments
The angle that determines how smooth the polylines of the slice curves will be. When the number is small
you will get a smooth final output but it will take more time to export.
Use meshes to generate slices
The curves for each slice generate by intersecting the object mesh with a plane. Consequently, the Angle
between polyline segments data is no longer used. The final output is based on the number of
polygons chosen for the mesh in the Polygon Mesh Options dialog. The greater the number of polygons,
the longer it will take to export and the smoother the final result.
STEP file exchange

To open STEP files:
2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select STEP.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the STEP file.
4 Click Open.
To save STEP files:
2 In the Save as type box, select STEP.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the STEP file.
4 Click Save.
STL file exchange

To open STL files:
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2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select STL.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the STL file.
4 Click Open.
Note
STL files contain polygon mesh objects. Polygon mesh objects are imported into Rhino as polygon
To save STL files:

2 In the Save as type box, select STL.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the STL file.
4 Click Save.
5 Select between ASCII and binary STL files.
STL Mesh Export Diagnostics
For some rapid prototyping machines, STL files must contain completely closed (watertight) polygon mesh
objects.
You might want to do this to make sure the meshes really do fit together before exporting them for use in
an expensive STL job.
Use JoinMesh, then Weld (angle=180), UnifyMeshNormals to turn a group of meshes into a single
watertight mesh object. Then use SelNakedMeshEdgePt to find the open (naked) edges.
To test for watertightness

1 Select the mesh objects.
2 From the Tools menu, click Polygon Mesh, then click Join.
Conceptually this gets all the triangles into one bag, but doesn't glue the edges together. (The
situation is similar to having a bunch of surfaces that all fit together but have not been Joined into a
Solid.)
3 Select the new mesh object.
4 From the Tools menu, click Polygon Mesh, then click Weld.
5 At the Angle tolerance prompt type 180.
An angle tolerance of 180 tells the Weld command to glue adjacent triangle points together no
matter what.
6 From the Tools menu, click Polygon Mesh, then click Unify Normals.
This changes all the triangles so they are oriented the same way, that is, if two triangles share an
edge, then they have the same idea of up.
7 To see if the result has any holes or gaps, type SelNakedMeshEdgePt.
If a mesh point is highlighted, then it is part of a "naked" triangle edge.
Note
When exporting NURBS objects to STL, Rhino converts the NURBS objects to polygon mesh objects. If
Rhino cannot create a closed STL file, the Export Incomplete Solids dialog box asks if you want to
export anyway.
The tolerances you set in the Document Properties dialog box, Units tab do not effect the STL
export tolerance. Instead, to control STL accuracy, use the mesh tolerance settings from the
Detailed Controls section of the mesh dialog that appears during STL export. Set the Max distance
edge to srf value to the STL tolerance you desire.
You can specify the ASCII STL tag Rhino uses. For example, to get JCAD to work, change the [STL]
section of the Rhino.ini file to look like this.
[STL]
Default=ASCII
ObjectTag=PART0001
VDA file exchange

VDA stands for Verband der Automobileindustrie. It is a neutral file format defined by German association
of automobile industries consortium for exchange of CAD data across systems.
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VDAFS file supports representation of 3- D geometry and topology information. It does not support
representation of drawing information, symbols, views, etc. It does not support assembly and feature
information.
To open VDA files:

2 In the Open dialog box, from the Files of type box, select VDA.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the VDA file.
4 Click Open.
To save VDA files:
2 In the Save as type box, select VDA.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the VDA file.
4 Click Save.
Options
Sender data
Sending company
Sender's name
Telephone number
Address
Part data
Project name
Object code
Variant
Confidentiality
Date effective
Receiver data
Company name
Receiving department
Export PointDeviation hairs as MDI
VRML file export

To save VRML files:
2 In the Save as type box, select VRML.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the WRL file.
4 Click Save.
Note
Rhino exports VRML files with the camera looking down the world z- axis toward the x,y plane. This is
the view in the default Top view in Rhino.
Render color, shine, and transparency determine the render material properties exported to the VRML
file.
The render background color exports as a background color to VMRL2.
Texture assignments are currently not exported.
Use the SetObjectMaterial command in Rhino to assign a material to an object. This material name
is exported for use by the renderer.
Some VRML clients are incompatible with the material shininess (specularity) set to zero. Using
Cortona and Cosmo Player, objects with shininess set to zero shade completely white. Rhino now
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checks if the shininess is zero, and if so, sets the shininess to something bigger than zero (we used 1,
but the value does not matter) and the specular color to black. The Black specular color results in a
matte surface in the VRML viewer.
Export options
Version
You can choose between version 1.0 and 2.0. In general, you should try 2.0 first. If it does not work with
your VRML viewer, try 1.0.
Options
Vertex normals
Only the polygon mesh vertex normals calculated from the NURBS surfaces are exported to the VRML file.
This may improve the appearance of the objects in the viewer, but will make the WRL file much larger.
Texture coordinates
The UV texture mapping coordinates are exported to the VRML file.
Viewpoint Technologies file export

To save as MTX/MTS:
To save Metastream files:

1 Attach materials (jpg files with dimensions in powers of 2) or change the Rhino render setting of
objects if desired.
2 Arrange the view/viewport you would like to export.
4 In the Save as type box, select Viewpoint Technologies Export.
6 Click Save.
You will get an MTX file and an MTS file as output. (The MTS file contains the actual data. The MTX file
is an XML file that describes how the data in the MTS file is to be diplayed.)
7 Outside of Rhino, setup an HTML file to view your MTX/MTS combo. This can be tricky. There is a
small application provided by Viewpoint Technologies to simplify the creation of the HTML file. You can
download it from http://developer.viewpoint.com/software/mtx2html.zip and get the accompanying
documentation from http://developer.viewpoint.com/software/docs/vpmtx2html.pdf.
8 This plug-in uses render meshes to generate the final output. To adjust the mesh settings see
"Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab."
Windows Metafile file export

To save Windows Metafiles:
2 In the Save as type box, select Windows Metafile.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the WMF file.
4 Click Save.
5 In the WMF Export Options dialog box, enter the size and resolution of the WMF file.
Note
Rhino exports the curves as a 2-D snapshot from the active viewport. Pay attention which viewport is
active when you export.
Rhino exports surfaces and solids as a polyline wireframe and curves as polylines.
DirectX file exchange

Rhino does not directly support the DirectX file format.
To export a DirectX file:

1 Export a 3D Studio 3DS file from Rhino.
2 Convert the 3DS file into a DirectX file with conv3ds.exe, a utility that comes with DirectX SDK.
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Syntax:
conv3ds -h yourfile.3ds
A file yourfile.x is created.
Note
You must use the -h option with conv3ds, because Rhino does not export key frame information to
the 3DS file. Not using this option with Rhino 3DS files crashes conv3ds.
Moldex
Export a DXF file for Moldex.
2 Click Save.
PostScript file exchange

Rhino does not have direct PostScript support.
To save PostScript files:

You can save PostScript files from Rhino by printing to a file using a PostScript printer driver.
To open PostScript files:
To open PostScript files, you need to use an illustration program to convert the PostScript file into AI
format and then import the AI file into Rhino.
IGES file exchange

To export to an IGES file
1 Select the objects you want to export.
2 From the File menu, click Export Selected.
3 In the Export Selected Objects dialog box, in the Save as type box, select IGES.
4 In the File name box, enter a name for the file, and click Save.
Simple and detailed IGES export options
In the IGES Export Options dialog box, from the IGES type box, select an IGES type.
Or click Detailed Controls to open the IGES Export Detailed Options dialog box.
IGES export detailed options
In the IGES Export Detailed Options dialog box, click Edit types to edit and create new IGES
export types.
Detailed options
Author, Organization, Sender's product ID, and Receiver's product ID
These are text fields in the IGES file that can be used for identification purposes.
IGES tolerance
In general the IGES tolerance should match the absolute tolerance setting in Rhino taking account the
possible unit conversion.
The IGES tolerance does not affect the accuracy of the geometry.
IGES units
The units used for the IGES export.
Include notes in the IGES file
Check to save notes in IGES start section. Otherwise the IGES start section is a blank line.
Render color as IGES entity color
Check to use the render color of objects as the IGES entity color. Otherwise the layer color of the object is
used as the IGES entity color.
IGES export settings

Each product has its own interpretation of the IGES file format. This means various settings have different
values for each product.
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The Rhino IGES export is customized to give the best possible results for the product import of a Rhino
file.
The settings controlled are:
Variable Values
IgesVersion 5.2 or 5.3
EOL CRLF (MS-DOS/Windows)
LF (Unix)
CR (Mac OS)
Scale 1.0
Points 116 (separate points)
106-2 (layer point sets)
MaxCurveDegree No limit
3
5
CurvesAsSingleBspline Yes/No
SimplifyCurves Yes/No
FitRationalCurves Yes/No
ClampCurveEndKnots Yes/No
Surfaces 143
144
128 + 3D trim curves
PolySurfaces 0 (separate surfaces)
402-7 (unordered group)
Meshes skip
MaxSurfaceDegree No limit
3
5
Solids 0 (separate surfaces)
184
186 (manifold B-rep)
402-7 (Unordered group)
SimplifySurfaces Yes/No
FitRationalSurfaces Yes/No
ClampSurfaceEndKnots Yes/No
Note
When Rhino 2.0 reads an IGES file using the "OPEN" command, the Rhino units are set to those in the
IGES file and the Rhino system tolerance is set to the IGES file tolerance, with some adjustments
made to keep Rhino from setting a too small/big tolerance based on a bogus IGES file tolerance.
When Rhino 2.0 reads an IGES file using the "IMPORT / MERGE" command, the Rhino system
tolerance is never changed. The tolerance used in rebuilding bogus IGES trims is automatically
computed and is always smaller than or equal to the Rhino system tolerance. If the IGES units do not
match the Rhino units, the user gets informed and is given the option of scaling the imported IGES
geometry so that it matches the current Rhino unit system.
Polygon meshes are not exported to IGES file. If you import a 3DS file (which is a polygon mesh file)
and write out an IGES file, the IGES file will be empty.
To create an IGES import log, change CreateImportLog=n to CreateImportLog=y in the IGES
section in the Rhino.ini.
To import trimming curves as curve objects, change Import3dTrimmingCurves=n to
Import3dTrimmingCurves=y in the IGES section in the Rhino.ini.
Level/Layer translation between Rhino and IGES

IGES "levels" are like Rhino layers, except they use a number instead of a text name as an identifier.
Companies with layer standards for products that use IGES to exchange data need a way to define a
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correspondence between Rhino layer names and IGES level numbers. A layer to level function is available
in Rhino.
To set up correspondence between Rhino layers and IGES levels:

1 Create a text file like the following example:
;IGES level translation rules
[3 Stooges]
"Default" = 0
"Larry" = 13
"Curley" = 7
"Moe" = 32000
[Fruit Stand]
"Default" = 0
"Orange" = 9876
"Apple - Delicious" = 13
"Apple - Granny Smith" = 7232
"Grape" = 1
This file defines rules for mapping Rhino layers to IGES level numbers that will be used during IGES
export and for mapping IGES level numbers to Rhino layers that will be used during IGES import.
This file defines two sets of Rhino layer-IGES level correspondence rules (flavors) named "3 Stooges"
and "Fruit Stand."
2 In order for Rhino to use this file you must add a line in the [IGES] section of Rhino.ini that tells
Rhino the name of this file and the name of the "flavor."
For example, if your file is called "iges_level_mapping.txt" and you want to use the "Fruit Stand"
type, then you would add the lines:
[IGES]
LayerLevelMappingFile = "C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros\iges_level_mapping.txt"
LayerLevelMappingFlavor = "Fruit Stand"
Note
In general, it is a good idea for Rhino's "Default" layer to correspond to IGES's level 0, but this is not
required.
This file can contain multiple flavors. A flavor has a name enclosed in square brackets [ ] followed by
lines that look like:
"<RhinoLayerName>" = N
where N is a non-negative integer (0, 1, 2, 3, ...).
The Rhino layer name appears between the quotation marks.
A flavor is terminated by a blank line.
Spaces and tabs are ignored.
Lines that begin with semi-colon (;) are ignored.
If an imported IGES file contains a level number that is not listed in the set of rules and does have a
IGES level name, that level will automatically be imported to a layer called "IGES_LEVEL_N".
If an exported Rhino layer name is not listed in the set of rules, an IGES level number is automatically
selected.
Troubleshooting IGES import

Problem: You read an IGES file and nothing shows up.
If you read an IGES file and nothing is imported, Rhino displays an IGES Import Summary Information
message box that says:
Rhino found nothing to import from this IGES file.
This happens when an IGES file has no valid independent geometry.
A summary of the file's contents is printed in the command history window.
Type "CommandHistory" to view the entire summary.
The IGES file may contain usable IGES geometry entities that are not marked as geometry. To see if this
is the case, you need to do a bit of sleuthing. When Rhino reads an IGES file, it prints a summary of the
IGES file’s contents in the command history window. Use the CommandHistory command to view the
command history. You’ll see a report that looks similar to the this:
IGES global section settings in "myfile.igs"
Author: …
Author's organization: …
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Sender model name: …

Receiver model name: …
Sender file name: …
Sender system ID: …
Sender IGES preprocessor: …
IGES file created time: date month year hour:minute:second
Model created/last modified time: date month year hour:minute:second
Unit system: millimeters
Unit system name: MM
IGES tolerance: 0.01
Maximum coordinate: 101
Scale: 1 model units = 1 world unit
…
IGES file contents summary
Number of invalid directory entries: 0
Null entity count: 0
Transformation matrix entity count: 1
Attribute information entity count: 0
All other entities:
Category (independent count/physically dependent/logically dependent/total count)
Geometry (0/…/…/Ng)
Annotation (…/…/…/Ng)
Definition (…/…/…/Ng)
Other (0/0/0/ No)
Logical/Positional (0/0/0/0)
2d Parametric (0/0/0/0)
Construction Geometry (0/0/0/0)
Imported 0 entities from IGES file myfile.igs.
If the Geometry(…) line looks like Geometry(0/…/…/n) and n is not zero, then it may be that valid
geometry is in the IGES file, but that geometry is incorrectly marked as dependent. If one of the
Annotation(), Definition(), Other(), or Logical/Positional(), lines has (…/…/…/n) and n is not zero, then it
may be that there is valid geometry in the IGES file that is incorrectly marked as something besides
geometry.
If you think there is a chance that an IGES file contains valid geometry that is not being read because the
IGES file has put the geometry in the wrong category, then you can use an advanced Rhino command to
attempt to read this IGES file.
The ReadEveryIgesEntity command tells Rhino that the next time an IGES file is read, it should ignore
all category settings in the IGES file and try to read everything.
ReadEveryIgesEntity command
Imports all IGES entities, regardless of type.

To import all IGES entities
1 At the Command prompt, type ReadEveryIgesEntity
2 Open the questionable IGES file.
If there is any geometry at all in the IGES file, you will get it. It is likely you will also get lots of
geometry you didn’t want and will have to dig through the pile to find the items you need.
The ReadEveryIgesEntity command only effects the next IGES file that is read. If you do something
like:
open alpha.igs
ReadEveryIgesEntity
open beta.igs
open gamma.igs
Rhino attempts to read every entity only from beta.igs.
Rhino reads alpha.igs and gamma.igs normally, accepting only entities marked as geometry.
Edit IGES export types

To create a new IGES type:
1 In the IGES Export Types dialog box, click New.
2 In the IGES Export Type Details dialog box, set the options for the IGES type.
3 In the IGES Export Types dialog box, click Close.
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To create a new IGES type based on existing type:

1 In the IGES Export Types dialog box, from the IGES type list box, select an IGES type you want to
base the new type to, and click Copy Type.
To edit an IGES type:
1 In the IGES Export Types dialog box, from the IGES type list box, select an IGES type, and click
Edit.
To delete an IGES type:
In the IGES Export Types dialog box, select an IGES type, and click Delete.
Edit IGES export type details

General
Name
Type a name for the IGES type.
IGES version
Choose between IGES version 5.2 and 5.3.
The difference is 5.2 stores years using two digits and 5.3 using four digits.
Text file type
Choose between MS-DOS, Unix, and MacOS style line endings.
MS-DOS uses carriage return + line feed (CRLF), Unix uses LF, and MacOS uses CR.
Scale
Set the default scale factor for the IGES type. The number must be bigger than zero.
In most cases, this number should be one.
Points and Curves

Point Objects
Point objects can be exported as separate IGES 116 point entities or all points on a single layer can be
exported as a single IGES 106-2 point set.
Max degree
Choose between no degree limit, maximum degree three, and maximum degree five.
If the max degree is set to three, all NURBS curves with degree higher than three are approximated with
non-rational cubics to the specified IGES tolerance.
If the max degree is set to five, all NURBS curves with degree higher than five are approximated with
non-rational quintics to the specified IGES tolerance.
Composite curves as single B-spline
Curve made from two or more B-splines can be exported as an IGES 102 (composite curve) entity or as
IGES 126 entities.
Use simple entities when possible
Use this setting to export NURBS curves that are lines, arcs, or circles (within the IGES tolerance) as IGES
lines, IGES arcs, or IGES circles.
Fit rational curves
With this setting all rational curves (curve objects and trim curves) are be approximated with non-rational
cubics to the tolerance specified as the IGES tolerance.
Clamp end knots
With this setting periodic NURBS curves are exported as NURBS curves with clamped end knots.
Surfaces
Solids
Solids can be exported as separate surfaces, IGES 184 entities, IGES 186 (Manifold BRep) entities, or
IGES 402-7 (Unordered group) entities.
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Polysurfaces
Open polysurfaces can be exported as separate surfaces or IGES 402-7 entities.
Surfaces
Surfaces can be exported as IGES 128, IGES 143 and IGES 144 entities.
IGES 128 means all trimmed surfaces are exported as untrimmed surfaces.
Max degree
Choose between no degree limit, maximum degree three, and maximum degree five.
If the max degree is set to three, when possible, all NURBS surfaces with degree higher than three are
approximated with non-rational cubics to the specified IGES tolerance.
If the max degree is set to five, when possible, all NURBS surfaces with degree higher than five are
approximated with non-rational quintics to the specified IGES tolerance.
Use simple entities when possible
With this setting NURBS surfaces that are planar (within the tolerance specified as the IGES tolerance) are
exported as IGES planes or IGES trimmed planes.
Fit rational surfaces
With this setting, when possible, rational NURBS surfaces are be approximated with non-rational cubics to
the tolerance specified as the IGES tolerance.
Clamp end knots
With this setting periodic NURBS surfaces are exported as NURBS surfaces with clamped end knots.
Split closed surfaces
If a surface is closed (like a cylinder), the surface will be split into two halves in the IGES file. If a surface
is closed in both directions (like a torus), the surface will be split into four quarters in the IGES file.
Split bipolar surfaces
If a surface has poles at both ends (like a sphere), the surface is split so each half has just one pole.
Troubleshooting IGES Export Problems

If you read IGES files created from Rhino into another product and some surfaces are missing, try the
following test.
1 Export your geometry using the "Test 143" export type.
2 Export the same geometry again using the "Test 144" export type.
3 Try to load both files into your product.
If you get better results with one export type, post the results to the Rhino newsgroup
news://news.rhino3d.com/rhino so we can document this file format.
OBJ (Wavefront) file export

To save Wavefront OBJ files:
2 In the Save as type box, select Wavefront OBJ.
3 In the File name box, type a name for the OBJ file.
4 Click Save.
5 In the OBJ Export Options dialog box, select the options for OBJ export.
6 If you export geometry as polygon mesh, in the Create mesh from NURBS object dialog box, you
can adjust the way Rhino creates a polygon mesh from the NURBS geometry.
OBJ Export Options

Export geometry as
NURBS
Rhino curves and surfaces are exported as NURBS curves and surfaces.
Polygon mesh
Surfaces are approximated with polygon mesh objects. In the Create mesh from NURBS object dialog
box, set the way Rhino creates a polygon mesh from the NURBS geometry. Curves are not exported.
67
Export trims as
Polylines
When exporting NURBS surfaces, the trimming curves are approximated by polylines. The geometry is not
as accurate as if you export trims as curves. This option was originally included for exporting to Alias. Now
you should be able to use IGES for exporting to Alias instead.
Curves
When exporting NURBS surfaces, the trimming curves are NURBS curves. This is more accurate than
exporting trims as polylines.
End of line character
CRLF (Windows, MS-DOS)
Return + line feed.
LF (Unix)
Line feed only.
CR (Mac OS)
Return only.
Export object names
Exports object names.
Export layer names
Exports layer names.
These settings make it possible to export data to programs that do not support nested grouping. The OBJ
import plug-in for 3D Studio MAX is one example. To export to MAX, Export layer names should be
cleared.
Export material definitions
Creates an .mtl file with the same name as the .obj file. The .mtl file contains one material definition per
object. There are also references to these materials added to the .obj file.
Y Up
Translates the the exported model from a z-up orientation to a y-up orientation.
Note
Use SetObjectMaterial in Rhino to assign a material to an object. This material name is exported for
use by the renderer.
Layer names and object names are exported into the OBJ file as OBJ group names. Spaces in the
layer or object names are converted into underbar (_) characters.
IGES polygon mesh export

Rhino supports a limited ability to export mesh information to IGES files using entity type 104-12/13. This
appears to be the accepted and best way to deal with mesh data in IGES files. If is far from 100%
satisfactory.
By default, mesh export is disabled. Currently the only way to enable mesh export for an IGES flavor is to
edit the appropriate
Meshes = skip | 106-12 | 106-13
line in the Rhino.ini file.
The option you choose depends on where the file is going. We don't have enough information to know
what the proper settings should be for all the flavors in the current list.
Options
Skip
Don't export meshes.
106-12
Export meshes as groups (402-7) of facets. Each facet is represented by a 3 or 4 segmented closed
polyline that outlines the edges of the facet.
106-13
Export meshes as groups (402-7) of facets. Each facet is represented by a 3 or 4 segmented closed
polyline that outlines the edges of the facet.
The vertex normals are stored at the vertices.
68
IGES Types
3D Studio MAX 3.0 IGES file exchange

2 In the Save as type box, select IGES.
4 From the IGES Type box, select 3D Studio MAX 3.
Note
When merging an IGES file, it is recommended that you save your work first.
After a large IGES import, it is recommended that you save your work, and then restart MAX.
There may be some instances where the IGES import is trimming the wrong portion of the surface. In
this case, select the surface, make it independent, select the trim curve, and flip the trim.
The IGES importer uses IGES group and level information to distinguish between objects. All data that
is not grouped, and resides in the same level will import to the same object. To distinguish between
separate entities, it is recommended that you use groups or levels when exporting from the
originating application.
For the fastest import, change your viewport layout to a single viewport, and set the display to
wireframe.
MAX4 has two places where you can set the units: Customize > Unit Setup, and Customize >
Preferences. Set these to match the units in the Rhino file.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
HideDependentObjects=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
CurvesAsSingleBspline=N
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
ClampCurveEndKnots=N
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
FitRationalSurfaces=N
ClampSurfaceEndKnots=N
Alias|Wavefront IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Alias V8.x.
Note
If you have problems transferring files to older versions of Alias using IGES, try using OBJ format
instead.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
CurvesAsSingleBspline=y
69
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
ClampCurveEndKnots=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
FitRationalSurfaces=n
ClampSurfaceEndKnots=n
Ashlar Vellum IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Ashlar Vellum.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
Text file type=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
Max Curve Degree=3
Curves As Single B-spline=n
Simplify Curves=y
Fit Rational Curves=y
Clamp Curve End Knots=y
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
Max Surface Degree=0
Solids=0
Simplify Surfaces=y
Fit Rational Surfaces=n
Clamp Surface End Knots=y
AUTOFORM IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select AUTOFORM.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
ClampCurveEndKnots=Y
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
ClampSurfaceEndKnots=Y
70
AutoShip IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select AutoShip.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
ClampCurveEndKnots=y
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
ClampSurfaceEndKnots=y
Breault Research's ASAP IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Breault Research's ASAP.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.3
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
CurvesAsSingleBspline=n
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
UseParentLabelOnCurves=Y
ForceBezierKnotsOnCurves=Y
FlagDependentCurvesAs03=N
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=402
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=402
SimplifySurfaces=y
UseParentLabelOnSurfaces=Y
ForceBezierKnotsOnSurfaces=Y
FlagDependentSurfacesAs03=N
CADCEUS IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select CADCEUS.
71
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
CurvesAsSingleBspline=Y
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=Y
ForceBezierKnotsOnCurves=N
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
FitRationalSurfaces=Y
ForceBezierKnotsOnSurfaces=N
CamSoft IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select CamSoft.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
CATIA IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select CATIA.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
HideDependentObjects=Y
72
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
FlagDependentSurfacesAs03=Y
Split closed surfaces=Y
Split bipolar surfaces=Y
ForceTrimmedSurfaces=Y
Note
For the solids modelers there are now two types, Surfaces and Solids. The Surfaces type should be
used when exporting a single surface to those products. The Solids type should be used when
exporting anything you expect to be able to join back together.
If a surface is closed (like a cylinder) and Split closed surfaces=Y, the surface will be split into two
halves in the IGES file. If a surface is closed in both directions (like a torus) and Split closed
surfaces=Y, then the surface will be split into four quarters in the IGES file.
If a surface has poles at both ends (like a sphere) and Split bipolar surfaces=Y, then the surface is
split so each half has just one pole.
The drawback of splitting is that if you had a closed surface and wanted to deform it in some other
application, then splitting it in half would make it harder to get nice deformations.
The ForcedTrimmedSurfaces export option forces all surfaces, even those that are trivially trimmed,
to be exported as IGES trimmed surface entities.
Cosmos/M IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Cosmos/M.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
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Delcam IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Cosmos/M.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
FastShip IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select FastShip.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=Y
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
FastSURF IGES file exchange

74

4 From the IGES Type box, select FastSURF.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
IronCAD IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select IronCAD.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.3
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=3
CurvesAsSingleBspline=Y
SimplifyCurves=Y
FitRationalCurves=Y
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=186
SimplifySurfaces=Y
Integrity Ware IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Integrity Ware.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
75
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
LUSAS IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select LUSAS.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=Y
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
Mastercam IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Mastercam.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
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Maya IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Maya.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
ME30 IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select ME30.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
Note
77
Mechanical Desktop IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Mechanical Desktop.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=186
SimplifySurfaces=y
Exporting From Mechanical Desktop

The best way to get geometry from Mechanical Desktop (MDT) release 2.0 into Rhino is to use the MDT
IGESOUT command. To get the best results, you may need to adjust the MDT IGES export options.
To export:
5 In MDT start the IGESOUT command.
6 In the Autodesk IGES Translator R14 - IGESOUT dialog box, click Edit options.
7 In the IGESOUT Options Editor dialog box, click Start and Global.
8 In the IGESOUT Start and Global Options dialog box, set IGES Version to either 5.2 or 5.3.
Version 5.3 stores years as 4 digit numbers. Version 5.2 stores years as 2 digit numbers, and click
OK.
9 In the IGESOUT Options Editor dialog box, click Structure.
10 In the IGESOUT Structure Options dialog box, set Map Layer Names to Level Property (406:3)
and click OK.
11 In the IGESOUT Options Editor dialog box, click Geometry.
12 In the IGESOUT Geometry Options dialog box, set 3D Solid/Designer part mapping to
Surfaces, and set Trimmed Surface Mapping to Bounded surface (143) and click OK.
13 In the IGESOUT Options Editor dialog box, click DE Mappings.
14 In the IGESOUT DE Mapping Options dialog box, check Color Definition Entity (314) and click
OK.
15 To save these settings, in the IGESOUT Options Editor dialog box, in the Description box, type
something like MDT to Rhino and click Save As. Save the options in a file called something like
MDTtoRhino.opt.
Note
There are lots of MDT IGES options that are not mentioned in the discussion above. You may set
these options as you see fit. (The MDT defaults work fine.)
Microstation IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Microstation.
78
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
Note
When exporting to Microstation, it may be useful to use the LinearizeTrims command before
exporting. This changes all the trimming boundaries on trimmed NURBS surfaces to be represented
with polyline trim curves.
Remember not to overwrite the original 3DM file with a file with linearized trims.
Multisurf IGES file exchange

At the time of this writing, the current version of Multisurf is 3.1. Multisurf 3.1 will not completely import
IGES trimmed surface entities or curve geometry. If you add the following section to your Rhino.ini file,
then you can export surfaces (trimming will be lost) to Multisurf 3.1 using an IGES file. Note that an IGES
file created with these settings will not contain any trimming information.
4 From the IGES Type box, select Multisurf.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=128
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
NASA GridTool IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select NASA GridTool.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
79
DoublesUseE=N
NoZerosInTSection=Y
Points=106
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SplitClosedSurfaces=N
SplitBiPolarSurfaces=N
Okino NuGraf/Polytrans IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select NuGraf.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=402
Meshes=106-13
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=402
SimplifySurfaces=N
OptiCAD IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select OptiCAD.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
80
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
Pro/E IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Pro/E NT or Pro/E UNIX, depending on the platform Pro/E is
running on.
Note
With Pro/E version 20, when exporting to IGES, use the "All Parts" option.
To optimize export of Pro/E files into Rhino, use these settings in the Pro/E config.pro file or save
them as rhino.pro file then read it in before exporting.
IGES_OUT_ALL_SRFS_AS 128
IGES_OUT_SPL_CRVS_AS_126 YES
IGES_OUT_SPL_SRFS_AS_128 YES
IGES_OUT_TRIM_XYZ YES
IGES_OUT_MIL_D_28000 NO
IGES_OUT_TRM_SRFS_AS_143 NO
IGES_OUT_TRIM_CURVE_DEVIATION DEFAULT
INTF_OUT_BLANKED_ENTITIES NO
INTF_OUT_MAX_BSPL_DEGREE 5
INTF_OUT_AS_BEZIER NO
INTF3D_OUT_FORCE_SURF_NORMALS YES
INTF3D_OUT_SURFACE_DEVIATION YES
INTF3D_OUT_EXTEND_SURFACE YES
IGES_IN_106_F2_AS_SPLINE NO
IGES_IN_DWG_LINE_FONT YES
IGES_IN_DWG_PNT_ENT YES
IGES_IN_DWG_COLOR YES
FIX_BOUNDARIES_ON_IMPORT YES
Prior to constructing any geometry, you should set your absolute tolerance to something lower than
the default 0.01 units; somewhere around 0.001 to 0.0001 will produce good results. Anything lower
than that tends to slow Rhino down too much.
If you set your tolerances right, you should only have to perform a minimal amount of manual
stitching once inside Pro/E.
IGES Settings for Pro/E Windows

IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=3
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=y
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=3
Solids=184
SimplifySurfaces=y
81
FitRationalSurfaces=y
IGES Settings for Pro/E UNIX

IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=3
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=y
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=3
Solids=184
SimplifySurfaces=y
FitRationalSurfaces=y
Split closed surfaces=Y
Split bipolar surfaces=Y
Note
For the solids modelers like Pro/E, there are now two types, Surfaces and Solids. The Surfaces type
should be used when exporting a single surface to those products. The Solids type should be used
when exporting anything you expect to be able to join back together.
If a surface is closed (like a cylinder) and Split closed surfaces=Y, the surface will be split into two
halves in the IGES file. If a surface is closed in both directions (like a torus) and Split closed
surfaces=Y, then the surface will be split into four quarters in the IGES file.
If a surface has poles at both ends (like a sphere) and Split bipolar surfaces=Y, then the surface is
split so each half has just one pole.
The drawback of splitting is that if you had a closed surface and wanted to deform it in some other
application, then splitting it in half would make it harder to get nice deformations.
The ForcedTrimmedSurfaces export option forces all surfaces, even those that are trivially trimmed,
to be exported as IGES trimmed surface entities.
Tips from an expert user:

Below are a few tips from a Rhino user that should help working with IGES files and Pro/E 21.
Pro/E 20-21 have problems shading free-form surfaces. Set the resolution to 10 in Pro/E to help see the
surface. Check the surface in Pro/E with the mesh command to see if they are in sync. Cutting a surface
into halves or even a four-way split can help with the shading problems.
Use Rhino for the surfacing tool and Pro/E for the detailing tool. Don't do in Rhino what you want as a
parametric feature in the model. Things like fillets and drafts - all internals should be saved for Pro/E. The
more trims you have, the worse the odds are for a solid import in Pro/E. Model with tight tolerance in
Rhino and make sure the start part in Pro/E has a lower tolerance than the export. Make sure you have
enough information in the file to do a translation. Large spaced isoparms and things like caped ends will
fail as a solid import so rebuild surfaces or up the degree to add more control points to clamp things
together. Keep away from weights on cv's in Rhino if exporting via IGES.
When modeling in Rhino, make sure all surfaces overlap so you can do a un-trim if IGES splits open on
import. There are times you may need to go back to Rhino and do a un-trim, re-export to Pro/E and do a
native Pro/E trim because the surfaces will not zip gaps. This will bypass the tolerance issue if your
overlapping surface distance is enough. This also means don't do a ShrinkTrimmedSrf in Rhino if it will
prevent a un-trim without a overlapping edge.
Open surfaces can be made into a solid in Pro/E providing the open edge is buried in solid material in
Pro/E. Surface replace is another good tool to use, and better yet is a single surface import of exploded
parts from Rhino because each surface is a feature, then, and can be replaced with insert mode in Pro/E
and managed as a feature.
The curves used with NetworkSrf in Rhino can be exported to Pro/E and used with the surfacing module
using Surface\Advanced\Boundary with similar results. If the curves are planar, they can be used and
made parametric with use-edge and un-aligned then re-dimensioned and adjusted, so all features are
native to Pro/E but developed in Rhino.
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Don't forget that Pro/E can use a IGES as a cutter, a surface, and a solid. Quilts can grow in Pro/E with
multiple inputs from Rhino. Make sure all surfaces pass draft check for molding parts before export and
before any work starts in Pro/E.
If you go round trip from Rhino to Pro then back to Pro, you will not get back what you sent, Pro/E with
split and rebuild the surfaces on import unless you split them first where you want them. Finding culprit
surfaces is always a learning curve for every design.
Assembly files are not supported
The Pro/E .asm file is a pointer file telling Pro/E how to assemble the parts. There is no geometry
information in it. It keeps track of exploded dimensions and layer colors for the assembly. It is a parent
file to the assembly and is sent out as IGES when you send out all parts but has no information Rhino can
use since Rhino does not support assemblies.
To get an assembly into Rhino you can set up a layer/level mapping file or load one IGES file at a time and
put them on layers as you go. Make sure you send the IGES parts out from the default coordinate or top
level coordinate in the 'assembly' so the parts come in based on the assembly coordinates and not the
part coordinates.
Read the Help file topic about layer/level mapping IGES files if you want to go that route.
SDRC's I-DEAS IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select SDRC's I-DEAS.
Exporting from Rhino:
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=186
SimplifySurfaces=n
Note
I-DEAS uses a black background. Use a white or light colored layer color in Rhino so objects will show
when imported into I-DEAS.
Exporting from I-DEAS
Types to Export to IGES

Points
Groups
Curves/Edges
Convert to Curve Type: 126:0 Non-Uniform Rational BSpline (NURBS)
Surfaces
Convert to Trimmed Surface type: 143:0 Bounded with Model and Param Space Curves
Convert to Base Surface Type: 128:0 Non-Uniform Rational BSpline (NURBS)
Trim curves convert to: 126:0 Non-Uniform Rational BSpline (NURBS)
Solids
Convert to Representation Type: 186:0 Solids with 3D Model and 2D Param Space Curves
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Maximum number of points per IGES Polyline: 1000

Chordal Deviation Tolerance: 0.01
Maximum Degree of Curves and Surfaces:
Softimage IGES file exchange

There are three options for getting NURBS models from Rhino into Softimage. All three have their own
problems and benefits.
Softimage can also import 3DS, DXF, and OBJ file formats created in Rhino.
1. Use Softimage’s file utility:

1 Create a NURBS model in Rhino.
3 In the Save As dialog box, from the Save as type box, select IGES.
4 Type a filename and click Save.
5 In the IGES Export dialog box, from the IGES Type box, select Softimage.
6 Run iges2soft.exe with the following command line switches:
iges2soft -f -L -S3 -s3 -T5 -t3 -v3 -R [RSRC_DIR] MyIgesFile.igs MyDSCFile.dsc
[RSRC_DIR] = Softimage resource directory (often c:\soft3d_3.7\3d\bin\rsrc)
iges2soft.txt contains command line option information.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
2. Use Polytrans file exchange utility:

Polytrans by Okino can read IGES files and write Softimage files. Check out their web site for more
information: www.okino.com.
3. Use Phoenix Tools plug-in:

Advice from an expert Rhino user:
Download the free Phoenix Tools Iges Import plug-in for Softimage from:
Main page:
www.phoenixtools.com
Plugin download link page:
www.phoenixtools.com/products/GreenCD/freeplugs.html
The actual download page with plugins for Alpha, SGI and x86 (Intel), for SI versions 3.7sp1 and 3.8:
ftp://ftp.phoenixtools.com/pub/download/Free_Plug-ins/
The best way to get objects from Rhino into Softimage correctly trimmed is:
1 Export the model to the Softimage IGES flavor:
From the File menu click Export, then click IGES.
In the IGES Export Options dialog box, select Softimage.
It is best to export your objects separately if it is a very large model. This is so things are easier to
sort out in schematic view when you recombine the scene elements later. This makes the conversion
process less complicated on import into Softimage as each imported section will be brought in under a
parent null.
2 Open Softimage.
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3 Import the file:

Tools > Import > Objects > PT_IgesImport.
4 Select the database where you want the imported IGES file to be saved upon conversion to Softimage
format.
(I suggest creating a new Softimage directory specifically for the task of IGES importing.)
5 Accept Phoenix Tools Iges Import default settings.
6 The model will be translated and then appear in Softimage.
7 Select all models [spacebar+a] and rotate -90 in the X axis:
Model > Effect > Freeze > Rotation.
8 Save scene/model to await merging into desired Softimage scene.
Solid Edge IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Solid Edge.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
Note
Solid Designer IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Solid Designer 6 or Solid Designer 7.
IGES Settings Solid Designer 6:

[IGES_SolidDesigner 6]
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
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Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
IGES Settings Solid Designer 7:

IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=143
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=402
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SolidWorks IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select SolidWorks.
Note
Rhino SolidWorks
For SolidWorks post-IGES "knitting" to succeed, the IGES unit system and/or tolerance may need to
be tweaked. Experiment with different settings for optimal results.
To make more watertight geometry in Rhino, you need to set the Rhino absolute tolerance to a small
number like 0.001 or 0.0001 before building the geometry.
SolidWorks Rhino
SolidWorks Standard IGES export type uses analytic surfaces. To export models to Rhino, use one of
the other IGES types like SURFCAM or Mastercam that use NURBS surfaces.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
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MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
Advice from a user:

Use an absolute tolerance of 0.0001. Model only the organic parts of the model in Rhino, leaving features
such as fillets, shelling, ribs, etc., for SolidWorks. SolidWorks usually does not consider Rhino tangencies
to be tangent. Fortunately SolidWorks provides some workarounds with face fillets. Another thing you can
do is select the entire chain of "near tangent" edges in SolidWorks, and the filleter will build a piece-wise
fillet with "near tangent" segments, which within human perception, is tangent. SolidWorks helps with
these problems with its right-click > Select Tangent feature, which works on both edges and faces. This is
an enormous help when filleting imported models.
Shelling, by nature, sometimes requires that some surfaces be extended. But if your Rhino model has a
singularity or other peculiarity where the extension should occur, then shelling is likely to fail. Also, small
wrinkles with stall the sheller if the curvature of the wrinkle is smaller than the requested wall thickness.
Generally, try to model with smooth, over-sized slab surfaces whenever possible. Import a number of
"mini models" as your Rhino model progresses, to test feasibility. Use SolidWorks "What's Wrong" feature
to highlight problem areas, and investigate alternative approaches. Nothing replaces experience, and after
you successfully work with a few imported models in SolidWorks, you will gain an intuitive feel for the
types of things that work well.
SUM 4.0 IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select SUM4.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=N
FitRationalCurves=N
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SURFCAM IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select SURFCAM.
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IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
Tebis IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Tebis Windows or Tebis UNIX.
IGES Settings:
[IGES_Tebis Windows]
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=Y
FitRationalCurves=Y
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SplitClosedSurfaces=Y
SplitBiPolarSurfaces=Y
NoZerosInTSection=N
CATIAVersion=N
CATIA_TOLSIZE=100000.000000
[IGES_Tebis UNIX]
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
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SimplifyCurves=Y
FitRationalCurves=Y
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SplitClosedSurfaces=Y
SplitBiPolarSurfaces=Y
NoZerosInTSection=N
CATIAVersion=N
CATIA_TOLSIZE=100000.000000
TekSoft IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select TekSoft.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=CRLF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
SimplifyCurves=n
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=n
Unigraphics IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Unigraphics.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.0
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=0
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SimplifyCurves=y
FitRationalCurves=n
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
Meshes=skip
MaxSurfaceDegree=0
Solids=0
SimplifySurfaces=y
Note
Yamaha ESPri IGES file exchange

4 From the IGES Type box, select Yamaha ESPRi.
IGES Settings:
IgesVersion=5.2
EOL=LF
Scale=1.000000
DoublesUseE=N
Points=116
MaxCurveDegree=3
SimplifyCurves=Y
FitRationalCurves=Y
Surfaces=144
PolySurfaces=0
MaxSurfaceDegree=3
Solids=0
Meshes=skip
SimplifySurfaces=N
SplitClosedSurfaces=N
SplitBiPolarSurfaces=N
Context menu
You can right-click on an object or in a viewport to access a context menu.
Context-sensitive menu with object selected.

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If an object is selected, actions related to objects appear in the menu.
Context-sensitive menu in viewport.

If no object is selected, actions related to viewport properties appear in the menu.
The first item is always to repeat the last command. If context-sensitive menu is on, you can also repeat
the last command using a double-right click.
Turn off default menu display

You can turn off the immediate display of the context-sensitive menu using a setting in the Rhino.ini file.
[RightMouseButton]
ContextMenus=n
If ContextMenus is set to no, you can still access the context menu by right-click and hold. The cursor
changes to indicate you can either release the button to access the menu, or drag to manipulate the view.
Context-sensitive menu indicator.

In addition, holding the Shift key while right-clicking will display the context menu immediately.
Customize the menus

Context menus are customizable. Edit the Rhino.ini file to add or change menu items.
Select Color
From the Color List:
In the Select Color dialog box, from the Named Colors list, select a color.
The named colors are loaded from an ASCII text file called colors.txt in the Rhino install directory,
which is usually c:\Program files\Rhinoceros. You can customize the file if you want to define your
own color palette.
From the color selector:

Drag the marker around the wheel to define the hue.
Drag the marker horizontally in the square to define the saturation level.
Drag the marker vertically in the square to define the brightness value.
From the HSV and RGB boxes:

To select an red/green/blue (RGB) color, type RGB values in the Red, Green, and Blue boxes.
To create an hue/saturation/brightness value (HSV) color, type values in the Hue, Saturation, and
Value boxes.
Note
If you change the hue but don't see much of a change in the sample box, click in the upper left corner
of the shade square to make sure you're seeing the hue at full saturation and value.
For maximum speed, Rhino screen uses only 256 colors. That's why custom colors selected for layers
and screen items may change when you exit the color selector. The same limitation does not apply to
render color.
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Object snaps
When Rhino asks you to choose a point, you can constrain the marker to specific parts of existing objects
by turning on object snap modes. When an object snap is active, moving the cursor near a specified point
on an object causes the marker to jump to that point.
Object snaps can persist from pick to pick, or can be activated for one pick only. Multiple persistent object
snaps can be set in the Osnap dialog box. All object snaps behave similarly, but snap to different parts of
existing geometry.
Persistent object snaps

Use persistent objects snaps to maintain an object snap through choosing several points without having to
reactivate the object snap. Only Near, Point, End, Midpoint, Center, Intersection, Perp, Tan, Quad,
and Knot object snaps can persist.
You can set the radius of influence for object snaps. This means how close you have to move the cursor to
the point before the marker jumps to the point.
To display the Osnap dialog box, on the status bar, click Osnap.
Select or clear the desired object snap checkboxes.
You can lock all persistent object snaps with the Lock checkbox. Locking the object snaps suspends their
use until you unlock them.
To clear all persistent object snaps, right-click the Lock checkbox.
Press the Alt key to temporarily suspend object snaps. If object snaps are locked, press Alt to toggle them
on temporarily.
One-shot object snaps

Object snaps can be turned on for one pick only. One-shot object snaps override all persistent object
snaps for one pick. For example, if End, Near, and Point persistent object snaps are set in the Osnap
dialog box, and you set the Mid object snap for one pick, End, Near, and Point will not work for that
pick. After the pick, the persistent object snaps will reactivate.
One-shot object snaps only work when Rhino is requesting a point.
End snaps to the endpoint of a curve. When activated, the end object snap constrains the marker to the
endpoint of the curve closest the cursor.
All Object Snaps Off
End Object Snap On
Multiple object snaps

You can have more than one object snap active at the same time. As you pass your cursor over an object,
the appropriate object snap displays.
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Cursor color
The CursorMode setting in the Osnap section in the Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab controls the
appearance of the cursors:
Object snap list

Along
Track along a line
AlongParallel
Snaps parallel to a line formed by two points.
Between
Snap midway between two points
Cen
Snap to the center of a circle
End
Snap to the end of a curve
From
Snap from a point
Front
Set to world front view
Int
Snap to the intersection of two curves
Knot
Snap to a knot on a curve or surface
Mid
Snap to the midpoint of a curve
Near
Snap near a curve
OnCrv
Snap to a curve
OnSrf
Snap to a surface
Perp
Snap perpendicular to a curve
PerpFrom
Track along a line perpendicular to a curve
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Pt
Snap to a point
Quad
Snap to a quadrant of a circle or ellipse
Tan
Snap tangent to a curve
TanFrom
Track along a line tangent to a curve
Isoparm snapping
You can snap to surface isoparms using the Int object snap whenever the input is constrained to a
surface, for example in ExtractIsoparm, InsertKnot, OrientOnSrf, and with OnSrf one-shot object
snap.
Isoparm object snapping is "weaker" than normal object snaps. The normal object snaps are evaluated
first, and only if they fail will Rhino try to snap to the isoparm intersections.
Osnap
Set a persistent object snap from the command line.
The currently-set persistent object snaps are displayed between angle brackets <>.
At the Persistent Osnap prompt, type the names of the persistent object snaps you want to set,
separated by commas, with no spaces. Only these object snaps will be set, all others will be cleared.
Valid options are NoSnap, End, Near, Point, Midpoint, Center, Intersection, Perp, Tan, Quad,
and Knot. Knot is not in the dialog box because it is not often used.
This command is useful for command files, because it can set any object snap combination from
command line.
You can temporarily suspend the effect of the object snaps with the LockOsnap command.
NoSnap
Turn object snaps off.
Toolbar: Object Snap

Menu: Tools > Object Snap > None
The command context determines whether this command turns persistent object snaps off, or just
suspends them for one pick.
If a command is active, NoSnap turns off persistent object snaps for one pick.
If the NoSnap command is run at the Command prompt, it turns off all persistent object snaps.
End object snap

Snap to the end of a curve.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click End.
2 Move the cursor near the endpoint of a curve.
The marker jumps to the endpoint.
3 Click to enter the endpoint.
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Note
The End object snap also snaps to interior vertices of polylines and joined curves, the seam point on
closed curves, and the "corners" of surfaces.
Set persistent end object snap

1 On the status bar, click the Osnap pane.
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click End.
Near object snap

Snap near a curve.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Near.
2 Move the cursor near a curve or the edge of a surface.
The marker moves along the curve.
3 Click to enter a point on the curve.
Set persistent Near object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Near.
Point object snap

Snap to a point.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Point.
2 Move the cursor near a point.
The marker jumps to it.
3 Click to enter the point.
Set persistent Point object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Point.
Mid object snap

Snap to the midpoint of a curve.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Mid.
2 Move the cursor near a curve.
The marker jumps to its midpoint.
3 Click to enter the midpoint.
Set persistent Midpoint object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Mid.
Cen object snap

Snap to the center of an arc or circle.
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1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Center.
The marker jumps to its center point.
3 Click to enter the center point.
Set persistent Center object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Cen.
Int object snap

Snap to the intersection of two curves.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click
Intersection.
2 Move the cursor near an intersection.
The marker jumps to it.
3 Click to enter the point of intersection.
Set persistent Intersection object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Int.
Perp object snap

Snap perpendicular to a curve.

1 When a command is requesting a next point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click
Perpendicular To.
2 Move the cursor along a curve.
The marker jumps to the points on the curve that can make a line to the last point, perpendicular to
the curve.
3 Click to enter one of these points.
Note
This object snap is ineffective if it is used for the first point for a command.
Set persistent Perpendicular object snap

2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Perp.
Tan object snap

Snap tangent to a curve.

1 When a command is requesting a next point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click
Tangent To.
2 Move the cursor along a curve.
The marker jumps to the points on the curve that can make a line from the last point, tangent to the
curve.
96
Note
This object snap is ineffective if it is used for the first point for a command.
Set persistent Tangent To object snap

2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Tan.
Quad object snap

Snap to a quadrant of a circle or ellipse.

Quadrant.
2 Move the cursor along a circle, arc or ellipse, or similar surface edges.
The marker jumps to the quadrant points of the curve.
The quadrant points of circles and arcs are at the extremes in each construction plane axis direction.
The quadrant points for ellipses are at the ends of the ellipse axes.
Set persistent Quadrant object snap
2 In the Osnap dialog box, click Quad.
Knot object snap

Snap to a knot.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Knot.
The marker jumps to the knot points on the curve.
3 Click to enter the knot point.
Set persistent knot object snap
At the Persistent Osnap prompt, type Knot.
From object snap

Snap from a point.

The From object snap differs from the rest of the object snap because it is used to set the base point for
ortho, distance constraint, angle constraint, and relative coordinate entry.
Ortho constrains the marker to lines radiating from the last pick point. Similarly, distance constraint
constrains the marker to a circle of a specified radius from the last pick point. You can set this point,
without picking it, with From.
1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click From.
2 At the Choose a base point prompt, pick a point. You can use another object snap to pick this point.
The base point for constraints is set to the point you picked, without entering that point for the
original command.
3 Set your constraints relative to the base point, and finally choose the point for the original command.
Example
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To constrain the marker to a circle 2 units from the endpoint of a line

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click From.
2 At the Choose a base point prompt, snap to the end of the line.
3 At the prompt requesting a point, type 2 and press Enter.
The marker is constrained to a circle of radius 2 centered at the endpoint of the line.
PerpFrom object snap

Track along a line perpendicular to a curve.

Perpendicular From.
2 At the Click near the curve prompt, select the curve.
The cursor moves only along the curve. Crosshairs appear to indicate the perpendicular and tangent
lines that extend from any point on the curve.
3 At the Choose a point prompt, select the point on the curve to extend the perpendicular line from.
The marker tracks along the perpendicular line.
4 Click to enter a point along the perpendicular line.
Note
When selecting points during this sequence, you can use simple snaps, End, Near, Point, Mid, Cen,
Int, and Quad, for greater precision.
TanFrom object snap

Track along a line tangent to a curve.

Tangent From.
2 At the Click near the curve prompt, select the curve.
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The marker moves only along the curve. Crosshairs indicate the perpendicular and tangent lines that
extend from any point on the curve.
3 At the Choose a point prompt, select the point on the curve to extend the tangent line from.
The marker tracks along the tangent line.
4 Click to enter a point along the tangent line.
Note
When selecting points during this sequence, you can use simple snaps (End, Near, Point, Mid, Cen,
Int, and Quad) for greater precision.
Along object snap

Track along a line.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click Along
Line.
Or, in the Object Snap toolbar, right-click the Along toolbar button.
2 At the Start of tracking line prompt, select a first point to specify the tracking line.
3 At the End of tracking line prompt, select a second point.
The marker moves only along the line.
4 Click to enter a point on the line.
Note
AlongParallel object snap

Track parallel to a line defined by two points.
Menu: Tools > Object Snap > Along Parallel

1 When a command is requesting a point, type AlongParallel.
2 At the Start of base line prompt, select a first point to specify the line you want to track parallel to.
3 At the End of base line prompt, select a second point.
4 At the Point for parallel tracking prompt, pick a point for the start of the parallel line.
The marker moves only along the line.
5 Click to enter a point on the line.
Note
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OnSrf object snap

Snap to a point on a surface.

1 When a command is requesting a point, from the Tools menu, click Object Snap, then click On
Surface.
2 At the Click near the surface prompt, select the surface.
The marker moves only along the surface.
3 Click to enter a point on the surface.
Note
When selecting a point on the surface, you can use simple snaps, End, Near, Point, Mid, Center,
Intersection, and Knot, for greater precision.
ProjectOsnap
Project object snaps to the construction plane.

Menu: Tools > Object Snap > Project to CPlane
Or, Tools > Options
On the Modeling Aids tab, select Project to CPlane.
Status bar: Osnap Project
Osnap projection is toggled on or off. By default, it is off.
When Osnap projection is on, and the cursor is over an object snap point, the marker projects to the
current construction plane with a white tracking line between it and the cursor.
This can be toggled with a script"
! projectosnap on
! projectosnap off
Between
Snaps to a point midway between two points.
Menu: Tools > Object Snap > Between
OnCrv object snap

Snaps along a curve.
Menu: Tools > Object Snap > On Curve

OnCrv is similar to OnSrf, but works on curves. It constrains the marker to a selected curve. This is useful
if the model is complex and Near osnap alone does not lock to the object you would like it to.
SnapToLocked
Sets the ability to snap to locked objects or objects on locked layers.
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Object properties
Object Properties, Object tab

Name
Object names are stored in the Rhino 3DM file and exported to IGES, POV-Ray, and RenderMan RIB,
and OBJ file export.
You can use SetObjectName to set the name of a selected object or a selected group of objects.
Layer
You can change layer the object is on by selecting a layer from the list. Layers can be created and their
properties changed in the Layer dialog box.
You can also use ChangeLayer to change the layer the object is on.
Color
The color of the object can either inherit the color of its layer or be set individually.
Show surface isoparms
Surfaces are displayed in Rhino as wireframe curves. The wireframe consists of surface edge curves and
isoparms.
You can turn off surface isoparms by clearing this checkbox. To change the default isoparm density for
new objects, go to the Options dialog box, General tab.
Isoparm density
This options defines the number of isoparms Rhino draws on the surface.
The valid values are -1, 0, 1, 2, and the other positive integers.
Value Definition
-1 (Show surface isoparms unchecked) means no isoparms
display.
0 Isoparms at surface knot locations.
1 One isoparm on knot-free spans, or just the knot isoparms.
2 One non-knot isoparm drawn between knot locations plus
the knot isoparms
3 Two non-knot isoparms drawn between knot locations plus
the knot isoparms
Match Properties
With this option you can change selected properties of objects to match the properties of a single object.
Information
Technical information about the command displays. The Properties dialog box displays information on the
first 50 objects.
Other tabs
Tabs may be added to this dialog box by a plug-in application such as a renderer.
Object Properties, Dimensions tab

Edit dimension properties.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > Object Properties.
The tab acts the same as the dialog box for the EditDim command.
The angle brackets < > represent the dimension value. You can type additional text before or after the
angle brackets, or you can eliminate the angle brackets.
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Object Properties, Light tab

Edit light object properties.
Toolbar: Standard
If the object you are setting properties for is a light, this tab displays the properties for that light type.
State
Turns light on or off.
Color
Sets the color of the light. Setting the color to shades of gray dims the light.
Shadow Darkness
Sets the darkness of the shadow for spotlights.
Spotlight Hardness
This option defines the hardness of the spotlight edge. This option applies only when spotlights are
selected.
From top left to bottom right, spotlight hardness ranging from 0 to 100 in steps of 25
Object Properties, Material tab

Edit object material properties.
Toolbar: Standard
Assign By
Rendering properties can be assigned to layers, using a plug-in library, or to objects to be used with the
basic Rhino renderer.
Layer
The object inherits the render material assigned to the layer. To change the material assignment of the
layer, use the Edit Layers dialog box.
Plug-in
Render materials are assigned using the current rendering plug-in application.
Basic
Render materials are assigned to individual objects and are used by Rhino's built-in renderer.
Match
With this option you can change selected properties of objects to match the properties of another object.
Basic properties
If you select the Basic option for assigning render properties, you can set the color, finish, transparency,
texture, and bump for use by the built-in Rhino renderer.
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Material
Assigns a rendering material to an object just like the SetObjectMaterial command.
Library
[This is not currently used by Rhino.]
Color
Rhino uses this color for rendering a surface, polysurface, or a polygon mesh. Change the render color by
clicking the color swatch and choosing a color in the Select Color dialog box.
This option does not affect the color of the wireframe display. To change the color of the wireframe
display, change the color of the layer the object is on or set the color on the Object tab.
Reflective Finish
With this option spotlight color highlights appear on the surface in the rendered image. Use the slider to
adjust the highlight from matte to glossy.
Metallic
Sets the highlight color to match the color of the object.
Plastic
Sets the highlight color to white.
Transparency
This option adjusts the transparency of an object in the rendered image. Unlike more advanced
renderers, in Rhino the shadow of a transparent object is always black.
From top left to bottom right, transparency ranging from 0 to 100 in steps of 25
Texture
This options defines the name of a bitmap file that will be mapped on the surface when you render the
scene.
The only mapping method available in Rhino is called UV texture mapping.
Clear this option to remove the texture map.
The PackTextures and UnpackTextures commands determine how textures are mapped over
polysurfaces.
Bump
This option defines the name of a bitmap file that will be mapped on the surface as a bump map when you
render the scene.
Clear this option to remove the bump map.
Object Properties, Text tab

Edit text properties.
Toolbar: Standard
The tab acts the same as the dialog box for the EditText command.
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Options
Annotation text is primarily used for printing, so the settings affect the printed size of your annotation
text.
Font
Sets the font for the annotation text.
Scaled size
This is set by the Annotation Scale Factor setting in the Document Properties dialog box on the
Dimension tab.
Annotation scale factor
This is set by the Annotation Scale Factor setting in the Document Properties dialog box on the
Dimension tab.
Model size
The Scaled size times the Annotation scale factor.
Example
If your units are inches, and you intend to print at 1/4 true size, set Annotation Scale factor to 4, and in
the Print dialog box set the Rhino unit to 1 and set the scale to 0.25 inches. The text will be four times
larger in Rhino (Model size) than it will be on paper (Scaled size).
When you place annotation text, you can choose the text size based on how big you want it to print or
how big it should be relative to the other objects in your model. The two sizes update each other.
Options dialog box
Toolbar: Standard and Tools

Options dialog box, Aliases tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Aliases tab
Command aliases are custom commands you can define to run Rhino commands or command scripts.
You can type command aliases just like normal Rhino commands. You can use them to create
abbreviations for often used commands or command scripts. You can also use them to overwrite existing
Rhino commands or to make Rhino share command names with another product.
Options
Alias
The list of existing command aliases. Click New to create a new command alias and click Delete to delete
the highlighted command alias.
Command string
Command alias definitions.
Note
You can also Export and Import command aliases.
Options dialog box, Appearance tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Appearance tab
Options in the Appearance tab define the colors and visibility of Rhino display items.
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Options
Colors
Command area
Sets the color of the command area background below the menus.
Command area text
Sets the color of the command area text.
Viewport background
Color of the working area background behind the grid lines.
Major grid line
Sets the color of major grid lines.
Minor grid line
Sets the color of minor grid lines.
X axis line
Sets the color of the x-axis on the construction plane.
Y axis line
Sets the color of the y-axis on the construction plane.
Selected objects
Sets the color of selected objects.
Locked objects
Sets the color of locked objects.
New layers
Sets the color of new layers.
Feedback
Sets the color of the feedback curves. One example of a feedback curve is the line you see when you
drag objects.
Tracking
Sets the color of the tracking line. One example of a tracking line is the line you see when you use
elevator mode.
Crosshairs
Sets the color of the crosshair cursor.
Show
Command area
Toggles the command area display.
Command area at top
Toggles whether the command area is above of below the viewports.
Crosshairs
Toggles crosshair cursor.
Menu
This option toggles the visibility of menus.
Status bar
Toggles the visibility of the status bar.
Viewport titles
Toggles the visibility of the viewport titles.
Main window title
Toggles the visibility of the main Rhino window title.
Command area
Height in lines
Sets the command area height in lines. Command area is the area below the menus that consist of the
command prompt and the scrollable command history.
Font
Sets the font used in the command area and the command history window.
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Reset
Resets the values to what they were when the Options dialog box was opened.
Defaults
Restores the built in default values.
Options dialog box, Files tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Files tab
See also Autosave command.
Options
Template files
Location
Defines the location of the template files.
AutoSave
Save every <x> minutes
Turns on the autosave feature and defines the save interval. When autosave activates, copy of the model
you are working on is automatically saved to the Autosave file.
Autosave file
Defines the name and location of the autosave file.
Always save before
Sets a list of commands that will save the file before the command starts.
Options dialog box, General tab

Menu: Tools > Options > General tab
Options
Mouse group select
You can force a window/crossing/combo selection any time by pressing the Alt key and dragging with the
left mouse button. This lets you start your window/crossing very near object isoparms.
Combo
Window select by dragging a selection rectangle from left to right, and crossing select by dragging a
selection rectangle from right to left.
Window Box
Always window selects unless you use SelCrossing command.
Crossing Box
Always crossing selects unless you use SelWindow command.
Popup Menu
When you right-click in the command area, or program your middle mouse button to display the popup
menu, this menu displays at the cursor location. This menu contains a list of recently used commands and
the commands you have entered as your favorites.
Number of items
The maximum number of items that appear in the most-recently-used command lists.
Favorites
Your favorite commands will always display in the popup menu at the top of the popup menu above the
most-recently-used commands.
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Command lists
Startup
Defines a list of commands that run automatically when you start Rhino.
Don't Repeat
Defines a list of commands that do not repeat when you press Enter.
Undo
Min number of undos
Defines the minimum number of undo steps kept in the undo buffer. Rhino makes sure the minimum
number of undo steps is always stored, regardless of the amount of memory used.
Max memory used
Defines the maximum size for the undo buffer in kilobytes. The actual size may be bigger if the minimum
number of undo steps takes more memory.
Default surface isoparm density
Show surface isoparms
Surfaces are displayed in Rhino as wireframe curves. The wireframe consists of surface edge curves and
isoparms.
You can turn off surface isoparms for new objects by clearing this checkbox.
Isoparm density
Defines the default surface isoparm density for new objects. By setting this to –1 you can tell Rhino not to
draw isoparms on new surfaces.
The valid values are -1, 0, 1, 2, and the other positive integers.
Value Definition
-1 No isoparms display.
0 Isoparms at surface knot locations.
1 One isoparm on knot-free spans, or just the knot
isoparms.
2 One non-knot isoparm drawn between knot
locations plus the knot isoparms
3 Two non-knot isoparms drawn between knot
locations plus the knot isoparms
Dragging
Drag selected objects only
Turns off instant "select and drag instantly." This forces you to select objects first and then click again to
drag the selected objects.
Object drag threshold
Distance in pixels you have to drag objects on the screen before the drag initiates. Set to higher values
for high resolution display. This helps prevent accidental dragging.
Point drag threshold
Distance in pixels you have to drag points on the screen before the drag initiates. Set to higher values for
high resolution display. This helps prevent accidental dragging.
Middle mouse button
You can choose the action performed by clicking the middle mouse button on a three-button mouse.
Popup Menu
Pops two-part menu up at the cursor location. You can list your favorite commands in the top section.
The bottom section is the list of most recent commands used. You can then click a command from the
menu to use.
Popup Toolbar
Choose a toolbar to pop up at the cursor location. You can create a toolbar of mini-buttons of your
favorite commands or object snaps to use as a popup toolbar.
Macro
You can enter a series of commands that run when you click the middle mouse button.
For example,
! ZoomExtentsAll SynchronizeViews ShadeAll
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Right mouse button

Delayed context menus
Delays the display of context menus on right mouse click. Click and hold to display the menu instead of
displaying the menu immediately.
Options dialog box, Keyboard tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Keyboard tab
Command aliases are custom commands you can define to run Rhino commands or command scripts.
You can type command aliases just like normal Rhino commands. You can use them to create
abbreviations for often used commands or command scripts. You can also use them to overwrite existing
Rhino commands or to make Rhino share command names with another product.
Options
Key
Available shortcut key combinations in Rhino.
Command string
Shortcut key definitions. See scripting tools for more information on the command string format.
Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Modeling Aids tab
Options
Grid snap
Snap on
Turns on snap.
Shortcut: click the Snap pane on the status bar.
Shortcut: s
Ortho
Snap every <x> degrees
Turns on ortho and sets the ortho angle.
Planar mode
Planar mode on
Turns on planar mode.
Shortcut: p
Object snaps
Snap radius <x> pixels
Sets the object snap activation area radius in pixels. When the cursor is within this distance to the point
to snap to, the marker jumps to the point to snap to.
Disable object snap
Temporarily suspends set object snaps. Shortcut: In Osnap dialog box, click Disable.
Project to CPlane
This option projects object snaps to the construction plane in the active viewport.
Snap to locked objects
Snaps work on locked objects and on objects on locked layers.
Use horizontal dialog box
Toggles between horizontal and vertical Object snap dialog box.
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Dynamic object snap display

Controls the appearance of the object snap label.
Black on white
Displays black lettering in a white box.
White on black
Displays white lettering in a black box.
None
Turns off dynamic object snap display.
Nudge Options
Nudge steps in units
Nudge feature lets you move selected objects or points by small increments.
Nudge key alone
Defines the nudge increment of plain nudge keys in Rhino units.
Ctrl + nudge key
Defines the nudge increment when Ctrl is pressed with the nudge keys.
Shift + nudge key
Defines the nudge increment when Shift is pressed with the nudge keys.
Nudge keys and direction
Arrow keys
Arrow keys are used for the nudge keys.
Use PageUp and PageDown to nudge in the z- axis direction.
Use Alt+arrow keys to rotate a view.
Alt + arrow keys
With this option Alt+Arrow keys are used for the nudge keys.
Use Alt+PageUp and Alt+PageDown to nudge in the z- axis direction
Use CPlane axes
The nudge keys move the selected objects in relation to the construction plane axes in the active
viewport.
Use world axes
The nudge keys move the selected objects in relation to the world axes.
Control Polygon
Control polygon display
Control polygon is a dotted network of lines you see connecting control points when you turn on control
points on curves and surfaces.
Display control polygon
Toggles the visibility of the control polygon.
Highlight control polygon
Toggles if the parts of the control polygon that are connected to selected points are highlighted or not.
Display density
Defines the dot spacing of the dotted lines in the control polygon in pixels.
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Trim and object snaps

Use apparent intersections
Objects are trimmed in relation to the view. They do not need to intersect in 3-D space. They only need
to appear to intersect in the active viewport.
Options dialog box, RhinoScript tab

Sets script configuration.
Plug-in name: RhinoScript
File: Rhinoscript.rhp
Options
General Options
Load when Rhino starts
Specifies whether or not RhinoScript should be loaded when Rhino is loaded. Otherwise, the plug-in is
loaded when a Rhino script command for example, LoadScript or RunScript) is invoked.
Reinitialize when opening new models
Specifies whether or not RhinoScript will release all global subroutines, functions and variables from
memory between modeling sessions.
Default text editor
Specifies the editor that is launched when you click the Edit button from the LoadScript dialog box.
Startup File Settings
Use a startup file
A file that is loaded (similar to running the LoadScript command) every time the Rhinoscript plug-in is
loaded.
Startup File
The startup file name and path.
Note
This command will not work unless the plug-in is loaded. See the PluginManager command.
Options dialog box, Shade tab

Menu: Tools > Options > Shade tab
Command ShadeOptions
These settings control the appearance of the OpenGL shade mode.
Options
General
Background color
Click the color swatch to change the color of the viewport background.
Surface color
Click the color swatch to change the color used for shading when OpenGL is not selected. This is not the
same as the layer or render color.
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Background and surface color set

Use OpenGL
OpenGL shading will be used for Shade, ShadeAll, FlatShade, FlatShadeAll.
Use wireframe color for objects
Uses the wireframe color for shading objects. (OpenGL shade only.)
Shade using wireframe color

Show
Curve objects
Displays curve and point objects. (OpenGL shade only.) Objects are displayed black unless the Use
layer color for objects option is selected.
Wireframe
Displays the surface isoparms. (OpenGL shade only.)
Shade with wireframe turned on

Polygon mesh edges
Displays the edges of polygon mesh objects. (OpenGL shade only.)
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Shade with polygon mesh edges turned on

Grid
Displays the construction plane grid. (OpenGL shade only.)
Shade with grid turned on

Grid Axes
Displays the construction plane grid axes. (OpenGL shade only.)
Zebra and EMap
Windows 2000's default OpenGL drivers do not calculate environment mapping correctly, causing the
EMap and Zebra commands to shade incorrectly.
Faster
Rhino uses the OpenGL driver to calculate environment maps and zebra stripes.
More reliable
Rhino uses it's own environment mapping functions. The default setting causes the EMap command to
be slower on some computers, but will always work.
Note
OpenGL drivers are often outdated. If OpenGL does not work for you even if you have a new OpenGL
card, see Troubleshooting OpenGL.
Options dialog box, View tab

Menu: Tools > Options > View tab
Options
Pan
These options control keyboard pan behavior.
Screen fraction
When you pan with the keyboard, Rhino pans in steps. The pan step is defined as the screen fraction
times the smaller viewport dimension in pixels.
Reverse keyboard action
By default, Rhino pans the camera in the direction of the arrow key pressed. Select this check box to
make Rhino pan the scene instead.
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Right mouse button pan

Always pan parallel views
Sets parallel viewports so they will not rotate if the view is not looking straight at the construction plane.
Zoom
Scale factor
When you zoom with the keyboard or wheeled mouse, Rhino zooms in steps defined by the scale
factor.
Only values between 0.01 and 0.99 are available for the scale factor. Large values zoom less, small
values zoom more.
Rotate
These options control view rotation. Some options affect both keyboard and mouse rotation, some only
the keyboard rotation.
Increment in divisions of a circle
When you rotate a view with the keyboard, Rhino rotates the view in steps. The default step is
1/60th of a circle, which equals six degrees.
Reverse keyboard action
By default, Rhino rotates the camera around the scene. Select this check box to make Rhino rotate the
scene instead. Reversing keyboard pan and keyboard rotation to makes them in sync with the mouse
controls.
Stop at poles
Select this check box to limit the vertical view rotation to 180 degrees. This limit does not apply when
Rotating relative to the view is selected.
Trackball mode mouse rotation
By default the mouse rotation in the upper half of a viewport is opposite to the rotation in the bottom
half. Select this check box to make the mouse rotation be the same in the whole viewport.
Trackball mode means the viewport is not split horizontally into two panes in which the rotation
directions are reversed. With Trackball mode mouse rotation the rotation is always the same: right
mouse button dragging left in the Perspective view always rotates the scene clockwise around positive
world Z.
Rotate around world axes
This option makes the views rotate relative to the world axes. You can Tilt to rotate the view around
the view depth axis.
Rotate relative to view
Makes the views rotate relative to the view.
Named views (Top, Front, …)
Named views set CPlane
When you change to a named view, the construction plane saved with that view is also reset.
Named views set projection
When you change to a named view, the viewport projection that is saved with the view is also reset.
Dynamic shade redraw
When you pan, zoom, or rotate a view, the scene is redrawn dynamically. With large models, the
dynamic redraw can be very slow.
By default, to make sure the feedback is reasonably fast, Rhino cancels the redraw if necessary. Use
these options to control the speed and responsiveness of the views.
Interrupt delay
Defines how long Rhino can spend drawing the shaded preview before the redraw is cancelled when you
pan, zoom or rotate a shaded preview.
Dynamic wireframe redraw
Always interrupt redraw
Use this option if you are working on complex models or on a slow computer and you need the views to
be more responsive.
With simple models this can cause unnecessary flicker.
Never interrupt redraw
Use this option if you are working on simple models or on a fast computer.
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Requested framerate
The number of frames per second Rhino will attempt to redraw when zooming or rotating a view.
SpaceMouse/SpaceBall
Set view rotation to Rotate relative to view when using a SpaceMouse or SpaceBall.
Rotation scale
Sensitivity of the 3-D controller. Smaller numbers make the puck more sensitive.
Translation scale
Sensitivity of the 3-D controller. Smaller numbers make the puck more sensitive.
Rotate plan parallel views
Swap pan and zoom
Allow tilt
Shade
The shade commands create a monochrome preview image in one or more viewports. The more
sophisticated Render shows shaded colors, highlights, spotlighting, shadows, and a backdrop image.
OpenGL Shading
You can also set Rhino to use OpenGL shading. If you have an OpenGL accelerator card, this shading
mode may be much faster.
To turn on OpenGL shading:

1 From the Tools menu, click Options.
2 On the Shade tab, click Use OpenGL.
Wireframe Shade OpenGL Shade
Note
If the objects you are rendering are very complex, Rhino may be slow to shade them the first time.
Rhino takes that time to calculate, from the smooth geometry, a hidden mesh that is used for the
rendering. The next time you shade the same model, you will see improved performance.
Rhino needs adequate of RAM for shading in reasonable time. We recommend 32 megabytes as a
good starting point.
If a strange cracks show between surfaces when you shade them, first try increasing the density of
the render mesh on the Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab. Also, some surfaces
many need to be joined into polysurfaces. Then Rhino will mesh those surfaces so that the mesh
vertices for each surface will be exactly shared along their common edge and there won't be any
holes or cracking.
Render
Render your model to see a realistic view. Choose between the quick render preview, and the color-and-
shadows Render.
The rendering capability in Rhino may be adequate for your needs, for easy viewing of your model under
various conditions. But Rhino is not designed to be a fully-featured renderer. For highest quality results,
use the Export command your model to a separate rendering application.
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Render preview Render

The Render command produces a color rendering in a separate display window, of the view in the active
viewport.
Change render options on the Document Properties dialog box, Render tab.
Add spotlights creates spotlights that are used for full rendering.
The PictureFrame command lets you draw a rectangular plane with a bitmap attached that will full-
render as a backdrop.
Render with curves displayed enables rendering the wireframe view lines as well as the full render
shading. Tries to exclude the hidden lines.
Preview render produces a dynamically moveable quick preview in the viewports using OpenGL display.
Note
If the objects you are rendering are very complex, Rhino may be slow to shade or render them the
first time. Rhino takes that time to calculate, from the smooth geometry, a hidden mesh that is used
for the rendering. The next time you render the same model, you will see improved performance.
Rhino needs adequate of RAM for rendering in reasonable time. We recommend 32 megabytes as a
good starting point.
If a strange cracks show between surfaces when you shade them, first try increasing the density of
the render mesh on the Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab. Also, some surfaces
many need to be joined into polysurfaces. Then Rhino will mesh those surfaces so that the mesh
vertices for each surface will be exactly shared along their common edge and there won't be any
holes or cracking.
In some situations, you may see moiré patterns in the renderings. They are the result of the
shadowing methods used in Rhino's renderer: the objects are shadowing themselves. The first
solution to this is to increase the shadow map size on the Document Properties dialog box, Rhino
Render tab. Also if you increase the Shadow offset value to 1.0 or 1.5, the patterns may probably
disappear.
You can type PictureFrame to make a plane with an image attached to it. When you draw the plane,
it also keeps the plane to be in the same aspect ratio of the image, so it won't be deformed. It draws
the plane to be vertical with respect to the construction plane.
Troubleshoot rendering
There are some problems that can crop up in rendering, and there are various settings that you can
change to work around those problems.
Jagged spotlight edges and self- shadowing

Jagged spotlight edges look like strange rectangles near the edges of the shadows.
Self- shadowing makes an object look like it has some black spots on it, which might appear in waves. It
can sometimes look like dirt or acne of some sort.
Jagged shadows and self-shadowing.

The most common cause of these problems is a very squat and wide spotlight that is casting light out into
a large area even though all the objects in the scene are use a small area in the model.
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The cause—the light is too big.

If you make such spotlights more focused only on the area to be illuminated. That will usually solve the
problem.
Change the size of the light.
Correct shadow.
If the problems still persist, you can change some values in the Document Properties dialog box on the
Rhino Render tab.
Increasing Map size will make Rhino use more memory to calculate shadows. This will help to reduce the
jagged shadow edges, but can also consume a lot of memory if you set it too high.
Shadow offset controls how far Rhino will pull a point towards the light’s origin point before it tests if the
point is in shadow or not. If you’re getting self- shadowing effects, you can increase this number slightly
to get rid of them. If you increase it too much, there will be areas that will be illuminated that should have
been in shadow.
If you are creating objects that are very small or very large, adjust this value to some fraction of the scale
that you’re working on to make the shadows work very well.
Self-shadowing artifacts.
The scale of the objects is very large.
Jagged objects
Another possible problem with rendering is jagged looking objects that should be smooth. This is because
Rhino converts all NURBS objects into polygon meshes before rendering them. Sometimes the conversion
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doesn’t use enough polygons, which can make the individual polygons distinguishable, and since the
polygons are flat, they look jagged.
Change the settings in the in the Document Properties dialog box on the Render Mesh tab to set the
Render mesh to Smooth & slower.
Troubleshoot OpenGL
OpenGL Hardware
The most common problem with OpenGL is outdated drivers.
Even if you got the card last week, you may not have the current drivers.
To update your OpenGL drivers, Visit the web site of your hardware vendor, and download the latest
drivers.
If this does not fix the problem, and the computer running Rhino has Windows 95, please read section the
next section, Windows 95. Otherwise, contact Rhino Technical Support.
Windows 95
To fix OpenGL problems in Windows 95:
1 Open Windows Explorer.
2 Open the OpenGL\Win95 folder inside the Rhino installation folder (probably C:\Program
Files\Rhinoceros\OpenGL\Win95)
3 Copy OpenGL32.dll and Glu32.dll from this folder into the Rhino installation folder (probably
C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros).
4 Start Rhino.
Windows NT
Windows NT ships with stable OpenGL drivers that vary depending on the NT Service Pack that is installed.
To update Windows NT drivers, download the latest Windows NT Service Pack, available from Microsoft at
www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/winntw.asp.
Layers
Layers are a way of grouping objects so you can manipulate them all or keep track of them in some way.
When objects are on a layer, you can turn them all off at once, change the color of the wire frame, select
them all with one selection. This helps you organize your model. For example, if you were working on a
human figure, you might have all the parts that are going to be skin colored on one layer and the clothing
parts on others. This way you can turn off the clothing layers and just work on the skin parts when you
are applying textures. Or you can organize your parts a different way. Using layers is very flexible because
you can decide how you want the parts organized.
The layer dialog box gives you tools for managing the layers in your model.
Toolbar: Standard and Layer
To set columns
Click the column heading button to change the sort order of the column.
Right-click the column heading buttons to change the visibility and display order of all the columns or
the sort order of an individual column.
To set the column width, drag the column heading or set the width in the Columns dialog.
Columns
Current
A check indicates current layer.
Name
Layer name.
On
Status of layer. On indicates the layer is visible and you can edit objects on this layer.
Off
Status of layer. Off indicates the layer is not visible and you cannot edit objects on this layer.
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Lock
Status of layer. Lock indicates the layer is visible but you cannot edit objects on this layer. You can snap
to objects on this layer.
Color
The color assigned to objects on this layer by default. Change the display color of individual objects with
the Properties command.
Material
The material assigned to objects on this layer by default. Change the material of individual objects with
the Properties command.
Material Library
The material library assigned to objects on this layer by default. Change the material library of individual
objects with the Properties command.
Layer materials
You can apply a render material to all objects on a layer.
Assign By
Rendering properties can be assigned to layers using a plug-in library or with the basic Rhino renderer.
Plug-in
Render materials are assigned using the current rendering plug-in application.
Basic
Render materials are assigned to individual objects and are used by Rhino's built-in renderer.
Match
With this option you can change selected properties of objects to match the properties of another object.
Basic properties
If you select the Basic option for assigning render properties, you can set the color, finish, transparency,
texture, and bump for use by the built-in Rhino renderer.
Material
Assigns a rendering material to an object just like the SetObjectMaterial command.
Library
[Rhino does not use this at this time.]
Color
Rhino uses this color for rendering a surface, polysurface, or a polygon mesh. Change the render color by
clicking the color swatch and choosing a color in the Select Color dialog box.
This option does not affect the color of the wireframe display. To change the color of the wireframe
display, change the color of the layer the object is on or set the color on the Object tab.
Reflective Finish
With this option spotlight color highlights appear on the surface in the rendered image. Use the slider to
adjust the highlight from matte to glossy.
Metallic
Sets the highlight color to match the color of the object.
Plastic
Sets the highlight color to white.
Transparency
This option adjusts the transparency of an object in the rendered image. Unlike more advanced
renderers, in Rhino the shadow of a transparent object is always black.
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From top left to bottom right, transparency ranging from 0 to 100 in steps of 25
Texture
This options defines the name of a bitmap file that will be mapped on the surface when you render the
scene.
Clear this option to remove the texture map.
Bump
This option defines the name of a bitmap file that will be mapped on the surface as a bump map when you
render the scene.
Clear this option to remove the bump map.
Select Layers
In the Edit Layers dialog box, select layers the same way you select files in Windows Explorer. You can
also drag over a list of layers to select them.
You can select all layers, select a set of layers, and Invert the selection.
If you don't remember the layer names, but know which objects are on the layers you want to select, click
By Object and select the layers by picking objects in the model. The Edit Layers dialog box reappears
with the corresponding layers selected.
Create a new layer

Menu: Edit > Layers > Edit Layers
Status bar: Right click Layer pane on the status bar.
In the Layer dialog box, click New.
Note
The layer names "hidden" and "locked" are reserved for internal use by Rhino. You cannot create new
layers with these names.
Rename a layer

Status bar: Right click Layer pane on the status bar.
In the Edit Layers dialog box, select the name on the list, type a new name and press Enter.
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Change the color of a layer

Status bar: Right click the Layer pane.
1 In the Edit Layers dialog box, click the color column of the layer you want to change.
2 In the Select Color dialog box, select a color for the layer.
Note
Objects are displayed in the color of the layer they are on. The layer color affects only the wireframe
display and not the color used for rendering.
Delete a layer

1 In the Edit Layers dialog box, from the list select the layers you want to delete.
2 Click Delete.
Filter the layer display list

In the Show box, click a filter option.

When a model has a large number of layers, the list of layers in the Edit Layers dialog box may get
difficult to manage. Layer filters allow you to adjust the visibility of the layers in the dialog box.
Options
All Layers
Displays all layers in the model.
On Layers
Displays only those layers that are on.
Off Layers
Displays only those layers that are off.
Locked Layers
Displays only locked layers.
Layers with Objects
Displays only layers that contain objects.
Empty Layers
Displays only layers that contain no objects.
To delete empty layers, use the Empty Layers filter, select all the displayed layers and delete.
Selected Layers
Shows only the layers you have selected in the layer list.
Filtered Layers
Allows a custom filter
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To filter layers:
1 In the Show box, click Filtered Layers.
In many cases you can use the predefined filters in the Show box and do not need to define a custom
filter.
2 In the Show Filtered Layers dialog box, set the desired filter options.
3 In the Show layers that match box, type a string of characters to match the layer name to. You can
include wildcard characters:
* = match zero or more characters
? = exactly one character
# = exactly one numeric (0-9) character
& = exactly one alpha (a-z, A-Z) character
4 Set the layer attributes to match (on, off, or locked, and whether or not there are objects on the
layer).
Filter examples:
To show all layers that are on or locked, set the Show Filtered Layers dialog box like this:
To show all layers that start with "part 1," are on or locked, and have objects on them (useful for
selecting all visible layers that contain objects and match a certain word), set the Show Filtered
Layers dialog box like this:
Surfaces through a sequence of curves

When you want to create a surface that passes through a sequence of shape curves, use the command
that requires the least amount input to generate the surface you desire. A list of possible commands is:
Extrude
Loft, with Straight sections style
ExtrudeAlongCrv
Loft with Loose style
Loft with Normal style
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Sweep1 (1-rail sweep )

Sweep2 (2-rail sweep )
If two of these commands generate acceptable geometry, then use the one closest to the top of the list.
If you are after a flag-like surface, then ExtrudeAlongCrv is probably the best bet. If ExtrudeAlongCrv
with a path curve doesn't quite work, then you may want to try making the surface from four edge curves
using EdgeSrf.
The Loft command with straight sections style creates a ruled surface. A ruled surface has creases at
shape curves and straight lines connecting the shapes. If you are after a tent-like, stair-like, or accordion
bellows-like surface, then use a ruled surface.
The Loft command with normal style creates a smooth surface with no creases as it passes over the
shape curves. If you are trying to create a smooth surface through a list of cross-sections, then try Loft.
If you use loft and can't get the edges of the resulting surface to go where you want them, try adding a
few more cross sections. If this doesn't help, then try using Sweep1 or Sweep2, depending on whither it
is easier for you to come up with a spine-like curve or the two desired edge curves.
If you are creating closed lofts/sweeps or you have three or more shape curves, then the surface created
by loft will, generally, be more amenable to editing than the surface created by Sweep1 or Sweep2.
As far as meshing and rendering are concerned there is no reason to prefer Loft over Sweep1 and
Sweep2.
Think of each curve you select in Loft, Sweep1, and Sweep2 as a requirement you are placing on the
resulting surface. The basic guiding principal to keep in mind is that the more requirements you place on a
surface, the harder it becomes to generate surface that is smooth and which meets your requirements.
Rules, Lofts, Sweeps, Revolves

All surface creation commands in Rhino result in the same object: a NURBS surface. The various methods
for creating NURBS surfaces only exist to let you choose the method that suits your immediate needs.
A loft with straight sections is the same as a ruled surface. This surface has creases at the shape curves
and straight segments connecting the shapes.
Loft with straight sections

A lofted surface has no creases. The surface is smooth. Lofted surfaces can be easily edited and look best
when rendered.
Lofted surface
If you find yourself adding lots of extra shape curves to get the surface to make the shape you want, you
might want to use Sweep1 instead. The rail curve directs the surface along it.
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One-rail sweep
If you are having trouble getting the edges of a loft or one-rail sweep to go where you want, use a
Sweep2. The two-rail sweep lets you select the surface's edges.
Two-rail sweep
Revolve a curve around an axis to create a surface.
Revolved surface
Rail revolve creates a surface by sweeping one end of a profile curve along a shape curve, while keeping
the other end fixed.
Rail Revolved Surface
Note
If surfaces from closed curves become twisted you might have to use Flip to change the direction of
some of the curves before lofting. If you have a several of closed curves, some of which are oriented
clockwise and some counter-clockwise, the surface will twist.
If surfaces are twisted with open curves, you need to consistently pick one end of the cross section
curves. Don't pick on one side of one curve and then select another curve by picking on the opposite
side. It matters where you click on the curve when you are picking it.
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You don't need to worry about the point order or point count. Rhino can loft between curves that have
different numbers of points.
All surface creation commands in Rhino result in the same object: a NURBS surface. The various methods
for creating NURBS surfaces only exist to let you choose the method that suits your immediate needs.
Troubleshoot fillets and chamfers

Rhino's ability to fillet and chamfer objects is limited by its underlying mathematics library. This topic tries
to clarify some of the problems and strategies for working around the problems.
Filleting Surfaces
A rolling-ball fillet is defined by a collection of circular arcs of a fixed radius. The centers of the arcs lie on
a curve called the center curve, which is found by offsetting the two surfaces by a distance equal to the
fillet radius, then intersecting the resulting surfaces. The endpoints of the arcs lie on a pair of curves
called the rails.
For a given radius, there can be many fillet surfaces associated with a pair of surfaces. Since there are two
choices of offset direction for each surface, there are four ways to fillet.
For each of these four ways, the intersection of the offsets can have one, several, or no curves.
Picking
The line segment between the pick locations on the two surfaces determines which fillet or fillets are
created. The surfaces will be offset in the combination of directions such that the center curve, and thus
the fillet, will be on the same side of the surfaces as the segment.
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As mentioned, for this choice of sides, there may be several fillet pieces. These pieces can be grouped into
connected components. FilletSrf will build the one closest to the segment and any others that are in its
connected component.
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Trim Option
There are three choices for this option. No, yes, and split. If yes, the surfaces are trimmed by the rails and
the parts behind the fillets are discarded. If split, then the surfaces are split by the rails and all parts
remain. If no, then the surfaces are left intact.
Extend Option
A fillet exists only where the circular arcs touch both surfaces. Because of this, the rails may not extend to
the surface boundaries. When that is the case, the surfaces cannot be trimmed by the rails. When Extend
= yes, the fillet is extended to the boundary where possible.
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Even if two surfaces do not intersect, their offsets may intersect, and a fillet will exist.
If two surfaces are tangent, then no fillets will be created.

Fillet radius has to be small enough so that the offset surfaces do not self-intersect along the rails.
Otherwise the fillet will be a mess.
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Chamfering Surfaces
ChamferSrf command. Everything is the same as filleting surfaces, except cross-sections are lines, rather
than arcs.
Filleting Edges
Pick any combination of mated edges of a polysurface. FilletEdge will build the fillet surfaces that are
closest to the picked edges, and will fill in the corners with a reasonable surface where possible.
If some fillets that should have been built weren't, or if the connections among fillets at a corner could not
be established, all fillets and corner patches that could be built will show up as surfaces separate from the
original polysurface. Otherwise, everything will be integrated into a single polysurface. Always use the
ShowNakedEdges command after FilletEdge to see if everything is joined properly.
If the surfaces on either side of an edge are tangent, no fillet will be created.
Fillets across seams of closed surfaces, or fillets of closed edges can sometimes be done more reliably with
FilletSrf.
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In general, if more than three edges meet at a vertex, no corner patch will be attempted. The result will
have a hole at the corner. The one exception is if all edges meeting at the vertex are chosen, and all fillets
are on the same side of the polysurface. In this case, a spherical patch will be made, but it may not fit.
FilletEdge has the same restrictions on radius size as FilletSrf.
When filleting edges of the same polysurface with different radii, it is usually best to do those with larger
radius before those with smaller.
Trim and Join

Trimming a surface or polysurface with another object. Polysurface or surface with polysurface or surface.
If one is a polysurface, then this is similar to a Boolean operation and has the same pitfalls.
If both are single surfaces, then the procedure is to intersect the surfaces and trim with the intersection
curves. So all the problems associated with trimming with a curve apply. Additionally, overlapping or
tangent surfaces and edges of one surface on the other will cause problems.
Polysurface with curve
Not handled unless single surface. Do each surface individually.
Surface with curve
If the curve is not on the surface, it is projected.
Once we have a curve on the surface, the problems are:
Curve passes near a singularity.
Curve passes through a singularity but is not an isoparm.
Curve crosses seam of a closed surface, especially if the curve is nearly parallel to the seam.
Joining Surfaces
Most joining problems occur when attempting to join several surfaces and some edge that is to be joined
is close in length to the joining tolerance. The picking order can make the difference. Pick the surfaces
with matching corners first.
When joining A, B and C, do not pick A and B first. If you do, the lower left corner of B will be snapped to
the lower right corner of A. Often, joining A to C, then the result to B will work. In this case, it doesn't,
because the short edge of C is too short for the joiner to recognize. You can force it to work by calling
JoinEdge to join the short edge of C to A.
Troubleshoot Booleans
Rhino Booleans can fail for a number of reasons:
Normals not pointing the way you expect.
control points stack up at intersection of the two objects.
Objects have overlapping surface areas.
Surface Normals
All surfaces have a normal, which is a direction that points toward the side that you can think of as
"outside" or "up." For closed polysurfaces or single surface solids, the normal always points "out" like you
would expect. However, on an open surface or polysurface, the direction of the normal is arbitrary.
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Sphere with normal direction displayed
Polysurface with normal direction displayed
Polysurface with normal direction flipped

The Boolean operations use the surface normal to determine which parts to keep and which to throw
away. When you attempt a Boolean Difference and instead you get a Union, or visa versa, this is because
the objects have normals that are reversed from what you expect.
You can examine and change the direction of the surface normal with the Dir command.
Boolean operations tend to not work well if the objects have overlapping surface areas or only touch each
other at a point or along edges. For success using the Booleans, the objects should push all the way
through one another and not be tangent.
Rhino Boolean operations only work on NURBS objects, not mesh objects. Objects imported from a mesh
modeler will not Boolean.
Coincident Control Points

Coincident control points occur when the control points at the edge of a surface are at the same location.
This occurs in Rhino naturally at the tip of a cone or the pole of a sphere or a three-sided plane. You can
also move control points to the same location. This point is also called a singularity.
When a singularity point like this is located at the intersection of two objects you want to Boolean, the
operation can fail.
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The cone has coincident control points at the tip
Overlapping Surface Area

Overlapping surface areas occur when two surfaces share the same area. In this example, the two boxes
are just touching along one side. The objects will Union, but Difference, and Intersection do not work.
The boxes have overlapping surface areas
What To Do
If your objects won't Boolean, you can use other techniques to get the results you want.
In this example, the point of the cone is exactly at the corner of the box. This is one of the situations that
can cause the Booleans to fail.
Instead of using Boolean operations in this case, create curves that represent the intersection of the two
surfaces. Use this curve to Trim and/or Split to create the parts and then Join them back together.
To create intersection curves:

1 From the Curve menu, click From Objects, and then click Intersection.
2 At the Select object for intersection prompt, select one object.
In this example, we chose the cone first.
3 At the Select object to intersect prompt, select the second object.
In this example, there are three possible intersection curves. Depending on the order the objects are
selected, the Intersect command may give different results.
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Three possible results of Intersection command

If you select the objects first and then run the Intersect command, you would expect to get all three
curves, but for the same reason the Boolean failed, this may not happen. To get all the possible
curves, you might have to run the Intersect command more than once and select the objects in a
different order.
You may not need all the possible curves to be able to trim or split the objects, however.
In some cases you may have to extend the curves to reach the edges of the surfaces. Rhino has a
command for this: ExtendCrvOnSrf.
Explode or Extract the Surfaces to Trim
You cannot Trim or Split a polysurface with a curve. Therefore, if your objects are polysurfaces, you will
have to either Explode the polysurface into individual surfaces or ExtractSrf the individual surfaces. If
your objects are very complex, you will probably want to use ExtractSrf so you won't have as many
surfaces to Join back together later.
In our simple example, the cone contains only two surfaces anyway, so we will Explode it. The box has
six surfaces and we only need to deal with two of them, so we will ExtractSrf those two surfaces.
We are going to use this curve for our cutting object
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To prepare the polysurfaces:

1 Select the cone.
2 Explode the cone.
3 From the Solid menu, click Extract Surface.
4 At the Select surfaces to extract prompt, select the two faces of the box as shown below.
Surfaces to extract
5 Hide the box parts temporarily.
To remove the unnecessary parts of the cone:
1 Explode the curve and Hide the two parts at the bottom.
Hide everything except the cone and the two curves shown
2 From the Edit menu, click Split.
3 At the Select object to split prompt, select the cone.
4 At the Select cutting objects prompt, use a window section to select the two curves and press
Enter.
5 Delete the small wedge of the cone.
The split cone

6 Show all the parts
7 Repeat this procedure using the bottom of the cone and the two lines.
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The split cone base

To remove the parts of the box sides:
Because the box faces are simple surfaces, you can use Trim instead of Split to cut and remove the
parts in one step.
1 From the Edit menu, click Trim.
2 At the Select cutting edges ( Options ) prompt, select the two curves.
3 At the Select object to trim ( Options ) prompt, select the face of the box in the area you want to
remove.
The trimmed box faces

4 Show all the parts.
5 Use the Join command to join all the parts together.
The surfaces are joined to form a solid

Boolean programming code
All three Booleans, union, intersection, difference, go through the same code. Remember those formulas
from high school … A intersect B = ~(~A union ~B), A – B = A intersect ~B, where ~ is the set theoretical
complement, and is achieved by flipping the normals. So, all comments refer to any Boolean operation,
and the intersection of two polysurfaces will mean the intersection as surfaces.
Will not work if:
Polysurfaces do not completely cut through each other. This can only happen if at least one of the
polysurfaces is not a solid. In this case, the curves of intersection do not form closed loops.
The intersection involves a surface singularity from one polysurface and an edge from the other.
The intersection involves a surface singularity from one polysurface and the surfaces are tangent or
overlapping.
The intersection involves isolated points.
There is no intersection, for example if one solid is completely contained in another.
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The polysurfaces are tangent at some point or curve which is not on an edge, and the surfaces
involved are not special case surfaces such as spheres, cylinders, planes, etc.
Two surfaces have both regions of overlap and curves of intersection.
May not work if:
Intersection is close to a singularity.
Surfaces overlap, especially if edges of overlapping surfaces also overlap.
Surfaces within a polysurface that share an edge do not meet within a reasonable tolerance.
Surfaces are tangent at part of the intersection.
Expected behavior that may seem strange to the uninitiated:
If surfaces partially overlap, then the order of picking has an effect on the appearance of the output
faces, but not on the overall shape of the polysurface.
For a polysurface that is not a solid, the outside is the side to which the normals point. To understand
the results, one must imagine this polysurface as part of a larger solid which encloses a volume on the
side opposite the normals of the polysurface.
Edit the Rhino.ini file

Some settings can only be changed by editing the Rhino.ini file.
To edit the Rhino.ini file:

1 Exit Rhino.
2 In Windows Explorer, find the folder where Rhino is installed. By default the folder is
C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros.
3 Double-click Rhino.ini to open it for editing.
4 Find the setting you want to change.
5 Change the setting and save the changes to the Rhino.ini.
6 Exit Rhino.ini and restart Rhino.
Toolbars
Close a toolbar
Menu: Tools > Toolbar Layout
In the Toolbars dialog box, clear the checkbox for the toolbar.
Note
A floating toolbar can also be hidden by clicking on the small rectangle at the upper left end of the
title bar.
HideToolbar
Hide a toolbar.
At the Name of toolbar to hide? prompt, enter the name of a toolbar that is displayed on the
screen.
The toolbar name shows in the title bar of toolbar only when the toolbar is not docked against a side
of the Rhino graphics display. Drag a docked toolbar to display its title bar.
Open a toolbar
In the Toolbars dialog box, select the check box for the toolbar.
ShowToolbar
Show a toolbar.
At the Name of toolbar to show? prompt, enter the name of a hidden toolbar of the current toolbar
layout.
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The toolbar appears.

Use the Toolbar command to view the list of toolbars in the toolbar layout.
ToggleToolbar
Toggle the display of a toolbar.
At the Name of toolbar to toggle? prompt, enter the name of a toolbar of the current toolbar
layout.
The toolbar appears or hides.
Use the Toolbar command to view the list of toolbars in the toolbar layout.
Move a toolbar
Drag the title bar of the toolbar.
The toolbar moves to a new position, which can be on or off the Rhino window.
Note
If the toolbar is docked against a side of the Rhino graphics area, it has no title bar. Drag the narrow
blank area at the top or the left of the docked toolbar to undock it. The title bar appears.
Dock a toolbar
1 Drag the title bar of the toolbar to the edge of the Rhino graphics area, until the preview frame of it
changes shape.
2 Release the mouse button to dock the toolbar.
The toolbar reshapes, loses its title bar, and is docked.
Note
To prevent a toolbar from docking when dragged near viewport edges, press and hold Ctrl while you
drag the toolbar.
This is a setting in the Rhino.ini file. You can reverse the Ctrl key behavior by changing the setting:
DockingToolbars=y
to
DockingToolbars=n
Toolbars are always one button high when docked at the top and bottom of the Rhino graphics area,
and two buttons wide when docked on the sides of the Rhino graphics area.
Float a toolbar
1 Drag the small blank area at the top or left of a docked toolbar.
2 Release the mouse button to place the toolbar.
The title bar appears on the toolbar.
Note
To prevent a toolbar from docking when floated near viewport edges, press and hold Ctrl while you
drag the toolbar.
Reshape a toolbar
Drag the border of a floating toolbar to change it to a different shape.
Note
Toolbars are always one button high when docked at the top and bottom of the Rhino graphics area,
and two buttons wide when docked on the sides of the Rhino graphics area.
Rename a toolbar
1 In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click Properties.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click Properties.
2 In the Toolbar Properties dialog box, type the new name.
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The new name appears in the toolbar name list.
Import a toolbar from another layout file

1 In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click Import Toolbar.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click Import.
2 In the Import Toolbox from Workspace dialog box, enter the name of the workspace file that
contains the toolbar.
3 Click Open.
4 In the Import Toolbars dialog box, select the toolbars to import.
5 Click Import.
The names of the imported toolbars are added to the list in the Toolbars dialog box.
Change toolbar name or button size

1 In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click Properties.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click Properties.
2 In the Toolbar Properties dialog box, enter a new name for the toolbar and select a button size.
Create a new toolbar

1 In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click New Toolbar.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click New.
2 In the Toolbar Properties dialog box, enter a name for the toolbar and select a button size.
The new toolbar name is added to the list in the Toolbars dialog box.
Delete a toolbar
In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click Delete Toolbar.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click Delete.
The toolbar is permanently removed from the toolbar layout, and will not be present in a workspace
file if the toolbar layout is saved.
Create a flyout toolbar

1 Open the toolbar that will contain the link button.
2 Open the toolbar that will be linked from it.
3 Press and hold Ctrl.
Place your cursor over a button in the second toolbar, the word "LINK" appears in a white box above
the cursor.
4 Use the right mouse button to drag the button to the first toolbar, and drop in the desired position.
The button you dragged appears duplicated in the first toolbar, but with the link symbol of the white
triangle in its corner.
Note
The toolbar button size is set in the toolbar definition. If you link a different sized toolbar button into a
toolbar, it will distort the bitmap icon.
Flyout a toolbar
1 Move the cursor to the link button, which has the white triangle in the corner.
2 Hold down a mouse button for a moment.
The linked toolbar appears.
Or, click both mouse buttons simultaneously to flyout the linked toolbar without a delay.
3 Release the mouse button.
The linked toolbar appears.
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Hide a flyout toolbar

Click anywhere away from the cascaded toolbar.
The linked toolbar vanishes.
Tear off a flyout toolbar

1 Move the cursor to the link button.
2 Hold down a mouse button for a moment.
Or, click both mouse buttons simultaneously.
The toolbar appears.
4 Drag the title bar of the toolbar to a new position on the screen.
The toolbar is floating.
Manage toolbar buttons
Move a toolbar button

1 Move the cursor over the toolbar button.
2 Press and hold Shift.
The word "MOVE" appears in a white box above the cursor.
3 Use the left mouse button to drag the toolbar button to a different toolbar, or to a different position in
the same toolbar.
The buttons rearrange.
Delete a toolbar button

When you pass your cursor over a toolbar button, the word "MOVE" appears in a white box above the
cursor.
3 Use the left mouse button to drag the toolbar button outside the toolbars and drop
The remaining buttons rearrange.
Copy a toolbar button

2 Press and hold Ctrl.
The word "COPY" appears in a white box above the cursor.
3 Use the left mouse button and drag the button to another location in the same toolbar or to a
different toolbar.
Note
Toolbar button size is set by the Properties option of the Toolbar command. If you copy a different
sized toolbar button into a toolbar, it will distort the bitmap icon.
Create a floating flyout button

If you use many different commands in a linked toolbar, you might want the icon of the last button
you used to be the button icon that appears on the link button.
1 Move the cursor over a link button.
2 Press and hold Shift, and click the right mouse button.
3 In the Edit Toolbar Button dialog box, select Float to Top to make the link button float.
The link button will show the last button used from the linked toolbar.
Note
If you normally use one button in a linked toolbar and rarely use the others, you probably want the
one you used most to always appear on the link button. In this case, clear Float to Top.
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Unlink a flyout toolbar

1 Move the cursor over the linked button.
The word "MOVE" appears in a white box above the cursor.
3 Use the left mouse button to drag the linked button outside the toolbar.
4 Release the left mouse button.
5 In the Delete Button dialog box, click OK.
Customize toolbar buttons

The Edit Toolbar Button dialog box lets you create new or change Rhino toolbar buttons. You can
change the ToolTip, the left and right mouse buttons commands, and the bitmap icon.
Create a new toolbar button

1 In the Toolbars dialog box, right-click the toolbar name in the list, and click Add Button.
Or, select the toolbar, and from the Toolbar menu, click Add Button.
2 Click Close.
A blank button is added to the toolbar.
Change the toolbar button tooltip

1 Move the cursor over a toolbar button.
3 In the Edit Toolbar Button dialog box, type text in the ToolTip box.
Note
Separate left and right mouse functions in the ToolTip with a vertical bar, for example: Zoom In |
Out.
Programming the toolbar button functions

3 In the Edit Toolbar Button dialog box, type text in the ToolTip box.
4 Type a command in the Left mouse button command and/or Right mouse button command
boxes.
Note
Place an exclamation point and a space (! ) to cancel the previous command.
If you don't know what to enter, pick the commands from the menu or toolbars. Press F2 to view the
command history. Highlight and copy the command sequence and paste it into the mouse button
command box.
Customize toolbar button bitmap icons

The Edit Bitmap dialog box lets you create icons for your toolbar buttons. You can clear the image, draw
with the paint tools, capture a portion of the screen, or import a bitmap created with a paint program.
Area
Button image
Upper right square showing your icon in its actual size. The icon on new toolbar buttons is a plain gray
background.
Drawing area
Enlarged view of your bitmap. Use this area to edit your bitmap.
Line drawing tool
Draws a straight line.
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Paint can tool

Fills a single-color area with the selected color.
Palette
Squares with the colors you can use in your bitmap icon. The two squares above the palette show the
colors loaded into your left and right mouse buttons.
Pencil tool
Edits the bitmap icon pixel by pixel.
Note
You can shift the image left, right, up, and down using the keyboard arrow keys.
This is the time to set the toolbar button size. It is not a good idea to change the size after you have
the bitmap created with the Toolbar Properties, as changing the size at that time distorts the
bitmap image.
Clear the bitmap image

3 In the Edit Toolbar Button dialog box, click Edit Bitmap.
4 In the Edit Bitmap dialog box, from the Edit menu, click Clear, then OK.
The button image is blank in the Edit Toolbar Button dialog box.
Warning: If you click OK the former button image is no longer in the toolbar layout, the button is
blank.
Draw or edit a bitmap icon

4 In the Edit Bitmap dialog box, click a square in the palette to load the left mouse button with that
color. That color appears in the left box of the upper pair.
5 Right-click a square in the palette to load the right mouse button with that color. That color appears
in the right box of the upper pair.
6 Click the pencil tool, then click or drag over the squares in the main image with either mouse button
to change their colors.
Or, click the paint can tool to fill single-color areas with the selected color.
Or, click the line drawing tool to draw straight lines with the selected color.
7 To undo a mistake, from the Edit menu, click Undo.
Note
Bevel edges that make your bitmap icon look three-dimensional appear automatically on the buttons.
Capture a portion of the screen to use as a bitmap icon

1 Make sure the region you want to capture is visible on the screen.
2 Move the cursor over a toolbar button whose bitmap you want to replace.
5 In the Edit Bitmap dialog box, from the Edit menu, click Grab.
A square replaces the cursor. This square represents an area of your screen the same size as the
button bitmap.
6 Move the cursor square over the portion of the screen to grab.
7 Click the left mouse button to grab that portion.
The new bitmap pattern appears in the display of the Edit Bitmap dialog box.
Import a bitmap from another source

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4 In the Edit Bitmap dialog box, from the File menu, click Import Bitmap.
5 In the Import Bitmap dialog box, select a bitmap file.
6 Click Open.
The bitmap file or a portion of it appears in the display of the Edit Bitmap dialog box.
Save your bitmap to a file

4 In the Edit Bitmap dialog box, from the File menu, click Export Bitmap.
5 In the Export Bitmap dialog box, type a bitmap file name.
Adjust the Save as type setting as needed.
6 Click Save.
The bitmap icon is saved to a file, whose size (resolution) is determined by the size set for the source
toolbar in the Properties option of the Toolbar dialog box.
Scripting tools
Many commands were written specifically for use in a command script. Command scripts can be run from
toolbar buttons, shortcut keys, command aliases, from a text file, or by pasting a script from the Clipboard
into Rhino's command stream.
Writing Command Scripts

Write command scripts just as you would type the command sequence at the command line. A space
between characters or a new line act like pressing Enter at the command line. An exclamation point (!)
and a space in the beginning of a script cancels any previous command. If necessary the exclamation
point can be used also at the end of the script.
A Simple Command Script

This script creates a circle centered at 5,5 with a radius of 10:
! Circle 5,5 10
The spaces between the entries are the same places you would press Enter when typing the command by
hand.
This script moves objects, but makes sure no objects are selected before asking you to select objects to
move:
! SelNone Move
A More Advanced Command Script

This script creates a set of points from a text file list, then selects them all and fits a polyline through the
points:
! SelAll
Points
-4,0
5,1
4,4
-4,4
13,-4
8,-3
1,6
Enter
Invert
PolylineThroughPt
How this script works:

! SelAll
Cancels all previous commands and selects all the objects currently in the model.
Points
Takes coordinate pairs or triples for each point object.
Enter
Simulates pressing Enter, which stops the creation of point objects.
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Invert
Inverts the selection. All visible objects in the scene were selected at the beginning of the script, so after
Invert only the newly created point objects are selected.
PolylineThroughPt
Creates a polyline through the point objects.
To try this script:

1 Select the script right from this Help topic (from SelAll to PolylineThroughPt).
2 Press Ctrl+C to copy it to the Clipboard.
3 From the Tools menu, click Commands, then click Paste from Clipboard.
Commands That Accept Command Line Arguments
Bend StraightEnd=Yes/No Copy=Yes/No
BlendSrf Degree=3/5
ChangeLayer Layer=layername
Curve Close=Yes/No
Extrude Cap= Yes/No
Fillet Join= Yes/No
FilletSrf Trim= Yes/No/Split Extend= Yes/No
FlattenSrf Verbose=1/2/3 shows the triangulation on Target/Source/Both
InterpCrv Close=Yes/No
LayerLock Layer=layername
LayerOff Layer=layername
LayerOn Layer=layername
MergeSrf Smooth=Yes/No
NetworkSrf Autosort=Yes/No
Orient Scale=Yes/No
OrientOnSrf SurfaceBased=Yes/No
Pipe Cap=Yes/No, Thick=Yes/No
SelLayer Layer=layername1, layername2, layername3
SetLayer Layer=layernamewithnospaces or "layer name with spaces"
Taper Flat= Yes/No
UndoMultiple Steps=number
UnrollSrf Mode=1 Divs=1-128 Fit=0/1. Mode is always 1. Divs is the samples per knotspan. The default
is 20. Fit is the fitting method. Options are 0=Interpolate, 1=Fit. The default is 1.
Note
Place an exclamation point and a space (! ) to cancel the previous command.
If you don't know what to enter, pick the commands from the menu or toolbars. Press F2 to view the
command history. Highlight and copy the command sequence and paste it into your script text.
VBScript and JScript

Rhino supports Visual Basic scripts and JScripts. These scripting languages allow loops, variable names,
browsing for files, queries, and other
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition, a subset of the Microsoft Visual Basic programming language, is a
fast, portable, lightweight interpreter for use in World Wide Web browsers and other applications that use
Microsoft ActiveX Controls, Automation servers, and Java applets.
Microsoft JScript 5.5, a scripting language targeted specifically at the Internet, is the first scripting
language to fully conform to ECMAScript, the Web's only standard scripting language.
There is a new plug-in for running VBScript and JScript scripts. Here are the commands to use:
LoadScript
RunScript
ConfigScript
StopScript
These handle either Visual Basic or JScripts.
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The basic steps are:

1 Write a script function.
Rhino VBScripts use the file extension .rvb.
2 Run the LoadScript command to load a script into memory.
3 Use the RunScript command to run the function name.
For more information on scripting, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/
For more information on Rhino-specific scripting, see: [link to come]
3-D digitizing
Rhino supports two 3-D digitizing arms, MicroScribe 3-D from Immersion and the Space Arm by Faro.
Rhino's interface is the same for both digitizers.
Before you start you must initialize and calibrate the digitizer.
Digitizers can be calibrated so that a coordinate system in the real world corresponds to a coordinate
system in Rhino. The calibration can be changed in the middle of the digitizing process to allow digitizing
of the underside of an object, or an object that is larger than the reach of the digitizer.
You can set the scale factor for digitized points. One inch in the real world is one Rhino unit by default.
Digitizers use a foot pedal to pick points. The DigClick command allows you to pick points from within
Rhino. You can set up a function key (such as F12) so that when you press the function key, it is as if you
pressed the foot pedal.
Diagnostics
Sometimes a model can become damaged. These damaged areas can cause problems.
It is possible to build bad models using Rhino tools - for instance, if you trim a surface with a self-
intersecting curve, Rhino will let you do it, but the result will be a poorly defined model that will cause
problems later.
Another problem is having a tiny, trimming edge that then gets joined to a larger trim curve on an
adjacent surface. If Rhino matches the large edges, sometimes the tiny trim curve edge can get
compressed even further so that it is really just a point. That compressed edge no longer has a
meaningful orientation and causes problems.
There are modeling techniques you can use to increase the overall robustness of your models.
Drawing tiny little lines to connect pieces of a trim curve instead of moving the two endpoints of the
curves together generally messes up joining other edges together and tends to cause problems.
Sometimes the microscopic edges can be generated through other means, like Booleans where the objects
are just off from each other by a little bit.
Trimming edges that are very small or curved back on themselves are the biggest cause of problems in
models.
There are Rhino tools you can use to examine your model for these defects.
The first one to try is the Check command. If your model doesn't pass Check, then it will list some
specific problems. You can just use the list to indicate that you might need to tune up the model. If a
model passes Check, it doesn't automatically mean that it is 100% properly structured, though. Some
bad model parts, like having surfaces that fold back on themselves or self-intersect, are very time
consuming and difficult to automatically detect, and Check doesn't check for those things. But it can
check the general overall structure of the object.
If your model doesn't pass Check, then you can use the ShowBrokenEdges command to highlight which
specific edges are not passing Check.
To fix broken edges, you have to explode the model, then use Untrim or DetachTrim to remove the
trimming information from the problem areas, then edit the trim curves, re-trim the surface, and join
everything back together again.
The exact procedure depends on what specific problem is there.
If you zoom in on some of the problem areas, you may find some of those microscopic edges. If you zoom
in enough, these often look like a little loop that's coming off of the highlighted endpoint. That's because
the edge's endpoints are on top of each other, but then there's a little bit of the middle of the edge that is
looping around. Get rid of these by untrimming/retrimming.
It's difficult to say exactly how these problems are generated. It may have been through not lining objects
up properly or not joining them in a clean manner.
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The workaround is to Explode, Untrim or DetachTrim, Trim again, and Join. If there are lots of tiny
edges, then you may have to use the SplitEdge command to split all edges so they have a compatible
structure, and then use JoinEdge to manually mate the proper pairs.
When there are long things and tiny things adjacent to each other, the Join command can get confused -
when that happens, the low level manual JoinEdge can work as a replacement.
These tools are on the Analyze menu under Edge Tools. You may need to use several of these tools to
fix difficult broken models as well.
Avoiding Modeling Errors

In general, try to avoid creating tiny edges in models.
Don't use curves where there is a tiny line in the middle of the curve that joins two pieces together.
Try to make sure that adjacent parts mate cleanly with a good, simple edge-to-edge matching.
Error messages
Knots descending or too close together
The curve usually has lots of points. This means two subsequent knot values are too close together.
Solution:
Remove knots manually with RemoveKnot, FitCrv, or Rebuild or go back to the shape curves and
reconstruct the surface using Rebuild or Refit option if possible. Rebuilding or refitting the shape curves is
also possible.
One way to find stacked up points is to do ExtractPt on the surface and then do SelDup. The selected
points indicate the location of the stacked up points.
Illegal non-positive weight
If you make a high degree rational curve, and then lower the degree with ChangeDegree, the result may
be a curve with negative control point weights and you will get this error message.
Solution:
FitCrv or Rebuild fixes the curve by reconstructing it.
Additionally, you can Undo changing the degree.
Tedge and pedge not within tolerance at start
Solution:
Untrim and then re-Trim the face.
Bspline is not G1 and has degree >= 2
The single curve has a kink in it. Draw a Curve (Degree=3), and then turn on control points and stack
three points on top of each other. You will get this error message.
Solution:
Rebuild the curve, Split the curve at the kink, open up the kink by control point editing, or remove knots
at the kink with RemoveKnot.
This test does not check the geometry. Thus, it is possible to have curve that is not G1 and it still passes
Check. To draw a non-G1 curve, use Curve (Degree=3) and place points at these locations:
0,0
5,0
5,5
5,10
5,4
10,4
Tedge and pedge not within tolerance at end
Solution:
Pedge is not contained within domain of face->srf
Solution:
Rebuild the edge.
Pedge is not G1
Solution:
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Edge is not G1
Solution:
Edge or pedge is not within tolerance on interior (e_tol+pe_tol=0)
The Check command gives the warning when the edges are not accurate to the given tolerances.
Usually, the tolerances associated with an edge are much less than Rhino's absolute tolerance, and the
actual error in the edges is still within absolute tolerance.
In short,
Rhino tries to keep track of the true accuracy of the joins in your model. Some operations, Join and
Booleans in particular, occasionally cause Rhino's assessment of the accuracy to be inaccurate. The
warning lets you know when this has happened.
Solution:
Rebuild the edge.
Edge direction, pedge direction and revedge flag do not jibe
Probably a tiny messed up edge.
Solution:
DetachTrim, fix curve and retrim.
Non-singular edge has coincident control points.
There are stacked control points along a surface edge. Make a deformable Plane and then stack two
control points on top of each other along the ege. You will get this error message.
Solution:
Open up the stacked points. You can put control points very close to each other, but not right on top of
each other.
Internal control points are coincident.
There are stacked control points in the middle of the surface.
Solution:
Open up the stacked points. You can put control points very close to each other, but not right on top of
each other.
Surface is not G1
The surface has a kink in it. Draw a Circle, Extrude it, and then control point edit the extrusion. You will
get this error message.
Solution:
Split the surface at the kink (if you can find it). You can also try RebuildSrf on the surface.
Scripting Rhino Installers

Rhino installers are scriptable. You can create shortcuts to simplify installation of Rhino from the network.
Rhino 2.0 installers accept the following command-line options:
/autoinstall
Tells the installer to run automatically without asking any questions.
/key=[cd-key]
[cd-key] is the CD-Key for the installation. Use this to install as a standalone node. The CD-Key can be
one of two formats: XXXXYYYYZZZZ or XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ
/workgroup_node
Install Rhino as a workgroup node. This option takes precedence over the /key option.
/path=[installpath]
[installpath] is the fully qualified destination path for the installation. Must be surrounded by quotes if the
path contains spaces.
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Remarks:
For Rhino to install automatically, you must:
use the /autoinstall option
provide a /path=
use one of the following options:
/workgroup_node
/key=
Examples:
To install Rhino in "D:\Software\Rhino 2.0" as a workgroup node, run the installer this way:
rh20beta_20010425.exe /autoinstall /workgroup_node /path="D:\Software\Rhino 2.0"
Workgroup License Manager (The Zoo)

To script the installation process and allow more efficient use of Rhino licenses, network administrators
now have the option of installing Rhino 2.0 as a workgroup node. Workgroup nodes obtain license keys at
run time from the Zoo, unlike standalone Rhino, which requires that a license key be entered on each
system.
When a Rhino workgroup node starts, a request for a license key is sent to the Zoo. If the number of
available keys has not been exceeded, the Zoo assigns a key to the workstation, and the number of
available licenses is reduced by one. When a node shuts down, the license is added back to the available
license pool.
The Zoo will run on any system in a network workgroup. All of the nodes must be in the same
workgroup. The Zoo uses an interprocess communications mechanism that is used by several Windows
networking services. Thus, the Zoo should operate reliably in both Microsoft Workgroup and Domain
networking environments. For details on setting up a workgroup, contact your network administrator.
The Zoo can be downloaded free of charge.
Features include:
No special version of Rhino is needed.
No special hardware is needed.
Commercial versions of Rhino 2.0 will work either as a standalone license or as a network node. This is an
installation option.
Standalone licenses can easily be converted to network nodes and back.
All the nodes will keep working even if the network connection or server is down, but no new ones can
start up without access to the Zoo.
The Zoo will run on any system in the workgroup.
Very little administration is required. The license keys are typed into the Zoo instead of on individual
systems.
A workgroup can have a mix of nodes and standalone licenses.
Rhino licenses can be checked out so laptop users can disconnect from the network. The license can be
checked in again when the laptop is reconnected to the network.
Rhino plug-ins
Plug-ins are programs that extend the functionality of Rhino. Many plug-ins are currently available for
download from www.rhino3d.com/plug-ins.
If you are interested in developing plug-ins for Rhino, visit www.rhino3d.com/plug-
ins/developer.htm.
Use the LoadPlugin or PluginManager commands to load plug-in applications.
Glossary
Bumpmap
Bumpmap is a bitmap image that is used for making a surface appear bumpy in a rendered image.
Bumpmap is used only for modifying the surface normals; it does not modify the shape of the surface.
That is why the silhouette does not appear bumpy.
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Command area
The command area consists of the command prompt and a scrollable command history. By default the
command area is above the viewports and below the menus.
Control point
Control points are coefficients of NURBS basis functions.
A control point is the same thing as a control vertex. This term is commonly used in 3-D modeling.
Some programs use the term node to mean something similar to a control point.
Cursor, Marker, Tracking Line

When picking points in Rhino, the cursor turns into a crosshair. If an object snap is on, the marker will
snap to the snap point. When using elevator mode, the marker will be constrained to a tracking line
perpendicular to the construction plane.
Draft angle
The draft angle is the angle of the surface normal in relation to the construction plane in the active view.
If the surface is vertical (perpendicular to the construction plane), the draft angle is 0. If the surface is
horizontal (parallel to the construction plane) the draft angle is + or - 90 degrees The range is from - 90
degrees to 90 degrees.
Edges and pedges

The representation of an edge of a polysurface consists of a 3- D curve (the one you see), called the edge,
two 2- D curves, one in the parameter space of each surface joined along the edge, called the pedge, and
tolerance values for each of the curves.
The 3- D edge is an approximation to the intersection of the surfaces, and is supposed to be accurate to
within the tolerance e_tol.
Each 2- D pedge can be evaluated on its surface to give another 3- D curve, which also approximates the
intersection. The pe_tol associated with a pedge is the accuracy of this approximation.
If the surface is not joined to another along the edge, then e_tol tells how close the 3- D edge is to the
surface, and pe_tol tells how close the 3- D curve given by evaluating the pedge is to the 3- D edge.
Edit points
Edit points in Rhino are points on a curve evaluated at knot averages.
For example, if the curve degree is three and the knot vector is:
0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3
the edit points are points on the curve evaluated at these parameter values:
0, 1/3, 1, 2, 8/3, 3
Please see the "About NURBS" chapter in the Rhino User's Guide for more information knots and NURBS in
general.
False color
A technique that uses color to display non-chromatic properties of a surface.
Initial mesh grid

Initial mesh grid is a quad mesh Rhino creates on each NURBS surface in the first stage of meshing. When
the initial mesh grid is made, trim curves are ignored. After the initial grid is made, Rhino meshes all trim
edges, connects the initial grid to the trim edges and then refines the mesh if the Refine option is
selected.
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Isoparm
Isoparm or an isoparametric curve is a curve of constant U or V value on a surface. Rhino uses isoparms
and surface edge curves to visualize the shape of a NURBS surface.
By default isoparms are drawn at knot locations. If the surface is a single knot-span surface like a simple
rectangular plane, isoparms are drawn also in the middle of the surface.
Knot
A value of the curve parameter where the polynomial definition of the b-spline changes.
Imagine a rope. If you hold it at the ends, the rope will sag according to the laws of nature (gravity, the
stiffness of the rope, etc.) with a polynomial definition. If you tie it off somewhere along its length (by
putting knots in it), there will be a different polynomial definition (sag) for each segment between the
knots.
Naked edge
A surface or polysurface edge that is not connected to another edge. Solid objects do not have naked
edges.
Normal direction
Every surface has a normal, which is a direction that points toward the side of the surface that is the
outside. The other side is the inside. When you have a finished solid, the normals are all automatically
pointing outwards like you'd expect.
Sphere with normal direction displayed

However, when you have a single surface, or a polysurface, Rhino can't automatically determine which
side is supposed to be pointing which direction, so it may be necessary to use the Flip option of the Dir
command.

The Boolean commands use this normal direction to determine what parts to keep and what to throw
away.
Normals are also used for lighting a surface. By computing the angle between the normal and a given light
source, the amount of light that falls on a particular point can be computed. However, the most important
use and/or need for the normal is that it is used to determine the direction in which a surface is facing.
Some renderers support double-sided shaders, which means it doesn't matter which direction the normals
face. Some renderers allow for multi-shader double-sided features so you can have a single surface that
has a different shader property for each side (for example, blue on one side, red on the other, or reflective
metal on one side, flat constant on the other). The only way this can be done is by determining the
direction of the given surface's normal.
There are many other uses for normals such as slope calculations.
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NURBS
NURBS stands for non-uniform rational B-spline. It is a mathematical way of defining curves, surfaces,
and solids. Rhino works primarily with NURBS objects, but it does have a few commands for working with
triangular meshes.
Please see "About NURBS" chapter in the Rhino User's Guide for more information.
Panes
There are five clickable panes on the Rhino status bar. From left to right they are: Layer pane, Snap pane,
Ortho pane, Planar pane and Osnap pane.
Layer pane
Click Layer pane to open a layer list and select a new current layer from the list.
Right click Layer pane to open the Edit Layers dialog box.
Snap pane
Click Snap pane to toggle grid snap.
Text "Snap" turns black when Snap is on.
Ortho pane
Click Ortho pane to toggle ortho mode.
Planar pane
Click Planar pane to toggle planar mode.
Osnap pane
Click Osnap pane to open Osnap dialog box.
Text "Osnap" turns black when one or more object snaps have been set persistent.
The Osnap pane also shows which object snap is currently in effect.
Periodic curve
A periodic curve is a smooth closed curve. Periodic curves stay smooth when you edit them.
Non-periodic curve
A non-periodic curve is a closed curve with a kink at the start/end of the curve. Deforming non-periodic
curves near the start of the curve may result in kinks.
Periodic Surface
Periodic surfaces are closed surfaces (such as a cylindrical surface) that can be deformed without
developing kinks. Periodic surfaces are automatically created when the input curves are periodic.
Polysurface
Polysurface consists of two or more surfaces joined together. If the polysurface fully encloses a volume, it
is also a solid. In some other 3-D programs, this is called a "quilt."
Press Enter
In addition to pressing Enter, you can press Spacebar or click the right mouse button when the cursor is
over the viewport area.
Alt key
Press Alt to temporarily suspend object snaps or to temporarily unlock locked object snaps.
Press Alt to temporarily suspend Polyline/Curve/InterpCrv autoclose.
Press Alt after starting to drag objects to make a copy instead of simply moving the object.
Press Alt and drag with the left mouse button to force a window/crossing selection. This lets you start
your window/crossing very near object isoparms.
The key combination Ctrl+Shift+Alt + Right mouse causes the camera lens length to change. This
zooms in and out like a zoom lens on the camera without changing the camera position.
Esc key
Press Esc once to cancel a command.
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If you are typing a command, Esc clears the command prompt.

If objects are selected and no command is active, Esc deselects all objects.
When no command is active, no objects are selected, and some objects have control points or edit
points turned on, Esc turns off the points.
Seamless Mesh
Rhino creates quadrilateral and triangle meshes for export into various file formats. When surfaces are
joined together in Rhino, the meshes along the joined edge have coincident vertices. If a mesh is
generated from a solid, there will be no holes in the mesh. This is valuable for export to STL rapid
prototyping files.
Template
A template is a 3DM file you can use to store has basic settings like layers, grid size, units, and tolerances.
You can save your own templates to base future models on, or use the default templates that are installed
with Rhino.
Texture mapping coordinates

Texture mapping coordinates are two dimensional coordinate values attached to polygon mesh vertices.
They define which pixel in the texture map is attached to which vertex on polygon mesh. All the other
points on the polygon mesh in the rendered image are interpolated from the vertex points.
UV texture mapping coordinates used by Rhino mean that every polygon mesh vertex has its own two
dimensional texture mapping coordinate based on the parameterization of the NURBS surface the polygon
mesh is created from.
Rhino automatically applies UV texture mapping coordinates to all polygon mesh objects created from
NURBS surfaces.
U- and v-directions
Every surface is roughly rectangular. Surfaces have three directions, u, v, and normal.
You can display the u- and v-directions and the normal direction with the Dir command.
The u- and v-directions are like the weave of cloth or screen. The u- direction is indicated by the red
arrow, and the v- direction is indicated by the green arrow. The normal direction is indicated by the white
arrow.
A rectangular surface with the u, v, and normal directions displayed

A circular surface can be like a spider web with one direction converging in the center.

These directions are used when mapping textures and inserting knots.
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Wireframe
Wireframe view is how Rhino displays objects while you create them. Surfaces and solids are represented
as 3-D curves that look like wires wrapped around the surface. You can shade and render the wireframe
view.
The wireframe consists of border curves and isoparms.
Commands
34View
Toggle between 3-viewport and 4-viewport display.
Toggles between 3 and 4 view layout and resets any custom layout to 3 or 4 views.
3DFace
Draw a 3-D polygon mesh face.
Toolbar: Mesh and STL Tools

Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > 3-D Face
1 At the First corner of polygon, Second corner of polygon, and Third corner of polygon
prompts, pick points for the mesh polygon vertices.
2 At the Fourth corner of polygon. Press Enter for triangle prompt, pick a point to create a four-
vertex mesh polygon.
Or, press Enter to create a three-vertex mesh polygon from the first three points.
Note
Use 3Dface for patching holes in meshes where moving control points isn't appropriate.
Use 3DFace to build individual mesh polygons. Placing the points in counter-clockwise order makes
the polygon normal point towards you.
Use 3DFace to add on to a mesh. Turn control points on for an existing mesh. Use 3DFace to add a
mesh polygon, using Point object snap and JoinMesh.
3View
Three-viewport layout.
Toolbar: Viewport Layout

Menu: View > Viewport Layout > 3 Viewports
Resets the viewport layout to three views. Using the command twice resets the views to the internally
defined defaults.
4View
Four-viewport layout.

Menu: View > Viewport Layout > 4 Viewports
Resets the viewport layout to four views. Using the command twice resets also the views to the internally
defined defaults.
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AddNextU
Add the next control points in the u-direction to the selection.
Toolbar: Select Points

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Add next u
1 Show control points on a surface.
2 Select a point on the surface.
3 Start the AddNextU command.
The next control point in the u-direction is added to the selection.
Surface with four control points selected
Next control points in the u-direction added to the selection
AddNextV
Add the next control point in the v-direction to the selection.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Add next v
3 Start the AddNextV command.
The next control point in the v-direction is added to the selection.
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Next control points in the v-direction added to the selection
AddPrevU
Add the previous control point in the u-direction to the selection.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Add prev u
3 Start the AddPrevU command.
The previous control point in the u-direction is added to the selection.
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Previous control points in the u-direction added to the selection
AddPrevV
Add the previous control point in the v-direction to the selection.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Add prev v
3 Start the AddPrevV command.
The previous control point in the v-direction is added to the selection.
Previous control points in the v-direction added to the selection
AddToGroup
Add an object to selected group.
1 At the Select objects prompt, select an object to add to a group.

2 At the Select groups, prompt select the group or enter a group name.
Use the Group command to group objects together.
Use the Ungroup command to remove grouping.
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Use the RemoveFromGroup command to remove objects from a group.

Use the SetGroupName command to name groups.
AlignBackgroundBitmap
Align a background bitmap.
Toolbar: Background Bitmap

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Align
1 At the Base point on bitmap prompt, pick a base point on the background bitmap to adjust.
2 At the Reference point on bitmap prompt, pick a point that defines the first reference line from the
base point to the reference point.
3 At the Base point on CPlane prompt, pick a point in Rhino where you want the bitmap base point to
line up.
4 At the Reference point on CPlane prompt, pick a point in Rhino that defines the second reference
line from the second base point to the second reference point.
The bitmap is scaled so that the first reference line length matches the second reference line length.
Bitmap placed in Top viewport
Bitmap aligned with point objects in model
Note
Background bitmaps are always aligned with the x-axis of the construction plane. If you want your
bitmap rotated with respect to the construction plan, you must open it in a bitmap editing program
and rotate it there, or you can create a rotated construction plane and place the bitmap on it.
AlignProfiles
Align two curves.
1 Select the objects.
2 At the Select curve to change prompt, select the curve that will be translated and scaled so that its
bounding box aligns with that of the first curve.
The curves must be planar, and the plane of each must be parallel to one of the World construction
planes World Top, World Front, or World Right.
The translation and rescaling is in the world axis directions
The bounding box is the smallest box that holds the object, with the sides of the box parallel to the
world construction planes.
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Original profile curves
Profile curves aligned with each other
AllCPlanesThroughPt
Move all construction planes through a point.
At the Point for all CPlanes to pass through prompt, pick a point for all construction planes to
pass through.
Note
The construction planes in all viewports are moved along their z-axes until they pass through the
point you pick.
AllLayersOn
Turn all layers on.
Toolbar: Layer
Menu: Edit > Layers > All Layers On
Angle
Measure the angle between two lines.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Angle

1 At the Start of first line prompt, select a point that defines the start of an angle line.
2 At the End of first line prompt, select a point that defines the end of an angle line.
3 At the Start of second line prompt, select a point that defines the beginning of the second angle
line.
4 At the End of second line prompt, select a point that defines the end of the second angle line.
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The angle between the two lines displays on the command line in the format Angle is 1.0000 degrees.
ApplyCrv
Apply a curve to a surface.
Toolbar: Curve From Object

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Apply UV Curves
1 Select planar curves in the world x-y plane that you want to apply to a surface.
2 At the Select surface to apply the planar curves to prompt, select the surface on which to apply
the curves.
Planar curves on the x-y plane are mapped into the surface's control polygon, and corresponding 3-D
curves are created on the surface.
Note
Use the CreateUVCrv command to generate planar versions of the u and v curves of a surface so
you can use them as a guide to orient your text. You must then also map the u and v curves along
with the curves you are applying so they will act as a placeholder.
UV curves of the cylinder
Text rotated and centered then mapped with uv curves to cylinder
ApplyMesh
Apply a mesh to surface.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh > Apply to Surface
1 Select a polygon mesh.
2 At the Choose a surface to apply the mesh to prompt, select the surface to apply the mesh.
A new mesh will be created that has the same number of control points as the source mesh, and
fitted onto the selected surface. If the surface is trimmed, the mesh is sized to the untrimmed
surface.
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Note
ApplyMesh succeeds only on meshes that are generated from NURBS objects, so that the meshes
have uv-direction information embedded in them. The uv-direction information determines the
direction of applying the mesh to the surface.
ApplyMesh maps each "sub-mesh" of a joined mesh onto the full size of one surface of a
polysurface. So it may be best to do ExplodeMesh on meshes and Explode on surfaces before using
ApplyMesh to avoid confusing results.
The way that morphing is implemented in most animation programs isn't designed for morphing
between totally different shapes, although if you understand the process and work at it, you can
make such morphs. Morphing is usually used to make frames between two copies of the same shape,
one of which has been squished around in some way.
Nearly all morphing mesh animation programs require that the vertex count of each mesh and the
structure of it to be identical. ApplyMesh guarantees that.
Make several different copies of an object that you've built inside of Rhino, each of which has been
altered to be a keyframe. Then use ApplyMesh to create the meshes for each of the keyframe
objects. Export these meshes to your animation program to perform the morphing.
For example, imagine that you had made a face out of a single surface and then wanted to have an
animation of it's nose pulling out and wiggling around. Let's say you made 10 keyframes out of this. If
you were to use Rhino's normal meshing tools to create meshes out of each face, you wouldn't be
able to morph between them in your animation program because the meshes for the face with the
pulled out and wiggled nose would have more polygons in them in the nose area than the plain face
shape. So create a mesh on the most complicated shape first, and then use ApplyMesh to create the
other meshes to match its structure.
If making morph targets, mesh the most complex surface first, and apply that mesh to the simpler
surface.
ApplyMesh is sensitive to the u and v directions of a surface. If you have one surface has uv's going
in different directions from the original surface, then it's probably going to give you something that's
laid out on the surface in a way that you didn't want.
You can determine the u and v directions by using the ExtractIsoparm command. When you're in
ExtractIsoparm, you can type u to get a curve in the u direction, and v to get a curve in the v
direction (or both to get both). Then, you can use Dir on the ExtractIsoparm to determine which
way the u or v direction is going.
You can use SwapUV to swap the u direction and v directions with each other.
Generally, you don't have to worry about this if you only use ApplyMesh on objects that were
deformed from one single source.
If you use the Mirror transformation, it flips the surface internally so that the normals will be pointing
in the same direction as the original object. But that swaps u and v on the surface, so if you Mirror
something, you'll need to use SwapUV to do a proper mirrored ApplyMesh.
Arc
Draw an arc.
Toolbar: Arc and Main

Menu: Curve > Arc > Center, Start, Angle
1 At the Center of arc ( Deformable ) prompt, enter the center of the arc's radius.
2 At the Center of arc ( Deformable PointCount=12 ) prompt, enter the center of the arc's radius.
3 At the Start of arc prompt, enter the start point of the arc.
4 At the End point or angle prompt, enter the end point of the arc.
Or, enter the angle for the arc. The direction the arc goes from the start point depends on where your
mouse is.
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Arc from a center point, a start point and an angle
Options
Deformable
Creates uniform cubic splines. You can enter the number of control points.
Deformable arc with 7 points and a normal arc.
Arc3Pt
Draw an arc through three points.
Toolbar: Arc
Menu: Curve > Arc > 3 Points
1 At the Start of arc prompt, enter the start of the arc.
2 At the End of arc prompt, enter the end point of the arc.
3 At the Point on arc prompt, enter a point on the arc.
Arc from three points
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ArcDir
Draw an arc by end points and direction.
Toolbar: Arc
Menu: Curve > Arc > Start, End, Direction
1 At the Start of arc prompt, enter the start point.
2 At the End of arc prompt, enter the end point.
3 At the Direction prompt, pick to set the tangent direction at the arc's start.
Arc from start point, end point, and direction
ArcSER
Draw an arc by beginning point, end point, and radius.
Toolbar: Arc
Menu: Curve > Arc > Start, End, Radius
1 At the Start of arc prompt, enter the start point.
2 At the End of arc prompt, enter the end point.
3 At the Radius prompt, enter a radius value.
If the radius value is too small, you will be prompted for the minimum radius.
ArcTTR
Draw an arc tangent to two curves.
Toolbar: Arc
Menu: Curve > Arc > Tangent, Tangent, Radius
1 At the Select first curve for ArcTTR prompt, select the first curve.
Click the part of the curve where you want the arc to go.
2 At the Select second curve for ArcTTR prompt, select the second curve.
3 At the Radius prompt, enter the radius of the arc.
Two arcs are created tangent near the pick points.
4 At the Choose arc prompt, move your mouse to view the possible arcs and click to select the arc you
want.
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Two arcs from tangents and radius
Area
Calculate the area of surfaces or polysurfaces.
Toolbar: Mass Properties

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Area
At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or
polysurfaces and press Enter.
The area displays on the command line in the format Area = 17.34 (+/- 0.014).
AreaCentroid
Calculate the area centroid of surfaces or polysurfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Area Centroid
At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area centroid calculation prompt, select closed
surfaces or polysurfaces and press Enter.
The area centroid displays on the command line in the format Area Centroid = -0.4601236,-
1.8545412,0 (+/- 1.7e-006,1.1e-006,0).
A point object is placed at the centroid coordinates.
AreaMoments
Calculate the area moments of surfaces or polysurfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Area Moments
1 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area moment calculation prompt, select closed
First moments, second moments, product moments, area moments of inertia about world coordinate
axes, area radii of gyration about world coordinate axes, area moments of inertia about centroid
coordinate axes, and area radii of gyration about centroid coordinate axes are printed at the
command line.
2 Use CommandHistory or press F2 to view the data.
Rhino computes the area moments and reports them in the command history window. If you cannot see
the entire report, you can use the CommandHistory command (or press F2).
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Note
The area moments are computed on the entire collection of surfaces. For example, if you select a box
polysurface, then the area moments will be computed using all six sides of the box. If you need to analyze
the area moments of a surface that is part of the polysurface, then either extract the surface from the
polysurface using the ExtractSrf command, or use the advanced "F" pick filter key when selecting the
surface.
Mass Properties Analysis Calculations

For mass properties analysis purposes, it is frequently convenient to model a real-world solid, like a boat
hull made from thin steel plate, with a surface or open polysurface. The AreaMoments command allows
you to estimate the volume moments of such a thin shell without having to actually create the boat hull as
a complete thin-walled solid.
As an example, the area moments report for a constant z plane with corners at 0,0,0 and 6,10,0 is shown
below.
Area = 60 (+/- 1e-008)
Area Centroid = 3,5,0 (+/- 1e-009,1e-009,0)
Area Moments:
First Moments
x: 180 (+/- 1e-007)
y: 300 (+/- 1e-007)
z: 0 (+/- 0)
Second Moments
xx: 720 (+/- 1e-007)
yy: 2000 (+/- 1e-006)
zz: 0 (+/- 0)
Product Moments
xy: 900 (+/- 1e-007)
yz: 0 (+/- 0)
zx: 0 (+/- 0)
Area Moments of Inertia about World Coordinate Axes
Ix: 2000 (+/- 1e-006)
Iy: 720 (+/- 1e-007)
Iz: 2720 (+/- 1e-006)
Area Radii of Gyration about World Coordinate Axes
Rx: 5.77350269 (+/- 1e-009)
Ry: 3.46410162 (+/- 1e-009)
Rz: 6.73300329 (+/- 1e-009)
Area Moments of Inertia about Centroid Coordinate Axes
Ix: 500 (+/- 1e-007)
Iy: 180 (+/- 1e-007)
Iz: 680 (+/- 1e-007)
Area Radii of Gyration about Centroid Coordinate Axes
Rx: 2.88675135 (+/- 1e-009)
Ry: 1.73205081 (+/- 1e-009)
Rz: 3.36650165 (+/- 1e-009)
The numbers shown in parenthesis report the accuracy of the computation.
Different disciplines and textbooks use different, and sometimes contradictory, nomenclature and notation
when defining various moments. The information in the area moments report can be used to compute any
of these moments. In order to get the particular moment you need, you may have to combine several of
the values from the area moments report. Precise descriptions of the values in the area moments report
are given below.
Area First Moments:
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In terms of integrals, the area first moments are defined by:

Area first moment x: value = integral of x dA over the area.
Area first moment y: value = integral of y dA over the area.
Area first moment z: value = integral of z dA over the area.
The relationship between the area first moments, the area, and the area centroid is:
Area centroid x coordinate = (area first moment x: value)/area.
Area centroid y coordinate = (area first moment y: value)/area.
Area centroid z coordinate = (area first moment z: value)/area.
Area Second Moments:
The area second moments have units of length.
In terms of integrals, the area second moments are defined by:
Area Product Moments:

The area product moments have units of length and are sometimes called area products of inertia.
In terms of integrals, the area product moments are defined by:
Area second moment xy: value = integral of xy dA over the area.
Area second moment yz: value = integral of yz dA over the area.
Area second moment zx: value = integral of zx dA over the area.
The area products of inertia are useful for computing area moments of inertia about axes that are not
parallel to a coordinate axis. In particular, an area moment of inertia about any axis can be expressed as
a linear combination of the area, area first moments, area second moments, and area product moments.
Area Moments of Inertia about World Coordinate Axes:
In terms of integrals, the area moments of inertia about the world axes are defined by
Area Radii of Gyration about World Coordinate Axes:

The radii of gyration have units of length. Engineering references and textbooks frequently use R or k to
denote radii of gyration. The area radius of gyration about a 3-D axis is defined to be the square root of
(area moment of inertia about the axis)/area. The area radii of gyration about the world axes in the area
moments report are computed as:
Area Moments of Inertia about Centroid Coordinate Axes:
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In terms of integrals, the area moments of inertia about the object’s area centroid are defined by
In terms of area second moments, the area moments of inertia are defined by
Area Radii of Gyration about Centroid Coordinate Axes:

The radii of gyration about the centroid have units of length. The area radii of gyration about the area
centroid in the area moments report are computed as:
Array
Array objects.
Toolbar: Main, Transform, and Array

Menu: Transform > Array > Rectangular
The array directions are the x, y and z directions of the construction plane of the viewport that is
active when the selection is complete.
2 At the Number in X direction prompt, type the number of copies in the x-direction and press Enter.
Enter values of 1 or more for the number of copies.
3 At the Number in Y direction prompt, type the number of copies in the y-direction and press Enter.
4 At the Number in Z direction prompt, type the number of copies in the z-direction and press Enter.
5 At the Unit cell or X spacing prompt, choose the diagonal corners of sizing rectangle, to indicate the
x- and y-intervals.
Or, type the x-interval, press Enter, type the y-interval and press Enter.
The unit cell can be chosen in any viewport, those distances are applied to the array directions.
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6 At the z spacing prompts, choose two points that define the z-interval.
Or, type the z-interval and press Enter.
The selected objects are copied in a box-like array.
Rectangular array
ArrayCrv
Array objects along a curve.
Toolbar: Array
Menu: Transform > Array > Along Curve
2 At the Select path curve prompt, select a path curve near then end where you want the arraying to
start.
3 In the Array Along Curve dialog box, set the number of elements to array, or the spacing distance
along the curve.
Enter a value of 1 or more for the number of elements.
4 In the Array Along Curve dialog box, specify twist behavior.
Array along a curve

Option
Method
Choose either the Number of items or Distance between items.
Style
Freeform twisting
Objects are rotated in three dimensions as they are arrayed along the path curve.
Roadlike
Objects are rotated in the plane but not tilted with respect to the construction plane as they are arrayed.
You will be asked to select a construction plane when using this command.
ArrayCrvOnSrf
Copies and orients an object along a curve on a surface.
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Menu: Transform > Array > Along Curve on Surface

1 At the Select a curve on a surface prompt, select a curve on a surface.
2 At the Select the surface prompt, select the surface
3 At the Objects to array prompts, select objects to copy along the curve.
4 At the Basepoint prompt, pick a point on the object to array that will be the point of orientation
along the line.
5 At the Position object or distance from last ( Multiple Divide ) prompt, you can:
Enter a distance from the end of the curve on the surface
Pick a point on the line to place the first object
Place multiple equally spaced objects
Divide the curve evenly with a number of objects
You can continue to place objects after any of these actions.
Surface, curve on surface, and object to array.
Objects arrayed along line.
Options
Multiple
Enter a number of objects and a distance between them to place on the line. You can continue to place
objects.
Divide
Enter a number of objects to evenly divide the line.
ArrayPolar
Array objects around a pole.
Toolbar: Array
Menu: Transform > Array > Polar
2 At the Center of polar array prompt, choose a center point for the array.
The rotation axis for the polar array is the z direction of the active construction plane at the chosen
point
3 At the Number of elements prompt, type the number of copies and press Enter.
Enter a value of 1 or more.
4 At the Angle to fill prompt, type an angle and press Enter.
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Copies of the selected objects appear, rotated around the axis defined by the center point.
Polar array
ArraySrf
Array objects on a surface.
Toolbar: Array
Menu: Transform > Array > Along Surface
2 At the Base point for arrayed objects prompt, pick a point relative to the objects that will be
arrayed on the surface.
3 At the Reference normal for arrayed objects prompt, pick a direction from the base point that will
be arrayed normal to the surface.
4 At the Select surface to array along prompt, choose the surface to array along.
5 At the Number of elements in surface u direction <2> prompt, type a number of objects.
6 At the Number of elements in surface v direction <2> prompt, type a number of objects.
The objects are arrayed over the untrimmed surface evenly, spaced along the U and V directions of
the surface.
If the surface is a trimmed surface, some of the arrayed base points may be outside the trimmed
surface but on the underlying untrimmed surface.
Array along a surface
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Arrow
Create an annotation arrow.
Toolbar: Annotate
1 At the Start of line prompt, enter the start of the arrow.
2 At the End of line prompt, enter the end of the arrow. The arrowhead is placed at the end of the
leader.
Note
The size of the arrowhead cannot be changed.
Arrowhead
Create annotation arrowhead.
Toolbar: Annotate
At the Select curve to add an arrowhead to prompt, pick a curve near the end you want to place
an arrowhead to.
Note
The size of the arrowhead cannot be changed.
AssignBlankTexture
Assigns unique textures to selected objects automatically.
Plug-in name: Utilities
File: Utilities.rhp
Options set the resolution, the path, and whether to change materials that already have a texture
assigned to them.
This command is for the simplification of data transfer between Rhino and OBJ MTL file export. It should
also enhance the exports to Viewpoint Technologies (Metastream).
Note
You must use an existing folder for this command to work properly. If you have already saved your
model or have opened an existing model, the model's folder will be used as the default, otherwise you
must select a folder.
Audit
Audit layer and material indices to make sure they are valid.
This command will eventually turn into something that audits the entire runtime database and fixes any
problems it detects.
If the Audit command detects a database error, it prints a detailed description of the error.
Autosave
Saves a copy of your model periodically.
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Autosave forces Rhino to save a copy of the model you are working on to the autosave file defined on the
Options dialog box, Files tab.
Note
By default, automatic Autosave is turned off. You can turn on Autosave and specify how often to save
in the on the Options dialog box, General tab.
By default, Rhino autosaves to the file called "Autosave.3dm" in the folder Rhino was installed. You
can change the name and folder of the autosave file on the Options dialog box, Files tab.
If you want Rhino to always autosave before certain commands, add the commands to the
AlwaysAutoSaveBeforeCommands list in the Rhino.ini.
Back
Set to world back view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Back
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Back
Note
This command sets the viewport projection to parallel.
If you do not want this command to change the projection to parallel, you must edit your Rhino.ini file
and change the setting
DefinedViewsSetProjection=y
to
DefinedViewsSetProjection=n
Baseball
Draw a baseball sphere.
Toolbar: Sphere
1 At the Center point prompt, choose a center point.
2 At the Radius prompt, choose a radius.
This sphere is two joined surfaces.
Baseball sphere
Note
A baseball sphere has no singularities at the poles.
The first point can be anywhere in 3-D space. The second point is constrained to a plane that goes
through the first point and is parallel to the construction plane.
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BaseballEllipsoid
Draw a baseball ellipsoid.
Toolbar: Sphere
1 At the Center of ellipsoid prompt, choose a center point.
2 At the End of first axis prompt, choose an endpoint.
3 At the End of second axis prompt, choose an endpoint.
4 At the End of third axis prompt, choose an endpoint, or enter the half-axis length of the ellipsoid
and press Enter.
Baseball ellipsoid from a center point and three axes
Note
Bend
Bend objects.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Bend
2 At the Start of spine prompt, choose the first endpoint of a line representing the original orientation
of the object.
To bend the entire object, place the point outside the object.
3 At the End of spine prompt, choose the second endpoint of the line.
To bend the entire object, place the point outside the object.
4 At the Point to bend through ( StraightEnd=No Copy ) prompt, choose the amount of bend.
Bend
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Options
StraightEnd
Lets you bend a portion of the object based on your cursor location as you drag. The remainder of the
object is kept straight.
Bend with the StraightEnd option = Yes
Bend with the StraightEnd option = No

Copy
Creates a copy of the object.
Note
The length of the axis that you pick is important. The bend only applies to the points of objects that
are inside of that axis. If you make an axis that is smaller than an object, you will only bend that part
of the object.
Bend moves the control points of objects. You have to construct your object with a lot of control
points so that it will bend properly.
You can't bend a polysurface - only control points, curves, surfaces, and meshes.
All 3-D edges will be rebuilt to the current absolute tolerance.
Bisector
Draw a line that bisects two lines.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Bisector
1 At the Start of bisector line prompt, enter the start of the bisector line.
2 At the Start of angle to bisect prompt, enter the start of the angle to bisect.
3 At the End of angle to bisect prompt, enter the end of the angle to bisect.
4 At the Length of line ( BothSides ) prompt, pick a point for the end of the bisector line, or enter a
length and press Enter.
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Bisector line
Bisector line with BothSides option
Blend
Blend between two curves.
Toolbar: Curve Tools

Menu: Curve > Blend
1 At the Select first curve to blend – select near end prompt, select the first curve near the end
where you want the blend to start.
2 At the Select second curve to blend – select near end prompt, select the second curve near the
end where you want the blend to end.
Smooth curve blend between curve ends

Option
Perpendicular
Using blend with the Perpendicular option is currently the easiest way to get a curve to run from one
edge to another and meet the surfaces with G2 continuity.
This is useful when setting up curve networks where G2 surface matching is desirable.
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Blend curves created with the Perpendicular option between two surfaces
When the Perpendicular option is invoked before choosing either end of the curve, it applies to both
ends. If it is invoked after picking the first end, it applies only to the second end.
Note
The location, tangent direction, and curvature at the start of the blend curve exactly match the
location, tangent direction, and curvature of the selected end of the first curve. The location, tangent
direction, and curvature at the finish of the blend curve exactly match the location, tangent direction,
and curvature of the selected end of the second curve.
A blend curve that matches location, tangent direction, and curvature is called a G2 blend. A blend
curve that matches location and tangent direction is called a G1 blend. The Blend command creates
G2 blends.
The arc created by the Fillet command is a type of G1 blend. If the arc created by the Fillet
command does not provide a smooth enough transition for your needs, then you can replace the arc
with a blend curve. To do this, use the Fillet command to trim the curves back and create an arc that
fills the gap, delete the arc, and then use Blend to fill in the gap.
Use Fillet instead of Blend where possible.
The curve created by the Blend command is identical to the curve you get by drawing a line between
curve endpoints and then using the Match command (with preserve other end checked) to change
the line into a curve that smoothly meets the original curves.
The Blend command cannot be used to create G1 blends. If you need a G1 blend, connect the ends
with a line and use the Match command to change the line into a G1 blend.
The CurvatureGraphOn command is useful with Blend to display the curvature of the blend and the
connected curves.
The EndBulge command lets you change the bulginess at the end of a curve without changing the
end's location, tangent direction, and curvature. If a blend appears to tight or loose, try using the
EndBulge command before attempting control point editing.
If you need to edit the shape of a blend without changing the ends' location, tangent directions, and
curvature, then you will need to add additional control point to the blend curve. Two ways to add
control point are with the InsertKnot command and the ChangeDegree command. If you are going
to export the curve to other applications, then you should probably use InsertKnot. If the curve will
only be used in Rhino, then changing the degree to seven will add two middle control point that can
be edited. In either case, the blend curve's end tangent directions and curvatures will not be changed
as long as you do not move the first three and last three control point.
If you are joining curves, and one of the curves is a blend curve, all other curve segments will inherit
the degree of the blend curve. This is not always desirable (lines are no longer lines but degree five
straight curve segments).
BlendSrf
Blend two surfaces.
Toolbar: Surface Tools

Menu: Surface > Blend
1 At the Select first set of edges ( PlanarSections Continuity=Curvature ) prompt, select a
surface edge.
2 At the Select first set of edges. Press Enter for second set ( All Next Undo PlanarSections
Continuity=Curvature ) prompt, select adjacent edges, or press Enter.
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Type A to select all adjoining edges or N to select the next adjacent edge.
3 At the Select second set of edges ( PlanarSections Continuity=Curvature ) select the edges to
blend to.
4 At the Select second set of edges. Press Enter when done ( All Next Undo PlanarSections
Continuity=Curvature ) prompt, select adjacent edges or press Enter.
Type A to select all adjoining edges or N to select the next adjacent edge.
5 At the Start of shape and End of shape prompts, pick points on the edges to define shape curves to
control the shape of the blend.
The sliders determine the distance of influence the surface has on the edge curve.
Add additional shape curves to control the blend
Surface blend
Options
FlipDirection (closed curves only)
Reverses the arrow on the selected seam point, reversing the direction of the curve.
You can also flip the direction by clicking the arrowhead.
Automatic (closed curves only)
Attempts to align the seam points and directions without intervention.
Natural (closed curves only)
Returns the seam points to the way they were at the beginning of the command.
PlanarSections
Think of a surface blend as a loft through a large number of cross-section curves. Normally the section
curves either match the isoparm directions of the input surfaces (untrimmed surface edge) or are tangent
to the surface edges (trimmed edge). Usually this means the cross-section shapes are not planar but
snake from one edge to another.
With PlanarSections, Rhino forces all shape curves to be planar, and all the shape curve planes are
parallel to the direction defined with this option. If you define a direction parallel to world Z (vertical), all
blend sections will be vertical.
Continuity
Tangency
Match surface so it is tangent to target edge (G1 continuity). Tangent continuous blends are degree 3
with 4 controls points.
Curvature
Match surface so it is curvature-continuous with target edge (G2 continuity). Curvature continuous
blends are degree 5 with 6 control points.
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Same height shapes

If the gaps between the surfaces vary, this option keeps the shape curves the same height throughout the
blend.
Natural curve heights
Same height curves
Note
If you try to do a blend between a surface and a hole that is exactly the same size as the surface,
Rhino will be forced to make the blend surface dip in quite a bit so that it is smooth to both surfaces.
Hole the same size as surface
Hole larger than surface

If the edges of two surfaces you are trying to blend share a corner point, BlendSrf selects all the
contiguous edges as one. To choose the second edge separately, press Enter after choosing the first
edge, then choose the edge of the second surface.
Sometimes some holes in between blend surfaces and their original surfaces appear in rendering. This
is due to a visual artifact because the rendering is done with polygon mesh approximations of the true
surfaces, and the meshes aren't matching up exactly because the surfaces are all separate objects.
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Use Join to join them together into one object so the rendering and meshing won't have any cracks
in it and will match up exactly.
BooleanDifference
Boolean difference.
Toolbar: Solid Tools

Menu: Solid > Difference
1 At the Select first set of surfaces or polysurfaces prompt, select the first object.
2 At the Select first set of surfaces or polysurfaces. Press Enter for second set prompts, select
additional objects or press Enter to select the second set.
3 At the Select second set of surfaces or polysurfaces prompt, select an object to subtract.
4 At the Select second set of surfaces or polysurfaces. Press Enter when done. (
DeleteInput=Yes ) prompts, select additional objects to subtract or press Enter.
Boolean Difference
Note
You can select the first set of objects before you invoke the command.
Rhino Booleans only work on NURBS objects, not mesh objects. Objects imported from a mesh
modeler will not work.
You can use Boolean Difference with surfaces and open polysurfaces. What you get will depend on the
direction of the normals of the object you select. The "inside" of a surface is everything on one side of
it. Use Show direction display to see the direction. If you get results that are the opposite of what
you want, reverse the direction of the surface with Flip the direction of a curve or surface and try
again.
BooleanIntersection
Boolean intersection.

Menu: Solid > Intersection
1 At the Select first set of surfaces or polysurfaces prompt, select the first object.
2 At the Select first set of surfaces or polysurfaces. Press Enter for second set prompts, select
additional objects.
3 At the Select second set of surfaces or polysurfaces prompt, select an object to intersect.
4 At the Select second set of surfaces or polysurfaces. Press Enter when done prompts, select
additional objects to intersect or press Enter
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Intersection (Boolean intersection)
Note
You can select the first set of objects before you invoke the command.
You can use Intersection with surfaces and open polysurfaces. What you get will depend on the
direction of the normals of the object you select. The "inside" of a surface is everything on one side of
it. Use Show direction display to see the direction. If you get results that are the opposite of what
you want, reverse the direction of the surface with Flip the direction of a curve or surface and try
again.
BooleanUnion
Boolean union.
Toolbar: Main and Solid Tools

Menu: Solid > Union
1 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces to union prompt, select the first object.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces to union. Press Enter when done prompts, select
additional objects to union or press Enter.
The objects are combined into one surface or polysurface.
Boolean Union
Note
You can select the first object or all the objects before you invoke the command.
You can also use Boolean Union with surfaces and open polysurfaces. What you get will depend on
the direction of the normals of the object you select. The "inside" of a surface is everything on one
side of it. Use Show direction display to see the direction. If you get results that are the opposite of
what you want, reverse the direction of the surface with Flip the direction of a curve or surface
and try again.
Try Join first on surfaces.
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Bottom
Set to world bottom view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Bottom
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Bottom
Note
to
BoundingBox
Create a bounding box for curves.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Bounding Box
At the Select objects to frame with a box ( CoordinateSystem=CPlane ) prompt, select objects
and press Enter.
Or type C to toggle between creating a bounding box based on world coordinates and construction
plane coordinates.
A rectilinear bounding box object is created that encloses the objects.
If the objects are contained in a plane parallel to a coordinate system plane, the bounding box is a
rectangular polyline.
Otherwise, a polysurface box is created.
The extreme corners of the bounding box object are reported at the command line in the format min
= 0,-1,0 max = 1,0,1 in the chosen coordinate system.
Box
Draw a box.
Toolbar: Main, Solid, and Box

Menu: Solid > Box > Corner to Corner, Height
1 At the First corner of box prompt, choose a corner.
2 At the Other corner or length prompt, choose a diagonal corner, or enter a length and press Enter.
3 If a length was entered, at the Width prompt, enter a width and press Enter.
4 At the Height prompt, pick a point, or enter a height and press Enter
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Box from diagonal corners
Note
Box3Pt
Draw a box with three points.
Toolbar: Box
Menu: Solid > Box, > 3 Points, Height
1 At the Start of edge prompt, choose a corner for the box.
2 At the End of edge prompt, choose an adjacent corner.
3 At the Width prompt, choose a location for the opposite edge of the first box side, or type a width
and press Enter.
4 At the Height prompt, choose a location for the opposite side of the box, or type a height and press
Enter.
Solid box from adjacent corners
Note
BringViewportToTop
Bring a viewport to the top.
At the Name of viewport to bring to top prompt, type the name of the viewport to bring to the top
and press Enter.
Note
In most cases, you can bring a viewport to the top by clicking in the viewport title bar.
This is useful when you have rearranged your viewports so that they overlap each other.
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Cap
Cap open planar holes in a polysurface.

Menu: Solid > Cap Planar Holes
At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces to cap prompt, select objects and press Enter.
Capping surfaces appear on planar holes of the objects.
Cap open planar ends
Chamfer
Chamfer two curves.

Menu: Curve > Chamfer
1 At the Select first curve to chamfer ( Distances=1,1 Join=No ) prompt, select the first curve
near the end for the chamfer.
Or, type D and press Enter to change the chamfer distances.
The first chamfer distance is the distance from the point where the two curves would intersect to
the chamfer point on the first curve. The second chamfer distance is the distance from the point
where the two curves would intersect to the chamfer point on the second curve.
2 At the Select second curve to chamfer ( Distances=1,1 Join=No ) prompt, select the second
curve at the end for the chamfer.
Chamfer
Options
Distances
To change the chamfer distance, type D and press Enter.
Or, type the chamfer distance and press Enter.
You can type both distances separated by commas (for example 1,2) and press Enter or type one distance
and press Enter and wait for the prompt for the second distance.
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Join
To change the Join option, type J and press Enter. The chamfer line and the curves you selected are
trimmed or extended to the chamfer line and joined.
Note
A chamfer distance of 0 trims or extends the curve to the intersection point. A chamfer may be
created in order to extend the other curve to that intersection point. If you enter 0 for both distances,
the curves are trimmed or extended to their intersection, but no chamfer is created.
ChamferSrf
Chamfer two surfaces.

Menu: Surface > Chamfer
1 At the Select first surface to chamfer ( Distances=1,1 Extend=Yes Trim=Yes ) prompt, choose
the first surface. Click on the edge of the surface where you want the chamfer to go. Component
surfaces will be selected and unjoined from their polysurfaces.
Or, type D and press Enter to change the chamfer distances.
The first chamfer distance is the distance from the point where the two surfaces would intersect to
the chamfer point on the first surface. The second chamfer distance is the distance from the point
where the two surfaces would intersect to the chamfer point on the second surface.
2 At the Select second surface to chamfer ( Distances=1,1 Extend=Yes Trim=Yes ) prompt,
choose the second surface. Click on the edge of the surface where you want the chamfer to go.
Two surfaces
Two surfaces chamfered
Options
Distances
Distance from the intersection of the surfaces to the edge of the chamfer.
Extend
Extends the surfaces to meet the chamfer edge.
Trim
Trim back original surfaces to the edges of the chamfer.
ChangeDegree
Change the degree of a curve.
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Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Change Degree
1 At the Select curve for degree change prompts, select curves and press Enter.
2 At the Current degree is <> New degree ( Deformable=No ) prompt, type a number and press
Enter.
Option
Deformable
If Deformable=Yes and the degree of the curve/surface is different from the requested degree, the new
curve/surface has simple interior knots.
If Deformable=No and the degree of the curve/surface is LESS than the requested degree, the new
curve/surface will have exactly the same geometry and parameterization as the original, but it will have
knots of multiplicity = old multiplicity + new degree - old degree.
If Deformable=No and the degree of the curve/surface is GREATER than the requested degree, then the
new curve/surface will be an approximation of the original with simple knots.
If any input has the same degree as the requested degree, that input is not changed.
Note
ChangeDegree changes the degree of the polynomial used to create the curve. It keeps the knot
structure of the curves the same, but adds or subtracts control points between each knot span.
Often it is better to use InsertKnot and RemoveKnot instead, to add/remove control points more
locally.
Curves with higher degrees take longer to display and use more memory.
The number of control points added or subtracted depends on the degree entered; the higher the
degree, the greater the number of control points.
ChangeDegreeSrf
Change the degree of a surface.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Change Degree
1 At the Select surface for degree change prompt, select the surface that is not a polysurface.
2 At the U degree is 1 - enter desired degree prompt, type a number and press Enter.
3 At the V degree is 1 - enter desired degree prompt, type a number and press Enter.
Option
Deformable
Increasing the degree of a surface can be used to get more control points and make the surface smoother.
If you want a smoother surface, then you can try increasing the degree to 5 with the deformable option
set to YES.
If you want the surface to have the same geometry but more control points for editing, then try increasing
the degree to 5 with the deformable option set to NO. In this case, you may want to consider using the
InsertKnot command, which will leave the degree unchanged but add control points.
If you are going to export your geometry to another application, you may want to make every attempt to
keep the degree of your surfaces low. In particular, many mechanical CAD systems have trouble with
surfaces that have degrees greater than 3.
As always, if a surface command is confusing, use the results of the corresponding curve command to gain
a little intuition. The following illustration show a simple curve example that shows a dramatic difference
between Deformable=yes and Deformable=no.
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Polyline
ChangeDegreeSrf raises the degree of the polynomial used to create the surface. It keeps the knot
structure of the surface the same, but adds control points between each knot span. This gives you
more control over the shape, but it will also make editing more difficult because it adds complexity
throughout the surface.
Usually it is better to use InsertKnot/RemoveKnot instead. It is possible to add/remove control
points more locally.
Raising surface degree makes them more deformable.
Surfaces with higher degrees take longer to display and use more memory.
The number of control points added depends on the degree entered; the higher the degree, the
greater the number of control points. The lowest usable degree is supplied as the default (this number
is one more than the current degree).
If you raise the degree of a surface, it will no longer be periodic. Use MakeSrfPeriodic to restore the
periodicity of the surface.
ChangeLayer
Change the object's layer.
Toolbar: Layer
Menu: Edit > Layers > Change Object Layer
In the Layer for Object dialog box, click the new layer.
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ChangeToCurrentLayer
Change the object's layer to the current layer.
Select objects.
Check
Check an object for geeky relationships in geometry data structures.
Toolbar: Analyze, Diagnostics, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Analyze > Diagnostics > Check
At the Select object to check prompt, select one object.

A report on the correctness of the object shows on the command line. Use CommandHistory or
press F2 to view.
This is primarily a tool for diagnosing potential geometry bugs.
Note
Delete or rebuild the object.
CheckInLicense
Checks in a license to the workgroup license manager.
The CheckOutLicense command makes it possible for users to check out a license from the license
manager. This converts their workgroup node to a standalone node. The user can then leave the office
and run Rhino without being connected to the network.
When the user gets back in the office, run the CheckInLicense command to check your key back into the
Zoo and to turn your station back into a workgroup node.
You must have the workgroup license manager installed.
CheckOutLicense
Checks out a license from the workgroup license manager.
This converts a workgroup node to a standalone node. You can then remove your computer from the
network and continue to run Rhino.
To check a license back in, use the CheckInLicense command.
The CheckOutLicense command makes it possible for users to check out a license from the license
manager. This converts their workgroup node to a standalone node. The user can then leave the office
and run Rhino without being connected to the network.
When users get back in the office, they must run the CheckInLicense command to check their keys back
into the Zoo and to turn their stations back into a workgroup node.
You must have the workgroup license manager installed.
Circle
Draw a circle.
Toolbar: Circle and Main

Menu: Curve > Circle > Center, Radius
1 At the Center of circle ( Deformable Vertical AroundCurve ) prompt, enter the center point.
2 At the Radius <1> ( Diameter ) prompt, enter the radius point.
Or type a number for the radius and press Enter.
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Circle center-radius
Options
Deformable
Vertical
Draws the circle perpendicular to the construction plane.
Vertical
AroundCurve
Draws the circle perpendicular to a curve at the chosen point
On curve
Diameter
Enter the diameter for the circle instead of the radius.
Circle3Pt
Draw a circle through three points.
Toolbar: Circle
Menu: Curve > Circle > 3 Points
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1 At the First point on circle prompt, enter a point on the circumference.

2 At the Second point on circle prompt, enter a second point on the circumference.
3 At the Third point on circle prompt, enter a third point on the circumference.
Circle from three points on the circumference
CircleD
Draw a circle by its diameter.
Toolbar: Circle
Menu: Curve > Circle > Diameter
1 At the Start of diameter ( Deformable Vertical ) prompt, enter the start of a diameter line of the
circle.
2 At the End of diameter prompt, enter the end of the diameter.
Options
Deformable
Vertical
CircleTTR
Draw a circle tangent to two curves.
Toolbar: Circle
Menu: Curve > Circle > Tangent, Tangent, Radius
1 At the Select first curve for CircleTTR prompt, select the first curve.
Click the part of the curve where you want the circle to be.
2 At the Select second curve for CircleTTR prompt, select the second curve.
3 At the Radius prompt, enter a radius.
There may be multiple circles, delete the extras.
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Circle from two tangent curves and a radius
CircleTTT
Draw a circle tangent to three curves.
Toolbar: Circle
Menu: Curve > Circle > Tangent to 3 Curves
1 At the First tangent curve ( KeepMarks Point ) prompt, select the first curve.
Click the part of the curve where you want the circle to be.
2 At the Second tangent curve or radius <1> ( KeepMarks Point ) prompt, select the second
curve.
You can define a fixed radius in CircleTTT when Rhino is asking for the second tangent curve. It
makes it possible to draw circles of fixed radius that are tangent to one curve and either go through a
point, or are tangent to a second curve.
3 At the Third tangent curve. Press Enter to draw circle from first two points ( KeepMarks
Point ) prompt, select the third curve.
There may be multiple circles, delete the extras.
Circle tangent to three curves
Options
KeepMarks
Places point objects at the tangent points.
Point
Select a point for input.
ClearAllMeshes
Clear all render meshes.
Render and analysis meshes are cleared from all surfaces and polysurfaces.
Note
To reduce the size of the model file, use the SaveAs command and check Save small.
187
Use RefreshShade to clear render meshes from selected objects.

ClearAllMeshes turns off shaded working mode.
Render meshes are created automatically when you shade or render your model. They are not visible
in wireframe view mode.
Render meshes are cleared and recreated automatically if you change your Render Mesh settings
and render or shade the model.
ClearUndo
Clear undo buffer.
CloseDisplayWindow
Close the render display window.
Note
This is useful for doing multiple renderings. When combined with the SaveDisplayWindowAs
command, you can create multiple renderings and save them to different files from your script.
ClosestPt
Find the point closest to an object.
Toolbar: Point
Menu: Curve > Point Object > Closest Point
1 At the Select objects for closest point prompt, select the objects for placing a nearest point on and
press Enter.
2 At the Base point for closest point prompt, enter a point.
Rhino creates a point object on one of the selected objects. It is placed at the closest point on the
objects to the base point.
Note
Point objects display as small squares.
Point objects are not a part of any other object.
CloseViewport
Close the active viewport.
CommandHistory
View command history.
Toolbar: Tools
Menu: Tools > Commands > Command History
Shortcut: F2
The Rhino Command History window appears. It lists the last 500 command lines from the current
Rhino session. Press F2 again to close the window.
Note
To show the list of recently-used commands, right click in the Rhino Command History window, or in
the Command area. To start one of those commands, pick it from the list.
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CommandPaste
Paste commands from the Clipboard.
Toolbar: Tools
Menu: Tools > Commands > Paste From Clipboard
The text contents of the Windows Clipboard are copied into the command line, and interpreted as if
you had typed them into the command line.
Note
The normal Windows Paste function in Version 2.0 will replace this command if it is not nested. If
there is a Rhino 3DM model in the clipboard, it is pasted. If there is text in the Clipboard, it is pasted
as a command script.
CommandPrompt
Toggle the display of the command area.
Warning: Turning off the command area is not recommended. Without the command area, you cannot
tell what Rhino is doing or what Rhino is asking you to do.
Commands
List all Rhino commands.
Or, look at the Command List in this help file.
Cone
Draw a cone.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Cone
1 At the Base of cone prompt, choose a center point for the base.
3 At the End of cone prompt, choose a point for the tip of the cone
Solid cone
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Solid cone with Vertical option
Options
Vertical
Type V and press Enter to draw the cone vertical to the current construction plane.
Diameter
Type D and press Enter to draw the cone's base by diameter.
Note
Conic
Draw a conic section curve.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Conic
1 At the Start of conic ( Tangent ) prompt, enter the start point for the conic.
2 At the Reference vertex prompt, enter the middle point for the conic.
This point partially defines the plane for the conic.
3 At the End of conic prompt, enter the end point for the conic.
4 At the Curvature point or rho prompt, pick a point for the conic to pass through to define its
curvature.
Or, type a number greater than 0 and less than 1 and press Enter.
Conic
190
Conic tangent to two curves
Options
Tangent
1 At the Start of conic ( Tangent ) prompt, type T to select tangent curves.
2 At the First reference curve prompt, select a curve.
3 At the Point on first curve prompt, select a point on the curve for the conic to be tangent to.
4 At the Second reference curve prompt, select a second curve.
5 At the Point on second curve prompt, select a point on the curve for the conic to be tangent to.
6 At the Curvature point or rho prompt, pick a point for the shoulder of the conic.
Conic tangent to two curves

Types of conics
Elliptical
Rho values greater than 0.0 and less than 0.5.
Parabolic
Rho value of 0.5.
Hyperbolic
Rho values greater than 0.5 and less than 1.
Shoulder Conic Details

Given a triangle with corners A, B, C and a shoulder point S strictly inside the triangle, let T be the point
where line(B,S) intersects chord(A,C). Then the number "t"
must be strictly between 0 and 1 because S is strictly inside the triangle. The shoulder conic is the unique
solution to the problem:
conic(0) = A
conic(t) = S
conic(1) = B
When this conic is presented in canonical 3-D bezier form, the homogeneous control points are
where w is determined by equation conic(t) = S. If you work out the details, you'll discover that S being
strictly inside the triangle means the weight w will always be a positive number.
The connection between rho and the weight is
191
If you solve for rho in terms of w you get
Basically, (ignoring orientations and positive coefficients which just muddy the waters) you have
doesn't have real roots, so the w<1 case is elliptical.
ConicPerp
Draw a conic perpendicular to a curve.
1 At the Start of conic on curve prompt, enter the start of the conic on the curve you want the conic
to be perpendicular to.
2 At the Reference vertex on perpendicular prompt, enter the reference vertex for the conic. This
point partially defines the plane for the conic.
3 At the End of conic prompt, enter the end point for the conic.
4 At the Curvature point or rho prompt, pick a point for the conic to pass through to define its
curvature.
Or, type a number between 0 and 1 and press Enter.
Types of conics
Elliptical
Rho values between 0.0 and 0.5.
Parabolic
Rho value of 0.5.
Hyperbolic
Rho values between 0.5 and 1.
Continuity
Positional Continuity (G0)
G0 continuity means that the end points of a curve or the edges of two surfaces touch each other. End
control points are at the same location.
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Position continuity (G0)
Tangent Continuity (G1)

G1 continuity means that the tangent direction of the two curves or surfaces is the same. Fillet arcs form
this kind of continuity with the lines or surfaces filleted. The two control points of the arc and the adjacent
curve line up.
Curves and surfaces with G1 continuity are also G0 continuous.
Tangent continuity (G1)
Curvature Continuity (G2)

G2 continuity means that the tangent direction and the curvature of the two curves or surfaces is the
same. Blend, BlendSrf, Match, and MatchSrf form this kind of continuity. Three control points of the
blend and the adjacent curve line up (up to degree 3 curves).
Curves and surfaces with G2 continuity are also G1 and therefore G0 continuous.
Position, curvature, and tangency match (G2)
Contour
Create contour curves of a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Contour
1 Select surfaces, polysurfaces, and meshes for contour line creation.
2 At the Contour plane base point prompt, choose a base point.
One of the contour planes will go through this point.
193
3 At the Contour plane direction prompt, choose the direction the planes will march in to create
contour lines.
The contour planes will be perpendicular to this direction, generated in both directions from the base
point.
4 At the Distance between contours prompt, enter the distance between contours and press Enter.
Contour curves are created where the contour planes intersect the surfaces and polysurfaces.
Curve from the contours of a surface
ControlPolygon
Toggle the display of control polygons.
The polygon display for the dotted lines between control points toggles on or off. You will see a visual
effect only when control points are displayed with Show control points.
ControlPolygon on
ControlPolygon off
ControlPolygonDensity
Set the control polygon display density.
At the Control polygon display density prompt, enter the number of pixels between each dot of
the control polygon.
The higher this number is, the less dense the control polygon will display.
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ControlPolygonHighlight
Toggle control polygon highlighting.
Menu: Edit > Control points > Control Polygon> Toggle highlight.
Control points selected with ControlPolygonHighlight on
Control points selected with ControlPolygonHighlight off
ConvertToBeziers
Convert a NURBS curve to a Bezier curve.
At the Select curves to convert to Beziers prompt, select curves and press Enter.
The curves are converted to short Bezier curve segments. The original curves are removed.
ConvertToPolyline
Convert curves to polylines.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Convert Curve to Polyline
1 At the Select curves to convert to polylines prompt, select an object to create polylines from.
2 At the Angle tolerance prompt, type the maximum angle allowed between adjacent polyline
segments. Larger angles result in coarser polylines, while smaller angles result in finer polylines.
Note
To convert surface wireframes to polylines, use the ExtractWireframe command first, then convert
the resulting curves to polylines.
Edges can't be converted with this command. Use the DupEdge command to create a curve from the
edge.
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Copy
Copy objects.
Toolbar: Main and Transform

Menu: Transform > Copy
2 At the Point to copy from ( Vertical InPlace ) prompt, choose a point to move the copy from.
Or, to move the copy vertically, type v and press Enter.
3 At the Point to copy to prompts, choose locations for copies.
4 Press Enter when you finish choosing locations.
Or, to copy the object in the same place, at the Choose base point ( Vertical InPlace ) prompt,
type I and press Enter.
A single copy is made in the same place as the original.
Copy
Other Ways of Copying Objects
You can also simply select and drag objects while pressing the Alt key.
CopyClip
Copy objects to the Clipboard.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > Copy
Shortcut: Ctrl+C
Note
All selected objects in your model are copied and placed on the Windows Clipboard. Object
properties and location are stored with the object.
When you Paste objects into Rhino, they are placed on the same layer they came from in the original
model. If the layer does not exist, it is created when the object is pasted.
Right click the Paste toolbar button to paste objects on the current layer.
CopyCPlaneSettingsToAll
Copy the settings of one construction plane to the rest.
All viewports are changed so that the grid spacing, snap spacing, and grid settings are the same as in
the active viewport.
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CopyCPlaneToAll
Make all construction planes have the same orientation.
All viewports are changed so that the construction planes are the same as the construction plane in
the active viewport.
CopyDisplayWindowToClipboard
Copy the contents of the render window to the Clipboard.
The image in the render window is copied to the Clipboard.
CopyViewToAll
Copy the view to all viewports.
CPlane3Pt
Set the construction plane with 3 points.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > 3 Points
1 Click in the viewport (or on the viewport titlebar) of the viewport that displays the construction plane
you want to change.
2 At the CPlane origin prompt, choose the new origin.
3 At the X axis direction prompt, choose a point on the x-axis.
4 At the CPlane orientation prompt, choose a point on the y-axis.
Note
The construction plane displayed in the active viewport when the command starts is changed.
CPlaneElevation
Change the elevation of a construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Elevation
you want to change.
2 At the CPlane elevation prompt, enter the new elevation for the CPlane.
Positive numbers move the CPlane up along the positive z- axis. Negative numbers move the CPlane
down.
Note
CPlaneFront
Restore the front construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > World Front.
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CPlaneNext
Restores the next used construction plane after a CPlanePrev command.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu View > Set CPlane > Next
Click in the viewport (or on the viewport titlebar) of the viewport that displays the construction plane
you want to change.
CPlaneOrigin
Set the origin of a construction plane.
Toolbar: Standard and Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Origin.
you want to change.
Note
CplaneOriginAll
Set all construction plane origins to a point.
At the Origin for all CPlanes prompt, pick a point for the origin of all construction planes.
Note
The construction planes in all viewports will be changed so that their origin is at the picked point.
CPlanePerpToCrv
Align construction plane tangent to a curve at a point.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Perpendicular to Curve.
you want to change.
2 Select a curve to orient construction plane.
3 At the CPlane origin prompt, in the dynamic preview, drag the construction plane's new x- and y-
axes to a new location.
Use CPlanePerpToCrv to quickly position your construction plane at various stations along a central rail
curve as preparation for doing a one rail sweep, for example. Once your construction plane is positioned,
you can use drawing tools to draw a cross-section curve in the 3- D location where it needs to be. This
direct drawing method can be quicker and more convenient than drawing the curve on a world plane and
then trying to move and rotate it into place in 3- D.
Note
The direction of the curve affects the direction of the axes. If the construction plane does not go the
direction you want, flip the direction of the curve with the Flip or Dir commands.
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CPlanePrev
Restores the previously used construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu View > Set CPlane > Previous
you want to change.
CPlaneRight
Restore the right construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > World Right.
CPlaneThroughPt
Move construction plane to go through a point.
you want to change.
2 At the Point for CPlane to pass through prompt, pick a point for the construction plane to pass
through.
Note
The construction plane is moved along its z-axis until the construction plane passes through the
picked point.
CPlaneToObject
Set the construction plane to an object.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > To Object
you want to change.
2 At the Select object to orient CPlane to prompt, select a curve or surface.
Note
CPlaneTop
Restore the top construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > World Top.
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CPlaneToView
Set the construction plane to the view.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > To View
you want to change.
CPlaneV
Set the construction plane vertical to the active construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Vertical
you want to change.
3 At the X axis direction prompt, choose a point on the x- axis.
Note
CPlaneX
Set the construction plane x-axis.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > X Axis
you want to change.
3 At the X axis direction prompt, choose a point on the x- axis.
Note
CPlaneZ
Set the construction plane z-axis.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Z Axis
you want to change.
3 At the Z axis direction prompt, choose a point on the z- axis.
Note
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CreateUVCrv
Create UV curves.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Create UV Curves
At the Select surface to create UV curves prompt, select a surface.

The untrimmed boundary and trim curves of the surface are mapped onto the world x-y plane as a
set of planar curves.
A surface and its UV curves
Note
The size of the uv curves is based on the control polygon.
If true arc-length mapping is desired, the original surface must be developable. Use UnrollSrf, cut
openings in the unrolled surface, use CreateUVCrv on the unrolled surface and then use ApplyCrv to
wrap the curves back on the original surface.
Crv2View
Create a curve from two views.

Menu: Curve > From 2 Views
3 At the Select planar curve prompt, select the first planar curve.
4 At the Select planar curve prompt, select the second planar curve.
Top view of profile curves
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Front view of profile curves
Perspective view of profile curves
Right view of profile curves and curve from two views
Perspective view of profile curves and curve from two views

Creates a third curve from two curves that are planar in different construction planes. Each planar curve is
temporarily extruded perpendicular to its plane, then the extrusions are intersected to create the curve.
The new curve looks the same as each of the original curves when viewed in each plane.
Example
For an example, see the Rhinoceros User's Guide. Look in the index under "Curve, From 2 Views."
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Note
Use to create a curve when you know its profile in two directions. The example demonstrates creating
a curve that follows the edge of a boat hull from 2-D curves in the top and front views.
The AlignProfiles command is useful for lining up curves in two views prior to creating a curve from
two views.
CrvDeviation
Measure the deviation between two curves.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Deviation
1 Select two curves.
The command may find one or more intervals of overlap between the two curves, or it may report
that the curves don't overlap.
For each overlap interval, three pairs of indicator marks with indicator lines between them appear,
joining the ends of the overlap interval, and the points of greatest deviation within the interval.
For each overlap interval the three deviation distances are reported at the command line together
with the world coordinates of the interval ends on each curve. Use CommandHistory or F2 key to
view the data.
2 At the Press Enter when done ( KeepMarks=No ) prompt, press Enter to turn off the deviation
display.
On use the K option to create three line objects from the indicator marks for each interval.
CrvEnd
Places a point at the end of a curve.
Menu: Curve > Point Object > Mark Curve End
Select curves.
CrvSeam
Change the seam point of closed curves.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Adjust Closed Curve Seam
1 At the Select closed curves for seam adjustment prompts, select closed curves in the order you
want the seam to pass through them and press Enter.
The seam point of each closed curve is indicated with a point. They are connected with a line. Arrows
indicate the direction of each curve.
2 At the Select seam point to adjust prompts, pick on a seam point marker, and move it along the
curve.
3 At the Location of seam point prompt, pick a new location for the seam point.
Continue to adjust the seam points so they line up and the curves all have the same direction. Use
the FlipDirection option to change the direction of curves.
4 When you are done adjusting the connections, press Enter.
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Curves with seams and directions misaligned
Curves with seams aligned and directions misaligned
Curves with seams and directions aligned
Options
FlipDirection
Automatic
Natural
Note
This command's functions are built into Loft a surface.
Seam points need to be adjust because the seam points of the curves are the guide for the "seam" of
a surface lofted from them.
CrvStart
Places a point at the start of a curve.
Menu: Curve > Point Object > Mark Curve Start
Select curves.
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CrvThroughSrfControlPt
Create curves through the control points of a surface.
1 At the Select surface prompt, select a surface.
The control point for the surface appear, with the control polygons.
2 At the Select point on the surface prompts, pick near a control point, as the desired control
polygons are emphasized.
Curves are drawn at the control polygons.
3 Press Enter to stop creating curves.
Option:
Direction
Type D and press Enter to create curves in the U, V or Both directions.
CSec
Create cross-section curves through profile curves.

Menu: Curve > CSec Profiles
1 Draw profile curves that roughly define the shape of your object.
2 At the Select profile curves in order prompt, select your profile curves in the order the cross-
section curves should pass through them and press Enter.
3 At the Start of cross-section line prompt, start a line that will define the cross section plane
perpendicular to the current construction plane.
Turning on Ortho or Snap may help you control the section planes.
4 At the End of cross-section line prompt, end the line for the cross section plane.
A curve is created in the plane defined at the cross section line, that passes through the profile
curves.
5 When you have drawn the cross section curves you need, press Enter to end the command.
Profile curves top view
Profile curves front view
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Cross section lines
Cross section curves

Once you have made the cross-section curves, you can use the Loft command to create a surface
through them.
Lofted and rendered section curves
Note
The cross section lines must cross all of the profile curves.
For best results, space the cross section curves relatively evenly.
CullControlPolygon
Backface cull control point.
Toolbar: Visibility and Organic

Menu: Edit > Control Point Visibility > Backface Cull
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Control polygon culling off
Control polygon culling on
Note
Editing surface control points is sometimes easier when only the control points facing you are visible.
Backface culling hides the control points for the parts of the surface you are looking at the back side
of.
It is possible to make the surface normal point toward what you would consider the inside of an open
surface. If the points on the wrong side of the surface are visible, try flipping the normal direction of
the surface with the Dir command.
Curvature
Measure the curvature of a curve.
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Curvature Circle
1 At the Select curve for curvature measurement prompt, select a curve.
The marker is constrained to track along the selected curve.
The radius of curvature of the curve at the marker is displayed in the status bar, and a black circle of
that radius is displayed tangent to the curve at the marker. A white line tangent to the curve is also
drawn.
A point object is placed at the point to evaluate in addition to drawing the curvature circle. This gives
permanent feedback when the radius of curvature is infinite (curvature is zero, the curve is locally
flat, for example at inflection points where the curve bulge changes from one side to the other) and
cannot be evaluated. This does not automate finding the inflection points, but it makes it possible to
mark them manually.
2 At the Select point to measure curvature prompt, press Esc to end the command without change.
Or, click to create the circle object.
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Curvature circle display
CurvatureAnalysis
Analyze surface curvature.
Toolbar: Analyze and Surface Analysis

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Curvature Analysis
1 Select objects for curvature analysis.
2 In the Curvature dialog box, set the style and range.
The CurvatureAnalysis command is one of a series of visual surface analysis commands. These
commands use NURBS surface evaluation and rendering techniques to help you visually analyze surface
smoothness, curvature, and other important properties.
A smooth surface has two principal curvatures. The Gaussian curvature is a product of the principal
curvatures. The Mean curvature is the average of the two principal curvatures.
Options
Gaussian
In the images below, red is assigned to a positive value of Gaussian curvature, green is assigned to zero
Gaussian curvature, and blue to negative value of Gaussian curvature.
Any points on the surface with curvature values between the values you specify will be displayed using the
corresponding color. For example, points with a curvature value half way between the specified values will
be green. Points on the surface that have curvature values beyond the red end of the range will be red
and points with curvature values beyond the blue end of the range will be blue.
A positive Gaussian curvature value means the surface is bowl-like.
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Surface with positive Gaussian curvature

A negative value means the surface is saddle-like.
Surface with negative Gaussian curvature

A zero value means the surface is flat in at least one direction. (Planes, cylinders, and cones have zero
Gaussian curvature).
Surface with zero Gaussian curvature

If you know the range of values of curvature you are interested in analyzing, enter those values in the edit
boxes next to the red and blue portions of the "rainbow." The values you enter for red should be different
from the value you enter for blue, but the value for red can be larger or smaller than the value for blue.
Mean
Displays the absolute value of the mean curvature.
Max radius
This option is useful for flat spot detection. Set the value for blue rather high (10- >100- >1000) and the
red close to infinity. Red areas in the model then indicate flat spots where the curvature is practically zero.
Min radius
If you are going to offset a surface at distance r or are going to mill a surface with a cutting ball of radius
r, then any place on the surface that "curves" with a radius smaller than r will cause trouble.
In the case of an offset, you'll get a twisty mess that goes through itself. In the case of the mill, your
cutting ball will remove material you want to keep.
In these cases you need to be able to answer the question, "Does this surface have any place where it
bends too tightly?" The Min Radius option should help you answer this question.
Set RED = r set BLUE = 1.5 x r
Any red you see on the surface indicates you can't offset/mill in that region. Blue areas should be safe.
Areas from green towards red should be viewed with suspicion.
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Auto Range
The CurvatureAnalysis command analyzes surface curvature using false color mapping. You have to
map values to saturated computer colors. As a starting point, use Auto Range and then adjust the values
to be symmetric but with magnitudes comparable to those selected by Auto Range.
The CurvatureAnalysis command attempts to remember the settings you used the last time you
analyzed a surface. If you have dramatically changed the geometry of a surface or have switched to a new
surface, these values may not be appropriate. In this case you can use Auto Range to automatically
compute a curvature value to color mapping that will result in a good color distribution.
Max Range
Choose this option if you want the maximum curvature to be mapped to red and the minimum curvature
mapped to blue. On surfaces with extreme curvature variation, this may result in a rather uninformative
image.
Note
When you use the CurvatureAnalysis command, if the selected objects that do not have surface
analysis meshes, an invisible mesh will be created based on the settings in the Polygon Mesh
Options dialog box.
The surface analysis meshes are saved in the Rhino files. These meshes can be large. The
RefreshShade command and the Clear render meshes option of the Save and SaveAs commands
remove any existing surface analysis meshes.
To properly analyze a freeform NURBS surface, the analysis commands generally require a detailed
mesh.
Gaussian and Mean Curvature

To understand Gaussian curvature of a point on a surface, you must first know what the curvature of
curve is.
At any point on a curve in the plane, the line best approximating the curve that passes through this point
is the tangent line. We can also find the best approximating circle that passes through this point and is
tangent to the curve. The reciprocal of the radius of this circle is the curvature of the curve at this point.
The best approximating circle may lie either to the left of the curve, or to the right of the curve. If we care
about this, then we establish a convention, such as giving the curvature positive sign if the circle lies to
the left and negative sign if the circle lies to the right of the curve. This is known as signed curvature.
Normal section curvature is one generalization of curvature to surfaces. Given a point on the surface and a
direction lying in the tangent plane of the surface at that point, the normal section curvature is computed
by intersecting the surface with the plane spanned by the point, the normal to the surface at that point,
and the direction. The normal section curvature is the signed curvature of this curve at the point of
interest.
If we look at all directions in the tangent plane to the surface at our point, and we compute the normal
section curvature in all these directions, then there will be a maximum value and a minimum value.
Principal curvatures
The principal curvatures of a surface at a point are the minimum and maximum of the normal curvatures
at that point. (Normal curvatures are the curvatures of curves on the surface lying in planes including the
tangent vector at the given point.) The principal curvatures are used to compute the Gaussian and Mean
curvatures of the surface.
Gaussian curvature
The Gaussian curvature of a surface at a point is the product of the principal curvatures at that point. The
tangent plane of any point with positive Gaussian curvature touches the surface at a single point, whereas
the tangent plane of any point with negative Gaussian curvature cuts the surface. Any point with zero
mean curvature has negative or zero Gaussian curvature.
Mean curvature
The Mean curvature of a surface at a point is one half the sum of the principal curvatures at that point.
Any point with zero mean curvature has negative or zero Gaussian curvature.
Surfaces with zero mean curvature everywhere are minimal surfaces. Surfaces with constant mean
curvature everywhere are often referred to as CMC (Constant Mean Curvature) surfaces.
CMC surfaces have the same mean curvature everywhere on the surface.
Physical processes which can be modeled by CMC surfaces include the formation of soap bubbles, both
free and attached to objects. A soap bubble, unlike a simple soap film, encloses a volume and exists in an
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equilibrium where slightly greater pressure inside the bubble is balanced by the area-minimizing forces of
the bubble itself.
Minimal surfaces are the subset of CMC surfaces where the curvature is zero everywhere.
Physical processes which can be modeled by minimal surfaces include the formation of soap films
spanning fixed objects, such as wire loops. A soap film is not distorted by air pressure (which is equal on
both sides) and is free to minimize its area. This contrasts with a soap bubble, which encloses a fixed
quantity of air and has unequal pressures on its inside and outside.
CurvatureGraphOff
Turn off the curvature graph for curves.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Curvature Graph Off
Or close the dialog box.
CurvatureGraphOn
Turn on the curvature graph for curves.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Curvature Graph On
Select curves or surfaces.

A white graph showing curvature appears on the selected curves, and the Curvature Options dialog
box appears.
Curvature graph on surface.

Adjust the length, frequency, u- and v-direction display of the curvature indicators using the controls
in the Curvature Options dialog box.
The curvature graphs and the Curvature Options dialog box persist until turned off, even when
other commands are started.
To turn off the curvature graph
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Curvature Graph Off
Or, close the dialog box.
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Curve Analysis
Degree 2 curve
Even though the curve spans are tangent with one another, the curvature graph suddenly changes from
one value to a different value. The spans of a degree 2 curve are G1, or tangent only. They are not
curvature continuous.
Degree 3 curve
There are no jumps in the curvature graph. The curvature graph of the first span connects end-to-end
with the curvature graph of the second span. This curve is curvature continuous or G2 across its spans
because its curvature does not go from one value to another value suddenly. However, the curvature
graph of the first span does not progress at the same rate of the graph of the second span. So even
though the curvature does not suddenly change, the rate of curvature does suddenly change.
Degree 4 curve
This curvature graph has no sudden changes of rate. In other words, the rate of curvature changes
smoothly throughout the curve. We call this G3 or rate of curvature continuous.
Degree 5 curve
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For degree 5 curves, the rate at which the rate of curvature changes is continuous. This is sometimes
called G4 or rate of rate of curvature continuous.
To better grasp this, play with the Curvature command and observe the osculating circle as it travels
along curves.
Note
On surfaces the curvature hairs only display at surface isoparms. If isoparm display is turned off,
curvature hairs display only at the surface boundary.
At any point on a curve (except lines), there is a circle that most closely resembles the curve at that
point, that is, it has the same tangent direction and rate of change in tangent direction. The curvature
displayed is a graph of (1/radius of that circle), but it is scaled by a factor set in the dialog box. If the
graph changes smoothly, the curve is "smooth" or "fair." Jumps in the curvature graph indicate kinks
or abrupt changes in the derivatives of the curve.
A Display scale setting of 100 means a 1:1 curvature scale. Two clicks make the hair twice/half as
tall.
CurvatureSrf
Analyze the curvature on a surface.
Menu: Analyze > Surface > Curvature Circle
1 Select a surface for curvature evaluation.
As you move your cursor, two half-circles display to show you the minimum and maximum curvature
at that point.
2 At the Point on surface to evaluate prompt, pick a point on the surface.
The following surface evaluation information displays in the command area.

Surface curvature evaluation at parameter location, 3- D point, 3- D normal, maximum principal
curvature, minimum principal curvature, Gaussian curvature.
3 Press F2 to show the Command History window.
Note
Every point on a smooth curve has a circle that best approximates the curve at that point. To see the
circle, use the Curve command to make a smooth curve and then use the Curvature command on
that curve to create the circle.
Every point on a smooth surface has similar circles. The circle with a biggest radius is always
orthogonal to the circle with a smallest radius.
The principal curvatures are the radii of the arcs.
The Gaussian curvature is positive when both circles point the same way, negative when the circles
point opposite ways, and zero if one of the circles degenerates into a line.
Curve
Draw a curve by control points.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Free-form > Control Points
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1 At the Start of curve ( Degree=3 ) prompt, enter the start of the curve.
2 At the Next point. Press Enter when done ( Degree=5 Undo ) prompts, enter an additional
control point.
3 At the Next point. Press Enter when done ( Degree=5 Sharp Close Undo ) prompts, enter
additional control points.
4 To end the curve, press Enter.
Or move the cursor near the start of the curve, and pick. The curve closes.
Press Alt to suspend autoclose.
Curve from control points
Options
Degree
You can set the degree of the curve up to 11.
When drawing a high degree curve, the output curve will not be the degree you request unless it is
complex enough. You must draw one more control point than the degree.
Sharp
When you make a closed curve, it will come to a point instead of making a smooth closure as it normally
does.
Close
Closes the curve smoothly by creating a periodic.
Closed curve from control points

Undo
Removes the last control point you entered.
Cut
Cut objects to the Clipboard.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > Cut
Shortcut: Ctrl+X
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Note
All selected objects are removed from your model and placed on the Windows Clipboard. Object
properties and location are stored with the object.
CutArea
Calculate the area of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding areas under a "waterline" defined by the box.
1 Draw a box around your objects to represent the waterline.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or
3 At the Select solid box for cutting prompt, select the box.
The area displays on the command line in the format Area = 17.34 (+/- 0.014).
CutAreaCentroid
Calculate the area centroid of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding area centroids under a "waterline" defined by the box.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area centroid calculation prompt, select closed
The area centroid displays on the command line in the format Area Centroid = -0.4601236,-
1.8545412,0 (+/- 1.7e-006,1.1e-006,0).
CutAreaMoments
Calculate the area moments of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding area moments under a "waterline" defined by the box.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area moments calculation prompt, select closed
First moments, second moments, product moments, area moments of inertia about world coordinate
axes, area radii of gyration about world coordinate axes, area moments of inertia about centroid
coordinate axes, and area radii of gyration about centroid coordinate axes are printed at the
command line.
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CutPlane
Create cutting planes through objects.
Toolbar: Plane
Menu: Surface > Rectangle > Cutting Plane
1 At the Select objects for cut planes prompt, select the objects that the cutting planes will pass
through and press Enter.
2 At the Start of cut plane prompt, select the first point of a line to define a plane.
3 At the End of cut plane prompt, select the end point of a line that defines a plane.
The prompts repeat to make several cut planes. press Enter to stop making cut planes.
Planes perpendicular to the current construction planes are generated that pass through the selected
objects and are large enough to intersect all of the objects.
Lines in top view define cutting planes
Cutting planes in perspective view
CutVolume
Calculate the volume of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding volumes under a "waterline" defined by the box.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for volume calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or
The volume displays on the command line in the format Volume = 623.3921 (+/- 0.0001).
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CutVolumeCentroid
Calculate the volume centroid of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding volume centroids under a "waterline" defined by the box.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for area centroid calculation prompt, select closed
The volume centroid displays on the command line in the format Volume Centroid = -0.4601236,-
1.8545412,0 (+/- 1.7e-006,1.1e-006,0).
CutVolumeMoments
Calculate the volume moments of surfaces or polysurfaces inside a box.

This command can be used for finding area moments under a "waterline" defined by the box.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for volume moments calculation prompt, select closed
First moments, second moments, product moments, volume moments of inertia about world
coordinate axes, volume radii of gyration about world coordinate axes, volume moments of inertia
about centroid coordinate axes, and volume radii of gyration about centroid coordinate axes are
printed at the command line.
Cylinder
Draw a cylinder.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Cylinder
1 At the Base of cylinder prompt, choose a center point for the base.
3 At the End of cylinder prompt, choose a point for the center of the top surface.
The cylinder is a polysurface of three joined surfaces.
Solid cylinder
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Solid cylinder with Vertical option
Options
Vertical
Type V and press Enter to draw the cylinder vertical to the current construction plane.
Diameter
Type D and press Enter to draw the cylinder's base by diameter.
Note
Delete
Delete selected objects.
Menu: Edit > Delete

Shortcut: Delete
Pre-select the objects you want to delete.
Note
You can get the accidentally deleted objects back with the Undo command.
If you want to post-select objects to delete, use the Erase command.
Delete control points on curves

1 Show control points for the curve you want to edit.
2 Select the control points on the curve to delete.
3 Press Delete.
DeleteAll
Delete all objects in the model.
Note
You can get the accidentally deleted objects back with Undo command.
All objects in the model are deleted. Layers, saved views, and saved construction planes are not
deleted.
To start a new model, use New command instead.
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DetachTrim
Detach the trimming boundary from a surface.
Toolbar: Surface Tools and Geometry Fix

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Detach Trim
At the Choose a boundary to detach prompt, select a boundary to detach.

The surface is no longer trimmed by the boundary, and the trim curve is created.
Similar to Untrim - it removes a trimming curve from a surface, but it creates an independent curve
from what used to be the trimming curve. This is more convenient than duplicating the trimming
curve and then using Untrim.
Untrims a surface and converts the trimming curve into a curve.
Any geometry attached to the edges of the boundary is detached from the trimmed hole but left in
place.
Surface before outside trimming curve detached.
Surface after outside trimming curve detached.
Dig
Start a 3-D digitizer.
Toolbar: 3-D Digitizing, Microscribe, and Tools

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Connect
1 In the Select Digitizer dialog box, select your digitizing arm.
2 In the Baud Rate dialog box, select the proper serial port and baud rate.
3 At the Choose an origin with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose an origin in the real
world.
4 At the Choose an x axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose an x- axis in the
real world.
5 At the Choose a y axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose a y- axis in the real
world.
You do not need to ensure that the y- axis is perpendicular to the x- axis, Rhino will do it for you.
6 At the Choose a point in Rhino to map origin to prompt, choose an origin in Rhino.
Press Enter to use the world coordinate system.
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7 At the Choose an x axis in Rhino prompt, choose an x- axis in Rhino.

8 At the Choose a y axis in Rhino prompt, choose a y- axis in Rhino
Using Other Commands With the Digitizer
Whenever Rhino prompts you to choose a point, you can use the digitizer. Thus, all the commands on the
curve menu work with the digitizer as input. You can draw lines, arcs, circles, and curves with the
digitizer, just as if you were choosing the points with the mouse.
Bypassing the foot pedal

The DigClick command simulates pushing the foot pedal, and is assigned to the F12 key. If it is more
convenient, you can use the F12 key to pick points with the digitizer instead of using the foot pedal.
Digitizing large objects

The method for successfully digitizing large objects is like leapfrogging from one portion of the object to
the next, recording reference points as you go. The digitizer should always be able to reach at least two
sets of reference points.
Setting up reference points

1 Mark reference points on the object.
2 Calibrate the digitizer with the table.
3 Digitize the first two sets of reference points.
4 Move the arm so the second and third sets can be reached.
5 Calibrate the digitizer with the second set of reference points.
6 Digitize the third set of reference points.
7 Continue moving from one set of reference points to the next until all the reference points are
digitized.
DigCalibrate
Calibrate a 3-D digitizer.
Toolbar: 3-D Digitizing and Microscribe

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Calibrate
1 At the Choose an origin with the digitizer prompt, pick a point on or near your physical model that
will be the origin of the digitizer coordinate system.
2 At the Choose an x axis point with the digitizer prompt, pick a point on or near your physical
model that is on the X axis of the digitizer coordinate system.
3 At the Choose a y axis point with the digitizer prompt, pick a point on or near your physical
model that is on the Y axis of the digitizer coordinate system.
Rhino will automatically make the Y axis orthogonal to the X axis in the plane of the three points you
pick, so the Y axis point in the digitizer coordinate system needn't be orthogonal to the X axis.
4 At the Choose a point in Rhino to map origin to (enter for world origin) prompt, use the mouse to
pick a point in Rhino that corresponds to the origin of the digitizer coordinate system.
5 Press Enter if you want the origin of the digitizer coordinate system to correspond to the world
coordinate system in Rhino.
6 At the Choose an x axis in Rhino prompt, use the mouse to pick a point in Rhino that corresponds
to the X axis of the digitizer coordinate system.
7 At the Choose a y axis in Rhino prompt, use the mouse to pick a point in Rhino that corresponds to
the Y axis of the digitizer coordinate system.
A Method for Repeatable Calibration
It is often necessary to recalibrate the digitizer so that Rhino is in synch with the real world. Sometimes
the digitizer gets bumped, or the object moves slightly, or you needed to close Rhino in the middle of the
digitizing session. Whatever the reason, it is useful to set up reference points to allow recalibration of the
digitizer.
Overview
1 Clamp the arm and the object to digitize to the table.
2 Calibrate the digitizer to properly orient the real object inside Rhino.
3 Mark three reference points on the real object that will be used to recalibrate the digitizer.
4 Digitize the three reference points in Rhino.
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5 Whenever you need to recalibrate the digitizer, use the three reference points on the real object and
the three corresponding points in Rhino.
The first calibration
1 From the Tools menu, click Digitize, and then click Connect
2 At the Choose an origin with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose an origin point on the
table.
3 At the Choose an x axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose an x- axis on the
table.
4 At the Choose a y axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose a y- axis on the
table.
5 At the Choose a point in Rhino to map origin to prompt, press Enter to use the world coordinate
system.
Creating reference points
1 Mark three points on the real object with a permanent pen.
2 Label each point O, X, and Y for the origin, x- , and y- axes.
3 Menu: Curve > Line >Polyline.
4 Draw a polyline from X to O to Y. This is the reference polyline. It may be useful to move this polyline
to a layer called "reference points" for later use.
5 Use the Dot command to label the endpoints and vertex of the polyline X, Y, and O.
If the digitizer or object moves, or you need to close and restart Rhino, you will need to recalibrate
the digitizer so that the new data lines up with the existing data.
Recalibrating the digitizer
1 From the Tools menu, click Digitize, and then click Calibrate.
2 At the Choose an origin with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose point O on the real
object.
3 At the Choose an x axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose point X on the
real object.
4 At the Choose a y axis point with the digitizer prompt, use the arm to choose point Y on the real
object
5 At the Choose a point in Rhino to map origin to prompt, snap to the vertex of the reference
polyline labeled O.
6 At the Choose an x axis in Rhino prompt, snap to the endpoint of the reference polyline labeled X.
7 At the Choose a y axis in Rhino prompt, snap to the endpoint of the reference polyline labeled Y.
DigClick
Pick a point with a 3-D digitizer.
Digitizers use a foot pedal to pick points. The DigClick command lets you pick points from within Rhino.
Set up a function key (such as F12) with the DigClick command so that when you press the function key,
it is as if you pressed the foot pedal.
DigDisconnect
Disconnect a 3-D digitizer.
Toolbar: 3-D Digitizing, Microscribe, and Tools

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Disconnect
DigPause
Pause a 3-D digitizer.

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Pause
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DigScale
Set 3-D digitizer scale.

Menu: Tools > Digitize >Set Scale
At the Scale factor for digitized input prompt, type the scale factor for all digitized input. To
digitize in meters, enter 0.0254. To digitize in centimeters, enter 2.54. To digitize in millimeters,
enter 25.4.
DigSection
Create sections with a 3-D digitizer.

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Planar Sections
To digitize planar sections:

1 At the First Point on plane prompt, enter a point on the base plane.
The base plane defines the plane that all sections will be parallel to.
2 At the Second point on plane prompt, enter a second point on the base plane.
3 At the Third point on plane prompt, enter a third point on the base plane.
4 At the Start of axis prompt, enter the start of the section plane axis.
The first section plane will pass through the start of the axis.
5 In the Section Plane Spacing dialog box, specify how you want to space the planes.
You can space the planes at intervals, or you can space the planes evenly between the start and end
of the axis.
6 At the Push and hold the pedal to sketch prompt, touch your object with the arm and depress the
pedal.
As long as the pedal is depressed, points will be sampled when the arm crosses over one of the
section planes. Releasing the pedal prevents Rhino from sampling points so you move the digitizer
without keeping it on the object. Depress the pedal again to continue sampling points.
7 Press Enter when you are finished.
Note
Multiple digitizing planes defined for quick sectioning of your object. Every time the arm passes
through one of the digitizing planes, a point is sampled.
The planes are defined with a base point, direction, and spacing. The planes are perpendicular to the
line between the base point and the direction point.
When you finish digitizing points on the object, a planar curve is created in each digitizing plane. The
points are left selected so you can move them to another layer or delete them.
DigSketch
Sketch with a 3-D digitizer.

Menu: Tools > Digitize > Sketch Curve
To sketch a curve with the digitizer:
At the Push and hold the pedal to sketch prompt, move the arm to where you want to start
digitizing, hold the pedal, and drag the arm through the curve to digitize.
You can press and hold any key on the keyboard as well.
Type C to create a closed curve.
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Points are sampled at increments set with the DigSpacing command. Whenever the arm is moved
through this distance, a point is sampled. As long as the pedal is depressed, Rhino samples points. When
you release the pedal, a curve is fit such that it is within global modeling tolerance of each point. The
points are left selected so you can move them to another layer or delete them.
To set the distance between digitized points:
At the Sketch skip distance prompt, enter the distance between sampled points.
DigSpacing
Set the spacing between digitized points when sketching with a 3-D digitizer.
DimAligned
Create a dimension aligned with the dimension points.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Aligned
1 At the First dimension point prompt, pick the a point in the model to dimension from.
2 At the Second dimension point prompt, pick a point on the model to dimension to.
3 At the Dimension line location prompt, pick a point for the dimension line location.
DimAngle
Dimension the angle between two lines.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Angle
1 At the Select first line prompt, pick a line.
2 At the Select second line prompt, pick a second line.
3 At the Place the dimension prompt, pick a location for the dimension text and leader.
Note
You can dimension polyline segments and linear surface and polysurface edges.
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DimDiameter
Dimension the diameter of a curve.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Diameter
1 At the Select curve for diameter dimension prompt, pick a curve.
DimHorizontal
Create a horizontal linear dimension.
Toolbar: Tools and Dimensions

Menu: Dimension > Horizontal
DimOptions
Opens the Document Properties dialog box with the Dimensions tab displayed.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: File > Properties > Dimensions tab
Menu: Dimension > Properties
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DimRadius
Dimension the radius of a curve.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Radius
1 At the Select curve for radius dimension prompt, pick a curve.
DimRecenterText
Returns text that has been moved away from its default position to its original location.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Recenter Dimension Text
Note
To move dimension text away from the dimension line, turn on control points for the dimension and
drag the control point for the text.
DimRotated
Create a linear dimension rotated to an angle.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Rotated
1 At the Angle or first reference point prompt, enter an angle for the dimension line.
Or the first point of a reference angle.
At the Second reference point prompt, enter the second point of a reference angle.
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DimVertical
Create a vertical linear dimension.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Vertical
Dir
Show direction display.
Toolbar: Main and Analyze

Menu: Analyze > Direction
1 At the Select object for direction display prompt, select a curve, surface or polysurface.
2 At the Press Enter when done prompt, white arrows appear on the object showing the normal
(perpendicular direction) at selected points.
Moving the cursor over the object shows a dynamic white arrow for the normal. On surfaces, red and
green arrows show the u- and v- directions at the point.
The draft angle for surfaces displays on the status bar.
3 Press Enter to terminate the display.
Or, to change the direction, type F.
Curve direction
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Flipping the curve's direction
Options
UReverse
Reverses the u-direction.
VRreverse
Reverses the v-direction.
SwapUV
Swaps the u-and v-directions.
FlipNormal
Flips the normal direction of the curve or surface.
Arrow length
Type a number to define the arrow length in screen pixels.
Note
You generally don't need to care about surface u- and v- order and direction, unless you apply
textures. If the textures don't apply in the right direction, the UReverse, VReverse, and SwapUV
options change surface order and direction.
DirectionalLight
Inserts a directional light.
Menu: Render > Create Directional light

1 At the End of light direction vector prompt, pick a point at which to aim the directional light.
2 At the Start of light direction vector prompt, pick a location for the directional light.
The directional light icon does not render or shade.
Directional light icon
Note
Directional light is a parallel light beam that lights toward the chosen direction. The location of the
directional light does not matter. The icon merely indicates the direction the light comes from.
Directional lights do not cast shadows when using the Rhino renderer.
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The directional light icon does not render or shade.
Directional light properties

Use the Properties command to set the light's color and on or off state. Darker colors, like gray, light the
scene less.
DisableOsnap
Temporarily turn off persistent object snaps.

Menu: Tools > Object Snap > Disable Object Snap
Status bar: Osnap Disable
DisableOsnap is a toggle command.
When Object snaps are disabled, persistent object snaps are temporarily suspended.
To reactivate persistent object snaps
In the Osnap dialog box, clear the Disable checkbox.

All persistent object snaps will be reactivated.
To clear all persistent object snaps
In the Osnap dialog box, right-click the Disable checkbox.
DisplayBitmap
Show a bitmap in a separate window.
Distance
Measure the distance between two points.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Distance
1 At the First Point for distance prompt, pick a point.
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2 At the Second Point for distance prompt, pick a point

The distance between the points displays at the command line, with angles and distances in the axis
directions in world and construction plane coordinates.
The distance displays on the command line in the format Distance = 1.0000 units.
Divide
Divide a curve by number of segments.
Toolbar: Point
Menu: Curve > Point Object > Divide Curve by > Number of Segments
1 At the Select curves to divide prompt, select curves and press Enter.
2 At the Number of segments prompt, type an integer number and press Enter.
Point objects are created evenly spaced along the curve and one at each end of the curve.
Divide a curve into eight segments
Options
FlipDirection
Automatic
Natural
Note
To split the curve at the points created by Divide, use the Split command.
DivideByLength
Divide a curve by length.
Toolbar: Point
Menu: Curve > Point > Divide Curve by > Length of Segments
1 At the Select curves to divide by length prompt, select the curves to divide and press Enter.
The lengths of the curves are reported at the command line.
2 At the Length of segments prompt, enter the length of segments to mark with point objects.
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Points at 1-unit increments along a curve
Note
The DivideByLength command creates point objects on a curve starting from the natural start of the
curve. If you want points to start at the other end, use the Dir command to flip the curve.
Direction of curve is left to right
Direction of curve is right to left

To split the curve at the points created by DivideByLength, use the Split command.
DocumentProperties
Opens the Document Properties dialog box.
Command DocumentProperties
Domain
Determine the domain of a curve or surface.
At the Select curve or surface for domain prompt, select a curve, surface, or polysurface to
evaluate.
The curve domain or the U and V domains of a surface are printed on the command line.
When a polysurface is picked, the result is calculated for the component surface at the pick point.
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Dot
Create annotation dot.
Toolbar: Annotate
1 At the Text to display prompt, type the text to show in the dot.
2 At the Location of dot prompt, enter the location of the dot.
Note
The dot font and size cannot be changed.
DraftAngleAnalysis
Displays the draft angle relative to the active construction plane.
Toolbar Surface Analysis

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Draft Angle Analysis
1 Select objects for analysis.
2 In the Draft Angle Options dialog box set the angle for the color display.
The draft angle describes the angle between the surface normal direction and the construction plane.
0 = perpendicular to the construction plane.
+90 or –90 = parallel to the construction plane.
You can adjust the density of the mesh if the level of detail is not fine enough.
Draft angle analysis
Note
If you set the Min and Max angle to the same value, all portions of the surface that exceed the angle
will be red.
Set both angles the same

The pull direction for DraftAngleAnalysis is the z-axis of the construction plane in the active
viewport when the command starts.
The normal direction of the surface points toward the pull direction of the mold. You can check this
with the Dir command.
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Normal direction of surface

Changing the construction plane before using DraftAngleAnalysis lets you define any direction as
the pull direction.
DragMode
Toggle drag mode.
Drag mode lets you drag object parallel to the view plane rather than parallel to the construction
plane.
Menu: Edit > View based drag mode
Drape
Drape a surface over existing objects.
Toolbar: Surface 2
Menu: Surface > Drape
All the viewports change to shade mode.
At the Drag a window over area to drape prompt drag a rectangle in one of the viewports.
A surface is created that drapes over the objects.
Objects to drape
Resulting drape surface
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Note
Drape works over meshes, surfaces, and solids.
Drape samples points in the render depth buffer (z-buffer) and then uses the point locations directly
for the surface control point locations. Because of this, the surface will always sag more than the
original.
It uses the deepest point in the view for the base level of the drape surface. It only sees mesh or
render mesh objects.
DrapePt
Drape points on Z-buffer.
Menu: Curve > Point Object > Drape Points

This is like Drape, but it only makes points.
Dup
Duplicate an object.
At the Select objects to duplicate prompt, select an object to duplicate.
The object will be duplicated in place.
Note
You can constrain the type of objects to select if you want to duplicate a sub-part of an existing
object.
For example, to duplicate a curve that is the edge of a surface, at the Select objects to duplicate
prompt, type c (curve), edge, or bnd (boundary), and press Enter, then select the edge to duplicate.
To limit your selection to surfaces, type f (face).
The Dup command only duplicates curves, surfaces, and polysurfaces. It does not duplicate points,
meshes, dimensions, textblocks, or lights.
DupBorder
Duplicate the border of a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Duplicate Border
Select surfaces or polysurfaces for duplicate border.

The border curves of the selected objects are created as separate curves.
Duplicate border curve
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DupEdge
Duplicate an edge of a surface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Duplicate Edge
At the Select edges to duplicate prompt, select the edges of a surface.

The edges are duplicated as separate curves.
Duplicate edge curve
Note
On trimmed surfaces DupEdge creates a curve that is the same as the trim curve on the surface. This
curve doesn't have the same control point structure as the original curve used to trim the surface.
For many surface creation commands, DupEdge is not needed because the commands are designed to
be able to select surface edges as curves.
DynamicShading
See ShadedViewport.
DynamicShadingPerspective
See ShadedViewport.
EdgeSrf
Draw a surface by edge curves.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Edge Curves
1 At the Choose 3 or 4 curves prompt, select the first curve.
2 At the next Choose 3 or 4 curves prompt, select the second curve.
3 At the next Choose 3 or 4 curves prompt, select the third curve.
4 At the next Choose 3 or 4 curves prompt, select the fourth curve.
Or, press Enter to create a triangular surface.
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Surface from three curves
Surface from four curves
Note
EdgeSrf creates an bilinearly blended Coons patch.
The curves you select must meet at their ends or cross.
You can use surface edges.
For a surface from closed planar curves, use Create a planar surface through planar curves.
EditDim
Edit dimension text.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Edit Dimension
1 At the Select dimension to edit prompt, select a dimension.
2 In the Edit Dimension dialog box, type new text.
Note
The angle brackets < > represent the dimension value. You can type additional text before or after
the angle brackets, or you can eliminate the angle brackets.
Enter new text in the dialog box
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The resulting dimension
EditPtOn
Show edit points.
Toolbar: Main and Point Editing

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Edit Points On
Select curves for edit point display and press Enter.

The edit points are turned on for the selected curves.
Edit points on
Note
The edit points in Rhino are points on the curve evaluated at knot averages. They are not the same as
knots.
EditText
Edit two-dimensional annotation text blocks.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Edit Text
1 At the Select text to edit prompt, select a text block.
2 In the Edit Text dialog box, set the options.
3 Type the new text.
Options
text.
Font
Sets the font for the annotation text.
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Scaled size
The size you want the text to print. This is with the understanding you will print with Print to scale value
equal to the inverse of the Annotation Scale Factor.
This is set by the Scale factor setting in the Document Properties dialog box on the Dimension tab.
Model size
Example
Ellipse
Draw an ellipse from center and axes.
Toolbar: Ellipse and Main

Menu: Curve > Ellipse > From Center
1 At the Center of ellipse ( Deformable Vertical AroundCurve FromFoci ) prompt, enter the
center point.
2 At the End of first axis prompt, enter the endpoint for the first axis.
3 At the End of second axis prompt, enter the endpoint for the second axis.
Ellipse
Options
Deformable
Vertical
Ellipse with Vertical option
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AroundCurve
Draws the circle perpendicular to a curve at the chosen point
Ellipse with AroundCurve option

FromFoci
Draws the ellipse from the focus points.
Draw an ellipse from focus points.
Toolbar: Ellipse and Main

Menu: Curve > Ellipse > From Foci
1 At the Ellipse focus ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No Repeat=No ) prompt, enter a focus point.
2 At the Other ellipse focus ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No Repeat=No ) prompt, enter the second
focus point.
3 At the Point on ellipse ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No ) prompt, enter a point on the ellipse curve.
Options
MarkFoci
Places point objects at the focus points.
Partial
Draws a partial ellipse.
EllipseD
Draw an ellipse through its major axes.
Toolbar: Ellipse
Menu: Curve > Ellipse > Diameter
1 At the Start of first axis prompt, enter start of an axis of the ellipse.
2 At the End of first axis prompt, enter the end of the axis.
3 At the End of second axis prompt, enter the end of the second axis.
Options
Vertical
Draw an ellipse vertical to the construction plane.
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Ellipse End to End
Ellipsoid
Draw an ellipsoid from the center an axes.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Ellipsoid > From Center
1 At the Center of ellipsoid ( From Foci ) prompt, choose a center point.
2 At the End of first axis prompt, choose an endpoint for the major axis.
3 At the End of second axis prompt, choose an endpoint for the minor axis.
4 At the End of third axis prompt, choose an endpoint, or type a height and press Enter.
Solid ellipsoid
Note
Draw an ellipsoid from focus points.
Menu: Solid > Ellipsoid > From Foci

1 At the Ellipsoid focus ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No ) prompt, enter a focus point.
2 At the Other ellipsoid focus ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No ) prompt, enter the second focus point.
3 At the Point on ellipsoid ( MarkFoci=No Partial=No ) prompt, enter a point on the ellipsoid
surface.
Options
MarkFoci
Places point objects at the focus points.
Partial
Draws a partial ellipsoid.
Cap
Caps the partial ellipsoid to create a solid.
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EMap
Use environment mapping for analysis.
Toolbar: Surface Analysis

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Environment Map
1 Select objects for environment mapping.
2 In the Environment Map Options dialog box, select a bitmap file to use for mapping.
Options
Blend with object render color
Blends the bitmap with the render color of the object. This lets you simulate different materials with the
environment map. Use a neutral colored bitmap and blend with the object render color to simulate
different materials.
No color blend
Color blend
Note
The EMap command is one of a series of visual surface analysis commands. These commands use
NURBS surface evaluation and rendering techniques to help you visually analyze surface smoothness,
curvature, and other important properties.
When you use the EMap command, if any selected objects that do not have surface analysis meshes,
an invisible mesh will be created based on the settings in the Polygon Mesh Options dialog box.
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mesh.
Environment mapping is a rendering style that makes it look like a scene is being reflected by a highly
polished metal. There may be a few cases where environment mapping actually shows a surface
defect that can't be seen using Zebra and rotating the scene.
This environment map simulates tube lights shining on a metal surface
Windows 2000 OpenGL

If you are using Windows 2000 and your environment map display does not look right, you will need to
change a setting in the Options dialog box, Shade tab to use a different driver for environment mapping.
This is an example of what the sunset environment map should look like on a sphere:
Correct environment mapping

The Windows 2000 OpenGL driver bug causes mapping like this:
Incorrect environment mapping

If your environment mapping displays this behavior, in the Options dialog box, on the Shade tab, under
Zebra and EMap, select More reliable.
When More reliable is selected, Rhino uses it's own mapping functions. The new default setting with new
installs is More reliable which causes the EMap command to be slower on some computers, but will
always work. When Faster is selected, Rhino uses the OpenGL driver to calculate environment maps and
zebra stripes.
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EndBulge
Adjust the end bulge of a curve.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Adjust End Bulge
1 Select a curve.
2 At the Drag points to adjust end bulge prompts, drag point indicators.
3 Press Enter when your adjustments are complete.
Adjusting curve end bulge
Options
PreserveCurvature
Type P and press Enter to toggle. Yes means two drag points appear on each end of the curve. No means
there is one drag point.
Note
EndBulge lets you edit the shape of a curve without changing the tangent direction and the
curvature of the curve. This is especially useful with curves that have been made to conform to other
geometry, as with the Blend command.
One-point-per-end mode, maintains the tangent direction. The magnitude of the first derivative
changes how stiffly the curve maintains the end direction.
Two-point-per-end mode maintains the curvature. The magnitude of the second derivative can be
adjusted to determine how fast the curvature changes as you move away from the end of the curve.
In each case, you are moving control points of the curve, constrained along a path that keeps the
direction and curvature from changing.
EndBulgeSrf
Edits the surface near the edge to help align with other surfaces.
Menu: Surface > Edit > Adjust End Bulge

1 At the Select surface edge to edit prompt, select a surface edge.
2 At the Point to edit prompt pick a point on the edge you want to influence.
3 At the Start of region to edit. Press Enter to edit entire range pick a point that defines the start
of the part of the edge that will be changed.
4 At the End of region to edit. Press Enter to edit remainder of range pick a point that defines the
end of the part of the edge that will be changed.
5 At the Drag points to adjust end bulge ( PreserveCurvature=Yes ) prompt, drag control points
to edit the edge bulge.
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Surface before editing.
During EndBulgeSrf editing.
After editing.
Note
Your surface must be at least degree 3 in both u- and v-directions and therefore have at least four
control points each way.
Enter
Simulate pressing Enter in a script.
The Enter command can be used in shortcuts, aliases, and command file scripts to simulate pressing the
Enter key. This command does not repeat the previous command like pressing Enter does, so you don't
need to worry that the command you just ran will run again when the Enter command is encountered.
For example, the script
Circle 0,0 1 Enter Enter Enter Line 1,1 2,2
does the same thing as
Circle 0,0 1<space><space><space>Line 1,1 2,2
Note
Typing Enter at the command line does nothing.
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Erase
Erase objects.
At the Select objects to erase prompt, select the objects you want to erase.
Note
Erase is the same as Delete.
You can get the accidentally erased objects back with Undo command.
EvaluatePt
Evaluate the coordinates of a point.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Point
At the Point to measure prompt, select a point.

The Cartesian coordinates of the point, in both world and construction plane coordinates are displayed
on the command line in x,y,z format.
EvaluateUVPt
Evaluate the UV coordinates of points on a surface.

Menu: Analyze > Surface > UV Coordinates of Point
1 At the Select surface to get UV values from ( CreatePoint=Y Normalized=N ) prompt, select
the surface to evaluate.
Or use the C option to suppress creating points.
Or use the N option to report normalized UV coordinates (between 0 and 1).
2 At the Points to evaluate uv coordinates of. Press Enter when done prompt, click points on the
surface.
A point object is created on the surface, and the U,V coordinates of that point are displayed on the
command line.
3 Press Enter when you are finished creating points on the surface.
Note
When a polysurface is picked, the result is calculated for the component surface at the pick point. If
the surface is trimmed, the untrimmed surface is used.
Exit
Exit Rhino.
Menu: File > Exit
Note
When you exit Rhino, Rhino asks if you want to save the changes made to the model since the last
save.
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Explode
Explode objects.
Toolbar: Main and Geometry Fix

Menu: Edit > Explode
1 At the Select objects to explode prompt, select objects to explode.
2 Press Enter when finished selecting objects to explode.
Note
You can explode a polysurface into separate surfaces.
You can explode a curve into curve segments and polyline into line segments.
You can explode a mesh into individual mesh faces.
When Rhino creates a seamless mesh from a complex closed polysurface NURBS object, the resulting
mesh when exported can be larger than is supported in other programs. The simple meshes resulting
from exploding the joined mesh may be small enough.
ExplodeMesh
Explode a mesh.
This command is obsolete. Use the Explode command.
Export
Export selected objects to a file.
Toolbar: Standard, File, and STL Tools

Menu: File > Export Selected
1 Select objects to export.
2 In the Files of type box, select Rhino 2 3D Models.
4 At the Insertion base point < World Origin > prompt, pick a point in the model that will become
the world origin in the new file.
5 Click Save.
Options
Save Small
Removes the render and analysis meshes from the file. Clearing the render meshes makes the file smaller,
but it will shade and render slower the next time you open the file.
Exporting to other file types

1 Select objects to export.
2 In the Files of type box, select the file type you want to use.
4 Click Save.
Note
The base point option is only supported in Rhino 2.0 files.
Rhino supports several file types.
If you are exporting to a polygon mesh file, in the Create mesh from NURBS object dialog box, set
the way Rhino creates a polygon mesh from the NURBS geometry.
Object properties can be exported to a comma-delimited text file that contains a tabulation of various
object properties including layer name, layer color, object name, object render color, and selected
mass properties. The text file is created in a way that makes it easy to import the information into
spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel.
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ExportCommandAliases
Export command aliases.
Menu: Tools > Commands > Export Command Aliases
In the Export Command Aliases dialog box, enter a name for the text file.
Note
The aliases are saved in the format:
[KeyCombination1] [CommandAlias1]
…
You can read the aliases back into Rhino with the ImportCommandAliases command.
ExportWithOrigin
Export selected objects to a file with selected origin and construction plane.
1 At the Insertion base point < World Origin > prompt, pick a point in the model that will become
the world origin in the new file.
This command only exports to Rhino 2 3D Models.
4 Click Save.
The objects in the resulting file have the same angular relationship to the world top construction plane
as the original objects had to the construction plane of the active viewport during the export.
Options
Save Small
Extend
Extend a curve.
Toolbar: Curve Tools and Extend

Menu: Curve > Extend > Extend Curve
1 At the Select boundary objects or enter extension length. Press Enter for dynamic extend
prompts, select a boundary object to extend to.
Or, press Enter to extend without boundary edges.
2 At the next Select boundary objects. Press Enter when done prompts, select boundary objects to
extend to and press Enter when done.
3 At the Select object to extend ( Type=Line ) prompts, select objects to extend.
Or, type t and press Enter to change the extension type.
4 At the next Select object to extend prompts, select objects to extend and press Enter when done.
The extension is joined to the original curve.
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Options
Type=Arc
Makes an arc extension.
Type=Line
Makes a line extension.
Type=Smooth
Makes a smooth curve extension.
Note
You can use any combination of curves, surfaces, and solids as boundary edges.
If you want to extend two curves to meet each other simultaneously, use the Fillet command with a
zero radius.
ExtendByArc
Extend a curve with an arc.
Toolbar: Extend
Menu: Curve > Extend > By Arc
1 At the Select curve to extend ( Join=Yes )prompt, select a curve to extend.
Click near the end of the curve where you want the arc to go.
2 At the Radius of arc prompt, enter a point to define the radius of the arc.
Or, type a number for the radius and press Enter.
3 At the End point or angle prompt, enter the end of the extension.
Or, type an angle for the arc.
Options
No options selected
Curve extended with an arc by angle

MatchRadius
The radius of the arc is the same as the radius of curvature at the endpoint of the curve being extended.
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Curve extended with an arc by angle, MatchRadius option selected

Join
If Join=Yes, the extension will be joined to the original curve.
Note
To draw an arc extension and join it in one step, use Extend a curve.
ExtendByArcToPt
Extend a curve with an arc to a point.
Toolbar: Extend
Menu: Curve > Extend > By Arc to Point
1 At the Select curve to extend ( Join=Yes ) prompt, select a curve to extend.
Select near the end of the curve to extend.
2 At the End of arc prompt, enter the endpoint of the extension.
Curve extended with an arc to a point
Options
Join
Note
To draw an arc extension and join it in one step, use Extend a curve.
ExtendByLine
Extend a curve with a line.
Toolbar: Extend
Menu: Curve > Extend > By Line
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1 At the Select curve to extend ( Join=Yes ) prompt, select a curve to extend, near the end you
want to extend.
2 At the End of line or length prompt, enter the endpoint for the line extension.
Or, type a distance to extend and press Enter.
Options
Join
Note
The extension is joined to the original curve and, if possible, unnecessary control points are deleted
when extending lines and polylines.
ExtendCrvOnSrf
Extend a curve on a surface.
Toolbar: Extend
Menu: Curve > Extend > Curve on Surface
1 At the Select curve to extend prompt, select the curve to extend.
2 At the Select surface that the curve is on prompt, select the surface with the desired extension
boundaries.
Original curve on surface
Curve extended to surface boundary
ExtendSrf
Extend a surface.

Menu: Surface > Extend
1 At the Select edge of surface ( Type=Smooth ) to extend, pick an edge of an untrimmed surface
that is not a polysurface.
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2 At the Extension factor prompt, enter an amount to extend, or pick two points to specify the
distance.
Options
Smooth
Extends the surface smoothly curving from the edge.
Linear
Extends the surface in a straight line from the edge.
Note
With the linear extension, there will be knots of full multiplicity at the end of the original surface. This
fixes the original. Then the surface is extended on the end.
The extension length is based on parameterization, thus the length will change if you use
ReparameterizeSrf to change the parameterization. If you use Improve to make the
parameterization roughly match the physical size of the surface, the actual extension length can be
close to the extension factor, depending on the shape of the object.
ExtractControlPolygon
Extract control polygon.
Creates a polyline through the control points of a curve, or a polygon mesh through the control points of a
surface.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh > From NURBS Control Polygon
Select curves or surfaces to extract control polygon.

Polylines and/or meshes are created that have vertices at the original objects' control points.
Surface with control points on
Polygon mesh through control points of surface
Note
ExtractControlPolygon is useful if for some reason you want to extract the control point data of
your NURBS surface as an object all by itself.
Sometimes this can be used to export that polygon data to a different program and use polygon mesh
smoothing tools on it – examples are MeshSmooth in MAX, and MetaNURBS in LightWave.
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ExtractIsoparm
Extract isoparms from a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Extract Isoparm
1 Select a surface.
The marker is constrained to the surface, and isoparms display at the marker.
The draft angle of the surface displays at the status bar.
2 At the Select isoparm to extract prompt, choose a point.
The isoparms that go through that point are created as separate curves.
ExtractIsoparm curves
Options
Direction=U
Isoparms are extracted only in the u-direction of the surface.
Direction=V
Isoparms are extracted only in the v-direction of the surface.
Direction=Both
Isoparms are extracted in both the u- and v-directions of the surface.
Note
ExtractIsoparm creates the simplest possible curve running exactly on the surface in u, v or both
directions.
ExtractIsoparm is useful for creating trimming curves on surfaces. Surfaces trimmed along
isoparms can be made into untrimmed surfaces with ShrinkTrimmedSrf.
Isoparms can be used to recreate an existing surface with different parameterization. Extract several
isoparms, and Loft a surface through them.
If you need angled cross sections along surface, use Section instead of ExtractIsoparm. If you need
curved cross sections, use Project or Intersect.
The Knot object snap can be used to create isoparametric curves at exact knot locations.
In contrast to InsertKnot, ExtractIsoparm creates separate curves that are not attached to the
surface.
If you need to place an object on a surface, use ExtractIsoparm to add visual cues or snappable
locations on the surface area to help position the object. Using ExtractIsoparm does not change the
surface in any way.
ExtractPt
Place point objects at control point locations on existing curves, surfaces, and polygon
mesh objects.
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Menu: Curve > From Objects > Extract Points

1 Turn on control points on an object.
2 Select the points you want to duplicate with point objects.
Note
ExtractPt works on curves, surfaces, and polygon mesh objects.
If you select an object that does not have control points turned on, Rhino creates point objects for
every control point in the object.
You can extract edit points of curve by turning on the edit points first.
ExtractSrf
Extract a surface from a polysurface.
Toolbar: Main, Solid Tools, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Solid > Extract Surface
At the Select surfaces to extract ( Copy ) prompt, select surfaces and press Enter.
The surfaces are separated from the polysurfaces. The remainder of each polysurface stays joined.
The extracted surface is also removed from any groups the original surface may belong to.
If you choose the Copy option, the surface is copied. The original surface is left intact.
Note
Extracting a surface from the polysurface ExtractSrf can save you a lot of time (as opposed to
Explode) because it lets you extract only the selected surfaces from the polysurface, and then there
isn't as much joining work to do afterwards.
ExtractWireframe
Extract the wireframe of a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Extract Wireframe
Select objects to extract wireframe curves from.

The isoparms and edge curves are duplicated as separate curves.
Extrude
Extrude a curve into a surface.
Toolbar: Surface and Extrude

Menu: Surface > Extrude
Extrude a closed curve into a solid.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Extrude Planar Curve
1 At the Select curves to extrude prompt, select curves and press Enter.
2 At the Extrusion distance prompt, drag the desired distance and pick, or type a distance and press
Enter.
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Extrude a curve perpendicular to the construction plane
Extruded closed planar curve
Options
Direction
Change the extrusion direction from the default direction. If one or more planar curves are selected with
the same planar normal, then the extrusion is in that direction. Otherwise, the curves are extruded
perpendicular to one of the construction planes.
Cap
Extrusions from closed curves are capped at both ends to make closed polysurfaces. This option does not
appear for open curves.
BothSides
Extend the extrusion in both directions from the original object.
Tapered
Taper the extrusion by an angle.
Corner
This option controls the shape of the tapered end corners. The choices are Sharp, Round, Smooth, and
Chamfer.
Tapered extrude with round and chamfered corners
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ExtrudeAlongCrv
Extrude a curve along a curve.
Toolbar: Extrude
Menu: Surface > Extrude > Along Curve
1 At the Select shape curve prompt, select the curve to extrude.
2 At the Select path curve prompt, select the path curve.
Extrude a curve along a path
Note
If you want the shape curve to rotate during extrusion, so that it remains perpendicular to the path
curve, use Create a 1-Rail sweep.
The path curve does not have to intersect the shape curve.
To draw a deformable plane, draw two lines at right angles. Use Rebuild to add control points to the
lines, then use ExtrudeAlongCrv to draw the plane using one line as the shape curve and the other
as the path.
ExtrudeSrf
Extrude a surface into a solid.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Extrude Surface
1 At the Select surfaces to extrude prompt, select surfaces and press Enter.
2 At the Extrusion distance prompt, pick a point, or enter a distance and press Enter.
Options
Direction
Specify a direction for the extrusion. The default is vertical to the construction plane, or vertical to the
plane of a planar surface.
ExtrudeToPt
Extrude a curve to a point.
Toolbar: Extrude
Menu: Surface > Extrude > To Point
1 At the Select curve to extrude prompt, select the curve.
2 At the Point to extrude to prompt, choose the point.
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Extrude a curve to a point
Fair
Fair a curve.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Fair
1 At the Select curves to fair prompt, select curves and press Enter.
2 At the Tolerance prompt, enter a number, or accept the default and press Enter.
Note
Fair works best on degree 3 (cubic) curves. Fair attempts to remove large curvature variations while
limiting the geometry changes to be no more than the specified tolerance. Sometimes several
applications of the Fair command are necessary to remove nasty curvature problems. You can use
the CurvatureGraphOn command to view the curvature hair while fairing.
Faro
Start digitizing with a FaroArm.
Fillet
Fillet two curves.
Toolbar: Main and Curve Tools

Menu: Curve > Fillet
1 At the Select first curve to fillet ( Radius=1 Join=No ) prompt, select the first curve near the end
for the fillet.
2 At the Select second curve to fillet ( Radius=1 Join=No ) prompt, select the second curve near
the end for the fillet.
Options
Radius
To change the fillet radius, type R and press Enter.
Or, type the fillet radius and press Enter.
Join
To change the Join option, type J and press Enter. The fillet and the curves you selected are trimmed or
extended to the fillet and joined.
Note
You can create a fillet between two adjacent segments of a joined curve.
You can use curve fillet with a radius set to 0 to trim and extend in one command.
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FilletEdge
Fillet the edge of a polysurface.

Menu: Solid > Fillet Edge
At the Select edges to fillet prompts, select edges of solid objects to fillet and press Enter.
Option
Radius
Specify the fillet radius for all the fillets.
Note
Fillets work on the analogy of rolling a ball of a defined radius along the edge of your surfaces. If a
corner is more narrow than the ball radius, the ball cannot "negotiate" the turn and can cause the
fillet to fail.
The FilletEdge command cannot always handle situations where several edges meet at a corner.
FilletSrf
Fillet two surfaces.
Toolbar: Main and Surface Tools

Menu: Surface > Fillet
1 At the Select first surface to fillet prompt, choose the first surface to fillet. Click on the part of the
surface where you want the fillet to go. Component surfaces will be selected and unjoined from their
polysurfaces.
2 At the Choose second surface to fillet prompt, choose the second surface to fillet. Click on the part
of the surface where you want the fillet to go.
Two surfaces
Two surfaces filleted
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Options
Radius
The radius of the fillet. Type R and press Enter to change the fillet radius.
Extend
Extends the fillet surfaces to surface edges.
Trim
Trim original surfaces back to fillet edges.
Note
Fillets work on the analogy of rolling a ball of a defined radius along the edge of your surfaces. If a
corner is more narrow than the ball radius, the ball cannot "negotiate" the turn and can cause the
fillet to fail.
FilletSrf is sensitive to where you pick the surfaces. In general, pick the surfaces approximately
where the edges of the fillet should end up. Sometimes it helps to set the object properties increase
the number of isoparms displayed.
FitCrv
Fit a curve to an existing curve.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Refit to Tolerance
1 At the Select curves to fit prompts, select curves and press Enter.
2 At the Fitting tolerance <0.01 ( DeleteInput=Yes FitDegree ) prompt, enter a tolerance.
Type zero to use the current absolute tolerance.
The curves are refitted. The original curves are unchanged.
Options
DeleteInput
Deletes the original curve.
FitDegree
Changes the degree of the new curve.
Note
Use FitCrv for fitting dense point lists and for replacing curves with too many control points.
When the input to FitCrv is a polyline, FitCrv treats the polyline as a list of points and tries to
compute a curve that goes near the points but has a reasonable number of control points. You can
use FitCrv on any polyline, but it is intended to be used on polylines with lots of closely spaced
points. If you have a dense string of points, you can use the PolylineThroughPt command to order
the list make a polyline.
When the input to FitCrv is a wiggly curve with lots of control points, FitCrv tries to compute a curve
that has the same general shape but fewer control points.
For scripting, you can use the DeleteInput=Yes/No option to bypass the dialog box.
FlatShade
Flat Shade the current viewport.
Toolbar: STL Tools

The current viewport is shaded with no smoothing across mesh faces. Each face has a constant
monochrome color.
Press Esc or click in a viewport to return to wireframe display mode.
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Shaded viewport using FlatShade

OpenGL Shading
To turn on OpenGL shading

If OpenGL shading is turned on, the OpenGL shade options will be available.
Note
FlatShade1
Flat Shade the current viewport and leave the grid.
Toolbar: STL Tools

The objects in the current viewport are shaded with no smoothing across mesh faces. Each face has a
constant monochrome color. The grid, axes, object highlighting, and view background are unchanged
from the normal wireframe display. Objects can be selected and highlighted without losing the
shading.
Press Esc to return to wireframe display mode.
Shaded viewport using FlatShade1
FlatShadeAll
Flat shade all viewports.
Toolbar: STL Tools

All viewports are shaded with no smoothing across mesh faces. Each face has a constant
monochrome color.
Press Esc or click in a viewport to return to wireframe display mode.
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OpenGL Shading

If OpenGL shading is turned on, the OpenGL shade options will be available.
Note
FlattenSrf
Create flat curves from a developable surface.
1 At the Select first edge of surface to flatten select an edge of a surface.
2 At the Select other edge of surface to flatten select an edge.
3 At the Increment size prompt, enter a number and press Enter.
Note
The purpose of the command is to draw a 2- D outline of a flattened view of a developable surface.
Not all developable surfaces can be flattened correctly by this command.
This command uses an approximation that is often used in doing this task by hand. It gives
reasonable results when the surface being flattened is fairly uniform and not kinked. The inputs are
really two opposite edges of the surface to be flattened. The surface is assumed to be a ruled surface
between the two edges with the rulings based on arc length parameterization of the edges.
The edges are divided into a number of small segments, and rulings are made between the edges
according to the spacing of those divisions. The increment size is used as a guide in deciding the
division size, but there are always the same number of equally spaced divisions on each edge. The
size specified should be chosen so that the divisions are much closer together than the distance
across between the curves. After the assumed surface is divided into skinny quadrangles by ruling
between the divisions, each quadrangle is divided diagonally into two triangles. The side lengths of
those triangles are then plotted on a plane to determine the sequential point locations of the
quadrangle corners in the flattened view. Curves are then fit through the points and the ends are
closed with lines.
The result of the command is a group of four curves with one corner at the world coordinate origin 0,0
and drawn in the world x-y plane, that define the outline of the flattened surface.
Flip
Flip the direction of a curve or surface.
At the Select objects to flip prompt, select curves, surfaces or meshes and press Enter.
The number of objects flipped is reported at the command line. The objects looks exactly the same,
but their directions are reversed.
Note
Curve and surface direction affects the results of various surface creation commands and Boolean
operations. If Booleans give unexpected results, such as Union instead of Difference, it is likely that
the direction of one or both of the surfaces should have the surface normal direction flipped.
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Flow
Flow objects along a curve.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Flow along Curve
2 At the Original backbone curve - select near end ( Line Copy ) prompt, select the "backbone"
curve of objects to flow.
You might want a line to be one of the backbones. Instead of drawing a line before the command,
type L and press Enter to draw the reference line.
Rhino uses the first curve as a "backbone" that goes through the first set of objects.
3 Type C and press Enter to copy the original object.
4 At the New backbone curve - select near end ( Line Copy ) prompt, select the new backbone
curve to flow to.
This curve will be used as a new backbone. The objects are twisted from the first backbone's shape
into the second backbone's shape.
Flow along a curve
Options
Copy
Note
You'd usually use this command to take a flat, straight shape and map it to some squiggly shape
since it can be easier to draw things when they are all lined up straight instead of trying to draw a
complex shape around a squiggly curve.
Flow works on the control points of an object - it remaps them from the original backbone curve to
the new one. Flow does not work on polysurfaces. Polysurfaces have a tendency to pull apart at the
seams and no longer be a valid polysurfaces, especially those with trimmed edges.
For Flow to work reasonably well the curves or surfaces should be at least degree 3. You can use
ChangeDegreeSrf or RebuildSrf with plenty of points to get enough control points to use then use
Flow.
Front
Set to world front view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Front
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Front
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Note
to
GCon
Measure geometric continuity of two curves.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Curve > Geometric Continuity
1 At the First curve - select near end prompt, select a curve near the end that coincides with the end
of another curve.
2 At the Second curve - select near end prompt, select the second curve near the coinciding end.
Tangency and curvature continuity information is displayed on the command line.
Grid
Toggle the display of the grid.
GridAxes
Toggle the display of the grid axes.
Grid axes on
Grid axes off
GridOptions
Opens the Document Properties dialog box with the Grid tab displayed.
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GridSections
Set the distance between gridlines.
GridSize
Set the extents of the grid.
GridThick
Set the number of thin gridlines between each thick gridline.
Group
Place selected objects in a group.
Grouping objects allows all members of the group to be selected as one. You can then apply commands to
the entire group.
Menu: Edit > Group

Shortcut: Ctrl+G
Use the AddToGroup command to add objects to a group.
HBar
Edit a curve or surface with handlebars.
Toolbar: Point Editing

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Handlebar editor
To handlebar edit curves:

1 At the Select curve or surface for handlebar editing prompt, select the curve or surface to edit.
A handlebar displays on the curve.
2 At the Click and drag to edit curve prompt, click and drag one of the handlebar grips to move it
around.
3 Click near the object to move the handlebar to the marker position.
The marker is constrained to move along the object when the cursor is near the object to edit.
4 Press Enter when you have finished editing the curve or surface.
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Handlebar curve editor

To handlebar edit surfaces:
1 At the Select curve or surface for handlebar editing prompt, select the surface to edit.
A handlebar will display on the surface.
2 At the Click and drag to edit surface (Tangents=Y Shaded=N) prompt, click and drag one of the
handlebar grips to move it around.
3 Click near the object to move the handlebar to the marker position.
The marker is constrained to move along the object when the cursor is near the object to edit.
4 Press Enter when you have finished editing the surface.
Options
Tangents
This option controls if the tangent and normal grips are shown with the grip on the surface.
Shaded
With this option you see a shaded preview of the surface while you edit it.
Note
When you handlebar edit surfaces, press and hold Alt to be able to drag points on the surface in the
surface normal direction.
Heightfield
Create a surface by color values of a bitmap.
Toolbar: Surface 2
Menu: Surface > Heightfield from Bitmap
1 In the Select bitmap dialog box, select a bitmap file.
2 At the First corner prompt, pick a point. The base of the surface will be parallel to the current
construction plane.
3 At the Second corner or length prompt, pick a point, or enter a length. The shape of the pick
rectangle matches the aspect ratio of the bitmap file.
4 In the Heightfield dialog box, adjust options.
Options
Number of sample points
The bitmap's "height" is sampled at the entered numbers of points along the width and height of the
bitmap.
Height
The scale of the height of the surface.
Control points at samples
Create surface control points at each of the sample points.
Interpolate through samples
Surface constrained to pass through each sample point's height.
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Helix
Draw a helix.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Helix
1 At the Start of axis prompt, enter the start of the helix axis.
This is the line the helix will wind around.
2 At the End of axis prompt, enter the end of the helix axis.
3 At the Radius prompt, enter the radius for the helix.
4 In the Helix / Spiral dialog box, select Turns or Pitch.
If you select Turns, enter the number of turns for the helix.
If you select Pitch, enter the pitch (distance between turns) for the helix.
If you select Reverse twist, the helix will twist counterclockwise.
Select Preview after changing options to see the helix.
Options
No options selected
Helix
Vertical
The helix axis will be perpendicular to the construction plane in the active viewport.
Helix with Vertical option

AroundCurve
Select a curve for the helix to wind around to create "phone cord" shapes.
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Helix around curve
Hide
Hide objects.
Toolbar: Standard, Visibility, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Edit > Visibility > Hide
1 At the Select objects to hide prompt, select the objects you want to hide.
2 Press Enter when you are finished selecting objects to hide.
Note
You can use the Hide command multiple times.
The Show command shows ALL hidden objects.
HideBackgroundBitmap
Hide a background bitmap.

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Hide
Temporarily hides a background bitmap. Use ShowBackgroundBitmap to show a hidden bitmap.
Note
The hidden status of background bitmaps only applies to the current session. If you exit the model
and reopen it, hidden background bitmaps are displayed.
HideOsnap
Hide the Osnap dialog box.
Status bar: Osnap
Or, close the Osnap dialog box.
HidePt
Hide control points and edit points.
Toolbar: Visibility, Organic, and STL Tools

Menu: Edit > Control Point Visibility > Hide
Select the control points you want to hide.
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Note
Try using Lasso to select the points to hide.
HideSwap
Swap hidden and visible objects to work on objects previously hidden.
Toolbar: Repository
The hidden objects display. The visible objects hide.
Hotspot
Set the spotlight hotspot.
1 Select one or more spotlights.
2 At the Spotlight hotspot prompt, enter a number between 0.0 and 1.0
The uneven distribution of the light in the spotlight cone is set.
If no spotlight is selected before the command starts, the command does nothing.
Note
Hotspot has the same effect as setting Spotlight hardness in Properties for a spotlight. The
number entered for Hotspot is multiplied by 100.
The smaller the number, the more concentrated the hotspot, and the more fuzzy and dim the light at
edge of the spotlight cone. Use 1.0 for even circle of light with a sharp edge.
Hydrostatics
Display hydrostatic values for surfaces.
At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces ( WaterLineElevaton=0 Symmetric=Yes,
Longitude=X, ) prompt, select a group of surfaces or polysurfaces, and press Enter.
The information displays in a separate window.
Options
WaterLineElevation
The water plane must always be horizontal in world coordinates. (This is a limitation of the command, not
a statement of a physical principle.) Its location is defined by specifying the depth of the origin in world
coordinates.
Symmetric
If Symmetry = Yes, only half of the model needs to be given. The calculations are done on this half model
and the results are doubled or adjusted as appropriate to represent a full model.
Longitude
The symmetry plane is either x=0 (when y is longitudinal) or y=0 (when x is longitudinal). The
longitudinal direction, that is, from bow to stern (front to back) must be either the direction of the x- axis
or the y- axis.
Value
Volume Displacement
Volume under the water.
Center of Buoyancy
Centroid of the volume displacement.
Wetted Surface Area
Surface area under water.
Waterline Length
Length at water line.
The longitudinal bounding box extents of the water plane area.
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Maximum Waterline Beam

Maximum beam at water line. The transverse bounding box extents of the water plane section.
Water Plane Area
Area of the cross section at the water plane.
Center of Floatation
Centroid of the water plane section These are the values for the whole model even if only a half model is
given.
Save As
Save the information to a comma-separated value file that can be used in spreadsheet programs.
Note
To get displacement information there must be no naked edges below the waterline except in the case
of Symmetry = Yes, in which case there can be naked edges on the symmetry plane.
If the waterline falls on a singularity (place in the surface where points converge like at a pole of a
sphere), the command will fail. Move the singularity point a fraction away from the water line.
Import
Import or merge objects from another file.

Menu: File menu, click Import/Merge
1 In the Files of type box, select Rhino 3D Models.
3 Click Open.
Note
Rhino supports many file types.
Rhino imports objects to the model on their original layers and creates the layers if they do not exist.
If the imported file type does not support layers, the objects are placed on the current layer. Rhino
leaves the imported objects selected to make it possible to move them or to change the layer if
necessary.
ImportCommandAliases
Import command aliases.
Menu: Tools > Commands > Import Command Aliases
In the Import Command Aliases dialog box, select the file that contains the aliases you want to
import.
Note
The aliases must be in a text file of the format:
…
You can export command aliases from Rhino with the ExportCommandAliases command.
Aliases for AutoCAD users are included with the Rhino installation. Import the file AutoCAD Aliases.txt
Improve
Reparameterize an object.
At the Select objects to reparameterize prompts, select curves, surfaces or polysurfaces and press
Enter.
The objects are reparameterized. The parameters values of the objects are recalculated so that the
parameter space of the objects is roughly the same size as the 3-D geometry of the objects.
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Note
Poorly parameterized objects may not intersect and trim properly when combined with other objects.
"Poorly parameterized" means the curve's domain or the surface's u or v spaces are tiny or huge
compared to the size of the object.
IncrementalSave
Save sequentially numbered versions of your model.
Menu: File > Incremental Save
Note
Use this to save version histories of your Rhino 3dm files for testing, etc.
Here's a table of input and output for IncrementalSave:
Current Filename Incremented Filename
hi.3dm hi 1.3dm
hi 1.3dm hi 2.3dm
tricky 1a.3dm tricky 1a 1.3dm
tricky 1a 1.3dm tricky 1a 2.3dm
bg 32985.3dm bg 32986.3dm
Untitled Choose a file
(just like Save or SaveAs)
a 2147483647.3dm a 1.3dm
(People will probably run out of hard drive
space before then.)
If you run IncrementalSave and the incremented filename already exists, Rhino asks if you want to
overwrite it. If you say yes, it does. If you say no, it lets you choose a filename just like SaveAs.
Insert
Import objects from a file with the option to drag, scale, and rotate.

3 Click Open.
4 At the Insertion point ( Rotate Scale ) prompt, choose an insertion point for the imported objects.
Press Enter to place the model at 0,0,0 with no changes in rotation or scale.
5 At the Rotation Angle <0.000> ( Reference Scale ) prompt, choose a start angle, or a point to
rotate from.
6 At the Scale factor <1.00> ( Reference XYZ ) prompt, enter a scale factor or choose a reference
point that shows the current scale.
Options
Rotate
Rotates the objects. The rotation operation works just like the Rotate command.
Scale
Scales the objects. The scale operation works just like the Scale command.
AxisAlign
Rotates objects by picking points on the X and Y axes.
Reference
Places a reference line and allows you to enter a number of degrees to rotate from that line.
XYZ
Scales the inserted object differently in the x, y, and z-directions.
268
InsertEditPoint
Insert edit points in a curve.
Toolbar: Organic and Point Editing

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Insert Edit Point
1 At the Select curve for edit point insertion prompt, select the curve to insert edit points to.
The edit points are displayed on the selected curve.
2 At the Point on curve to add edit point prompt, click a point on the curve to insert an edit point.
InsertKink
Insert kinks in a curve.

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Insert Kink
1 At the Select curve for kink insertion prompt, select the curve to which you want to add a kink.
The marker is constrained to track along the curve.
2 At the Point on curve to add a kink prompts, choose points where you want to insert a kink.
3 After inserting kinks, press Enter to end the command.
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Curve before adding kink
Curve after adding kink
Curve after adding kink and moving control point at kink
InsertKnot
Insert knots to a curve or surface.

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Insert Knot
To add a knot to a curve:

1 At the Select curve or surface for knot insertion prompt, select a curve
2 At the Point on curve to add knot prompts, pick points on the curve for new knots.
To add a knot to a surface:
1 At the Select curve or surface for knot insertion prompt, select a surface.
2 At the Point on surface to add knots (Direction=Both Symmetrical=No) prompt, pick points of
the surface for new knots.
Options
Direction
Specifies the direction you want to add the knots: U, V, or Both.
270
Symmetrical
With this option knots are added symmetrically to the surface.
Note
Inserting a knot in a surface also displays an isoparm at the knot location.
InsertLineIntoCrv
Flatten a section of a curve.
1 At the Select curve for line insertion prompt, select a curve
The marker is constrained to the curve.
2 At the Start of line prompt, pick a point for the start of the straight segment.
3 At the End of line prompt, pick a point for the end of the straight segment.
A straight line replaces part of the curve, and the parts are joined.
InterpCrv
Draw a curve by interpolating points.
Toolbar: Curve, Main, and 3-D Digitize

Menu: Curve > Free- form > Interpolate Points
1 At the Start of curve ( Tangent Knots=SqrtChord Degree=3 ) prompt, enter the start of the
curve.
2 At the Next point of curve ( Tangent Knots=SqrtChord Degree=3 Undo ) prompt, enter an
additional point.
3 At the Next point of curve. Press Enter when done ( Sharp Close Tangent Knots=SqrtChord
Degree=3 Undo ) prompts, enter additional points.
4 To end the curve, press Enter.
Or move the cursor close to the start point of the curve, and pick. The curve closes automatically.
Interpolated curve
Options
Close
Closes the curve smoothly (creates a periodic closed curve).
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Closed interpolated curve

Tangent
Turns on the Tangent object snap so you can draw the curve tangent to another curve.
Knots
Determines how the interpolated curve is parameterized.
When you draw an interpolated curve, the points you pick are converted into knot values on the curve.
The parameterization means how the intervals between knots are chosen:
Uniform means the knot spacing is always 1 and not based on the physical spacing of the points. Uniform
parameterization can be used if the point spacing is roughly equal and it is desirable to draw several
curves that have the same parameterization. This is possible only with uniform curves (unless you rebuild
the curves).
Chord means the spacing between the picked points is used for the knot spacing. This makes curves that
have widely varying point spacing behave better than uniform curves.
SqrtChrd means the square root of the spacing between picked points is used for the knot spacing.
When the spacing between the picked points is equal for the whole curve, all three parameterizations
generate the same curve.
Degree
You can set the degree of the curve. Valid degrees are 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.
Undo
Undoes the last curve segment.
Sharp
does.
Note
Many CAD programs use the term spline to describe an interpolated curve.
InterpCrvOnSrf
Interpolate a curve on a surface.
Toolbar: Curve and Main

Menu: Curve > Free- form > Interpolate on Surface
1 At the Select surface to draw curve on prompt, select a surface.
The marker is constrained to the surface.
2 At the Start of curve prompt, choose the first point of the curve.
3 At the Next point on curve ( Undo ) prompt, choose an additional point.
4 At the Next point on curve. Press Enter when done ( Sharp Close Undo ) prompts, choose
additional points and press Enter to end the curve.
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Interpolated curve on surface
Closed interpolated curve on surface
Options
Sharp
does.
Close
Creates a closed curve.
Undo
Undoes the last interpolate point.
Note
The curve will not cross seams in the surface.
Object snaps End, Cen, Midpoint, Near, Knot, and Intersection work.
InterpPolyline
Interpolate a curve through a polyline.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Free- form > Interpolate Polyline
At the Select polylines to interpolate select polylines and press Enter.
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Interpolated polyline
Note
Single-segment lines are duplicated.
Non-polyline curves are rejected.
Intersect
Intersect two objects.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Intersection
At the Select objects to intersect prompt, select the objects.

A curve or point object at the intersection of the two objects is created.
Curve from the intersection of two surfaces
Note
Intersecting curves with curves results in point objects.
Intersecting curves with surfaces results in point objects.
Intersecting surfaces or polysurfaces with surfaces or polysurfaces results in curves or points.
To create surface and solid intersections, use the BooleanIntersection command.
Invert
Invert the selection.
Toolbar: Select and Organic

Menu: Edit > Select > Invert
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InvertPt
Invert the selection of points on objects with points on without affecting the selection
status of other objects.
Points selected.
InvertPts inverts point selection only.

Contrast this with the Invert command, which also selects other objects.
Invert also selects the polysurface.
Join
Join objects.

Menu: Edit > Join
1 At the Select objects to join prompt, select objects.
2 When you are finished selecting objects to join, press Enter.
Note
You can join curves that are arranged sequentially.
You can join surfaces and polysurfaces that touch by naked edges. The result is always a polysurface
that can be exploded into separate surfaces.
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Joining does not change the surfaces' underlying surface geometry. It simply "glues" adjacent
surfaces together so that meshing, Booleans, and intersections go across the seam without gaps.
If you want to actually change a surface so it fills in a gap, use MatchSrf or fill the gap with a new
surface created by FilletSrf, BlendSrf, NetworkSrf, or Patch.
If you want to change two adjacent surfaces into a single surface, use MergeSrf. Pay special
attention to the setting of the Smooth option to get the geometry you want.
Here's how Join decides which edge to move: Each edge has a tolerance (actually two) which
indicates how close the 3- D edge curve is to the curve it approximates. For simplicity, lets say the
tolerance tells how close the 3- D edge curve is to the surface it is supposed to be on. When two
edges are joined, if one edge is considered to be more accurate than the other, in most cases the less
accurate one will be changed. If the edges have roughly the same accuracy, then the second one gets
moved. An edge's tolerance is changed upon rebuilding and also upon joining.
You can preselect a group of curves or surfaces to join.
For the group joiner, the join tolerance is the same as the absolute tolerance. For the surface-by-
surface joiner the join tolerance is two times the absolute tolerance.
Using the Millimeter template, if you make two plane surfaces that are 0.015 units apart, prepicking
the surfaces and then joining fails, but running Join and picking the surfaces one by one does work.
JoinEdge
Join the edges of two surfaces that are out of tolerance.
Toolbar: Edge Tools and Geometry Fix

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Join 2 Naked Edges
At the Select 2 unjoined edges prompts, select two naked edges of different surfaces or
polysurfaces that are coincident or close together.
If the edges overlap (run somewhat parallel) along at least part of their length (an interval), but are
not coincident, the Edge Joining dialog box appears with "Joining these edges requires a join
tolerance of <distance>. Do you want to join these edges?". The surfaces will extend to join along the
intervals.
Note
JoinEdge is basically a tolerance override. It will "join" edges no matter how far apart they are.
Joining has to do with topology (what's listed as being connected) rather than geometry (where the
parts are in relation to each other).
When you join two surfaces by whatever method, a 3- D curve is made to stand in place of the edges
involved and represents a single position in space for both edges, but the surfaces aren't changed at
all, so the new curve will not lie exactly on either of them.
If the surface edges are pretty close to each other (within tolerance) everything works fine. If not,
you can have some problems later on, depending on what you may do with the model.
If you can't join surfaces using the Join command, it is usually an indication that you need to make
the surfaces a little more accurately or that you have your tolerance set too small.
If you use JoinEdge, you should be aware of what it is and is not doing and use good judgment. Try
to think of it as a shortcut for changing your tolerance to a bigger value, doing a Join, and resetting
the tolerance.
If the edges are too far out of line, no join occurs, and "Unable to find overlapping intervals" appears
at the command line.
Joining edges does not change the surfaces' underlying surface geometry. It simply "glues" adjacent
If you want to change two adjacent surfaces into a single surface, use MergeSrf. Pay special
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JoinMesh
Join polygon meshes.

Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh >Join
Select polygon meshes to join.

Meshes are joined so they select as one object. The action performed is reported on the command
line. No mesh points are moved, merged or deleted.
Note
To create a mesh that is not explodable, most joined meshes will need to have their edge points
welded. Use SelNakedMeshEdgePt and Weld.
the Properties command does not distinguish between meshes before and after they are joined.
Meshes do not have to be adjacent or touching to be joined.
JoinSrf
Join selected surfaces.
Select a group of surfaces.

Rhino tries to join the selected surfaces and polysurfaces together into as few polysurfaces as
possible.
Note
Press Esc to cancel the command.
This command does not work in all cases. It only works if the edges of the surfaces touch exactly and
all edge endpoints match.
JoinSrf is useful for joining back surfaces of an exploded polysurface.
Use the ShowNakedEdges command to highlight edges that did not join. They are called naked
edges and may indicate the join operation was not complete.
If there are naked edges, Explode the objects and use Join selecting the surfaces one by one.
Joining does not change the surfaces' underlying surface geometry. It simply "glues" adjacent
If you want to change two adjacent surfaces into a single surface, use MergeSrf, Pay special
Most joining problems occur when attempting to join several surfaces, and an edge that is to be
joined is close in length to the joining tolerance. The picking order can make the difference. Pick the
surfaces with matching corners first.
LabelCurveEndpoints
Places a text label with the x, y, and z coordinates of the endpoint of a curve.
File: Utilities.rhp
To label curve endpoint coordinates
At the Select curves ( TextHeight=1.000 Precision=4 ) prompt, select curves.

A text label using the current text settings is placed at the curve endpoint. The text label is placed on
the same layer as the curve.
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Note
Lasso
Select points with a lasso.
Toolbar: Select, Select Points, and Organic

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Lasso
1 Show control points for the objects you want to edit.
2 Start the Lasso command.
3 Click points or drag a "rope" around the points you want to edit.
Click and drag the left mouse button to draw a curved selection boundary.
Pick points to draw straight line segments in the selection boundary.
4 press Enter to close the lasso.
Selecting points with lasso
LayerLock
Lock a layer.
Rhino displays objects on locked layers, but you cannot select them. You can use object snaps to snap to
objects on locked layers.
From the dialog box:

1 In the Edit Layers dialog box, select the layers you want to lock.
2 Click the Lock option.
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From the command prompt:
At the Layer to lock prompt, type the name of the layer to lock.
Note
For layer names with spaces, surround the name with quotes: "Layer 01"
To turn off more than one layer, separate the layer names with commas: One,Two,Three (note
there are no spaces after the commas).
To turn off multiple layer names with spaces, surround the whole thing with quotes and separate
layers with commas: "Layer One,Layer Two,Layer Three".
The display appearance of objects with a locked layer does not change, unlike the Lock (object)
command.
LayerOff
Turn a layer off.

1 In the Edit Layers dialog box, from the list. select the layers you want to turn off.
2 Click the Off option.
At the Layer to turn off prompt, type the name of the layer to turn off.
Note
To turn off more than one layer, separate the layer names with commas: One,Two,Three (note
To turn off multiple layer names with spaces, surround the whole thing with quotes and separate
layers with commas: "Layer One,Layer Two,Layer Three".
LayerOn
Turn a layer on.

3 In the Edit Layers dialog box, from the list select layers you want to turn on.
4 Click the On option.
At the Layer to turn on prompt, type the name of the layer to turn on.
Note
To turn on more than one layer, separate the layer names with commas: One,Two,Three (note
To turn on multiple layer names with spaces, surround the whole thing with quotes and separate
layers with commas: "Layer One,Layer Two,Layer Three"
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Leader
Draw an arrow leader.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Leader
1 At the Head of leader prompt, pick the start of the leader.
This is the arrow end.
2 At the Next point of leader. Press Enter when done prompt, pick the next point on the leader
line.
3 At the Next point of leader. Press Enter when done ( Undo ) prompt, pick additional points.
Press Enter to stop the command.
Two-dimensional leader
Note
Leaders will only be visible in a plan view of the construction plane on which they are placed. They will
not show in the perspective view.
The text height and arrow size are controlled by the dimension options.
Left
Set to world left view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Left
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Left
Note
to
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Length
Measure the length of a curve.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Length
At the Select curve to measure prompt, select a curve or edge.

The length of the curve or edge displays on the command line.
Line
Draw a line.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Single Line
Rhino represents all curves: lines, polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, and free-form curves (in fact everything
you can create from the Curve menu) as NURBS curves. Whenever Rhino asks you to select a curve, you
can select any of these curve objects, including lines and polylines.
Lines and polylines are special curves that have straight segments. Lines and polylines can be created
from other objects, and can be used to create other curves, surfaces, polysurfaces, and meshes.
1 At the Start of line prompt, pick the start point for the line.
2 At the End of line prompt, pick the end point for the line.
Options
No options selected
Single line
BothSides
Type B and press Enter.
The line extends on both sides of the start point.
Line, BothSides option selected
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Note
Use the Lines command to create multiple head-to-tail line segments
Use the Polyline command to create a single object made up of several straight segments.
Line4Pt
Draw a line from four points.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > From 4 Points
1 At the Start of base line prompt, enter the start of the base line.
2 At the End of base line prompt, enter the second point.
The marker is constrained to track along a line defined by the two points.
3 At the Start of line prompt, enter the start of the line.
4 At the End of line prompt, enter the end of the line.
Example
Existing geometry
To draw a line that passes through endpoints 1 and 2, and extends beyond curves 3 and 4, use endpoints
1 and 2 to define the base line, and pick points beyond curves 3 and 4 for the endpoints.
Line from 4 points
LineAngle
Draw a line at a specified angle from another line.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Angled
1 At the Start of base line prompt, enter the start of the base line.
The new line will be created at an angle you specify from the base line.
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2 At the End of base line prompt, enter the end of the base line.
3 At the Pivot angle prompt, type an angle and press Enter.
Line at 15° from the base line
LinearizeTrims
Linearize trimming boundaries of surfaces.
At the Select object prompts, select trimmed surfaces and press Enter.
LinearizeTrims changes all the trimming boundaries on trimmed NURBS surfaces to be represented with
polyline trim curves.
LinePerp
Draw a line perpendicular from a curve.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Perpendicular from Curve
The marker tracks along curves.
1 At the Point on curve for start of line prompt, choose the point on a curve for the start of the line.
The marker tracks along a line perpendicular to the curve, and parallel to the current construction
plane.
2 At the End of line prompt, pick the end of the line.
Options
No options selected
Line perpendicular to a curve

BothSides
Type B and press Enter to draw a line that extends on both sides of the start point.
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Line perpendicular to a curve, BothSides option selected
LinePP
Draw a line perpendicular to two curves.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Perpendicular to 2 Curves
1 At the Select curve near perpendicular point prompt, select the first curve near the start of the
desired line.
2 At the Select curve near perpendicular point prompt, select the second curve near the end of the
perpendicular line.
Line perpendicular to two curves
Lines
Draw multiple lines.
Toolbar: Lines and Main

Menu: Curve > Line > Line Segments
1 At the Start of first line prompt, enter the start of the first line segment.
2 At the End of line prompts, enter pick endpoints for segments.
3 When you are finished drawing lines, press Enter.
Line segments are drawn with start and end points coincident.
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Line segments
Option:
Undo
Type U and press Enter to remove the last segment drawn.
Note
Use this command if you want to create arc fillets between straight segments or want the segments
to be separate objects.
Use the Polyline command to create a single object made up of several straight segments.
LineTan
Draw a line tangent from a curve.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Tangent from Curve
The marker is constrained to curves.
1 At the Point on curve for start of line prompt, select a point on a curve for the start of the line.
The marker is constrained to a line tangent to the curve.
Options
No options selected
Line tangent to a curve

BothSides
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Line tangent to a curve, BothSides option selected
Note
You can enter a number to set the distance for the line.
LineTP
Draw a line tangent to a curve and perpendicular to a second curve.
1 At the Select curve near tangent point prompt, select the first curve near the start of the tangent
line.
2 At the Select curve near perpendicular point prompt, select the second curve near where the
perpendicular line will end.
Line tangent to a curve and perpendicular to another
Note
The two curves must be coplanar.
LineTT
Draw a line tangent to two curves.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Tangent to 2 Curves
1 At the Select curve near tangent point prompt, select the first curve near the start of the tangent
line.
2 At the Select curve near tangent point prompt, select the second curve near the end of the
tangent line.
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Line tangent to two curves
Note
The two curves must be coplanar.
LineV
Draw a vertical line.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Vertical to CPlane
1 At the Start of line prompt, enter the first endpoint in a viewport with the desired construction plane.
2 At the End of line prompt, enter the second endpoint, or enter a length and press Enter.
Options
No options selected
Line vertical to construction plane

BothSides
Line vertical to construction plane, BothSides option selected
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List
List data structure of an object.
Toolbar: Diagnostics
Menu: Analyze > Diagnostics > List
1 At the Select object to list prompt, select one object.
2 At the Amount to print? (-1 prints everything) prompt, enter an integer, or press Enter to accept
the default.
A report on the internal data structure of the object shows on the command line. Use
CommandHistory or press F2 to view.
Note
Integer values of –1 and greater than 1 give large amounts of information that will be useful only to
the most technical user.
LoadPlugin
Loads a plug-in application.
You can download plug-ins, from www.rhino3d.com/plug-ins.
You can also use the PluginManager command to load plug-in applications.
LoadScript
Loads a VBScript or JScript.
Scripts are loaded into memory and are available as long as Rhino is running unless you set Reinitialize
when opening new models, on the Options dialog box, RhinoScript tab in which case the scripts are
only available for the currently loaded model.
Options
Select Script File
A list of script files that you might want to load.
Load
Loads a selected script file. If the script file contains subroutines and/or functions, the code is interpreted
for syntax errors and loaded into memory for use later. If the script file just contains script expressions,
the code interpreted and run immediately.
Close
Closes the dialog box.
Add
Adds an item to the list of script files.
Remove
Removes an item from the list of script files.
Remove All
Removes all items from list of script files.
Edit
Launches the default editor (specified through the Options dialog box, RhinoScript tab) and loads the
script file into it.
Save
Saves the current list of script files so it is available between modeling sessions.
Note
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If you use the LoadScript command from within a button and you don't specify the full path to the
script, then the command looks for the file in these locations:
1 In the folder where the model was opened.
2 In the scripts folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 2.0 Beta\Scripts).
3 In the install folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 2.0 Beta).
4 In the folder where Rhino.exe is located (e.g., C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 2.0 Beta\System).
A full path is the filename and both drive and directory specifiers.
Lock
Lock objects.
Toolbar: Visibility
Menu: Edit > Visibility > Lock
1 At the Select objects to lock prompt, select the objects you want to lock.
2 Press Enter when you are finished selecting objects to lock.
Note
You cannot select locked objects.
You can snap to locked objects.
Use the Layer dialog box to lock all objects on a layer.
LockSwap
Swap locked and unlocked objects to work on objects previously locked.
Toolbar: Repository
The locked objects unlock. The unlocked objects lock.
Loft
Loft a surface through a series of curves.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Loft
At the Select curves to loft prompts, select the curves in the order that the surface should pass
through them.
Select open curves near the same ends.
If you select closed curves:
At the Select seam point to adjust prompts, pick on a seam point marker, and move it along the
closed curve.
At the Location of seam point prompt, pick a new location for the seam point on the closed curve.
Continue to adjust the seam points so they line up and the closed curves all have the same direction.
Use the FlipDirection option to change the direction of curves.
You can flip the directions by clicking the arrowhead. Real-time feedback indicates when clicking will
flip the direction.
When you are done adjusting the connections, press Enter.
In the Loft Options dialog box, adjust options, Preview.
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Curves with seams and directions misaligned
Curves with seams aligned and directions misaligned
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Curves with seams and directions aligned
Options
Point
Creates a surface that begins or ends at a point, use this option only at the start or end of the curve
series.
Style
Normal
Uses chord-length parameterization in the loft direction.
Normal loft
Loose
The surface is allowed to move away from the original curves to make a smoother surface. The surface
control points are created at the same locations as the control points of the loft input curves.
Loose loft
Tight
The surface sticks closely to the original curves.
Uses square root of chord-length parameterization in the loft direction.
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Tight loft
Straight sections
The sections between the curves are straight. This is also known as a ruled surface.
Straight sections (ruled) loft

Developable
Creates a separate developable surface or polysurface from each pair of curves.
A separate developable surface is created from each pair of curves

Closed loft
Creates a closed surface, continuing the surface past the last curve around to the first curve. Available
when you have selected three shape curves.
Shaded preview
Click Preview to shade all viewports.
Simplify
Do not simplify
Rebuild with control points
Rebuilds the shape curves before lofting.
Refit within units
Refits the shape curves to a tolerance value set in the Document Properties dialog box, Units tab
before lofting.
Match start tangent
If the start curve is a surface edge, maintains tangency with the adjacent surface. You must use at least
three curves to activate this option.
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Match end tangent

If the end curve is a surface edge, maintains tangency with the adjacent surface. You must use at least
three curves to activate this option.
Preview
Click to preview the loft.
Note
The Developable option is designed to create surfaces that can be developed (flattened) using the
UnrollSrf command without stretching the surface.
Not all sets of curves create developable surfaces. You may get no surface or a partial surface.
If the curves have kinks, you may get unexpected results.
Two straight lines that aren't parallel are not developable.
Developable Surface
Rhino has commands to create and unroll developable surfaces with holes and marking curves.
Developable surfaces are surfaces that can be formed by rolling a flat sheet of material such that the
material doesn’t stretch, tear, or wrinkle. Examples of this type of shape are cylinders, cones, and some
steel ship hulls.
Developed surfaces used to make patterns for cutting steel

Picture trying to make your surface out of aluminum foil. If it crinkles or tears as you try to bend it into
position, the surface is not developable. A sphere is an example of a surface that are not developable (try
wrapping an apple with aluminum foil). So are most of the shapes on car bodies and most modern car
windshields.
The Developable option of the Loft command creates surfaces that are linear in one direction only.
Surfaces can be created in other ways, too, but they must still be linear in one direction for UnrollSrf to
unroll them. You could lay a ruler along the surface and it would touch the surface from one edge to the
other. These are called ruling lines.
Ruling lines
Because these surfaces are linear in one direction, the Gaussian curvature is zero at every point on the
surface. If the Gaussian curvature is not zero, Rhino will not be able to unroll the surface. If the surface is
not linear in one direction, Rhino will not be able to unroll the surface.
A developable surface cannot be created through all curves.
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Loft lines
Normal loft
Developable loft
Since developable surfaces cannot be created from just any two curves, results from the developable style
loft can be unpredictable. Curves of similar shape without kinks work best.
You can use Gaussian curvature analysis to determine which areas of a surface are not developable.
These developable surface tools work best for designing airfoil and hydrofoil type surfaces. They were not
designed to be used for bending and unfolding sheet metal like duct work or for developing fabric
patterns.
Advice from an expert user:
Using developable surfaces in Rhino and exporting planar Rhino geometry to DWG or DXF for NC cutting
are the two areas where I have seen the most problems. You just have to be careful.
Developable surface pitfalls:
The Loft developable surface routine is very sensitive to the makeup of the curves being lofted. You can
get very different results depending on the complexity and similarity of the two edge curves. It is best if
they are as simple as possible and have the same parameterization.
Picking different ends of the curves can give different results. You can sometimes combine the different
results to get a better developable surface.
A developable surface is not necessarily a fair surface.
It is possible to make a dev surf that unrolls with a difference in area and ruling lengths from the 3- D
surface. It's easy to miss the warning Rhino gives. I have cut some bad plates because I didn't see the
message go by.
You can unroll surfaces that are not developable.
Rhino doesn't have any method of making a surface a bit 'more or less' developable. Some programs have
a way of spreading out the concentrated fans of rulings that often occur, thereby smoothing the surface.
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Since metal has some elasticity (esp. aluminum), you can deviate quite a bit from a mathematically
correct developable surface and still plate it up. I know some builders that use developable surfaces in
their models, expand the plates, and then add up to 1" chord depth of radius to the flat sides in the
sections to make the plate "taut." The expanded plates fit up to the changed sections just fine. They have
not figured out how to get this "blow" into their 3- D models, though.
One way to approach the problem is to use the CurvatureAnalysis command to analyze the Gaussian
curvature as a guide to surface creation instead of the developable loft. But there is no way in Rhino to
expand surfaces created this way (unless they happen to meet the requirements for UnrollSrf).
Exporting geometry for NC planar cutting from Rhino:
It is important to compare the geometry Rhino exports in DWG (or DXF) format to the original. The
settings in the DWG export dialog are critical. It is easy to end up with arcs in Rhino translated into dense
polylines, or curves in Rhino interpolated too loosely.
Make2D
Make a 2-D drawing.
Toolbar: Dimensions
Menu: Dimension > Make 2-D Drawing
1 Select objects.
2 In the Make 2D Options dialog box, select the layout and object visibility options.
Make2D creates curves from the selected NURBS objects as silhouettes relative to the active construction
plane. The silhouette curves are projected flat and then placed on the world x,y-plane.
Two-dimensional drawing created from 3-D object
Options
Current View
Creates the 2-D drawing from only the currently active view.
Original object
Current CPlane
The hidden lines are generated from the plan view of the active viewport and the results are placed on
that viewport's construction plane.
4-View (USA)
Creates four views with US (3rd angle) layout, using world-coordinate orthographic projections (not view
or construction plane directions of current viewports).
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ProjectionAngle=US
4-View (Europe)
Creates four views with European (1st angle) layout, using world-coordinate orthographic projections(not
view or construction plane directions of current viewports).
ProjectionAngle=Europe
Show tangent edges
Draw all surface edges.
Create hidden lines
Draw hidden lines in the 2- D view.
Maintain source layers
Rhino will create new layers based on the existing layers with the name extensions "Visible" and "Hidden"
added.
Visible line layer
Select a layer name for visible lines or type a new layer name.
Hidden line layer
Select a layer name for hidden lines or type a new layer name.
Note
This command does not create 2- D drawings from mesh objects.
If two surfaces pass through each other, Make2D will not create the intersection line where the
surfaces pass though. Use the Intersect command to generate this curve and include the resulting
curve in the objects you want to make into a 2-D drawing.
If silhouettes are nearly overlapping another curve in the view, they may not appear on the correct
layer.
While a single surface cylinder seam will not be shown, the two linear seams of a cylinder made out of
two semi-cylinders will both be shown. There is no way to avoid this.
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MakeCrvPeriodic
Make a curve periodic.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Make Periodic
At the Select curve to make periodic prompt, select a curve to make periodic.
If the curve was open, it is closed.
Note
Some closed curves like circles can develop kinks when their control points are edited. Other closed
curves, like ones made with the Curve command cannot develop kinks. Then closed curves that
remain smooth during control point editing are called periodic curves. The MakeCrvPeriodic
command makes a closed curves into periodic curve. Sometimes, the geometry of the curve must be
slightly changed to when the curve is forced to be periodic.
If a joined curve is made periodic, it becomes a single-span curve and can no longer be exploded.
You can use the Properties command's Info tab to see if a curve is closed and periodic.
To get a feel for what the command does, make two circles and apply MakeCrvPeriodic to the
second circle. Then use control point editing on both curves.
MakeSrfNonPeriodic
Make a surface non-periodic.

Changes a periodic surface into a non-periodic surface. Non-periodic surfaces can develop kinks when
deformed. To create a periodic surface use the MakeSrfPeriodic command.
At the Choose an object prompt, select the surface you want to make non-periodic.
MakeSrfPeriodic
Make a surface periodic.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Make Periodic
At the Select edge to make periodic prompt, select the edge of the surface to make periodic.
Rhino creates periodic surfaces. Surfaces created from periodic curve in previous releases of Rhino
had seams that would develop kinks when deformed. This command tries to fix those surfaces.
Match
Match two curves.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Match
1 At the Select curve to change - pick near end ( SurfaceEdge ) prompt, select the first curve at
the end that will move.
2 At the Select curve to match - pick near end prompt, select the second curve at the end where
the end of the first curve should move.
The result dynamically previews as you change the dialog box options.
3 Close the dialog box.
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Options
SurfaceEdge
Matches the curve perpendicular to the curve and uses the surface to determine continuity.
Edge matched as a curve
Edge with Surface edge option

Continuity
Continuity specifies how the smoothly the two curves meet each other.
Position
The endpoint of the curve to change is moved to the endpoint of the curve to match. This guarantees that
the curves have positional (G0) continuity.
Position match
Tangency
The curve to change changes so it is tangent at the point where they touch. This guarantees that the
curves have tangent (G1) continuity.
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Tangency match
Curvature
The curve to change changes so they smoothly blend this guarantees that the curves have curvature (G2)
continuity.
Curvature match
Average curves
Both curves are adjusted to match each other.
Preserve other end
If you are working with curves lower than degree 5, the curvature at the other end of the curve to match
may be adjusted. Selecting the Preserve other end option guarantees that the curvature at the other
end is not modified.
Join
The curves are joined into one curve after the match.
Merge
Only available with the Curvature option. The curves are merged together after the match. This creates a
single curve instead of a composite curve. If you edit this curve with control points, the point where the
two original curves matched will deform smoothly. You cannot explode the curve into the segments that
were originally matched.
MatchLayer
Match the layer of one object to another.
Toolbar: Layer
Menu: Edit > Layers > Match Object Layer
1 Select objects for layer change and press Enter
2 Pick object that defines the layer for the selected objects.
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MatchSrf
Match two surfaces.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Match
1 At the Select surface to change - select near edge prompt, select the edge of the surface to
match.
This surface must be an untrimmed surface.
2 At the Select target surface - select near edge prompt, select the edge of the target surface.
This surface can be either a trimmed or untrimmed surface.
3 In the Match Surface dialog box, choose the type of match.
Before Surface Match
After Surface Match
Options
Position
Match surface so it touches the target edge (G0 continuity).
Tangency
Match surface so it is tangent to target edge (G1 continuity).
Curvature
Match surface so it is curvature-continuous with target edge (G2 continuity).
Average surfaces
Both surfaces to be modified to an intermediate shape. If the target surface is also untrimmed, the
surfaces can be matched by averaging between the two.
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Refine match
Determines if the match results should be tested for accuracy and refined so that the faces match to a
specified tolerance. If necessary, knot lines are added to the modified surface or surfaces until the
surfaces are within tolerance.
Match edges by closest points
There are two ways the surface being changed is aligned to the edge its being matched to:
It can be stretched or compressed to match the entire edge end to end, or each point on the edge can be
pulled to the closest point on the other edge.
Generally, this is useful to match a short edge to a longer one without stretching the short one.
Original surfaces
Closest point match
Closest point match off

Preserve opposite end
This adds enough knots to the span so that the edge opposite the one being adjusted isn't changed. It's
useful to keep from disturbing the smoothness you just fixed on the other edge. If the span is simple (few
knots) and this isn't checked, the opposite edge may be changed so that its not tangent to something it
used to be tangent to.
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Surface 2 does not have enough control points to preserve the continuity at the right end
Without preserving opposite end
Preserving opposite end

Shaded preview
The preview is shaded
Preview
Previews the match changes in the viewports.
Additional Options
Click Options to see additional options
Refinement Tolerances
Distance
Maximum gap width between matched surfaces, in units.
Tangency
Maximum angle between adjacent surface normals, in degrees.
Curvature
Maximum difference in curvature between surfaces, percent.
Isoparm direction adjustment
Specifies the way the parameterization of the matched surfaces is determined.
Automatic
Match target isoparm direction if the surface being matched is not trimmed.
Make perpendicular to target edge if the edge being matched is a trimming edge.
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Preserve isoparm direction

As closely as possible, keep the existing isoparm directions the same as they were in the surface
before matching. This is done by doing the simplest rotation of the edge normals that will achieve
the desired match. This is sometimes useful, especially when matching to trimmed surfaces to
avoid excessive twisting of the surface near the area being adjusted
Match target isoparm direction
Make the isoparms of the surface being adjusted parallel to those of the surface it matches to. If
the conditions are right (the surfaces are nearly in the right place already and you are just trying to
get a smooth seam) this often makes the prettiest transition, but if the conditions are wrong, it can
twist the surface near the edge. This is the default if the surface being matched is not trimmed and
usually works best then.
Make perpendicular to target edge
Similar to Match target isoparm direction, but instead of parallel to the other surface isoparms,
the changed isoparms are made perpendicular to the edge being matched. This is the default if the
edge being matched is a trimming edge.
Preserve bulginess
Tries to preserve the "fullness" or subjective bulge of the surface. (It tries to maintain the ratio of
the inter- knot spacing to curvature vector.) In usable terms, if the surface starts with a flattish
shape near the edge it will have a flattish character after matching. If it is roundish, it will stay
roundish. This is the hardest condition to meet, and sometimes doesn't work as advertised,
especially if the surface is being changed a lot.
Note
The edge of a surface being modified must be a full untrimmed edge.
Two edges of the same surface can't be matched to each other.
A closed edge can't be matched to an open edge.
Matching can be done only between single complete edge curves. If you need to match to part of an
edge, you have to trim the surface or split the edge (using SplitEdge).
It is possible to have multiple edge curves in an edge that looks like it should have only one curve.
You may also need to Import edges (use MergeEdge ) to get a longer match target.
If the surface being changed is trimmed, the shape of the trim will probably be changed if it is
anywhere near the part of the surface being modified, but it will still be a valid trim.
Surfaces that are linear along the edge being modified and are being matched to curvy edges are
raised to degree 3 along the modified edge.
Surfaces that are linear perpendicular to the modified edge are raised to degree 3 in that direction.
Surfaces with less than five rows of control points parallel to the edge being modified will get at least
one more knot in that direction.
Knot lines perpendicular to the modified edge are added by refinement as necessary to get the edge
to match accurately.
The surface(s) being modified are adjusted at specific points to match the other surface. If refinement
is specified, the match is tested several more places to see if it is accurate. If it isn't, knots are added
to the modified surface and another match is done. This process repeats several times if necessary to
get a good fit.
Refinement may be time consuming on complex surfaces that need to be changed a lot to match
correctly, especially if tight tolerances are specified.
Press Esc during the refinement stage to stop after the current iteration of refinement. That may be
several seconds. If refinement is interrupted, an inaccurately matched surface will probably result, but
you will get something.
MatchSrf is the most predictable when the surfaces being matched are nearly matched already, and
the movement needed to get an accurate match are small.
MatchSrf can be useful for matches that are more like geometry creation than fine tuning. It is
possible to move edges a long way and change their shape drastically, but it might take some
experimenting to get what you want.
An open surface can be matched to a closed surface. The points you use to pick the edges determine
how the surface will be matched up.
In these cases, it may be useful to preview without refinement, or to loosen the refinement tolerances
to make refinement faster. Something like position = 0.2, tangency = 10 and curvature = 50 will
probably give a good idea of how the finished match will look.
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You can sometimes change the results of MatchSrf quite a bit by adding or removing knots manually
before you do the match using InsertKnot and RemoveKnot.
Maximize
Maximize Rhino.
MaxViewport
Maximize a viewport.
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Maximize

To maximize the current viewport:
Right click the viewport title bar, then click Maximize.

Or, double click the viewport title bar.
Right click the viewport title bar, then click Restore.
Or, double click the viewport title bar.
Menu
Toggle the display of the menu bar.
MergeEdge
Merge two adjacent edges of a surface.
Toolbar: Edge Tools

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Merge Edge
1 At the Select naked edge to merge prompt, select a naked edge on a surface or polysurface.
An adjacent edge of the same simple surface is merged with it into one edge, if possible. Otherwise
"Edge is already joined" appears at the command line, and the prompt repeats.
2 At the Select edge to merge to prompt, select an adjacent edge.
Note
The edges must be naked, must belong to the same surface, must share an endpoint, and must meet
smoothly at the shared endpoint.
Use ShowNakedEdges to display edges and their ends.
Use MergeEdge when complex polysurfaces have been unjoined, and there are "split" edges that are
interfering with Join.
MergeSrf
Merge two untrimmed surfaces.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Merge
1 At the Select untrimmed surface near edge to merge ( Tolerance Smooth=Yes
Roundness=1 ) prompt, select the first surface to merge.
2 At the Select adjacent untrimmed surface near edge to merge ( Tolerance Smooth=Yes
Roundness=0.1 ) prompt, select the second surface.
Both surfaces must be untrimmed and share an edge.
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Options
Tolerance
Surface edges must be within this tolerance for the two surfaces to merge. The Tolerance setting defaults
to the absolute tolerance if the you set the tolerance to less or equal to zero.
Smooth
The surface will be smooth. This makes the surface behave better for control point editing, but may alter
the shape of both surfaces.
End view of original surfaces - notice kink at joint
Rendered perspective view of original surfaces - notice kink at joint
End view of merged surface
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Rendered perspective view of merged surface - notice no kink

Roundness
Defines the roundness/smoothness/dullness/bluntness/non-sharpness of the merge. The default is 1 (full
smoothing). Acceptable values are between zero (sharp) and one (smooth).
Note
Untrimmed surfaces that share an edge can be merged into a single surface. The seam where the two
surfaces meet is smoothed out. This is useful for modeling half of an object, mirroring it, and then
merging the surfaces together to eliminate the kink. The resulting surface can be edited.
Surfaces can be merged only if the shared edge on both surfaces run exactly along u or v parameter
direction and the surfaces share both edge endpoints.
For closed surfaces, use the MakeSrfPeriodic command after merging to make an even smoother,
editable surface.
Generally, you can only use MergeSrf when you create untrimmed surfaces by lofting or sweeping
and the surfaces share adjacent edges. You can use MergeSrf to make them into a single surface.
Once you have trimmed surfaces, you have to approach things differently.
A trimmed surface has an untrimmed surface that is underneath that defines the geometry of the
shape. Trimming curves on the shape tell Rhino that some parts of the surface are supposed to be
holes or are cut out. It is the underlying surface that controls the geometry, and that's what
MergeSrf needs to join surfaces to make one large surface out of smaller surfaces. In some ways,
the trimming curves on the surface define "unnatural" edges of the shape that is different from the
natural edge of the underlying surface.
Despite the problems and limitations caused by trimmed surfaces, they let you define irregular holes or
outer boundaries that can be difficult to achieve with untrimmed surfaces.
The MergeSrf command will not smooth non-fully multiple interior knots.
Mesh
Create a mesh from NURBS objects.
Toolbar: Main and Mesh

Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh > From NURBS Object
Select surfaces or polysurfaces to mesh.

The Polygon Mesh Options dialog box appears.
A mesh can be preview and then created, with finer or coarser mesh.
Polygon Mesh Options

Fewer polygons – More polygons
The slider roughly controls the density and number of mesh polygons. Set the slider and click Preview to
see the density of the mesh.
Preview
The mesh is drawn as a preview in the viewports, and the dialog box stays on screen for more
adjustments.
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Detailed Controls
The Polygon Mesh Detailed Options dialog box appears. These detailed controls are an alternate way to
control the way the mesh is made. Changing settings in this dialog box doesn't affect the settings in the
Polygon Mesh Options dialog box.
Polygon Mesh Detailed Options

The mesh is created in three steps based on the detailed criteria: initial quads (estimated to roughly
meet the criteria), refinement (subdivision to meet the criteria), and adjustment for trim boundaries.
Max angle
Smaller values result in slower meshing, more accurate meshes, and higher polygon count. The Max
angle is the maximum allowable change between the surface normal at any point and the mesh vertex.
Max aspect ratio
Smaller values result in slower meshing and higher polygon count with more equilateral polygons. This is
approximately the maximum aspect ratio of the quads in the initial mesh grid. Setting Max aspect ratio
to zero turns off the option. Zero means no limit. The default value is 6 and the suggested range is from 1
to 100. Scale independent.
Min edge length
Bigger values result in faster meshing, less accurate meshes and lower polygon count. Setting Min edge
length to zero turns off the option. Limits the size of the polygon edges. Default is 0.01 and the usable
range depends on the size of the model. Scale-dependent.
Max edge length
Smaller values result in slower meshing and higher polygon count with more equally sized polygons.
Setting Max edge length to zero turns off the option, which is the default. When the Refine is checked,
polygons are refined until all polygon edges are shorter than this value. This is also approximately the
maximum edge length of the quads in the initial mesh grid. This option is scale dependent and can be
used for making sure the polygons are approximately the same size.
Max dist, edge to srf
dist, edge to srf to zero turns off the option. The default value is zero and the usable range depends on
the size of the model. When the Refine is checked, polygons are refined until the distance from a polygon
edge midpoint to the NURBS surface is smaller than this value. This is also approximately the maximum
distance from polygon edge midpoints to the NURBS surface in the initial mesh grid. This option is scale
dependent and can be used as a general polygon mesh tolerance setting.
Min initial grid quads
Bigger values result in slower meshing, more accurate meshes and higher polygon count with more evenly
distributed polygons. Setting Min initial grid quads to zero turns off the option, which is the default.
Forces simple geometry to be meshed with more polygons. Zero means no minimum. The default is zero.
Scale independent. This is the number of quads per surface in the initial mesh grid. In practice, Rhino will
use at least this many polygons for each surface. This option is scale independent and can be used for
making sure that surfaces with very subtle details are meshed with high enough polygon count.
Refine
The mesh is refined until the angle between surface normals along a polygon edge is smaller than this
value. The default is 20 degrees and the suggested range is from 5 to 90 degrees. Setting Max angle to
zero turns off the option. Scale independent.
No refinement results in faster meshing, less accurate meshes, and lower polygon count. Clearing this
check box also means untrimmed individual surfaces and surface areas away from trim edges and joined
edges are meshed with evenly sized quadrangles. When this Refine is checked, after initial meshing, Rhino
uses a recursive process to refine the mesh until it meets the criteria defined by Max Angle, Min edge
length and Max edge length and Max dist, edge to Srf options.
Jagged seams
Causes dramatically faster meshing, lower polygon count and cracks between joined surfaces in the
rendered image. By default, Jagged seams is not selected. This options means that all surfaces are
meshed independently and the meshes of joined surface edges are not stitched together.
Simple planes
Causes slower meshing and minimum polygon count on planar surfaces. Meshing can be slower especially
for complex trimmed surfaces. By default, Simple planes is not selected. This option means all planar
surfaces are meshed by meshing the surface edges and then filling the area bounded by the edges with
triangles.
Weld
Welds coincident mesh vertices that came from seams between tangent surfaces of a polysurface.
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Preview
Previews the mesh that results from the current options.
Simple Controls
The Polygon Mesh Options dialog box appears. These simple controls are an alternate way to control
the way the mesh is made. Changing settings on this dialog box doesn't affect the settings on the
Polygon Mesh Detailed Controls dialog box.
Note
The meshes created by the Mesh command are visible and editable, and separate from the NURBS
objects they were created from.
The meshes created by Render and Shade on NURBS surfaces and polysurfaces are invisible, not
editable, and cannot be separated from the NURBS object, except to destroy them with the
RefreshShade command. Render meshes are controlled by a different set of meshing settings, which
are on the Document Properties dialog box Render tab.
MeshBox
Draw a polygon mesh box.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Box
1 At the First corner of box prompt, choose a corner of the box.
2 At the Other corner or length prompt, choose a diagonal corner.
Or type in a length and press Enter, to specify the length in the x-direction of the construction plane.
3 If a length was entered, at the Width prompt, choose a width by picking, or type in a width and press
Enter, to specify the width in the y-direction of the construction plane.
4 At the Height prompt, choose a height, or type in a height and press Enter.
A box-shaped mesh of six joined planar meshes is created.
Mesh box
Note
Use MeshDensity to control the number of vertices and polygons for the mesh primitives.
MeshCone
Draw a polygon mesh cone.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Cone
1 At the Base of cone ( Vertical ) prompt, choose a center point for the base.
Or type V to constrain the cone's tip to be directly above the center of the base.
2 At the Radius (Diameter) prompt, choose a radius.
Or type D to choose a diameter instead.
3 At the End of cone prompt, choose the cone's point.
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A closed cone-shaped mesh is created, joined from a base circular mesh, and a open cone-shaped
mesh.
Mesh cone
Note
MeshCylinder
Draw a polygon mesh cylinder.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Cylinder
1 At the Base of cylinder (Vertical ) prompt, choose a center point for the base.
Or type V to constrain the cylinder's top to be directly above the base.
2 At the Radius (Diameter) prompt, choose a radius.
Or type D to choose a diameter instead.
3 At the Height prompt, choose a height.
A closed cylinder-shaped mesh is created, joined from a base and top circular meshes, and a open
cylindrical-shaped mesh.
Mesh cylinder
Note
MeshDensity
Change density for polygon mesh primitives.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Density
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Options
X
The number of mesh points in the x direction.
Y
The number of mesh points in the y direction.
Z
The number of mesh points in the z direction. The z-value applies only to mesh boxes.
Circle Points
Type the number of mesh points around the circumference.
Layers
The number of mesh points in the height.
MeshPlane
Draw a polygon mesh plane.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Plane
1 At the First corner prompt, choose a corner of the plane.
2 At the Other corner or length prompt, choose a the diagonal corner.
Or type in a length and press Enter, to specify the length in the x-direction of the construction plane.
3 If a length was entered, at the Width prompt, choose a width by picking, or type in a width and press
Enter, to specify the width in the y-direction of the construction plane.
A planar rectangular mesh of quads parallel to the construction plane is created.
Mesh plane
Note
Use elevator mode or object snaps to place the first corner of the planar mesh off the construction
plane. Elevator mode and object snaps are ineffective for the second corner.
MeshPolyline
Create a mesh from a closed polyline.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh > From Closed Polyline
At the Select closed polyline prompt, select a closed polyline to mesh with triangles.
A polygon mesh of triangles whose boundary matches the input polyline is created.
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Before mesh
After mesh
Note
MeshPolyline is designed to work on planar polylines.
MeshSphere
Draw a polygon mesh sphere.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Primitives > Sphere
1 At the Center point prompt, choose a center point.
Mesh sphere
Note
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MeshToNurb
Convert each polygon in a polygon mesh into a NURBS surface.
Select the objects.
Note
Complex meshes will create NURBS surfaces that use large amounts of memory.
Minimize
Minimize Rhino.
Mirror
Mirror objects.

Menu: Transform > Mirror
2 At the Start of mirror plane ( NoCopy ) prompt, choose a point on the mirror plane.
3 At the End of mirror plane ( NoCopy ) prompt, choose a second point to define the mirror plane.
As you move the cursor, Rhino previews the location for the mirrored objects.
The two points specify a mirror plane perpendicular to the construction plane.
Mirror
Options
NoCopy
Flips the object without making a mirrored copy.
Note
Mirror makes a copy. The original is left selected. Press delete to delete the original.
Use object snaps to accurately place the mirror plane, especially if you want to Join a surface and its
mirrored copy.
Move
Move objects.

Menu: Transform > Move
Shortcut: M
2 At the Choose base point ( Vertical ) prompt, choose a point to move the objects from.
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Or, to move the objects vertically, type V and press Enter.

3 At the Choose offset point prompt, choose a location for objects.
Move
Other ways of moving objects

You can also simply select and drag objects including control points.
To move objects small amounts, select the objects and move them with use the Nudge keys. Hold the Alt
key and press one of the Arrow or Page keys to move objects in the world x-, y-, or z-direction. You can
set the distance that the objects move in the Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab.
MoveBackgroundBitmap
Move a background bitmap.

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Move
1 At the Point to move from prompt, pick a base point.
2 At the Point to move to prompt, pick a new location for the base point.
Note
MoveBackgroundBitmap has four hidden options. During the command, you can type corner1,
corner2, corner3, or corner4 to snap to a corner of the bitmap for more accurate placement.
MoveUVN
Use u-, v-, and n- sliders to move the selected control points.
Options
U
Moves a control point towards the average of the neighboring points in the u-direction.
V
Moves a control point towards the average of the neighboring points in the v-direction.
N
Moves control points in the surface normal direction.
Scale
Sets the scale of the sliders in Rhino units.
UV Move mode
Along tangent
The u- and v-sliders move the points in a plane roughly tangent to the surface. Slider scale affects this
mode.
Along control polygon
The u- and v-sliders move the points along control polygon chords. This mode is relative not affected by
the slider scale.
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U Symmetry
Make it possible to edit two sides of a symmetrical surface at the same time. All points to edit have to be
selected.
V Symmetry
Makes it possible to edit two sides of a symmetrical surface at the same time. All points to edit have to be
selected.
Smoothing
Smoothing is done before UVN move to make it possible to combine the actions. Smoothing tends to even
out the control point grid, and the other controls can be used for making tweaks the shape.
Mscribe
Start digitizing with a MicroScribe arm.
NamedCPlane
Edit named construction planes.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Named CPlanes > Edit
In the Edit CPlanes dialog box, rename or delete unwanted construction planes.
Note
Use the SaveCPlane command to save a named construction plane.
Use the RestoreCPlane command to restore a named construction plane.
NamedView
Edit named views.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Named Views > Edit
In the Edit Named Views dialog box, rename or delete unwanted named views.
Note
Use the SaveView command to save a named view.
Use the RestoreView command to restore a named view.
NetworkSrf
Create a surface from a curve network.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > From Curve Network
NetworkSrf creates a surface from a network of smooth curves. You can select a group of curves and
Rhino sorts them out automatically. Rhino also handles curves that don't touch exactly.
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Select the curves.

The surface will be created.
If the automatic curve sorter cannot figure out which curves go in which direction, you will be
prompted to select the curves manually.
If you want to select the curves individually, you can turn the automatic sorter off.
Command line option
NoAutoSort
Turns off automatic sorting so you can select the curves manually.
Dialog box options

Edge Curves
Sets the tolerance for the edge curves. The edges of the surface will be within this value from the edge
curves. The default is the system tolerance.
Interior Curves
Sets the tolerance for the interior curves. The interior of the surface will be within this value from the
interior curves. The default is the system tolerance x 10.
If the curves themselves are farther apart from each other than the tolerance values, the best guess is
made at the surface.
Angle
If you are matching tangency or curvature, this is the accuracy that is used for matching surface normals.
Edge Matching
After the command is done, the surface will have four edges. Edge matching determines how those edges
match the input geometry.
Curve
Position
The surface edge is matched within tolerance of the input curve.
Loose
The surface edge is does not attempt to match the edge to the curve within tolerance.
Surface Edge
Loose
The surface edge is matched within tolerance of the input surface edge.
Position
The surface edge is does not attempt to match the edge to the surface edge within tolerance.
Tangency
The surface edge is matched tangent (G1) to the surface edge.
Curvature
The surface edge is matched curvature continuous (G2) to the surface edge.
You can choose the type of edge matching you want for each curve or surface edge. You must select
surface edges as part of your curve network to match edges. If a curve and surface edge overlap, be sure
to select the surface edge. The Choose multiple objects dialog box differentiates between the two.
You can create:

Surfaces from open or closed curve networks.
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Closed curve network

Surfaces with one or two singularities.
Surface with singularities

Toroid shapes.
Toroid shapes
Surfaces with curvature and tangent continuity to neighboring surfaces. Select from Loose, Position,
Tangent, or Curvature continuity at each adjacent surface edge.
Define continuity with neighboring surfaces
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Note
All curves in one direction have to cross all curves in the other direction and cannot cross each other.
This is a legitimate network:
These are not:
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Curves that have stacked control points will cause NetworkSrf to fail.
New
Create a new model.
Toolbar: Standard and File

Menu: File > New
Shortcut: Ctrl+N
In the Template File dialog box, select a template to base your model file on.
Note
Check Use when Rhino starts to make Rhino use the selected template as a default next time you
create a new model.
Click No Template to start Rhino without a template file using the internal defaults. Use this if you
accidentally overwrite or delete the default templates.
Templates include all the information that is stored in a Rhino 3DM file: geometry, grid settings,
viewport layout, layers, units, and tolerances. For example, if you want Rhino to use inches as default
units, Use New to open the template you want to change, change the units to inches and use Save
As Template to overwrite the changes to the template.
NewViewport
Create a new viewport.
Menu: View > Viewport Layout > New Viewport
At the Drag a window for new viewport prompt, drag a window for a new viewport.
Or enter options to create a viewport specification.
Scripting Options
Name
Specifies new viewport's name
Width
Specifies new viewport's width in pixels
Height
Specifies new viewport's height in pixels
CopyActive
The new viewport's projection matches the one in the active viewport.
NextOrthoViewport
Make the next viewport with orthogonal (parallel) projection active.
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NextPerspectiveViewport
Make the next viewport with perspective projection active.
NextU
Select the next control point in the u-direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Next u
3 Start the NextU command.
The next control point in the u-direction is selected.
Next control points in the u-direction selected
NextV
Select the next control point in the v-direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Next v
3 Start the NextV command.
The next control point in the v-direction is selected.
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Next control points in the v-direction selected
NextViewport
Make the next viewport active.
Shortcut: Ctrl + Tab
NextViewportToTop
Makes the next viewport current.
Normal
Draw a line normal to a surface.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Normal to Surface
1 At the Select surface prompt, select a surface.
2 At the Point on surface prompt, choose a point on the surface.
The marker is constrained to a line perpendicular to the surface.
3 At the Length of line prompt, pick a point for the end of the line, or enter a length and press Enter.
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Options
No options selected
Line normal to a surface

BothSides
Type B and press Enter to draw a line that extends on both sides of the surface.
Line normal to a surface, BothSides option selected
Notes
Add notes to your model.
Toolbar: File
Menu: File > Notes
In the Notes dialog box, type information you want to save with the model.
To close the Notes dialog box:
Click in the upper right corner of the Notes dialog box.
Note
Notes are saved with Rhino 3DM and IGES files.
Use Windows shortcut keys or right click context sensitive menu to cut, copy, and paste to and from
the Notes dialog box.
If the Notes dialog box is open when you save a model, it will be open next time the model is
opened. This is useful if you want to make sure the person that opens the 3DM file sees the notes.
Offset
Offset a curve.

Menu: Curve > Offset
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1 At the Select curve to offset ( Distance=1 Corner=Sharp ThroughPoint OffsetTolerance )

prompt, select a curve or edge.
2 At the Side to offset ( Distance=1 Corner=Sharp ThroughPoint OffsetTolerance ) prompt,
click on one side the curve.
Options
Distance
Type D and press Enter to change the offset distance.
Corner
Type C and press Enter to change how corners are offset. You can see the difference between these
options by offsetting a rectangle to the outside.
Sharp
Curves are offset and extended with a straight line until they intersect.
Round
Curves are offset and filleted with an arc of radius equal to the offset distance.
Smooth
Curves are offset and connected with a smooth (G1) curve.
Chamfer
Curves are offset and connected with a straight line between their endpoints.
ThroughPoint
Type T and press Enter to offset through a point instead of specifying an offset distance.
OffsetTolerance
Sets the tolerance for the offset curve. Type 0 to use the default tolerance.
Note
For best results, use proportionately small offset distances and smooth curves. Otherwise, you may
get kinks and doubled-back curves.
OffsetSrf
Offset a surface.

Menu: Surface > Offset
1 At the Select surfaces to offset prompt, select the surfaces to offset and press Enter.
2 At the Offset distance <1> ( FlipAll Tolerance Loose ) prompt, enter an offset distance and press
Enter.
Positive values offset in the direction of the surface normal. Negative values offset the other way. If
the surface is offset to the wrong side, undo and use the negative of the distance you just used.
When a plane, torus, sphere, cylinder, or cone is offset, the resulting surface is exact. Freeform
surfaces are offset to within the global tolerances.
A surface and its offset
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Options
FlipAll
Flips normals on all selected surfaces.
An arrow indicates the offset direction. Clicking or pressing F+Enter flips the arrow (offset) direction. If
there are multiple selected objects under the cursor, clicking on an object flips the offset direction for that
object only.
Tolerance
The tolerance only affects offsetting the surface, not the trim edges. The trim edges are still applied using
the absolute tolerance.
Loose
The resulting surface point structure is identical to the original surface.
Arrow length
Solid
Makes a closed solid from the input and offset surfaces by lofting a ruled surface between all of the
matching edges.
OneLayerOff
Turn a layer off by selecting an object.
Menu: Edit > Layers > One Layer Off
At the Layer to turn off prompt, select an object on the layer you want to turn off.
OneLayerOn
Turn one layer on and the rest off.
Toolbar: Layer
Menu: Edit > Layers > One Layer On
In the Layer to Leave On dialog box, select the layer to turn on. All other layers will be turned off.
Note
This command also turns off layers that were locked, so the fact that they are locked is lost. When
you turn the layers back on, they are also unlocked.
Open
Open an existing model.

Menu: File > Open
Shortcut: Ctrl+O
3 Click Open.
Note
When Rhino reads polygon mesh formats like 3DS and LWO, the polygon mesh objects in the original
file remain polygon meshes in Rhino; they are not converted to NURBS objects.
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OpenWorkspace
Open a workspace.
Toolbar: Tools
1 In the Toolbars dialog box, from the File menu, click Open.
2 In the Open Workspace dialog box, select a workspace file.
The toolbars and buttons of the layout that are stored in the workspace appear on your screen, or
some of them may be hidden.
Use the Toolbar command to adjust the show and hide status of toolbars. The workspace file holds
all aspects of the layout: the toolbars, the buttons in them, the screen position of each toolbar, and
whether it is hidden or showing, whether it is floating or docked, and the number of columns when
floating.
Options
Opens the Options dialog box.

Command Options
Orient
Orient objects.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Orient > 2 Points
2 At the Reference point 1 ( Scale=Yes Copy ) prompt pick a point that will be reoriented to the first
target point.
Or, to orient copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
Or to have the objects reoriented but not change size, type s and press Enter. The prompt will change
to Scale=No.
3 At the Reference point 2 ( Scale=Yes Copy ) prompt pick a point that will be reoriented to the
second target point.
4 At the Target point 1 ( Scale=Yes Copy ) prompt, pick a target point for the first reference point.
5 At the Target point 2 ( Scale=Yes Copy ) prompt, pick a target point for the second reference
point.
The objects are moved, scaled and rotated so that the reference points get transformed to the target
points.
Options
Copy
Creates a copy of the scaled object.
Scale
If Scale=No, the second target point defines the direction of the transformation, but objects remain the
same size.
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Orient3Pt
Orient objects by three points.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Orient > 3 Points
2 At the Reference point 1 ( Copy ) prompt, pick a point that will be transformed to the first target
point.
Or, to orient copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
3 At the Reference point 2 ( Copy ) prompt, pick a point that defines a base direction from the first
reference point; that direction will be transformed to the direction between the first and second target
points.
4 At the Reference point 3 ( Copy ) prompt, pick a point that, with the other two reference points,
defines a plane that will be transformed to the corresponding target plane.
5 At the Target point 1 ( Copy ) prompt, pick a point that corresponds to reference point 1.
Orient objects by three points does not scale the objects.
The three points are not interchangeable, different transforms result when the points are picked in a
different order.
The two triplet of points define two planes. The selected objects are transformed so that the reference
plane transforms into the target plane, with the first reference point exactly going to the first target
point, and the second reference point going to the line through the first and second target points.
Options
Copy
OrientCrvToEdge
Copy and align curves to surface edges.
Menu: Transform > Orient > Curve to Edge
Note
If the curve already starts on the edge, it is copied with a minimum amount of twisting to a new place
on the edge.
If the curve does not start on the edge, it is rotated so that the start direction of the curve it tangent
to the surface and perpendicular to the edge, and the curve is twisted so that the construction plane
z-direction of the starting curve is aligned to the surface normal.
OrientOnSrf
Orient objects on a surface.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Orient > On Surface
1 At the Select objects to orient prompts, select objects and press Enter.
2 At the Point to orient from ( OnSurface ) pick a point to orient the surface from.
This can be a point on the object you want to move or any point in space.
3 At the Select surface to orient on prompt, select the surface.
4 At the Point on surface to orient to ( Align=U Mirror SwapUV FlipNormal NoCopy ) prompt,
pick a point on the surface to define the target point.
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5 At the next Point on surface to orient to ( Align=U Mirror SwapUV FlipNormal NoCopy )
prompt, pick a point on the surface to define another target point.
As you move the cursor over the surface, you see a dynamic preview image of the transformed
objects being reoriented by the varying normal direction of the surface.
Three cones oriented (copied) on the surface

A red/green arrow indicates the alignment direction (U/V), and an arrow indicates the normal direction.
The geometry and the arrows flip around as the options are used.
Options
OnSurface
Lets you pick a surface on which an object is already sitting. This sets the orientation relative to the
normal of the base surface.
Orient an object already on a surface

Align
U/V toggles the alignment direction.
Mirror
Flips the object around on the surface. There are four possible orientations on the surface. The Mirror
option toggles between them. This option is most obvious if the object you are orienting is not
symmetrical.
SwapUV
Swaps the surface u- and v-directions. It makes it possible to rotate the object to orient 90 degrees on the
surface.
FlipNormal
Flips the surface normal direction. This option is most obvious when orienting 3-D objects that are not
symmetrical.
NoCopy
Moves the original object instead of making copies.
Arrow length
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OrientPerpToCrv
Aligns an object to a curve.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Orient > On Curve
1 Select an object.
2 At the Base point prompt, select a base point on the object.
The circle will be aligned with the curve from its center point
3 At the Select orientation curve prompt, select the curve you want to align the object to.
The cursor tracks along the curve. The object will be perpendicular to the curve.
4 At the New base point on curve ( Copy ) prompt, click a point on the curve to move the object.
Or type C to copy instances of the object on the curve.
Copies of the circle are aligned to the curve

This is a general purpose positioning tool. It makes it easier to move or copy an object on the construction
plane so that it can be oriented along a curve.
Options
Copy
Radial
Prompts for an axis and makes the world y-coordinate of the curve being oriented point away from this
axis.
Note
The base point controls the spot that will be mapped to touch the curve in the final step. The
command also looks at the construction plane in the viewport that you pick the point in and uses that
as the base orientation. If you pick this point in different views, you will get different end results.
Ortho
Toggle ortho mode.
Status bar: Ortho
Shortcuts: F8, Shift
Note
The Ortho command, clicking Ortho in the status bar, and the F8 key, are all toggles. Holding Shift
changes the mode while you hold the key down.
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The SetOrtho command prompts for a setting with the options On, Off, and Toggle. This is useful
for inclusion in a script for the ReadCommandFile command.
When Ortho is on, marker movement is restricted to points at multiples of a specified angle from the
last point created. The default angle is 90 degrees.
OrthoAngle
Set the ortho angle.
At the Ortho Angle prompt, type the new angle and press Enter.
Note
When Ortho is on, marker movement is restricted to points at multiples of a specified angle from the
last point created. The default angle is 90 degrees.
You can also set the ortho angle from the Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab.
PackTextures
Packs the mesh textures of meshes in the selection set.
When polysurfaces are meshed, the packed texture coordinates are created. A packed texture is a
partition of the unit square into disjoint sub-rectangles so that one bitmap can be use to apply
independent textures to each face of the polysurface.
The PackTextures command will pack the mesh textures of every mesh and render mesh in the selection
set. If more than one object is selected, the packing "spreads" the texture over all the objects. The
UnpackTextures command returns every mesh and render mesh in the selection set to the unpacked
state.
These commands are generally for paint program plug-in programmers.
Polysurface made of four surfaces.
Packed textures.
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Unpacked textures.
Pan
Pan the view.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Pan
Click and drag in a viewport to pan the view.

Shortcuts
You can pan by holding Shift and dragging with the right mouse button.
Plan parallel views like the default Top, Front, and Right view pan by dragging with the right mouse
button.
Hold Shift or Ctrl and press the arrow keys.
PanDown
Pan the view down.
Note
This command is most useful in command scripts. To pan with the mouse or keyboard, use the Pan
command.
PanLeft
Pan the view left.
Note
command.
PanRight
Pan the view right.
Note
command.
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PanUp
Pan the view up.
Note
command.
Parabola
Draw a parabola from the focus point and direction.
Menu: Curve > Parabola > Focus, Direction

The prompts vary depending on which menu option you choose.
1 From the Curve menu, click Parabola, and then click Focus, Direction.
2 At the Parabola focus ( Vertex MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, enter a point for the focus of
the parabola.
3 At the Parabola direction ( MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, show a direction for the parabola.
This is the "open" direction.
4 At the Parabola end ( MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, enter a point for an end of the parabola.
The focus to vertex distance and length of the parabola displays at the command prompt.
Draw a parabola from the vertex point and focus points.
Menu: Curve > Parabola > Vertex, Focus
1 From the Curve menu, click Parabola, and then click Vertex, Focus.
2 At the Parabola Vertex ( Focus MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, enter a point for the vertex of
the parabola.
3 At the Parabola focus ( MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, enter a point for the focus of the
parabola.
4 At the Parabola end ( MarkFocus=No Half=No ) prompt, enter a point for an end of the parabola.
The focus to vertex distance and length of the parabola displays at the command prompt.
Options
Vertex
Sets a point for the vertex of the parabola.
Focus
Sets a point for the focus of the parabola.
Mark Focus
Places a point object at the focus of the parabola.
Half
Draws only half the parabola from the vertex to one end point.
Paraboloid
Draw a paraboloid from the focus point and direction.
Menu: Solid > Paraboloid > Focus, Direction

Command: Paraboloid
To draw a paraboloid from the focus, direction and end points:

1 At the Paraboloid focus ( Vertex MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point for the focus
point of the paraboloid.
3 At the Paraboloid direction ( MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point for the direction of
the paraboloid.
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Focus and direction.

4 At the Paraboloid end ( MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point on the parabola's edge.
The focus to vertex distance and length of the paraboloid displays at the command prompt.
End.
Uncapped paraboloid.
To draw a paraboloid from the vertex and focus points:
1 At the Paraboloid focus ( Vertex MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, type V to enter a point for
the vertex of the paraboloid.
2 At the Paraboloid vertex ( MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point for the vertex of the
paraboloid.
3 At the Paraboloid focus ( MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point for the focus of the
paraboloid.
Vertex and focus.

4 At the Paraboloid end ( MarkFocus=No Cap=No ) prompt, enter a point on the parabola's edge.
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End.
Uncapped paraboloid.
Options
Vertex
Sets a point for the vertex of the paraboloid.
Mark Focus
Places a point object at the focus of the paraboloid.
Cap
Caps the paraboloid to make a solid.
Paste
Paste objects from the Clipboard.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > Paste
Shortcut: Ctrl+V
Note
If there are Rhino objects on the Windows Clipboard, they are pasted into your model. Object
properties and location are restored with the object.
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Patch
Fit a surface through curves and point objects.
Toolbar: Surface and Surface 2

Menu: Surface > Patch
1 At the Select curves and point objects to fit surface through prompts, select the point objects,
curves, and edges to base the patch on.
2 In the Patch Options dialog box, adjust options.
Options
Sample point spacing
The nominal 3-D distance between points sampled from input curves. Minimum of 8 points per curve.
Surface U spans
The u-direction span count for the automatically generated surface. Also used if the starting surface is a
1x1 span plane.
Surface V spans
The v-direction span count for the automatically generated surface. Also used if the starting surface is a
1x1 span plane.
Stiffness
Adds a low-influence tendency for each span of the resulting patch surface to be like the adjacent spans.
The tendency is weighted relatively low so it doesn't change the surface if there's some other input that
applies to an area, but keeps the spans that fall between input shapes from undulating randomly.
Sometimes you need to increase the value as high as 1 in really big geometry without enough shapes to
keep it stable.
Adjust tangency
Match to the tangent direction of surfaces if the input curves are edges of existing surfaces.
Automatic trim
Tries to find an outside curve and trims the surface to it.
Preserve edges
Does not move the outside row of control points in the starting surface
Shaded preview
Use shaded preview rather than wireframe.
Delete input
The starting surface is deleted after the new surface is made.
Note
This command can be very useful, but it also can produce some unexpected results. Use Sweep2
instead if possible.
It is best if you create a starting surface that is close to the surface you are looking for. To make a
highly curved surface, use a starting surface with a similar shape. Even for a relatively flat patch, you
may need a starting surface.
For a trimmed patch, select curves that form a closed shape, and select them in order so each
additional curve touches one already selected.
You can select additional curves that will influence the shape of the patch (such as dips or peaks in
the middle of the patch). These don't have to be connected.
The patch is a fit surface and may not pass exactly through all of the input curves, but with proper
configuration. it will be very close to reasonable input. Points are sampled from the input curves and
the surface is fit to the points. Input curves that are surface edges are also sampled for normals to
use in orienting the surface.
Use caution if you increase the number of spans.
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Pause
Stop for user input in a script.
The Pause command can be used in shortcuts, aliases, and command file scripts to stop the script for
user input.
Pause is a built in command option, it is not a command and cannot be used alone from the command
prompt.
It can be used to stop macro execution for user input, like this:
! Circle Pause 50
This script asks for a point and then draws a R50 circle there.
Note
Typing Pause at the command line does nothing.
Perspective
Set to perspective view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Perspective
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Perspective
Note
This command sets the viewport projection to perspective.
If you do not want this command to change the projection to perspective, you must edit your
Rhino.ini file and change the setting
to
PerspectiveAngle
Set the perspective angle.
Set the field of view of a perspective view by defining half of the angle of view of the smaller view
dimension.
PerspectiveMatch
Sets the perspective view to match an image.
1 Use the Wallpaper command to place an image in a perspective viewport.
The wallpaper image.

2 Click in the viewport with the wallpaper image (to make it the active viewport), and type
PerspectiveMatch.
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3 Carefully pick a point on the wallpaper image, then carefully pick the corresponding 3-D point on the
model.
Keep picking pairs of image/3-D points until you have at least 6 pairs.
The first point on the image.
The first point on the model.
All points picked on the image.
All points picked on the model.

4 Press Enter when you have picked at least 6 points.
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The view matched to the wallpaper image.

If you have a perspective picture of a part and an accurate 3-D model, you can set the projection in a
perspective viewport so that the model lies on top of the picture. You might want to do this to validate
that your model really is accurate, if you need to add more elements to the model to reconstruct a
crash/construction scene, you have modified your model, changed the viewport settings, and want the
same rendering projection used to create a previous image, etc.
Note
The image must be a true perspective image. Photos taken with lenses that are designed to remove
perspective distortion will not work.
The center of the image must be on the camera's viewing axis. In particular, an image or photo that
has had non-symmetric cropping will not work because the center of the resulting image is not the
same as the center of the original image.
Pick carefully. Accurate picking is rewarded with accurate results. Sloppy picking gives you garbage.
Make the image view large. This aids in accurate image point picking.
If possible, pick point pairs where an end or point snap can be used to select the 3-D point. This aids
in accurate 3-D point picking.
Pick points that are spread out in all dimensions.
PictureFrame
Create a picture frame.
The brick background is a pictureframe object

1 In the Open Bitmap File dialog box, select a bitmap file to use.
2 At the First corner of picture frame prompt, choose a corner for the bitmap backdrop plane.
3 At the Length of picture frame prompt, choose an adjacent corner for the bitmap.
The plane retains the same aspect (length to width) ratio as the image. It draws the plane vertical to
the construction plane current when the first corner was picked.
The bitmap image appears on the plane in the image from Render.
Pipe
Draw a pipe.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Pipe
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To create solid pipe

1 At the Select curve to create a pipe around prompt, select a curve.
2 At the Starting radius prompt, enter the radius for the beginning of the pipe.
Or, if the curve is closed, at the Radius for closed pipe prompt, enter the radius for the pipe, and
the closed pipe is created.
3 For an open curve, at the End radius prompt, enter the radius for the end of the pipe.
To create a hollow pipe with a thick wall
Thick wall pipe

1 At the Select curve to create a pipe around prompt, select a curve.
2 At the Starting radius prompt, type T and press Enter.
3 At the Starting radius prompt, enter a radius for one wall at the beginning of the pipe.
4 At the Second start radius prompt, enter the radius for the other wall at the beginning of the pipe.
5 At the First end radius prompt, enter a radius for one wall at the end of the pipe.
6 At the Second end radius prompt, enter a radius for one wall at the end of the pipe.
Options
Cap
The pipe ends are closed with circular surfaces.
Thick
The pipe has two walls.
Diameter
Type D and press Enter to draw the pipe's parts by diameter.
Note
Pipe bundles the Circle command with the OnCurve option with one-rail sweep and caps the ends to
create solid pipes. The Thick option lets you specify two radii at each end of the curve to create pipes
with holes bored through the middle.
The size of capped pipe models can be reduced quite dramatically, if you make pipe objects with
Cap=No option. If the pipe objects are capped, Rhino has to match the cap and the pipe side meshes
together and that can result a very high polygon count when meshed for export or rendering.
PlaceBackgroundBitmap
Place a background bitmap.
Toolbar: Background Bitmap and Viewport Layout

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Place
1 In the Open Bitmap File dialog box, select a bitmap file.
2 Click Open.
3 At the First corner prompt, click to place the first corner of the bitmap.
4 At the Second corner or length prompt, click to place the diagonal corner of the bitmap or type in
the width of the bitmap in Rhino units.
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Background bitmap is an image placed on the construction plane. The bitmap is placed behind the grid
and geometry and can be used as a guide for tracing shapes.
You can move the background bitmap, scale it, align it (move and scale in one operation), remove it, and
temporarily hide it.
Rhino supports several bitmap formats that can be used as background bitmaps—PNG, BMP, TGA, PCX,
and JPG.
Note
Bitmaps are visible only in a view where you are looking directly at the construction plane and the
construction plane axes are aligned to the view. In other cases you see a rectangle with crossing
lines.
By default the Top, Front, and Right views are suitable for placing background bitmaps.
Redraws will slow down when a background bitmap is being displayed
Rhino automatically converts the image into grayscale. You may want to do it yourself beforehand in
a paint program for optimal results.
Background bitmaps are a construction aid, not a part of the scene that will be rendered. To place a
backdrop behind your model, see Place a bitmap backdrop.
The image is displayed as a rectangle with an x in it when the view is not a plan view of the
construction plane.
If the viewport is rotated away from a "plan" view (looking straight down at a parallel projection), the
background bitmap appears as plane with an 'x' through the center.
Background bitmaps are always aligned with the x-axis of the construction plane. If you want your
bitmap rotated with respect to the construction plan, you must open it in a bitmap editing program
and rotate it there, or you can create a rotated construction plane and place the bitmap on it.
You can place only one image in a viewport at a time. Placing a second deletes the first.
Rhino stores the absolute path to the background bitmap in the 3DM file. If you copy 3DM files that
contain background bitmaps to another computer, the path to the background bitmap file in the other
computer should be the same as in the computer it was copied from.
PlaceCameraTarget
Place the camera and target location.
Toolbar: Set View, 3-D Digitizing, and Microscribe

Menu View > Set Camera > Place Camera and Target
1 At the New camera location <X,Y,Z> prompt, enter the camera point.
2 At the New target location <X,Y,Z> prompt, enter the target point.
Note
The camera and target will be set in the viewport that is active when the command starts.
You can set the camera and target points with the ViewportProperties command.
In PARALLEL viewports, if the camera/target pair is accidentally placed so some objects are behind
the camera, then Rhino automatically adjusts the PARALLEL viewport camera location so that all
objects are in front of the camera. This adjustment does not change the projection of the objects in
the PARALLEL viewport, it simply ensures that all the objects appear on the screen in PARALLEL
viewports.
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In PERSPECTIVE viewports the camera/target pair can be freely placed. If any objects are behind the
camera in a PERSPECTIVE viewport, then those objects are not visible on the screen. In PERSPECTIVE
views, the rotate camera commands can be use to pan the camera around a model's interior.
PlaceTarget
Place the target location.
Toolbar: Set View, 3-D Digitizing, and Microscribe

Menu View > Set Camera > Place Target
At the New target location <X,Y,Z> prompt, enter the target point.
Note
The target will be set in the viewport that is active when the command starts.
You can set the target with the ViewportProperties command.
In PARALLEL viewports, if the camera/target pair is accidentally placed so some objects are behind
the camera, then Rhino automatically adjusts the PARALLEL viewport camera location so that all
objects are in front of the camera. This adjustment does not change the projection of the objects in
the PARALLEL viewport, it simply ensures that all the objects appear on the screen in PARALLEL
viewports.
In PERSPECTIVE viewports the camera/target pair can be freely placed. If any objects are behind the
camera in a PERSPECTIVE viewport, then those objects are not visible on the screen. In PERSPECTIVE
views, the CameraRotate commands can be use to pan the camera around a model's interior.
Plan
Set to plan view of construction plane.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Plan
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set View > Plan
Note
Planar
Toggle planar mode.
Planar mode aids in creating planar objects with commands that allow free picking. Successive points
have the same construction plane elevation.
Status bar: Planar
Example
1 From the status bar, click the Planar pane to turn on Planar.
2 From the Curve menu, click Free-form, then click Control Points.
3 Pick the first point in the lower part of the Top viewport.
4 Move the cursor to the Front viewport and continue drawing.
You'll see that all the points you pick define a planar curve at the same elevation in the Front
viewport. (Watch the Top and Right viewports). That elevation for the Front viewport was defined by
the very first point you placed in the Top viewport. Without Planar on, the subsequent points would be
at elevation 0 in the Front viewport.
Note
Each point picked in a viewport will have the same elevation from that viewport's construction plane
as the previous point, regardless of where the previous point was picked.
Planar mode can be overridden with elevator mode or object snaps.
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PlanarSrf
Create a planar surface through planar curves.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > From Planar Curves
At the Select planar curves to build surface prompts, select planar curves that are all in the same
plane and press Enter.
Note
If the curves partially overlap, each curve produces a separate surface.
If a curve is wholly within another curve then it will be treated as a hole boundary.
Plane
Draw a plane.
Toolbar: Surface and Plane

Menu: Surface > Rectangle > Corner to Corner
1 At the First corner of plane ( Deformable ) prompt, pick a point for the corner.
You can set the degree in the u- and v-directions and the point count in the u- and v-directions.
2 At the Other corner or length prompt, pick the other corner, enter x,y coordinates, or type a length
and press Enter.
3 If a length was entered, at the Width prompt, type a width and press Enter.
Normal and deformable planes
Options
Deformable
Enter a number to create a plane with more control points.
Plane3Pt
Draw a plane through three points.
Toolbar: Plane
Menu: Surface > Rectangle > 3 Points
1 At the Start of edge prompt, choose the first corner.
3 At the Width prompt, choose a location for the opposite edge.
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Rectangular plane from three points
PlaneThroughPt
Fit a plane through point objects.
Menu: Surface > Rectangle > Through Points
At the Select point objects to fit plane through prompts, select three or more point objects and
press Enter.
PlaneV
Draw a vertical plane.
Toolbar: Plane
Menu: Surface > Rectangle > Vertical
1 At the Start of edge prompt, choose the first corner of the surface.
Use the construction plane the surface will be perpendicular to.
3 At the Height of rectangle prompt, choose a location for the opposite edge.
Use a different construction plane.
Rectangular plane vertical to the construction plane
PluginManager
Displays a list of loaded and registered plug-in applications.
You can load plug-ins from this list.
You can also use the LoadPlugin command to load plug-in applications.
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Point
Draw a point object.
Toolbar: Main and Point

Menu: Curve > Point Object > Single Point
At the Location of point object prompt, pick a location.
Note
Point filters
Point filters extract individual x-, y-, and z-coordinate values from different points to create a new,
composite point.
You can use point filters to pick one coordinate value at a time while temporarily ignoring other coordinate
values. If you use point filters with object snaps, they extract coordinate values from an existing object so
you can locate another point.
After you specify the first value, you are prompted for the remaining values.
Point filters only work when 3-D input is allowed, and you cannot start with one point filter and then apply
another one.
Example
To place a point at the x-coordinate of the right end of a line and the y-coordinate of the left end of a
line.
1 From the Curve menu, click Point object, and then click Single Point.
2 At the Location of point object prompt, type .x.
3 At the of prompt, with the End object snap activated, pick the right endpoint of the line.
This sets the x-coordinate of the point to the right end of the curve.
Set the x-coordinate

4 At the next Location of point object prompt, pick the left endpoint of the line.
This sets the y-coordinate of the point to the left end of the curve.
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Set the y-coordinate
Point placed
If you specified an x-value, the coordinate of the new point matches the x-value of the first point and
the y,z-value of the second point.
The following filters are possible:
.x
.y
.z
.xy (.yx)
.xz (.zx)
.yz (.zy)
.wx
.wy
.wz
.wxy (.wyx)
.wxz (.wzx)
.wyz (.wzy)
PointCloudSection
Create a curve from a cloud of points.
Menu: Curve > From Objects > Point Cloud Section

1 At the Select points prompt, select some points and press Enter.
2 At the Start of section prompts, enter the start point to specify a section plane.
3 At the End of section prompts, enter the end of the section.
Section curves are created by intersecting the point objects with the section plane, which is
4 Press Enter when you finish creating sections.
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PointCloudSection.
Options
Create spline
Creates a spline curve.
Create polyline
Creates a polyline.
Maximum point distance to plane
The thickness of the "slab" around the plane from which points are sampled. Those points are projected to
the section plane and a polyline is found that connects them. This distance is very dependent on the size
of the point cloud and the spacing of the points.
Minimum inter-point distance
A threshold for the minimum spacing between adjacent sampled points. If there are points closer than
that, some are thrown out.
Spline fitting tolerance
The tolerance used to fit the spline through the polyline made by ordering the points.
PointDeviation
Measure the deviation of points from curves and surfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Point Set Deviation
1 Select point objects.
2 At the Select curves, surfaces, and polysurfaces to test prompt, select the objects for measuring
deviation from and press Enter.
The Point / Surface Deviation dialog box appears, and the selected points may be re-colored from
their normal layer colors and marked with indicator hair lines.
Option
Proximity angle
Points qualify for display if the hair line would be this close to the normal direction on the curve or surface.
Default is 3 degrees. No points are disqualified at 180.
Hair scale
The hair is exaggerated by this factor from the actual distance to the curve or surface. Default is 10.
Display hair
Display the hair line for each qualifying point.
Make hair permanent
Create a line object when the command terminates. Line objects are created on layers with names "Point
Test <color>".
Good point
Points closer than this distance are colored blue.
Bad point
Points beyond this distance are colored red or ignored.
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Ignore
Points beyond this distance are ignored
View
After changing settings in the dialog box, click View to have the display recalculated.
Note
control points, edit points, edges, and meshes cannot be selected with this command.
Trimmed surfaces are treated as if they weren't trimmed, the surface is treated as it would be after
the Untrim command is used.
PointGrid
Create a grid of point objects.
1 At the Number of points in the X direction prompt, type the number of points to be created in the
x-direction of the construction plane in the active viewport and press Enter.
2 At the Number of points in the Y direction prompt, type the number of points to be created in the
y-direction of the construction plane in the active viewport and press Enter.
3 At the First corner prompt, choose a corner for the rectangular grid of points.
4 At the Other corner or width prompt, choose the other corner for the rectangular grid of points.
Entering a width lets you drag the height separately.
Point objects are created in a rectangular array.
PointLight
Inserts a point light.
Menu: Render > Create Point light
At the Point light location prompt, pick a point at which to place the point light.
Point light icon
Note
The point light icon does not render or shade.
Light emits from the point light object in all directions.
Point lights do not cast shadows when using the Rhino renderer.
Point light properties

Use the Properties command to set the light's color and on or off state. Darker colors, like gray, light the
scene less.
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Points
Draw multiple point objects.
Toolbar: Main, Point, and 3-D Digitize

Menu: Curve > Point Object > Multiple Points
1 At the Location of point object prompts, pick a location.
2 Press Enter when you are done creating points objects.
Note
PointsAtNakedEdges
Create point objects at endpoints of naked edges.
Toolbar: Analyze, Edge Tools, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Create Points at Naked Edges.
Select surfaces or polysurfaces for points at naked edges.

Point entities are created at the endpoints of naked edges. The number of naked edges is reported at
the command line.
Note
This is useful when the edges highlighted by the ShowNakedEdges command are too small to see.
PointsFromUV
Create points by entering UV coordinates.

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Point from UV Coordinates
1 At the Select surface to evaluate ( CreatePoint=Y Normalized=N ) prompt, select a surface to
create a point on.
2 At the Enter U value between <domain> prompt, type a number within the domain displayed and
press Enter.
3 At the Enter V value between <domain> prompt, type a number within the domain displayed and
press Enter.
A point object is created on the surface with those UV coordinates.
4 Press Enter when you are finished creating points on the surface.
Note
When a polysurface is picked, the result is calculated for the component surface at the pick point. If
the surface is trimmed, the untrimmed surface is used.
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Polygon
Draw a polygon.
Toolbar: Main and Polygon

Menu: Curve > Polygon > Center, Radius
1 At the Center of inscribed polygon ( NumSides=4 Circumscribed Vertical AroundCurve)
prompt, enter the center point for the polygon.
Or, type the number of sides for the polygon and press Enter.
2 At the Corner of polygon (for inscribed polygons) or Midpoint of polygon edge (for circumscribed
polygons) prompt, enter the radius for the polygon.
Options
NumSides
Specify the number of sides for the polygon.
Circumscribed
Create a circumscribed polygon. The default is inscribed, which means the whole polygon will be within the
radius.
Circumscribed polygon
Inscribed polygon
Vertical
Draws the polygon perpendicular to the construction plane.
AroundCurve
Draws the polygon perpendicular to a curve at the chosen point
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On curve
PolygonEdge
Draw a polygon by its edge.
Toolbar: Polygon
Menu: Curve > Polygon > By Edge
1 At the Start of edge prompt, choose a corner point.
Or, type the number of sides for the polygon and press Enter.
Options
NumSides
Specify the number of sides for the polygon.
Vertical
Create polygon that is perpendicular to the construction plane
Flip
Flip the polygon about the edge you are drawing.
Polygon from edge
Polygon from edge, flipped
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Polyline
Draw a polyline.
Toolbar: Lines and Main

Menu: Curve > Line > Polyline
1 At the Start of polyline prompt, enter the start point of the polyline.
2 At the Next point of polyline prompts, enter additional vertices for the polyline.
3 To end the polyline, press Enter.
Polyline
Options
Undo
Type U and press Enter to remove the last vertex.
Close
Type C and press Enter to use the first vertex as the end of the current segment, making a closed
polyline.
Unseen Options
NoClose
Stops the autoclose behavior when you move your mouse to a point near the start point of the curve.
Note
Use the Lines command to create multiple head-to-tail line segments as separate objects.
PolylineOnMesh
Draw a polyline directly on a mesh object.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > PolylineOnMesh
1 At the Select one mesh and press ENTER prompt, select a mesh object.
2 At the Start of polyline on mesh ( Undo ) prompt, start the polyline.
3 At the Next point of polyline on mesh ( Undo ) prompts, enter additional vertices for the polyline.
4 To end the polyline, press Enter.
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Polyline
Options
Undo
Type U and press Enter to remove the last vertex.
Close
Type C and press Enter to use the first vertex as the end of the current segment, making a closed
polyline.
PolylineThroughPt
Create a polyline through a group of point objects.
Toolbar: Lines
Menu: Curve > Line > Polyline Through Points
Select point objects for the polyline to go through.
Polyline fit through group of points
Note
Your order of selection does not determine the path of the polyline
The viewport you select them in does influence the order in which they are traversed by the polyline.
Use the Polyline command with Snap to a point to control the order.
PopupMenu
Pops a menu at the cursor location with your favorites and the most recently used
commands.
PopupToolbar
Pops a named toolbar at the cursor location.
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PrevU
Select the previous control point in the u-direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Previous u
3 Start the PrevU command.
The previous control point in the u-direction is selected.
Previous control points in the u-direction selected
PrevV
Select the previous control point in the v-direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Previous v
3 Start the PrevV command.
The previous control point in the v-direction is selected.
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Next control points in the v-direction selected
PrevViewport
Make the previous viewport active.
Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Print
Prints a wireframe view of the current viewport.
Toolbar: File
Menu: File > Print
Shortcut: Ctrl+P
In the Print dialog box you can change the Rhino-specific print options: print active or all viewports,
print scale, color, print to a file, and number of copies.
Options
Print all viewports
The page is divided in proportion to the sizes of the viewports, and each viewport is printed in its area. If
viewports overlap, the contents are printed on top of each other.
Print to scale
If the viewport is too large to fit on the page, the central part of the view is printed. The part that does
not fit is not printed.
If the scaled viewport is smaller than the page, the objects outside the viewport are printed. No viewport
edge is printed.
When Rhino prints one viewport here's what it does:

1 It figures out what is at the center of the viewport. That point will go to the center of the piece of
paper when you print. Always.
2 If you fit the image to the page, it figures out the best way to fit all the geometry on the page, using
the orientation (landscape or portrait) you have set in the printer options. The center of the viewport
will land at the center of the page.
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3 If you print to scale, the center of the viewport will be at the center of the page. Then, Rhino will put
whatever happens to fit (based on the print scale and model units) on the page. It will print objects
that are not visible in the viewports, too. It will crop objects that are visible, if they don't fit on the
page.
If you're trying to print 1:1:
1 Draw a rectangle on the screen (in the viewport you want to print) that is the same size, and same
orientation, as the paper you're printing on.
Printing 1:1 to 8-1/2 x 11 landscape requires an 8-1/2 wide by 11 high rectangle. (Actually, it
requires a smaller rectangle that represents the printable area of the paper and depends on the
printer.
2 Move this rectangle so it contains the objects you want to print. If the objects don't fit, you can't plot
to that scale on your piece of paper.
3 Select the rectangle and do a ZoomSelected. If objects are inside the rectangle that you don't want
to print, hide them.
4 Print. You should end up with something close to what's inside the rectangle, provided the rectangle
and printer settings are synchronized.
If you want to print at some other scale, you'll need to scale your rectangle up or down accordingly.
Note
Printing to scale only affects printing from parallel viewports, not printing from perspective viewports.
Annotation dots and arrows print as point objects.
Light objects do not print.
Set your printer with the PrintSetup command.
PrintSetup
Set up your printer.
Toolbar: File
Menu: File > Print Setup
Project
Project a curve to a surface.
Toolbar: Main and Curve From Object

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Project
1 Select curves and points to project.
2 At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces to project onto prompt, select surfaces and polysurfaces
and press Enter.
The curves are projected onto the surfaces.
Curve projected to a surface
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Note
You can select all the projection objects and surfaces before starting the command.
The curves are projected vertical to the construction plane active when the curve selection is
completed.
A curve is not created if the projection misses the selected surfaces and polysurfaces. Make sure the
correct construction plane is active when you select the curves.
Project is the same as extruding the projection curve straight through the target surface and then
creating an intersection curve.
Pull will suck the curve back toward the surface by closest points. Pull is useful when you want to
suck a curve onto a cylinder when the curve goes most of the way around the cylinder. Project will
never work correctly for this.
Project creates complex curves that can be simplified with Rebuild. You'll need to be careful with
Rebuild and use enough points to keep the curve trimmable.
Project can be faster than Extrude followed by Trim or Split. You cannot trim or split polysurfaces
with curves, however. You must therefore extrude the curve before splitting.
Smooth projection curves create smooth trim curves. Basic shapes like ellipses, circles, lines, and
free-form curves work well.
Projection
Set the viewport projection to parallel or perspective.
At the Projection is now parallel. New value ( Parallel Perspective Toggle ) prompt, set the
projection type for the viewport.
ProjectToCPlane
Project objects to construction plane.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Project to CPlane
2 In the ProjectToCplane dialog box, choose to keep or delete the input objects.
The objects are projected to the construction plane in the viewport that is current when the command
ends.
Note
The projected object has the same control point structure as the original object, except that all the
control points are projected to the construction plane. This command works on points, curves,
surfaces, and polysurfaces.
Properties
Edit object properties.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > Object Properties
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PtOff
Turn off control and edit points.
Toolbar: Main, Organic, Point Editing, STL Tools, and Geometry Fix
Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Points Off
All control points and edit points are turned off.
PtOffSelected
Turn off control and edit points for selected objects.

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Points Off Selected
PtOn
Show control points.
Toolbar: Main, Organic, Point Editing, STL Tools, and Geometry Fix
Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Control Points On
Select curves, surfaces, or polygon meshes for control point display and press Enter.
The control points or polygon mesh vertices are turned on for the selected objects.
Control points on
Note
To make sure the seams of polysurfaces do not accidentally crack open, you cannot turn on
polysurface control points.
To control point edit a polysurface, Explode the object into separate surfaces first or Extract the
surfaces you want to edit.
When you control point edit curves that are smooth and consist of several curve segments joined
together, the curve will get fused into a single curve that cannot be exploded. If necessary you can
use Split with point option and Knot object snap to break the curve into segments.
Pull
Pull a curve back to a surface.
Toolbar: Main and Curve From Object

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Pullback
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1 Select curves to pull back.

2 At the Select surface that pulls prompt, select the surface to pull the curves back to.
Curve pulled to surface
Note
Use Pull to create complex trim curves. An example is a curve that goes most of the way around a
cylinder.
Project should be used if you know what the trim curve looks like from one view.
Pull should be used if you know where on the surface (in 3D) the trim path should be. Use curve
commands to draw the curve, drag the control point or edit points to move the curve near the
surface. Then, use Pull to suck the curve onto the surface. You can also use InterpCrvOnSrf to
create a curve on a surface.
When drawing the curves, use the fewest control point possible. This guarantees the smoothest
possible trim curve.
PushViewportToBack
Puts a viewport behind any viewport that is underneath it.
At the Name of viewport to push to back prompt, type the name of the viewport to push to the
back and press Enter.
This command together with the BringViewportToTop command will let you create buttons that manage
floating views. Both commands ask for the viewport name.
These commands let you have "floating" render viewports that are exactly the same size as the renderings
and can be easily managed by some button scripts.
Note
This is useful when you have rearranged your viewports so that they overlap each other.
Radius
Measure the radius of a curve.
Toolbar: Analyze
Menu: Analyze > Radius
At the Select point on curve for radius measurement prompt, select a curve to measure.
Press Enter to end the command without picking a point.
The radius displays on the command line in the format Radius at pick point is 1.0000.
RailRevolve
Revolve a curve along a rail.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Rail Revolve
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1 At the Select profile curve ( ScaleHeight ) prompt, select a profile curve.

2 At the Select path curve ( ScaleHeight ) prompt, select a rail curve.
3 At the Revolve axis origin prompt, select one end of the axis that the profile curve will revolve
about.
4 At the Revolve axis direction prompt, select the other end of the axis that the profile curve will
revolve about. The order these ends are picked does not affect the surface.
Profile curve, rail curve, and revolve axis
Rail revolved surface
Options
ScaleHeight
The profile curve, in addition to being revolved, is stretched along the revolve axis using the revolve axis
origin as the scale base point. The distance from the revolve axis origin to the path curve start point along
the revolve axis is the primary reference height, and the distances from the revolve axis origin to path
curve control points along the revolve axis are the secondary reference heights.
You do not need ScaleHeight option if the rail curve is planar and perpendicular to the revolve axis. In
this case, the result looks exactly the same both ways. This is the way RailRevolve is normally used.
Rail revolved surface without ScaleHeight
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Rail revolved surface with ScaleHeight

You will need ScaleHeight option if the rail curve is not on a plane perpendicular to the revolve axis, and
you want a part of the profile curve to only revolve around the revolve axis, not move along the revolve
axis as it is revolved. This is the case if you want to build rail revolved surfaces with nice smooth round
ends even if the rail curve is not planar.
The revolve axis origin is also the scale origin. The one-dimensional scaling happens parallel to the revolve
axis.
If the rail curve is closed, the seam should be where the profile touches the rail.
ReadCommandFile
Read commands from a text file.
Toolbar: Tools
Menu: Tools > Commands > Read from File
In the Read Command File dialog box, select the file to read.
The file contents are copied into the command line, and the lines of the command file are interpreted
as if they were typed into the command line.
Note
When building command files, use the Enter command, which is equivalent to pressing enter to
execute commands.
If you read in a particular file often, you can assign ReadCommandFile to a toolbar button along
with a filename, readcommandfile myfile.txt Click the button to read the file. If you leave off the
filename, a file dialog box appears. You can then select a file from the list.
Example
Make a text file like the following example that has commands for creating all your curves in it, and
then create the curves all at once with ReadCommandFile.
! Interpcrv
23,5,0
23.2,5,0
23.7,5.2,1
Enter
Interpcrv
26.1,4.9,1.1
26.8,4.9,1.0
27.1,4.8,0.9
Enter
etc….
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ReadNamedCPlanesFromFile
Read named construction planes from a 3DM file.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Named CPlanes > Read from File.
In the File for Named CPlanes dialog box, select the 3DM file to read named construction planes
from.
ReadNamedViewsFromFile
Import named views from a 3DM file.
Menu: View > Named Views > Read from File
In the File for Named Views dialog box, select the 3DM file to read viewports from.
ReadViewportsFromFile
Read viewport layout from a 3DM file.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Viewport Layout > Read from File
In the File for Viewports dialog box, select the 3DM file to read viewports from.
The viewport layout and views are changed to match the selected 3DM file.
Rebuild
Rebuilds a group of curves with curves of specified degree and number of control points.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Rebuild
1 At the Select curves to rebuild prompts, select the curves to rebuild and press Enter.
2 In the Rebuild Curve dialog box, click Preview to see what the rebuilt curves will look like. When
you are satisfied with the results, click OK.
Rebuilds a group of curves with curves of specified degree and number of control points. The knots of the
resulting curve will be more or less evenly spaced. To rebuild a curve with uneven knot spacing, but a
more accurate fit, use the FitCrv command.
Options
Point Count
Sets the number of control points that will be used to rebuild the selected curves. The number of control
points in the original curve is in parentheses. If more than one curve is selected, the highest number of
control points is shown.
Degree
Sets the degree for the new curves. You can create curves of degree 1 through 9. The number in
parentheses is the highest degree of all of the selected curves.
Delete Input
Deletes the original curves, leaving only the rebuilt curves.
Current Layer
Creates the rebuilt curves on the current layer. Clear this checkbox to place the rebuilt curves on the layer
of the original curves.
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Preview
Shows what the rebuilt curves will look like.
RebuildEdges
Rebuild the edges of a surfaces or polysurface.
Toolbar: Edge Tools

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Rebuild Edges
At the Select surface or polysurface for rebuild edges prompt, select an object.
This command is useful for restoring original 3-D edges of surfaces after exploding a polysurface into
separate surfaces.
To see what it does, draw two planes several units apart. Force Rhino to join the surfaces with the
JoinEdge command. Explode the object and then use RebuildEdges to restore the edges.
Joined and exploded polysurface. Edges are pulled away from the surface.
RebuildSrf
Rebuild a surface.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Rebuild
1 At the Choose surfaces to rebuild prompts, select the surfaces to rebuild and press Enter.
2 In the Rebuild Surface dialog box, in the Point Count boxes, set the number of control points that
will be used to rebuild the selected surfaces in the U and V directions. The values in parentheses are
the largest number of points for each of the surface directions.
3 In the Rebuild Surface dialog box, in the Degree box, set the degree of the U and V directions of
the new surfaces.
The degree can be set to 1 through 9. The value in parentheses is the largest degree for any of the
selected surfaces.
4 Check Delete Input to delete the original surfaces, leaving only the rebuilt surfaces.
5 Check Current Layer to create the rebuilt surfaces on the current layer.
6 Click Preview to see what the rebuilt surfaces will look like.
Original surface with uneven parameterization
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Surface rebuilt with 10 control points in each direction
Surface rebuilt with 14 by 7 control points
Options
Point Count
Sets the number of points in the u- an v-directions.
Degree
Sets the degree of the surface.
Delete Input
Deletes the original surface.
Current Layer
Places the rebuilt surface on the current layer.
Retrim
Retrims the surface with the original trimming curves.
Deviation
Samples the original surface at knots and halfway between the knots and then pulls the sample points to
the rebuilt surface and calculates the deviation.
Rectangle
Draw a rectangle.
Toolbar: Main and Rectangle

Menu: Curve > Rectangle > Corner to Corner
1 At the First corner of rectangle prompt, choose a corner for the rectangle.
2 At the Other corner or length prompt, choose a diagonal corner for the rectangle.
Or, enter the length of the rectangle. You will be prompted for the width.
3 If you are creating a rounded rectangle, at the Radius or point for rounded corner to pass
through ( Corner=Arc ) prompt, enter a radius or choose a point in the corner to set its curvature.
Or at the Rho or point for rounded corner to pass through ( Corner=Conic ) prompt, enter a
rho or choose a point in the corner to set its curvature.
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Options
No options selected
Rectangle from diagonal corners

Rounded
Creates a rectangle with rounded corners.
Rounded rectangle from diagonal corners

Corner=Arc
Rounded corners are circular arcs.
Corner=Conic
Rounded corners are conic sections. See the Conic command for information on drawing conic sections.
Rectangle3Pt
Draw a rectangle through three points.
Toolbar: Rectangle
Menu: Curve > Rectangle > 3 Points
1 At the Start of edge prompt, enter the start of one edge of the rectangle.
2 At the End of edge prompt, enter the end of the same edge.
3 At the Width prompt, enter the width of the rectangle.
RectangleCen
Draw a rectangle by center.
Toolbar: Rectangle
Menu: Curve > Rectangle > Center, Corner
1 At the Center of rectangle prompt, select the center point of the rectangle.
2 At the Corner or length prompt, select a corner point.
Or, enter the length of the rectangle. You will be prompted for the width.
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Options
No options selected
Rectangle by center and corner

Rounded
Creates a rectangle with rounded corners.
Rounded rectangle by center and corner

Corner=Arc
Rounded corners are circular arcs.
Corner=Conic
Rounded corners are conic sections.
RectangleV
Draw a vertical rectangle.
Toolbar: Rectangle
Menu: Curve > Rectangle > Vertical
1 At the Start of edge prompt, pick a point that is one end of the base of the rectangle.
2 At the End of edge prompt, pick a point that is the other end of the base of the rectangle.
The rectangle will start at this line and will be perpendicular to the construction plane active where
you pick this point.
3 At the Height of rectangle prompt, drag out the height of the rectangle or type a number and press
Enter.
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Rectangle vertical
Redo
Redo the last undo.
Toolbar: Standard and Geometry Fix

Menu: Edit > Redo
Shortcut: Ctrl+Y
Note
Redo is available immediately after you use Undo The number of commands you can redo depends
on the undo options on the Options dialog box, General tab.
RedoMultiple
Provides a list of commands you can redo.
Menu: Edit > Redo Multiple
The RedoMultiple command accepts steps=number command line option. This makes this command
scriptable.
An example script:
! UndoMultiple steps=10
undoes last 10 steps
! RedoMultiple steps=10
redoes last 10 undone steps
ReduceMesh
Reduce mesh density.
Toolbar: Mesh
Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh > Reduce
1 In the Reduce Mesh Options dialog box, set the polygon count.
2 To see the results of the reduction, click Preview.
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Meshes reduced
Note
If the mesh has quads in it, the count of starting triangles is the number of triangles after all of the
quads are split. Only triangles will be made in the new mesh, so it is possible to reduce the mesh and
have more faces than you started with.
It is possible to end up with meshes that have edges shared by more than two faces (non-manifold),
which may be undesirable in some cases. For one thing, this makes it hard to tell where the inside is.
RefreshShade
Clear render mesh from selected objects.
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Refresh
Select objects for clear mesh.

This command replaces the ClearMesh command.
Render and analysis meshes are cleared from the selected objects.
This mode is turned off in all viewports with the ClearAllMeshes command.
Note
To avoid having to recreate the render meshes in your next session, avoid clearing meshes.
After RefreshShade, render meshes are created automatically when you have shaded working mode
on in any viewport or if you render or shade the model.
Render meshes are cleared and recreated automatically if you change your Render Mesh Properties
and render or shade the model.
To reduce the size of the model file, use the SaveAs command and check Save small.
RemapCPlane
Remap objects to a new construction plane.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Orient > Remap to CPlane
2 At the Click on CPlane to map to ( Copy ) prompt, click in a viewport that contains the
construction plane you want to map the objects to.
Or, to remap copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
The objects are moved and rotated so they have the same relationship to the new construction plane
as they had to the original construction plane.
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Top view of original objects
Front view of original objects
Top view after remapping objects to CPlane
Front view after remapping objects to CPlane
Options
Copy
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RemoveBackgroundBitmap
Remove a background bitmap.

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Remove
Permanently removes a background bitmap from the active viewport.
RemoveFromGroup
Remove the group status from selected objects.
At the Select objects to extract from group prompt, select objects.

RemoveKnot
Remove knots from a curve or surface.

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Remove Knot
To remove knots from a curve:

1 At the Select curve or surface for knot removal prompt, select a curve.
2 At the Click knot to remove prompt, pick the knots to remove and press Enter.
To remove knots from a surface:
1 At the Select curve or surface for knot removal prompt, select a surface.
2 At the Select knotline to remove. Press Enter when done (Direction=U) prompt, pick the
knotlines to remove and press Enter.
Options
Direction
You can remove knots in either U or V direction.
Note
Remove knot can be used to remove the connecting joint between two joined curves. The resulting
curve will not Explode into separate parts.
RemoveMultiKnotSrf
Removes multiple but not fully-multiple knots from surfaces.
In particular, the RemoveMultiKnotSrf command will remove the double knots made by the Sweep1,
Sweep2, and Blend commands.
Multiple knots means more than one at a point. Fully-multiple knots means as many as possible at a point,
which is equal to the degree. There may be a kink at that point that is desired.
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RemoveWallpaper
Remove wallpaper
Render
Render the current viewport.
Toolbar: Render and Standard

Menu: Render > Render
A new Display Window appears with the rendering of the viewport. It has a single menu: File.
Texture loading messages and an elapsed-time message show at the command line.
Full render
File Options
Save As
Saves the image to one of five or more popular image file formats.
Copy to Clipboard
The image is copied to the Windows clipboard, for possible pasting into an image processing program or a
document.
Print
The rendered image is printed to the Windows default printer, expanded to fill the page, and printed in
color if the printer is color-capable.
Note
The render display window is the same size as the viewport it rendered, and the resolution of the
render image is the size of the image on the screen in screen pixels, unless set to a Custom resolution
in the Document Properties dialog box, Render tab. To quickly increase the resolution (number of
pixels) for the render image, increase the size of the viewport, and render again.
The Texture Folder

When rendering a scene Rhino loads the textures and bump maps specified each object. If Rhino can't find
the texture in the folder specified, it looks for the texture in the following places:
the folder where the model is saved.
the current working folder.
a folder named "Textures" (if it exists) under the Rhino install folder.
RenderAGEdges
Toggle rendering of render meshes.
When on, the polygons of the render mesh for NURBS surfaces and polysurfaces appear in Render
images.
There is no corresponding setting in the Document Properties dialog box, Render tab.
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RenderCrv
Toggle rendering of curves.
When on, the isoparms and edges of NURBS surfaces and polysurfaces appear in Render images.
This is the command line version of the Document Properties dialog box Render tab Render
wireframe option.
RenderEdges
Toggle rendering of edges.
This is the command line version of the Document Properties dialog box Render tab Render polygon
mesh edges option.
RenderOptions
Opens the Document Properties dialog box with the Render tab displayed.
RenderPreview
Preview your rendering using OpenGL shading.
Toolbar: Render
Menu: Render > Render Preview
You can pan, zoom, and rotate the viewport to see the model from different views.
The RenderPreview command mimics but does not exactly duplicate what you will get in a Render.
Render preview
Note
Uses the settings on the Document Properties dialog box Render Mesh tab.
Does not show shadows, or bump mapping.
Does a quick approximation of spotlight behavior. Basically, you can use render preview to aim
spotlights.
NOT suitable for fine tuning spotlight settings.
It is common for transparent objects to contain noticeable shading defects.
RenderPreviewAll
Preview your rendering using OpenGL shading in all viewports.
Toolbar: Render
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RenderPreviewSelected
Preview selected objects using OpenGL shading.
RenderPreviewSelectedAll
Preview selected objects using OpenGL shading in all viewports.
ReparameterizeSrf
Reparameterize a surface.
At the New U begin domain prompt, and similar prompts, set the new limits of the u- and v-
domains for the surface.
You generally don't need to care much about surface parameterization, including the domain unless you
apply textures. Then you may need to change the domain in order to make the texture apply correctly
over the surface.
Example
You have two surfaces side by side; let's call them lefty and righty.
You are going to merge them into a single surface using MergeSrf.
However, if you simply merge the surfaces and apply the texture, it is distorted.
Once you're done fine tuning the geometry you are going to apply a texture. In this example, you want
about 2/3 of the texture to appear on the part of the surface that came from lefty and about 1/3 to appear
on the part that came from righty.
First you must set the u- and v- directions on the surface so they match using the Dir command.
Then use ReparameterizeSrf to set the u-domain of lefty from 0 to about 20 and the v-domain from
about 0 to about 22.
(In this example, the x- length of the side on lefty is about 20 units. The x- length of righty is about 11.
The y- length for both is about 22 units.)
Make the u-domain of lefty run from 0 to 20 and the y-domain run from 0 to 22. Make the u-domain of
righty to run from 0 to 11 and the y-domain run from 0 to 22.
Now when you use MergeSrf and apply a texture, the texture is not distorted.
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Restore
Restore Rhino from being minimized.
RestoreCPlane
Restore a named construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Named CPlanes > Restore.
In the Select CPlane to Restore dialog box, select the construction plane to restore.
Note
Use the NamedCPlane command to edit named CPlanes.
Use the SaveCPlane command to save a named construction plane.
RestoreView
Restore a named view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Named Views > Restore
In the Select View to Restore dialog box, select the named view to restore.
Or,
Right click the title of a viewport, then click Set View, then click the name of the view to restore.
Note
You can choose to restore the view and the construction plane saved with the view, or to restore only
the view.
Use the NamedView command to edit named views.
Use the SaveView command to save a named view.
Revolve
Revolve a curve.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Revolve
1 At the Select curves to revolve prompt, select one or more curves.
2 At the Start of revolve axis prompt, choose a point on the revolution axis.
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3 At the End point of revolve axis prompt, choose a second point, defining the revolution axis.
4 In the Revolve Options dialog box, click Exact or Deformable.
5 If you choose Deformable, enter the number of control points.
6 Enter the Start angle and End angle.
If you want a complete 360 degree rotation, enter 0 for the start angle and 360 for the end angle.
Revolved surface
RevU
Reverse the u-direction of a surface.
At the Select surface to reverse u direction prompt, select a surface that is not a polysurface.
RevV
Reverse the v-direction of a surface.
At the Select surface to reverse v direction prompt, select a surface that is not a polysurface.
Ribbon
Extrude by offsetting a curve.
Toolbar: Extrude
Menu: Surface > Extrude > Ribbon
1 At the Select curve to ribbon ( Distance=1 Corner=Sharp ThroughPoint Tolerance ) prompt,
select a curve.
The marker tracks on the curve.
2 At the Side to offset ( Distance=1 Corner=Sharp ThroughPoint Tolerance ) prompt, drag the
cursor to one side of the curve and pick.
Ribbon offsets a curve to create a surface
Options
Distance
Type D and press Enter to change the offset distance.
Corner
Type C and press Enter to change how corners are offset. You can see the difference between these
options by offsetting a rectangle to the outside.
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Sharp
Curves are offset and extended with a straight line until they intersect.
Round
Curves are offset and filleted with an arc of radius equal to the offset distance.
Smooth
Curves are offset and connected with a smooth (G1) curve.
Chamfer
Curves are offset and connected with a straight line between their endpoints.
ThroughPoint
Type T and press Enter to offset through a point instead of specifying an offset distance.
Tolerance
Right
Set to world right view.
Toolbar: Standard and Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Right
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set view > Right
Note
to
Rotate
Rotate objects.

Menu: Transform > Rotate
2 At the Center of rotation ( Copy ) prompt, choose a point to rotate the objects around.
Or, to rotate copies of the objects, type C and press Enter.
3 At the Angle or first reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose a start angle, or a point to rotate
from.
4 At the Second reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose an end angle, or a point to rotate to.
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Rotate
Options
Copy
Creates a copy of the rotated object.
Rotate3D
Rotate objects about an axis.

Menu: Transform > Rotate 3-D
2 At the Start of rotate axis prompt, choose a point on the rotation axis.
3 At the End of rotate axis prompt, choose a second point on the rotation axis.
4 At the Angle or first reference point ( Copy ) prompt, type in an angle, or choose a point to rotate
from.
Or, to rotate copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
If you entered a point to rotate from, the following prompt appears.
5 At the Second reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose the second point to define the rotation
angle.
Rotate 3D
Options
Copy
Creates a copy of the rotated object.
RotateCamera
Rotates the view camera.
This command uses the settings from the Rotate section of the Options dialog box View tab to control
what axis is rotated about and which way things move when you press and arrow key, etc.
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RotateCameraDown
Rotates the view camera down.
RotateCameraLeft
Rotates the view camera left.
RotateCameraRight
Rotates the view camera right.
RotateCameraUp
Rotates the view camera up.
RotateCPlane
Rotate a construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Set CPlane > Rotate
you want to change.
2 At the Start of rotation axis ( X Y Z ) prompt, enter the start of the rotation axis.
3 At the End of rotation axis prompt, enter the end of the rotation axis.
4 At the Angle or first reference point prompt, enter the angle to rotate the construction plane.
Or, pick a point. This point will be used to drag the construction plane around the rotation axis.
5 At the Second reference point prompt, place the construction plane.
Options
X
Rotates around the construction plane x-axis.
Y
Rotates around the construction plane y-axis.
Z
Rotates around the construction plane z-axis.
Note
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RotateDown
Rotate the view down.
Shortcut: Down Arrow
Note
This command is most useful in command scripts. To rotate with the mouse or keyboard, use the
RotateView command.
RotateLeft
Rotate the view left.
Shortcut: Left Arrow
Note
RotateView command.
RotateRight
Rotate the view right.
Shortcut: Right Arrow
Note
RotateView command.
RotateUp
Rotate the view up.
Shortcut: Up Arrow
Note
RotateView command.
RotateView
Rotate the view.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Rotate
Click and drag in a viewport to rotate the view.

Shortcuts
Press and hold Ctrl and Shift and drag with the right mouse button.
Views that are not looking perpendicular to the construction plane rotate with the right mouse button.
Press the arrow keys.
Run
Run another application from Rhino.
At the Name of program to run prompt, type the name and path of the file to run.
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RunScript
Runs a VBScript or a JScript.
If you need to run routines that are not assigned to buttons, you can use RunScript command.
Options
Script Code
Enter either expressions that you want to execute, or loaded subroutine names that you want to run.
Run
Runs the code specified in the edit window.
Cancel
Closes the dialog box.
Merge
Merges code from an external file into the edit window
Save
Saves the contents of the edit window to a file.
Push Pin
When the button is depressed, the dialog box will remain open when the Run button is selected.
Otherwise, the dialog box will close when Run is selected.
Language
Specifies the language of the code.
Note
Save
Save your model.

Menu: File > Save
Shortcut: Ctrl+S
3 Click Save.
Options
Save Small
Removes the render meshes from the file. Clearing the render meshes makes the file smaller, but it will
shade and render slower the next time you open the file.
Note
A preview image of the active viewport is saved with the model. This image displays when you select
the file in the Open, Save, or SaveAs dialog boxes.
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SaveAs
Save your model to a different name or file type.
Toolbar: File
Menu: File > Save As
3 Click Save.
Options
Save Small
Note
A preview image of the active viewport is saved with the model. This image displays when you select
the file in the Open, Save, or SaveAs dialog boxes.
SaveAsTemplate
Save a template.
Toolbar: File
Menu: File > Save As Template
2 Click Save.
Options
Save Small
Note
Templates are normal 3DM files. You can set up grid settings, viewport layout, layers, units, and
tolerances and save them in a template. You can also save default geometry with the template.
You can change the default location of template files on the Options dialog box, Files tab.
SaveCPlane
Save a named construction plane.
Toolbar: Set CPlane

Menu: View > Named CPlanes > Save
In the Name of CPlane dialog box, type the name for the construction plane and press Enter.
Note
Use the NamedCPlane command to edit named construction planes.
Use the RestoreCPlane command to restore a named construction plane.
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SaveDisplayWindowAs
Save the image in the render window.
In the Save Bitmap dialog box, choose the name, location, and file type for the bitmap file.
You can save the bitmap in BMP, TGA, JPG, PCX, or PNG formats.
In a script, you can follow the command with the name of the file to save to:
SaveDisplayWindowAs "C:\My Images\Rendering Two.bmp".
SaveSmall
Save your model without render meshes to decrease file size.
Menu: File > Save Small
Note
Use this command when you want to save disk space, send the file to someone via e-mail or other
electronic media.
Your render meshes will regenerate when you Shade, Render, or use ShadedViewport.
If your model takes a long time to shade the first time, saving render meshes saves time when
opening the file or shading the first time.
SaveView
Save a named view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Named Views > Save
In the Name of View dialog box, enter the name to save the view.
Note
Use the NamedView command to edit named views.
Use the RestoreView command to restore a named view.
SaveWorkspace
Save workspaces.
Toolbar: Tools
1 In the Toolbars dialog box, from the File menu, click Save All.
2 The current workspaces are saved.
SaveWorkspaceAs
Save a workspace under a different name.
Toolbar: Tools
1 In the Toolbars dialog box, from the File menu, click Save As.
2 In the Save Workspace As dialog box, enter a name for the workspace file.
The toolbar layout is saved in a new workspace file, or replaces an existing workspace file after
requesting confirmation.
Workspace files have the extension .WS.
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Scale
Scale objects.
Toolbar: Main, Transform, and Scale

Menu: Transform > Scale > Scale 3- D
1 Select objects to scale.
2 At the Origin point ( Copy ) prompt, choose a scaling origin.
Or, to scale copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
3 At the Scale factor or first reference point ( Copy ) prompt, enter a scale factor or choose a
reference point that shows the current scale.
If you do not use a scale factor, at the Second reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose a
reference point that shows the new scale.
The objects are expanded or contracted in all dimensions by the scale factor.
Scale
Options
Copy
Note
When scaling by dragging, the scale factor becomes the default next time that scale command is
used.
To scale an arbitrarily sized object to a specific size, use the origin point and the first reference point
to establish the original size of the object. At the Second reference point prompt, type the new size.
The distance constraint will be used to scale the object to the required size.
Scale1D
Scale objects in one dimension.
Toolbar: Scale
Menu: Transform > Scale > Scale 1- D
reference point for the current scale.
If you use a reference point, at the Scaling direction ( Copy ) prompt, choose a reference point for
the new scale and the direction of scaling relative to the base point.
Or enter a new distance.
The objects are expanded or contracted in the single direction specified, without expanding the
objects in the other directions.
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Scale in one direction
Options
Copy
Note
used.
Scale2D
Scale objects in two dimensions.
Toolbar: Main, Transform, and Scale

Menu: Transform > Scale > Scale 2-D
reference point for the current scale.
If you use a reference point, at the Second reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose a reference
point for the new scale.
The objects are expanded or contracted uniformly in the two directions of the axes of the construction
plane of the active viewport where you specify the scale factor.
Options
Copy
Note
used.
ScaleBackgroundBitmap
Scale a background bitmap.

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Scale
1 At the Origin point prompt, pick the scale origin.
2 At the First reference point prompt, pick a point that defines the first reference line from the scale
origin to the reference point.
3 At the Second reference point prompt, pick a point that defines the second reference line from the
scale origin to the second reference point.
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ScaleNU
Scale objects non-uniformly.
Toolbar: Scale
Menu: Transform > Scale > Non-Uniform Scale
Whichever viewport is active when the origin point is picked determines the construction plane for the
x, y and z scaling factors.
3 At the X axis scale (enter for none) prompts either: enter a scale factor, pick two points to specify
a scale factor, or press Enter for a scale of 1.0.
The second identical prompt will not appear unless a point is picked.
4 At the Y axis scale (enter for none) prompts either: enter a scale factor, pick two points to specify
The second identical prompt will not appear unless a point is picked.
5 At the Z axis scale (enter for none) prompts either: enter a scale factor, pick two points to specify
The second identical prompt will not appear unless you pick a point.
The objects are expanded or contracted in the three directions with the factors specified.
Options
Copy
Note
The x, y, and z directions are those directions of the construction plane of the viewport that was
active when the origin point was specified.
ScreenCaptureToClipboard
Capture a viewport to the Clipboard.

The active viewport is captured to the Clipboard as a bitmap. You can paste this image into a paint
program for further editing, or into Word as part of a document.
If you want to save the bitmap to a file, use the ScreenCaptureToFile and ScreenCaptureToFile256
commands.
ScreenCaptureToFile
Capture a viewport and save it as a bitmap file.
In the Save Screen Capture dialog box, choose the location, file type, and name for the bitmap file.
The color depth of the bitmap file is the same as the color depth your display is set to. For 256 color
bitmaps, use the ScreenCaptureToFile256 command.
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ScreenCaptureToFile256
Capture a viewport and save it as a 256 color bitmap file.
In the Save Screen Capture dialog box, choose the location, file type, and name for the bitmap file.
The color depth of the bitmap file is 256 colors. For bitmaps with the same color depth as your
display, use the ScreenCaptureToFile command.
Section
Create sections through a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Section
1 Select surfaces, polysurfaces, and meshes.
2 At the Start of section prompts, enter the start point to specify a section plane.
3 At the End of section prompts, enter the end of the section.
Section curves are created by intersecting the selected objects with the section plane, which is
4 Press Enter when you finish creating sections.
Section curve
Note
Sections curves can be created in different directions by picking the section in different construction
planes.
SelAll
Select all objects.
Toolbar: Standard and Select

Menu: Edit > Select > All Objects
Shortcut: Ctrl+A
Note
To select all objects in the file, turn on all layers before using Select All.
This command is "transparent." It can be used to select objects inside another command or script.
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SelBadObjects
Select bad objects.
Toolbar: Analyze, Diagnostics, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Analyze > Diagnostics > Select Bad Objects
Objects that don't pass Check select.
Note
Delete or rebuild the object.
SelColor
Selects all objects that have a specified color property set.
File: Utilities.rhp
Specify the color in the Select Color dialog box.
Note
SelConnected
Select adjacent control points.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Connected
1 Show control points for the object you want to edit.
2 Select a point.
3 Start the SelConnected command.
The adjacent points are selected.
Example:
A surface with control points selected
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Connected control points selected
SelCrossing
Select with a crossing window.
Drag the mouse to select everything inside or partially inside the selection rectangle
To add objects to a selection set:
Press and hold Shift and drag a selection rectangle around objects.
To remove objects from a selection set:
Press and hold Ctrl and drag a selection rectangle around the objects to remove.
Note
Type c to start a crossing selection.
The selection rectangle for Crossing selection is dashed.
SelCrv
Select all curves.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Curves
Note
385
SelDim
Select all dimensions
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Dimensions
Note
SelDup
Select all duplicate objects.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select > Duplicates
All duplicate objects are selected. Objects that were selected prior to running SelDup remain
selected.
Note
The SelDup command selects duplicate curves, surfaces, and polysurfaces if they are geometrically
identical (within tolerance) and visible, regardless of other object properties.
SelGroup
Selects a group by name.
SelID
Select objects by object ID number.
This command can be run from a script in the forms:

SelID {165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B}
SelID 165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B
SelID id={165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B}
SelID id=165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B
It can also be run from the command line with a prompt that lets you type in the object ID in the form:
165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B
or
{165F4620-43F3-4a3d-A215-CC5D3785DB7B}
The hyphens are optional and can appear anywhere in the ID number.
You can get an object's ID from the Properties command Information display or CSV export.
SelLast
Selects the object created last.
Note
SelLast clears the current selection set.
386
SelLayer
Select all objects on a layer.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select > On Layer
In the Layer to Select dialog box, select the name of the layers that contain objects you want to
select. You can select more than one layer.
SelLayerNumber
Select objects by layer number.
SelLayerNumber asks for a layer order number and then selects all objects on that layer.
The number of the first layer is zero.
SelLight
Select all spotlights.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Lights
Note
SelMesh
Select all mesh objects.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Meshes
Note
SelNakedMeshEdgePt
Select naked edge points of polygon meshes.
Toolbar: STL Tools
At the Select polygon meshes for naked edge point search prompt, select polygon meshes and
press Enter.
Points at edges of polygon meshes are selected.
Note
This command shows where polygon mesh vertices are not completely surrounded by faces.
Joined meshes, such as are made by Mesh Box, have naked mesh edge points where the sub-meshes
are joined.
To eliminate naked mesh edge points, move them to make them match in pairs, then weld them to
make a single mesh that cannot be exploded. Edges that formerly rendered sharp will shade rounded,
unless you use FlatShade.
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SelName
Select objects by object name.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select > By Object Name
At the Object name to select prompt, enter an object name.
Note
You can use wild cards (*, ?, etc.) to select multiple objects.
If you press Enter at the Object name to select prompt, all objects with no name are selected.
If the object is on a hidden or locked layer it cannot be selected.
SelNone
Deselect all objects.
Toolbar: Standard and Select

Menu: Edit > Select > None
You can also press Esc.
SelPolyline
Select all polylines.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Polylines
Note
The SelPolyline command selects single-segment "lines" and any curve or compound curve where the
components are linear.
SelPolysrf
Select all polysurfaces.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Polysurfaces
Note
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SelPrev
Re-selects the previous selection set.
Note
SelLast clears the current selection set.
SelPt
Select all point objects.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Points
Note
SelSrf
Select all single surfaces.
Toolbar: Select
Menu: Edit > Select> Surfaces
Note
SelU
Select all control points in the u-direction.
Toolbar: Select Points and Organic

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Select U
1 Show control points for the object you want to edit.
2 Select a point on the surface that is in the row you want to select.
3 Start the SelU command.
SelU selects whole rows of control points in the surface u- direction based on previously selected
control points.
This command also selects all control points on curves that have selected control points.
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Example:
A row of control points in the u-direction selected
SelUV
Select all control points in the u- and v- direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Select uv
1 At the Choose an object prompt, select the surface.
The control points on the surface display.
2 At the Select row of points prompt, move the cursor near the row or column of control points to
select.
Hold the Shift key to select multiple rows on the surface.
3 Press Enter to finish selecting rows.
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A row of control points in the u- and v-directions selected
Options
Direction
With this option you can select rows of control points in the u-direction, v-direction, or both directions.
Hideothers
With this option only the selected control points are shown and the others are automatically hidden.
SelV
Select all control points in the v-direction.

Menu: Edit > Select Control Points > Select V
2 Select a point on the surface that is in the row you want to select.
3 Start the SelV command.
SelV selects whole rows of control points in the surface v- direction based on previously selected
control points.
This command also selects all control points on curves that have selected control points.
A row of control points in the v-direction selected
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SelWindow
Select with a window.
Drag the mouse to select everything inside the selection rectangle
To add objects to a selection set:
Press and hold Shift and drag a selection rectangle around objects.
To remove objects from a selection set:
Press and hold Ctrl and drag a selection rectangle around the objects to remove.
Note
Type w to start a window selection.
The selection rectangle for Window selection is solid.
SetActiveViewport
Set the active viewport by name.
At the Name of viewport to switch to prompt, type the name of the viewport to make active and
press Enter.
Note
A viewport with the name you type must exist. This is not the same as restoring a named view, which
actually changes the view and name of the current viewport.
This command works best when applied to a toolbar button or alias. It would be tedious to type this
long command then type a viewport name.
SetCurrentRenderPlugIn
Sets the current rendering plug-in application.
Sets the current render plug-in by passing the name that appears in the menu (in quotes if there are
spaces in the name) or the plug-in ID.
Use the LoadPlugin or PluginManager commands to load plug-in applications.
SetGLShade
Toggle shaded mode between OpenGL and monochrome.
This command is a quick way to change which type of shading is used by the Shade, ShadeAll,
FlatShade, and FlatShadeAll.
This is the same as using the Use OpenGL setting on the Options dialog box, Shade tab.
This command is most useful assigned to a toolbar button or an alias.
Note
392
SetGroupName
Names a group.
Lets you name or rename a group.

You can combine groups by setting the group name to an existing group name.
The Undo command will work.
SetLayer
Set the current layer.

Status bar: Click the Layer pane and select the layer from the list.
In the Edit Layers dialog box, check the layer you want to make current by clicking the white space
on the left side of the layer name.
In the Set Current Layer dialog box, select the layer to set current.
You can script the SetLayer command for use on a toolbar button or in a script. The syntax for the
script command is:
SetLayer Layer=layername
If the layer name has spaces, put quotes around the layer name:
SetLayer Layer="layer 01"
SetLayerMaterialProperties
Set the material source and attributes for a layer.
Sets the material source and attributes including render plug-in ID. This provides the ability to
create/modify and assign Rhino or Flamingo materials to layers via scripts.
You can set the following properties:
Material plug-in
Material
Library
Diffuse color (red channel)
Diffuse color (green channel)
Diffuse color (blue channel)
Specular color (red channel)
Specular color (green channel)
Specular color (blue channel)
Reflective finish (0.0 to 255)
Transparency (0.0 to 1.0)
Texture
Bump
SetLayerToObject
Set the current layer by selecting an object.
Menu: Edit > Layers > Set Layer to Object
At the Select object on layer to set current prompt, select an object on the layer you want to be
current.
SetMaximizedViewport
Set the maximized viewport by name.
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At the Name of viewport to maximize prompt, type the name of the viewport you want maximized
and press Enter.
Or, right-click the viewport title bar and click Maximize.
Or, double-click the viewport title bar.
Note
A viewport with the name you type must exist. This is not the same as restoring a named view, which
actually changes the view and name of the current viewport.
This command works best when applied to a toolbar button or alias. It would be ridiculous to type this
long command then type a viewport name.
SetObjectMaterial
Assign a rendering material to an object.
Note
The object material can be used by RIB, POV, and OBJ material/shader export.
SetObjectMaterialProperties
Set the material source and attributes.
The SetObjectMaterialProperties command is a command line version of the object properties material
tab. It lets you set the material source and attributes including render plug-in ID. This provides the ability
to create/modify and assign Rhino or Flamingo materials via scripts.
You can set the following properties:
Assign material by Layer/Object
Material plug-in
Material
Library
Diffuse color (red channel)
Diffuse color (green channel)
Diffuse color (blue channel)
Specular color (red channel)
Specular color (green channel)
Specular color (blue channel)
Reflective finish (0.0 to 255)
Transparency (0.0 to 1.0)
Texture
Bump
SetObjectName
Set the name of an object for export into programs that accept named objects.
Note
You can set the name of an object also with the Properties command.
Object names are exported to IGES, POV-Ray, Moray UDO, 3DS, and RenderMan RIB.
This command does not prevent separate objects from having the same name. This can be useful
when identifying objects for RIB or POV export.
To set names for a group of objects, use the SetObjectNameMultiple command.
3DS export uses the first ten characters of the name.
If the object name has already been used, the name is truncated to six characters and a three-digit
index is added.
If no object name is defined, Rhino uses a generic name.
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SetObjectNameMultiple
Set the names of multiple objects for export into programs that accept named objects.
Options
Prefix
Sets the name prefix.
Starting number
Sets the starting number.
For example, if you selected ten unnamed objects, specified a prefix of "myobjects" and a starting number
of 3, the objects will be named "myobjects 3" through "myobjects 12".
Overwrite existing names
Lets you overwrite existing object names.
Insert leading zeros
Inserts zeros at the beginning of the increment number.
Note
You can specify a prefix and a starting number.
You can set the name of an individual object also with the Properties command.
Object names are not used in Rhino, but they are stored in the Rhino 3DM file and exported to IGES,
POV-Ray, and RenderMan RIB.
This command doesn't prevent separate objects from having the same name. This can be useful when
identifying objects for RIB or POV export.
To set names for individual objects, use the SetObjectName command.
SetOrtho
Turn ortho mode on or off.
At the Ortho is Off. New value ( On Off Toggle ) prompt, enter one of the options.
This is useful for inclusion in a script file for the ReadCommandFile command.
SetPlanar
Turn planar mode on or off.
At the Planar is On. New value (On Off Toggle ) prompt, enter one of the options.
This is useful for inclusion in a script file for the ReadCommandFile command.
SetPt
Set control point location.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Set Points.
This command is often used to accurately adjust control points.
2 In the Set Points dialog box, check the coordinates you want to set.
3 At the Location for points ( Copy ) prompt, pick a set point to define the coordinate value or values
to match.
The selected points or objects will line up with the set point in the direction or directions you chose.
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Original curves with points to set highlighted
Curve with y coordinate of selected points aligned
Option
Copy
Makes copies of the object with the control points moved to the designated location.
SetRedrawOff
Prevents screen redraw, CPlane or camera changes during scripts.
You still see interactive drawing of curves, etc.
SetRedrawOn
Turns screen redraw back on after SetRedrawOff.
SetSnap
Turn snap mode on or off.
At the Grid snap is Off. New value (On Off Toggle ) prompt, type the first letters of one of the
options to set it.
The SetSnap command provides explicit on and off options. This is useful for inclusion in a script for
the ReadCommandFile command.
SetViewportWindowSize
Sets the size of the viewport in pixels.
1 At the Viewport width prompt, enter the viewport width in pixels.
2 At the Viewport height prompt, enter the viewport height in pixels.
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Note
You can dynamically set up render views with a viewport that is exactly the same size as the rendered
image.
SetWorkingDirectory
Set working directory.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the working directory.
Shade
Shade a viewport.
Toolbar: Standard and Render

Menu: Render > Shade
The current viewport is shaded in monochrome with a white light coming from the viewpoint. The grid
and axes are not shown, and a special background color appears.
1 Pan, zoom, and rotate the viewport to see the shaded model from different views.
2 Press Esc or click in a viewport to return to wireframe display mode.
Shaded viewport using the default shade mode

To configure the appearance of the shading:
2 On the Shade tab set the options.
Note
Be patient on the first shade. It may not be very quick the first time. Rhino has to create a mesh from
the objects in memory. Subsequent renderings may be faster.
Shade renders the objects in the active viewport with a white light in front, monochrome, with no
shadows, and no antialiasing. If OpenGL is turned on, the OpenGL shade options will be available.
If you use the normal Rhino Shade command, you get 256 colors for background and surface color.
OpenGL Shading
mode may be faster.
Shaded viewport using OpenGL shading
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OpenGL is a graphics software library. It was introduced in 1992 and has become a widely used graphics
application programming interface (API).
For more information, see www.opengl.org/ and www.sgi.com/software/optimizer/.
OpenGL comes with Windows 98 and Windows NT. There are some issues with early versions of Windows
95. See Troubleshooting OpenGL for more information.
You do not need a special video card to use OpenGL with Rhino. If you have a fancy video card that
accelerates OpenGL, then Rhino will use it. Otherwise Rhino will use a version of OpenGL that runs on any
video card.

Note
If you use OpenGL Shade, you can use whatever color depth your video card supports.
Shade1
Shade the current viewport and leave the grid.
The objects in current viewport are shaded. The grid, axes, object highlighting, and view background
are unchanged from the normal wireframe display. Objects can be selected and highlighted without
losing the shading.
Note
This command does not use the OpenGL settings on Options dialog box Shade tab.
ShadeAll
Shade all viewports.

Menu: Render > Shade All Viewports
All viewports are shaded in monochrome with a white light coming from the viewpoint. The grid and
axes are not shown, and a special background color appears.
1 Pan, zoom, and rotate the viewport to see the shaded model from different views.
2 Press Esc or click in a viewport to return to wireframe display mode.
Note
ShadeAll renders the objects in all the viewports with a white light in front, monochrome, with no
shadows, and no antialiasing. If OpenGL is turned on, the OpenGL shade options will be available.
Be patient on the first Shade. It may not be very quick the first time. Rhino has to create a mesh
from the objects in memory. Subsequent renderings will be faster.
OpenGL Shading

Note
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ShadedViewport
Set the viewport to display in shaded mode.
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Shaded
Shaded display mode
Note
If you are using a shaded viewport, you can click on a shaded object to select it. You do not have to
select an isoparm. The click cannot be near curves, isoparms, points, or annotation or the object will
be selected. If there are several objects behind each other in the view, the object closest to your
viewpoint will be selected.
Changing the render settings causes the viewports to reshade.
ShadeOptions
Opens the Options dialog box with the Shade tab displayed.
Command ShadeOptions
ShadeSelected
Shade selected objects.
Toolbar: Render
Menu: Render > Shade Selected
The selected objects in current viewport are shaded.
ShadeSelectedAll
Shade selected objects in all viewports.
Toolbar: Render
The selected objects in all viewports are shaded.
Shear
Shear objects.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Shear
1 At the Select objects to shear prompt, select the objects to shear.
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2 At the Origin point prompt, pick the base point for the shear.
The base point does not move with the shear.
3 At the Reference point prompt, pick the first point that defines the shear angle.
4 At the Shear angle ( Copy ) prompt, pick the second point that defines the shear angle.
Option
Copy
Show
Show hidden objects.
Toolbar: Standard, Visibility, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Edit > Visibility > Show
Note
The Show command shows ALL hidden objects.
ShowBackgroundBitmap
Show a background bitmap.

Menu: View > Background Bitmap > Show
Shows a background bitmap previously hidden with HideBackgroundBitmap
Note
The hidden status of background bitmaps only applies to the current session. If you exit the model
and reopen it, hidden background bitmaps are displayed.
ShowBrokenEdges
Display broken edges.
Toolbar: Diagnostics
Menu: Analyze > Diagnostics > Show Broken Edges
At the Select surfaces or polysurfaces for broken edge display prompt, select objects and press
Enter.
Broken edges show in the selected objects color, or "Found 0 edges with problems" appears at the
command line.
The edge is highlighted, and point blips are drawn at the edge's endpoints so you can see the edges
even if the edge itself is microscopic.
If your object has broken edges, one solution is to use DetachTrim and re-trim your surface.
Note
Broken edges are edges that do not pass some internal checking functions. It does not mean the
edges need to be merged or joined.
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ShowCamera
Interactively sets the camera view.
A camera icon showing a representation of the perspective viewport's view displays in the other viewports.
You can use the camera icon's the control points to move the camera and target points and change the
lens length of the perspective viewport.
The ShowCamera command toggles the camera icon on or off.
Camera icon.
ShowEdges
Display edges of a surface or polysurface.
Toolbar: Edge Tools

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Show Edges
1 Select a polysurface for edge display.
The edges highlight, and the ends of edges are marked with squares in the selected objects color.
2 At the Press Enter when done prompt, terminate the command.
ShowNakedEdges
Display naked edges of a surface or polysurface.
Toolbar: Analyze, Edge Tools, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Show Naked Edges
1 Select surfaces or polysurfaces for naked edge display.
Naked edges of the selected object highlight, with indicator boxes in the selected objects color at their
ends. The number of naked edges is reported on the command line.
2 At the Press Enter when done prompt, press Enter to terminate the command.
Note
Use this command to find areas in complex polysurfaces that are not quite closed.
If you cannot see the naked edges, use the PointsAtNakedEdges command.
Sometimes, the naked edges can be joined together with the JoinEdge command.
ShowOsnap
Show the Osnap dialog box.
Status bar: Osnap
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ShowPt
Show hidden control points and edit points.
Toolbar: Visibility, Organic, and STL Tools

Menu: Edit > Control Point Visibility > Show
ShowSelected
Show selected hidden objects.
Toolbar: Visibility
Menu: Edit > Visibility > Show Selected
All hidden objects temporarily display and normally visible objects are hidden.
1 At the Select objects to show prompt, select the objects you want to show.
2 Press Enter when you are finished selecting objects.
Note
This does not affect control or edit points hidden with the HidePt command.
ShrinkTrimmedSrf
Shrink the underlying untrimmed surface near to trimming boundaries.
Toolbar: Surface Tools and Geometry Fix

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Shrink Trimmed Surface
At the Select trimmed surfaces to shrink prompt, select the desired trimmed surfaces and press
Enter.
Trimmed surfaces are represented by an untrimmed surface with trimming boundaries. When
textures are applied to surfaces, the textures are mapped to the underlying untrimmed surface.
Sometimes the underlying untrimmed surface is much larger than the trimmed surface, resulting in
only a small portion of the texture showing up in the rendering.
To fix this, the ShrinkTrimmedSrf command shrinks the underlying untrimmed surface to be as
small as possible, resulting in the maximum amount of the texture map displaying in the rendering.
You will see no visible change in the surface. Only the underlying untrimmed surface is altered.
Original trimmed surface, with underlying surface control points shown
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Surface control points after ShrinkTrimmedSrf
Note
Shrinking a surface is like extending smoothly, only backwards. Knots of full multiplicity are added
where you want the surface to be cut off. Then the remaining control points are thrown away.
Silhouette
Create silhouette curves of a surface or polysurface.

Menu: Curve > From Objects > Silhouette
1 Select a surface or polysurface to create silhouette curves from.
2 Press Enter when you finish selecting objects.
Silhouette curve
When you are looking at a model, the "visual edge" of the model is where the model stops and the
background begins. This visual edge is sometimes called the silhouette or horizon of the model.
Sometimes you would like to have curves that lie along the silhouette (for things like 2- D drawings) or
cut the model in two along the silhouette (for things like mold halves or fancy relief).
Note
The silhouette direction based on the current view. For example, if you look at a doughnut from the
top, the silhouette is two circles. If you look at a doughnut from the side, the silhouette looks like an
oval.
SimplifyCrv
Simplify curves.

Menu: Curve > Edit Tools > Simplify Lines and Arcs
Select curves.
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Note
SimplifyCrv attempts to detect portions of the curve that have the geometry of line or arc segments
and replace the segments with true NURBS line and arc segments.
Sketch
Sketch a curve.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Free- form > Sketch
1 At the Click and drag to sketch. Press Enter when done ( Closed=No ) prompt, drag the
mouse, a polyline appears along your path.
You can also click and release the mouse button to start the curve and click again to end.
Options
Closed
Creates a closed curve. This option can be selected before you start dragging points with the mouse. The
curve will close when you stop dragging points.
Or, type C to close the curve in the middle of dragging points. The curve closes immediately and the
command ends.
Sketch curve
Closed sketch curve
Note
You cannot use object snaps during this command.
Points dragged into a different viewport are treated as if that viewport didn't exist and the original
viewport filled the screen.
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SketchOnMesh
Sketch a curve on a polygon mesh.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Free- form > Sketch on Polygon Mesh
All viewports shade.
At the Click and drag to sketch prompt, drag a curve.
Sketch on mesh
SketchOnSrf
Sketch a curve on a surface.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Free- form > Sketch on Surface
1 At the Select surface to sketch on prompt, select the surface to sketch on.
2 At the Click and drag to sketch. Press Enter when done ( Closed=No ) prompt, drag a curve.
Or, type C, press Enter, and then drag a series of points to create a closed curve.
Type C to close the curve mid-drag. This closes the curve immediately and ends the command.
Sketch on surface
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Closed sketch on surface
Note
You cannot use object snaps or cross surface seams while sketching a curve on a surface.
Smooth
Smooth objects.
Toolbar: Transform and Geometry Fix

Menu: Transform > Smooth
This command smoothes curves and surfaces by slowly averaging control points in the region to be
smoothed. The Smooth command evens out the spacing of selected control points in small increments.
This command is useful for removing unwanted detail, and for removing loops in curves and surfaces.
Smooth works on mesh objects, too. Use the Weld command on mesh objects before smoothing to
prevent the mesh from pulling apart.
Smooth an entire curve or surface
At the Select objects to smooth prompt, select the curves, meshes, or surfaces to smooth and
press Enter.
The selected entities will appear to melt, losing detail by averaging the positions of the control points.
Smooth part of a curve or surface
1 Select a curve or surface to smooth.
2 From the Edit menu, click Point Editing, then click Control Points On.
3 Select the control points in the region of the curve or surface to smooth.
4 From the Transform menu, click Smooth.
5 In the Smooth dialog box, check the coordinate directions you want for smoothing, adjust the
Smooth factor.
The selected control points will move slightly, smoothing the curve or surface.
Note
The Smooth factor can be a number between 0.01 and 1.00. The default is 0.2. The larger the
number, the more smoothing is done by Smooth.
Below are examples of using smooth on curves and surfaces. The yellow box bounds the control
points that were selected for smoothing.
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Smoothing a wiggley curve
Removing a loop with the smooth command
Removing a loop in a surface with the smooth command
Smoothing out a wiggley surface
Snap
Toggle snap mode.
Shortcut: F9
Status bar: Snap
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When Snap is on, the marker "snaps" between grid snap points, whose distance apart is set by the
SetSnap command or by the Options dialog box, Modeling Aids tab.
Note
When Snap is on, the word "Snap" in the Snap pane of the status bar is dark. When Snap is off, it is
grayed out.
Toggle snap mode also by clicking the Snap pane of the status bar.
Grid snap is overridden by object snaps and coordinate input, and partially overridden by angle and
distance constraint.
SnapSize
Set snap size.
SnapSize sets the grid snap increment. It can also be set from the Document Properties dialog box,
Grid tab.
Note
This is different from the grid size. There is no necessary relationship between the grid size and the
snap size.
Often it is convenient to have the grid size and snap size the same, so the marker snaps to grid
crossing points.
Grid snap is overridden by object snaps and coordinate input, and partially overridden by angle and
distance constraint.
Sphere
Draw a sphere.
Toolbar: Solid and Sphere

Menu: Solid > Sphere > Center, Radius
1 At the Center of sphere prompt, choose a center point.
2 At the Radius prompt, choose a point for the radius, or enter a distance and press Enter.
A sphere is single closed surface.
Sphere from a center point and radius

Option
Diameter
Specify the size of the circle by diameter.
Note
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Sphere3Pt
Draw a sphere through three points.
Toolbar: Sphere
Menu: Solid > Sphere > 3 Points
1 At the First point on sphere prompt, choose the first circumference point.
2 At the Second point on sphere prompt, choose the second circumference point.
3 At the Third point on sphere prompt, choose the third circumference point.
A sphere is a single closed surface.
Sphere from three points
Note
SphereD
Draw a sphere by its diameter.
Toolbar: Sphere
Menu: Solid > Sphere > Diameter
1 At the Start of diameter prompt, choose an endpoint for the diameter.
2 At the End of diameter prompt, choose the other end of the diameter of the sphere.
A sphere is a single closed surface.
Sphere from two diameter points
Note
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Spiral
Draw a spiral.
Toolbar: Curve
Menu: Curve > Spiral
1 At the Start of axis prompt, enter the start of the spiral axis.
This is the line the spiral will wind around.
2 At the End of axis prompt, enter the end of the spiral axis.
3 At the Radius prompt, enter the radius for the spiral.
4 In the Helix / Spiral dialog box, select Turns or Pitch.
If you select Turns, enter the number of turns for the spiral.
If you select Pitch, enter the pitch (distance between turns along the axis) for the spiral.
If you select Reverse twist, the spiral will twist counterclockwise.
Select Preview after changing options to see the spiral.
Note
You can reverse the twist direction of the spiral by checking the Reverse twist box.
Options
No options selected
Spiral
Flat
Lets you draw a planar spiral.
Spiral with Flat option

Vertical
The spiral axis will be perpendicular to the construction plane in the active viewport.
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Spiral with Vertical option

AroundCurve
Select a curve for the spiral to wind around to create "phone cord" shapes.
Spiral around curve
Split
Split curves and surfaces with cutting curves, surfaces, and points.

Menu: Edit > Split
1 At the Select objects to split prompt, select the objects to split.
You can select multiple curves and surfaces to split with multiple objects.
You can also select multiple polysurfaces to split with a single cutter. If you select polysurfaces with
other objects, the polysurfaces are ignored.
2 At the Select cutting objects prompt, select the cutting objects.
3 When you are finished selecting cutting objects, press Enter.
Splitting a surface
Split a curve at a point:
1 At the Select object to split prompt, select the curve to split.
2 At the Select cutting objects ( Point ) prompt, type p and press Enter.
The marker moves along the curve.
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3 At the Point to split curve - press Enter when done prompt, pick the points to split the curve at
and press enter.
Split a curve at a point
Note
You can split curves and surfaces with curves, surfaces and polysurfaces. Polysurfaces can only be
split with surfaces and polysurfaces.
Use Untrim or DetachTrim to remove a trimming boundary from a surface.
When you split a surface with a curve in a plan parallel view like the default Top, Front, and Right
view, the cutting curve is projected on the surface in the view direction.
When you split a surface with a planar curve in an angled parallel or a perspective view like the
default Perspective view, the cutting curve is projected on the surface in a direction perpendicular to
the curve plane.
When you split a surface with a 3-D curve in an angled parallel or a perspective view, the cutting
curve is pulled on the surface by closest points.
SplitEdge
Split the edge of a surface.
Toolbar: Edge Tools

Menu: Analyze > Edge Tools > Split Edge
1 At the Select edge to split prompt, select an edge on a surface or polysurface.
2 At the Point to split edge prompt, the marker is constrained to the edge, select a point.
The edge is split into two edges.
Note
There is no visual indication of the split edge.
Use ShowEdges to display the edge endpoints.
SplitSrf
Splits a surface into multiple pieces by its own isoparms.

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Split by Isoparm.
1 Select a surface.
2 At the Split point prompts, select points at which to split the surface.
Options control the direction of the split. Type u, v, or b, to access option directly.
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SplitSrf on a sphere
Separated parts
Options
Direction=U
Surface is split by isoparms only in the u-direction of the surface.
Direction=V
Surface is split by isoparms only in the v-direction of the surface.
Direction=Both
Surface is split by isoparms in both the u- and v-directions of the surface.
Note
The SplitSrf command is a general purpose surface modeling tool for anyone that needs to cut a
surface into smaller pieces.
This is a convenient way to split surfaces into smaller pieces. It is the same as using
ExtractIsoparm, then Split, and then ShrinkTrimmedSrf, and then deleting the extra isoparms.
SplitViewportHorizontal
Split a viewport horizontally.

Menu: View > Viewport Layout > Split Horizontal
SplitViewportVertical
Split a viewport vertically.

Menu: View > Viewport Layout > Split Vertical
Splits the active viewport with a vertical line into two viewports.
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Spotlight
Insert a spotlight.

Menu: Render > Create Spotlight
1 At the Base of cone (Vertical) prompt, pick a target point for the spotlight.
2 At the Radius (Diameter)prompt, set the radius of the spotlight.
Or, enter D to set the spotlight width by diameter.
3 At the End of cone prompt, pick a location for the spotlight.
The spotlight object appears as a cone shape. Its light appears only in full renderings of the targeted
objects.
The spot light icon does not render or shade.
Spotlight icon
Spotlight properties
Use the Properties command to set the color and intensity of light the spotlight will cast, assign a render
color to the spotlight object with the. Darker colors, like gray, light the scene less.
Note
Turn on the spotlight's control points and move or drag the control points to edit the spotlight's
direction, length, beam angle, hotspot angle, and position.
Spotlights with narrower cones produce more detail than spotlights with wider cones.
The shape of the cone affects the lighting. The cone that you see on the screen is a visual
representation of a cone that keeps on extending forever.
The cone for the spotlight represents the direction of the light, not the range of the light.
The brightness of the light from the spotlight doesn't decrease the farther that you get away from the
tip of the cone - it stays the same.
The length and width of the spotlight together do control the shape of the infinite cone in space that is
illuminated by the spotlight.
Objects near the center axis line of the cone are illuminated the most brightly. That bright full
illumination continues for half of the width of the cone, and then slowly drops off to nothing at the
very outside of the cone.
Spotlight hardness controls the fully illuminated region. You can either shrink it or to expand it so that
there is no drop-off at all. The easiest way to see what this does it to create a plane and a single
spotlight shining on it, and then play with the spotlight hardness parameter to see what it does.
SrfControlPtGrid
Create a surface by picking a grid of control points.
Toolbar: Surface 2
1 At the Degree in U prompt, enter a u-direction degree for the surface.
2 At the Degree in V prompt, enter a v-direction degree for the surface.
3 At the Number of control points in U prompt enter a control point count for the u-direction
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4 At the Number of control points in V prompt enter a control point count for the v-direction
5 At the Choose a point prompts, enter points until all the control points have been entered.
SrfPt
Draw a surface by corner points.
Toolbar: Main and Surface

Menu: Surface > Corner Points
1 At the First corner of surface prompt, choose the first corner.
2 At the Second corner of surface prompt, choose the second corner.
3 At the Third corner of surface prompt, choose the third corner.
4 At the Fourth corner of surface prompt, choose the fourth corner.
Or, press Enter to create a triangular surface.
Surface from three points
Surface from four points
Note
Use different construction planes or elevator mode to draw a non-planar surface.
SrfPtGrid
Create a surface by picking a grid of points.
Toolbar: Surface 2
Menu: Surface > From Point Grid
1 At the Number of points in a row prompt, enter an integer number above 2 and press Enter.
2 At the Number of points in a column prompt, enter an integer number above 2 and press Enter.
3 At the Point prompts, enter points until all the points have been entered.
Options
Closed
The surface can be closed in one or both directions. The created surface will be closed in the direction
whose point count is being requested.
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Degree
The degree of the surface in the direction whose point count is being requested.
KeepPoints
When on, this option will create point objects at the coordinates that are entered in the command. When
off, the surface is created but not point objects.
Note
The points in the grid must be entered one at a time and in order. This command is most useful when
you have an ordered grid of points in a text file and use it in conjunction with the
ReadCommandFile command.
Example command file to create an approximate cylinder

To see this example perform, select the following text, copy it, and run the CommandPaste command.
! SrfPtGrid
KeepPoints
3
Closed
6
0,-5,0
4.33,-2.5,0
4.33,2.5,0
0,5,0
-4.33,2.5,0
-4.33,-2.5,0
0,-5,5
4.33,-2.5,5
4.33,2.5,5
0,5,5
-4.33,2.5,5
-4.33,-2.5,5
0,-5,10
4.33,-2.5,10
4.33,2.5,10
0,5,10
-4.33,2.5,10
-4.33,-2.5,10
StatusBar
Toggle the display of the status bar.
SubCrv
Trim a curve by two points.
1 At the Select curve to shorten prompt, select a curve.
The marker is constrained to the curve.
2 At the Start of curve prompt, pick a point for the new start point.
3 At the End of curve prompt, pick a point for the new end point.
SwapUV
Swap a the u- and v-directions of a surface.
At the Select surface to swap u and v directions prompt, select a surface that is not a
polysurface.
SwapView
Swap views of two viewports.
At the Click in viewport to swap prompt, click in the other viewport to swap.
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Sweep1
Create a one-rail sweep.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Sweep 1 Rail
1 At the Select rail curve prompt, select the single rail curve for sweeping.
2 At the Select cross-section curves prompts, select curves in the order that the surface will pass
through them and press Enter.
3 In the Sweep 1 Rail Options dialog box, adjust options.
One-rail sweep
Options
Point
Creates a surface that begins or ends at a point, use this option only at the start or end of the curve
series.
Style
Freeform twisting
The shape curve rotates to maintain its angle to the rail throughout the sweep.
Roadlike top
The shape curve maintains its angle with the Top construction plane throughout the sweep.
Roadlike front
The shape curve maintains its angle with the Front construction plane throughout the sweep.
Roadlike right
The shape curve maintains its angle with the Right construction plane throughout the sweep.
Follow edge
If the rail is a surface edge, the shape will twist with the surface edge. If the shapes are tangent to the
surface, the new surface should also be tangent.
Closed sweep
Creates a closed surface, continuing the surface past the last curve around to the first curve. Only
available after you enter three cross-section curves.
Shaded preview
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Simplify
Do not simplify
Does nothing to the shape curves before creating the sweep.
Rebuilds the shape curves before creating the sweep.
Refit within units
Refits the shape curves before creating the sweep. The default distance is the global tolerance value set in
the Document Properties dialog box Units.
Preview
Click to preview the surface.
Note
To create a single surface, the cross section curves need to be compatible. If you use the Smooth
option, the cross section curves are refit with compatible cubic splines. If you don't use Smooth, the
cross section curves are made compatible by degree elevation and knot addition. (The original curves
are not modified.) You can specify fitting tolerances for both the rails and the cross section curves.
With closed rail curves, the first cross section curve selected gets added to the end of the list if you
choose to create a closed surface.
Sweep2
Create a 2-rail sweep.
Toolbar: Surface
Menu: Surface > Sweep 2 Rails
1 At the Select 2 rail curves prompts, select two curves as the rails for the sweep.
2 At the Select cross-section curves prompts, select curves in the order that the surface will pass
through them and press Enter.
3 In the Sweep 2 Rail Options dialog box, adjust options.
The swept surface is created.
Two-rail sweep
Options
Point
Creates a surface that begins or ends at a point. Use this option only at the start or end of the curve
series.
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Maintain height
Shape curves are normally scaled in both the height and width dimensions by default. To decouple the
height scaling from the width scaling, use the Maintain height option.
Two-rail sweep without Maintain height option
Two-rail sweep with Maintain height option

Closed sweep
Creates a closed surface continuing the surface past the last curve around to the first curve. Only available
after you enter three cross-section curves.
Shaded preview
Simplify
Do not simplify
Does nothing to the shape curves before creating the sweep.
Rebuilds the shape curves before creating the sweep.
Refit within units
Refits the shape curves before creating the sweep. The default distance is the global tolerance value set
in Document Properties dialog box Units.
Rail continuity
Position
Matches the adjacent surface edge position.
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Tangency
Matches the adjacent surface edge tangency.

Curvature
Matches the adjacent edge curvature.

Preserve first shape
When you are matching edge tangency or curvature, your surface may pull away from your profile curves.
This option forces the surface shape to match the first profile curve.
Preserve last shape
When you are matching edge tangency or curvature, your surface may pull away from your profile curves.
This option forces the surface shape to match the last profile curve.
Preview
Click to preview the surface.
Note
If you create an open surface from closed rails and exactly two cross-section curves, one of two
possible surfaces appears. If you get the wrong surface, repeat the command and select the cross-
section curves in the opposite order.
To create a single surface, the cross-section curves need to be compatible. If you use the Rebuild
option, the cross-section curves are refit with compatible curves. If you don't use Rebuild, the cross-
section curves are made compatible by degree elevation and knot addition. (The original curves are
not modified.)
With closed rail curves, the first cross-section curve selected gets added to the end of the list if you
choose to create a closed sweep.
If the input to Sweep2 is two rails and a single shape curve, the sweep starts on the rails where the
shape curve touches them, and continues to the ends of the rails, so that the edge of the far end of
the sweep is the analogue of the initial shape curve, and it touches the rail curves at their ends.
If the input to Sweep2 is two rails and two or more shape curves, the sweep starts and ends where
the "end" shape curves touch the rails.
If you want the same shape curve to be used in the whole sweep, but want to control where the
sweep ends, use the Orient commands to create a scaled copy of the shape curve and place its ends
at the places on the rail curves where you want the sweep to stop.
SynchronizeViews
Set the scale and center of all viewports to match the active viewport.
Menu View > Zoom > Synchronize Views
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The SynchronizeViews command works best if when the "active" viewport is a plan orthographic
viewport that displays what you want to look at.
If you only have one viewport or a viewport is maximized, the SynchronizeViews command does
nothing.
Note
The SynchronizeViews command has no effect on perspective views.
Taper
Taper objects.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Taper
2 At the Start of taper axis prompt, pick the first point of the axis line you want to taper the objects
around.
3 At the End of taper axis prompt, pick the second point of the axis line you want to taper the objects
around.
4 At the Start distance ( Flat=No Copy ) prompt, enter half the beginning new width for the objects
to fit into, or pick a point relative to the taper axis start point.
Type C if you want to make a copy of your original objects instead of tapering them.
5 At the End distance ( Flat=No Copy ) prompt, enter half the ending new width for the objects to fit
into, or pick a point relative to the taper axis end point.
Type C if you want to make a copy of your original objects instead of tapering them.
Options
Flat
Creates a uni-directional 1-D taper.
Normal taper
Taper with Flat option

Copy
Creates a copy of the tapered object.
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Note
The length of the axis that you pick is important. The taper only applies to the points of objects that
are inside of that axis. If you make an axis that is smaller than an object, you will only taper that part
of the object.
Taper moves the control points of objects. You have to construct your object with a lot of control
points so that it will taper properly.
You can't taper a polysurface - only control points, curves, surfaces, and meshes.
TCone
Draw a truncated cone.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Truncated Cone
1 At the Base of truncated cone ( Vertical ) prompt, choose a center point for the base.
2 At the Radius prompt, choose a radius for the base of the cone.
3 At the second Radius prompt, choose a radius for the top surface of the cone.
4 At the End of cone prompt, choose a point for the center of the top surface of the cone.
Solid truncated cone
Solid truncated cone with Vertical option
Options
Vertical
Type V and press Enter to draw the cone vertical to the current construction plane.
Diameter
Type D and press Enter to draw the cone's base or top surface by diameter.
Note
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Text
Create two-dimensional annotation text.
Toolbar: Main and Dimensions

Menu: Dimension > Text Block
1 At the Text location prompt, enter the start position for the text.
2 In the Edit Text dialog box, set the options.
3 Type the text.
two-dimensional text
Options
text.
Font
Sets the font for the annotation text. Text supports Unicode (double-byte font) for Windows NT, 2000, and
XP.
Scaled size
The size you want the text to print. This is with the understanding you will print with Print to scale value
equal to the inverse of the Annotation Scale Factor.
This is set by the Scale Factor setting in the Document Properties dialog box on the Dimension tab.
Model size
Example
Note
The text will only be visible in a parallel plan view of the construction plane on which it is placed. It
will not show in a perspective view.
TextObject
Create text-shaped objects from curves, surfaces, or solids based on TrueType fonts.
Toolbar: Main
Menu: Solid > Text
Creates two or three-dimensional text from True Type fonts, in the form of curves, surfaces, or solids.
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Create text using planar surfaces

1 In the Add Text dialog box, in the Font box, select a font.
2 In the Font Style box, select a style.
3 In the Text height box, specify the height of the text characters.
4 Under Create, select Surfaces.
5 In the Text box, type text characters to make into surfaces.
The text appears in the Sample window.
Text surfaces are created on the construction plane of the active viewport near the origin.
The text surfaces are selected for moving into position or resizing.
Text as planar surfaces

Create text using 3-D solids
1 In the Add Text dialog box, in the Font box, select a font.
2 In the Font Style box, select a style.
3 In the Text height box, specify the height of the text characters.
4 Under Create, select Solid.
5 In the Thickness box enter an extrusion depth for the text solids.
6 In the Text box, type text characters to make into solids.
The text appears in the Sample window.
Text solids are created on the construction plane of the active viewport near the origin.
The text solids are selected for moving into position or resizing.
Text as 3D solids
Solid text rendered with Shade
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TiltLeft
Tilt the view left.
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Page Up
Note
This command is most useful in command scripts.
TiltRight
Tilt the view right.
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Page Down
Note
This command is most useful in command scripts.
Title
Toggle the display of the title bar.
ToggleOsnap
Toggle the Osnap dialog box.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Tools > Object Snap > Persistent Osnap Dialog
Status bar: Osnap
The Osnap dialog box shows or hides.
Toolbar
Edit toolbar layout.
Toolbar: Tools
The Toolbars dialog box shows the contents of the workspace. The workspace holds the toolbars, the
buttons in them, the screen position of each toolbar, and whether it is hidden or showing.
Use the Toolbars dialog box to rename toolbars, adjust the show and hide status of toolbars, adjust the
size of buttons, create new toolbars, add new buttons to toolbars, import toolbars from a different
workspace file, and to delete toolbars from the workspace.
Top
Set to world top view.
Toolbar: Set View

Menu: View > Set View > Top
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Set View > Top
Note
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to
Torus
Draw a torus.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Torus
1 At the Center of torus prompt, choose a center point.
2 At the Radius prompt, choose a radius for the centerline of the torus tube.
3 At the Second radius prompt, choose a radius for the cross section of the tube.
Solid torus
Option:
Vertical
The torus is drawn vertical to the construction plane
AroundCurve
The torus is centered and perpendicular to a point on a curve,
Diameter
The torus sizes are entered by diameter.
Note
The first point can be anywhere in 3-D space. The next points are constrained to a plane that goes
Trim
Trim objects with cutting objects.

Menu: Edit > Trim
1 At the Select cutting objects. Press Enter to clear selection and start over ( Options )
prompt, select objects you want to trim other objects with.
2 When you are finished selecting objects, press Enter.
3 At the Select object to trim ( Options ) prompt, click the parts of objects to trim away.
4 When you are finished trimming, press Enter.
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Trim input
Trim result
Options
Extend Lines
When line objects are used as cutting objects, imaginary extensions of the line are used. This makes it
unnecessary to manually extend lines that do not intersect the objects to trim.
Use Apparent Intersections
When this option is selected the objects are trimmed in relation to the view. They do not need to intersect
in 3-D space. They only need to appear to intersect in the active viewport.
Note
You can trim curves and surfaces with curves, surfaces and polysurfaces. Polysurfaces can only be
trimmed with surfaces and polysurfaces.
If you are having a hard time selecting the parts you want to trim off, use Split and then delete the
unwanted parts.
Use Untrim or DetachTrim to remove a trimming boundary from a surface.
When you trim a surface with a curve in a plan parallel view like the default Top, Front, and Right
view, the cutting curve is projected on the surface in the view direction.
When you trim a surface with a planar curve in an angled parallel or a perspective view like the
default Perspective view, the cutting curve is projected on the surface in a direction perpendicular to
the curve plane.
When you trim a surface with a 3-D curve in an angled parallel or a perspective view, the cutting
curve is pulled on the surface by closest points.
To trim a surface with more than one curve, use trim several times, or use Split.
Tube
Draw a tube.
Toolbar: Solid
Menu: Solid > Tube
1 At the Choose base point ( Vertical ) prompt, choose a center point for the tube's base.
2 At the first Radius prompt, choose a radius for the tube wall size.
3 At the second Radius prompt, choose a radius for the second tube wall size.
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4 At the End of tube prompt, choose a point for the center of the other end of the tube.
The tube is a polysurface of four joined surfaces.
Solid tube
Solid tube with Vertical option
Options
Vertical
Type V and press Enter to draw the tube vertical to the current construction plane.
Diameter
Type D and press Enter to draw the tube's inner or outer walls by diameter.
Note
The first point can be anywhere in 3-D space. The next points are constrained to a plane that goes
Turntable
Continuously rotate your view.
Note
The view rotates about the target point. Use the PlaceTarget command to set the center of rotation.
Press Esc to stop the turntable.
You can pan and zoom while Turntable is running.
You can use the Turntable command inside surface analysis commands, Shade, and Render
Preview.
Click and drag with the right mouse button to stop the turntable. Let go of the mouse button and it
keeps going.
Twist
Twist objects.
Toolbar: Transform
Menu: Transform > Twist
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2 At the Start of twist axis prompt, choose a point on the twist axis.
The part of the object closest to this point will be fully twisted, and the part farthest from it will keep
its original orientation.
3 At the End of twist axis prompt, choose a second point on the axis.
4 At the Angle or first reference point ( Copy ) prompt, type in an angle, or choose a point to rotate
from.
Or, to twist copies of the objects, type c and press Enter.
If you entered a point to rotate from, the following prompt appears.
5 At the Second reference point ( Copy ) prompt, choose the second point to define the rotation
angle.
Twist
Options
Copy
Note
The length of the axis that you pick is important. Twist only applies to the points of objects that are
inside of that axis. If you make an axis that is smaller than an object, you will only twist that part of
the object.
Twist moves the control points of objects. You have to construct your object with a lot of control
points so that it will twist properly.
You can't twist a polysurface - only control points, curves, surfaces, and meshes.
Undo
Undo the last command.
Toolbar: Standard and Geometry Fix

Menu: Edit > Undo
Shortcut: Ctrl+Z
Note
You can undo most recent or several create, edit, or transform commands. You cannot undo File
operations or changes made to the layers, viewports, or construction planes. Use Undo view
change to undo changes made to the view.
The number of commands you can undo depends on the minimum number of undo levels and the
memory size reserved for undo. By default Rhino reserves 512kB for undo, but also makes sure at
least 10 undo steps are always stored. You can change the undo options on the Options dialog box,
General tab.
The opposite to undo is Redo.
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UndoMultiple
Provides a list of commands you can undo.
Menu: Edit > Undo Multiple
The UndoMultiple command accepts steps=number command line option. This makes this command
scriptable.
An example script:
! UndoMultiple steps=10
undoes last 10 steps
! RedoMultiple steps=10
redoes last 10 undone steps
UndoSelected
Undoes the last action on a selected object.
Note
The UndoSelected command undoes the whole operation for the selected object. For example, if the
selected object and other things were moved in the same operation, if you use UndoSelected to undo
the Move, all the other objects that were moved in the same operation will also be "unmoved."
Ungroup
Remove the group status from a selected group.
Ungrouping objects destroys the group allowing individual objects to be selected. You can then apply
commands to the individual objects.
Menu: Edit > Ungroup

Shortcut: Ctrl+U
UnifyMeshNormals
Unify polygon mesh normals.

Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh >Unify Normals
Select a single unjoined mesh.

The normals of all the faces of the mesh now point to one side of the mesh.
The UnifyMeshNormals command changes the direction of the surface normals of a mesh object so they
all face the same direction. This command is useful for tidying up your mesh objects for export into 3D
Studio.
To test if the mesh needs to be unified

Menu: File > Properties
1 On the Render tab, clear the Render Backfaces checkbox.
2 Render your mesh.
If some of the faces that should render disappear, their normals are flipped. Use UnifyMeshNormals
to make them all match.
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Note
If UnifyMeshNormals doesn't seem to affect your mesh, explode it. Once the normals are correct,
re-join the meshes.
A polygon can have two types of normals: vertex normals and a face normal.
All polygons have a face normal direction, but many polygon meshes do not have vertex normals. For
example, 3DFace object, all mesh primitives and all polygon meshes imported in formats other than
3DM and 3DS do not have vertex normals at all.
In general, the order of the vertices in a polygon determines the face normal direction. The order of
the vertices should be either clockwise or counterclockwise. The normal direction is determined from
the vertices using right hand rule.
UnifyMeshNormals is primarily for making sure the order of the vertices in all polygons in welded
polygon meshes is the same.
A potential workflow is:

1 Import STL file with holes in it.
2 Use 3DFace to fill the holes in the mesh.
3 Join the 3DFaces to the mesh with JoinMesh.
4 Weld the mesh setting the welding angle to 180 to make sure all vertices get welded.
5 Use UnifyMeshNormals.
6 Turn on one sided rendering and shade the model to see if the mesh face normals point in or out. If
you see inside the mesh, normals point the wrong way.
7 Use Flip to change the mesh normal direction if necessary.
8 Export in desired format.
Units
Opens the Document Properties dialog box with the Units tab displayed.
UnLock
Unlock locked objects.
Toolbar: Visibility
Menu: Edit > Visibility > Unlock
UnLockSelected
Unlock selected locked objects.
Toolbar: Visibility
Menu: Edit > Visibility > Unlock Selected
The locked objects display.
1 At the Select objects to unlock prompt, select the objects you want to unlock.
2 Press Enter when you are finished selecting objects.
UnpackTextures
Packs the mesh textures of meshes in the selection set.
When polysurfaces are meshed, the packed texture coordinates are created. A packed texture is a
partition of the unit square into disjoint sub-rectangles so that one bitmap can be use to apply
independent textures to each face of the polysurface.
The PackTextures command will pack the mesh textures of every mesh and render mesh in the selection
set. If more than one object is selected, the packing "spreads" the texture over all the objects. The
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UnpackTextures command returns every mesh and render mesh in the selection set to the unpacked
state.
These commands are generally for paint program plug-in programmers.
Polysurface made of four surfaces.
Packed textures.
Unpacked textures.
UnrollSrf
Unroll (flatten to a plane) a surface.

Menu: Surface > Unroll Developable Srf
At the Select surface to unroll or Select curves to unroll prompt, select a surface or curves.
If the surface is developable, a new surface on the current layer is created that is flattened on the
construction plane at the origin point.
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A developed cylinder
A developed cone
Note
You can use Gaussian curvature analysis to determine which areas of a surface have double
curvature and are not developable.
This command may take some time.
This is not like folding out a box, In Rhino, a developable surface has to be single span linear.
Surfaces such as spheres, tori, and surfaces curved in two directions cannot be developed.
Curves on a surface can also be developed. This is useful if you are trying to develop a trimmed
polysurface. In some situations where the surface cannot be developed, you can remove the trim
curves, develop the surface and curves and then trim the developed surface.
If the flattened rail is a different length from the 3-D rail it came from by more than the current
tolerance setting, an information message is printed at the command line.
If the area of the developed surface is different from the 3-D surface by a significant amount (2 x
tolerance x sqrt(area)), an information message is printed at the command line. A difference in the
area means that the surface wasn't really developable, and some stretching or compressing had to be
done to get it flat.
UnrollSrf will reject any surface that is not 1 span of degree 1 in at least one direction. If you make a
surface with Loft using the Straight sections option, or some other way except with Loft using the
Developable option, it may be geometrically developable, but not meet that requirement.
The UnrollSrf algorithm has been programmed so that the rails will be quite accurate in length
compared to the originals. The process is to make a sort of micro-fan of alternating triangles in the
quadrilateral between consecutive rulings and then plotting those triangles on a flat plane. Think of it
as if the surface was made of fan-folded paper with very skinny triangles that get expanded out to a
plane.
If the surface grows or shrinks in area, it means that the fan-fold analogy doesn't work very well and
the surface can't be flattened this way. Usually this is because there is compound curvature and the
folds can't be straight lines
Untrim
Untrim a surface, removing any attached geometry.
Toolbar: Main, Surface Tools, and Geometry Fix

Menu: Surface > Edit Tools > Untrim
At the Select boundary to detach prompt, pick on an edge boundary of a trimmed surface.
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Any geometry attached to the edges of the boundary is deleted.
Trimmed surface.
Untrim removes the trimming curve.
Untrim joined polysurfaces.
Untrim removes the hole and the attached geometry.
Note
Compare with Detach the trimming boundary from a surface.
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ViewCPlaneBack
Set to construction plane back view.
Toolbar: CPlane View

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Back
ViewCPlaneBottom
Set to construction plane bottom view.

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Bottom
ViewCPlaneFront
Set to construction plane front view.

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Front
ViewCPlaneLeft
Set to construction plane left view.

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Left
ViewCPlaneRight
Set to construction plane right view.

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Right
ViewCPlaneTop
Set to construction plane top view.

Menu View > Set Camera > CPlane Top
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ViewportProperties
Edit viewport properties.

Menu: View > Viewport Properties
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Properties
Options
Viewport title
Type a title for the viewport that shows in the top left corner of a viewport.
Projection
Select between parallel and perspective projection.
Lens length on 35mm camera
When the projection is set to perspective, you can change the lens length of the camera. The default lens
length in Rhino is 100mm.
A "normal" lens length for a 35mm camera is 43-50mm.
Camera and target location
Camera
The camera location in world coordinates. Type in or click Pick to select a new location for the
camera.
Target
The camera target location in world coordinates. Type in or click Pick to select a new location for
the target
Pick both
Asks you to pick a location for both the camera and target.
Viewport info
Shows the active viewport size in pixels and the name of the possible background bitmap.
ViewportTitle
Toggle viewport titles.
Note
You can set other display options on the Options dialog box, Appearance tab.
Right-click the viewport title to open the viewport title menu.
Volume
Calculate the volume of surfaces or polysurfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Volume
At the Select solids for volume calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or closed polysurfaces
and press Enter.
The volume displays on the command line in the format Volume = 623.3921 (+/- 0.0001).
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VolumeCentroid
Calculate the volume centroid of surfaces or polysurfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Volume Centroid
At the Select solids for volume centroid calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or closed
polysurfaces.
The volume centroid displays on the command line in the format Volume Centroid = -2.9553974,-4e-
016,3.4649522 (+/- 6.7e-007,1.2e-007,6.7e-007).
VolumeMoments
Calculate the volume moments of surfaces or polysurfaces.

Menu: Analyze > Mass Properties > Volume Moments
1 At the Select solids for volume moment calculation prompt, select closed surfaces or closed
polysurfaces.
First moments, second moments, product moments, volume moments of inertia about world
coordinate axes, volume radii of gyration about world coordinate axes, volume moments of inertia
about centroid coordinate axes, and volume radii of gyration about centroid coordinate axes are
printed at the command prompt.
VRBSrf
Create a variable radius blend between two surfaces.
1 At the Select first surface for variable radius blend prompt, select a surface or part of a
polysurface.
2 At the Select second surface for variable radius blend prompt, select a surface or part of a
polysurface.
3 At the Start radius prompt, enter or drag a radius for the start of the blend.
4 At the End radius <x> prompt, enter or drag a radius, or press Enter to use the same radius as the
start.
5 At the Point on edge prompts, choose a point on the edge, or press Enter to complete specifying
intermediate blend radii.
6 If an edge point was picked, at the Blend radius at this point <x> prompt, enter a radius for this
point.
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Variable radius blend after trimming original surfaces
Note
Variable Radius Blend works best if the surfaces share the edge to fillet and the edge ends meet the
edge to fillet at right angles, like adjacent surfaces in a cube.
In other cases, one possibility is to create a curve that follows the edge to fillet and extends beyond
the edge at both ends, use Circle with AroundCurve option to place desired radius circles along the
curve, use Sweep1 to build a surface from the curve and the circles, Split or Trim the surfaces with
the swept surface and build a blend surface between the trimmed edges.
Wallpaper
Display wallpaper.
Wallpaper is a bitmap that displays behind the grid in a viewport. It does not change when you zoom,
pan, or rotate your view.
Note
The wallpaper does not appear when you render the viewport.
Weight
Edit control point weight.

Menu: Edit > Point Editing > Edit Weight
1 Select control points for weight adjustment.
2 In the Set Control Point Weight dialog box, use the slider to adjust the weight of the selected
control points.
Note
You can type an exact weight in the Weight box. The boxes on either end of the slider bar set the
range of weights for the slider.
The initial focus in the dialog box is in the Weight box to make it easy to type a new weight or paste
it from the Clipboard.
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Weld
Weld polygon meshes.

Menu: Tools > Polygon Mesh >Weld
1 Select the group of polygon mesh objects.
2 At the Angle tolerance prompt, enter an maximum angle between mesh polygon normals where
welding of points should occur.
If two naked mesh edge points of a selected mesh are coincident and their neighboring faces are
within the angle tolerance of each other, they are replaced by a single mesh point. If the two points
were from different "sub-meshes" of a joined mesh, the meshes become one mesh that cannot be
exploded.
To perform a similar operation with control points, see the SetPt command.
Welding polygon meshes affect rendering, texture mapping on mesh objects, and file export for
stereolithography.
Smoother Rendering
In wireframe these two meshes look the same.
When shaded, the red mesh looks smooth and the blue mesh looks chunky.
Every triangle point in the red mesh is welded to its neighbors. This causes the shader to make that point
look smooth. No points in the blue mesh are welded. This causes the points in the blue mesh to look
sharp.
Suppose you want the blue mesh to look smoother. For example say you want the five triangle "roof" and
"floor" to look smooth but you want the square walls to stay chunky.
First you have to figure out the angle tolerance. Conceptually this is the angle where you want shaded
creases to look sharp. In our case, the angle between a wall and its neighboring wall is about 60 degrees
and the angle between a wall and the roof is around 55 degrees. The angle between neighboring roof
triangles is around 35 degrees. If we want a smooth roof, then we'd like the 55 and 60 degree edges to
look sharp and the 35 degree edges to look smooth. To get this to happen, we can use weld with an angle
of 40.
A Do a Render where the roof and walls show nicely and leave the image visible. B Select the blue mesh
and do a Weld with angle=40. C Do a Render and compare with the result from A.
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Texture Mapping
Texture mapping coordinates control how a texture gets wrapped around the object. They are two-
dimensional coordinates attached to a polygon vertex that tell which point on the texture bitmap gets
mapped to this vertex. The points between the vertices are interpolated from the vertex values.
The bottom left corner of the bitmap is the origin, the bottom right is (1,0), top left is (0,1) and top right
(1,1). The texture mapping coordinates are always between these values. In Rhino the mapping
coordinates cannot be edited directly.
There can only be one pair of texture mapping coordinates attached to a single vertex. That's why welding
vertices and thus removing the overlapping duplicates throws away all but one pair of texture mapping
coordinates.
The mesh on the right has been welded and the one on the left not.
This artifact is caused by Rhino throwing away half the mapping coordinates along the start/end seam.
The result is some of the texture is missing and the missing part is filled with a mirror image of the rest of
the texture.
When you Mesh objects using the simple mesh controls, they always get welded. The only way to make
unwelded meshes is to use detailed controls.
Welding meshes with texture mapping coordinates is irreversible. The mapping coordinates cannot be
recovered from the remaining mesh information.
To remove welding (and to also lose the texture mapping coordinates) the geometry must be exported in
3DFace DXF (preserves quads) or RAW (all triangles) formats and then imported back.
Difference from Rendering Programs

If you are using uv texture mapping coordinates generated by Rhino in your target application (for
example, 3D Studio MAX).
Welding in Rhino physically fuses overlapping vertices into one. Thus, the resulting vertex can only have
one texture mapping coordinate attached to it. Possible other mapping coordinates are tossed away and
this will show as texture wrap-arounds in the rendered image.
Welding in MAX is different. It does not physically fuse the vertices, but simply makes the vertex look
smooth in the rendered image. The vertices themselves stay separate and thus the texture mapping
coordinates are preserved.
So if you plan to use uv-texture mapping in MAX and want to use the uv-texture mapping coordinates
generated by Rhino, you will most likely want to export the mesh unwelded and do the welding in MAX. A
mesh that has been welded in Rhino cannot be unwelded later.
STL Mesh Export Diagnostics

For some rapid prototyping machines, STL files must contain completely closed (watertight) polygon mesh
objects.
You might want to do this to make sure the meshes really do fit together before exporting them for use in
an expensive STL job.
Use JoinMesh, then Weld (angle=180), UnifyMeshNormals to turn a group of meshes into a single
watertight mesh object. Then use SelNakedMeshEdgePt to find the open (naked) edges.
See Importing and exporting STL files.
Note
Weld will not merge vertices of two different meshes, they must be joined before welding is effective.
Weld does not report the results on the command line.
There is no way to "un-weld" meshes.
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What
Display object information.
At the Select object prompt, select a curve, surface, or polysurface.
Information about the nature of the object and its layer appears at the command line.
The same information appears on the Info tab of the dialog box from the Properties command.
WireframeViewport
Set the viewport to display in wireframe mode.
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Wireframe
Wireframe display mode
WireShade1
Shade the current viewport with wireframe.
Toolbar: Render and Organic

The surfaces and polysurfaces are shaded in the current viewport. The wireframe of the objects, the grid,
axes, object highlighting, and view background are unchanged from the normal wireframe display. Objects
can be selected and highlighted without losing the shading.
WorldAxes
Toggle the display of world axes.
World axes icon on
441
World axes icon off
Note
The WorldXAxisIcon=, WorldYAxisIcon=, and WorldZAxisIcon= settings in the Rhino.ini file set the
color for the icon.
Zbuffer
Show Z-buffer.
Displays the z-buffer information of a viewport in a bitmap form.
When objects are rendered in Rhino, the distance of each pixel from your viewpoint is tracked. All of those
distance values together are called the "z-buffer" for that viewport.
That's how Rhino can tell if an object is visible or not when rendering - it compares the depth for the pixel
it wants to draw, and if the depth is closer than the current value for that pixel in the z-buffer, then the
new pixel is closer and should replace it.
There is only z-buffer information attached to a viewport after a shade without OpenGL has been done.
The ZBuffer command displays this information in bitmap form, where white is the closest to your eye,
and black is the farthest away.
This information can be used to create random-dot stereograms.
Zebra
Analyze surfaces using zebra stripes.

Menu: Analyze > Surface > Zebra
1 Select objects for zebra stripe analysis.
2 In the Zebra Options dialog box, set the stripe direction, size, and color.
The base color of the object is based on the shade settings. It can either be the layer color or a
specific color you set in the Options dialog box, on the Shade tab. Set the stripe color to contrast
with the base color of the object to see the zebra stripes.
The first stage is to set the detail level for the analysis mesh. You can adjust the density of the mesh
if the level of detail is not fine enough.
442
Note
The Zebra command is one of a series of visual surface analysis commands. These commands use
NURBS surface evaluation and rendering techniques to help you visually analyze surface smoothness,
curvature, and other important properties.
If the stripes have kinks or jump sideways as they cross the connection from one surface to the next,
the surfaces touch, but have a kink or crease at the point where the zebra stripes jag. This indicates
G0 (position only) continuity between the surfaces.
Position only (G0)

If the stripes line up as they cross the connection but turn sharply at the connection, this means the
position and tangency between the surfaces matches. This indicates G1 (position + tangency)
continuity between the surfaces. Surfaces that are connected with Fillet display this behavior.
Tangent matches; curvature does not match (G1)

If the stripes match and continue smoothly over the connection, this means the position, tangency,
and curvature between the surfaces match. This indicates G2 (position + tangency + curvature)
continuity between the surfaces. Surfaces connected with BlendSrf, MatchSrf, or NetworkSrf
display this behavior. The NetworkSrf options allow any of these connections when you use surface
edges as part of the curve network.
Position, curvature, and tangency match (G2)

When you use the Zebra command, if the selected objects that do not have surface analysis meshes,
an invisible mesh will be created based on the settings in the Polygon Mesh Options dialog box.
mesh.
443
Windows 2000 OpenGL

If you are using Windows 2000 and your environment map display does not look right, you will need to
change a setting in the Options dialog box, Shade tab to use a different driver for zebra mapping.
This is an example of what the zebra map should look like on a sphere:
Correct zebra
The Windows 2000 OpenGL driver bug causes mapping like this:
Incorrect zebra
If your zebra mapping displays this behavior, in the Options dialog box, on the Shade tab, under Zebra
and EMap, select More reliable.
When More reliable is selected, Rhino uses it's own mapping functions. The new default setting with new
installs is More reliable which causes the Zebra command to be slower on some computers, but will
always work. When Faster is selected, Rhino uses the OpenGL driver to calculate environment maps and
zebra stripes.
ZoomDynamic
Zooms in and out as you drag with the left mouse button down.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Dynamic
Click and drag in a viewport to zoom.

Shortcuts for Zoom:
Press and hold Ctrl and drag up and down with the right mouse button to zoom in and out.
If you have a wheel mouse, you can rotate the wheel to zoom in and out.
Press Page Up to zoom in and Page Down to zoom out.
444
ZoomExtents
Zoom to the extents of visible objects
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Extents
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Zoom > Extents
Zooms to the extents of visible objects in the active viewport.
ZoomExtentsAll
Zoom to the extents of visible objects in all viewports.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Extents All
ZoomIn
Zoom in.
Shortcut: PageUp
Zooms in by a factor defined on the Options dialog box View tab.
ZoomNext
Redo the last view change.
Toolbar: Standard and Viewport Layout

Menu: View > Redo View Change
Shortcut: End
ZoomOut
Zoom out.
Shortcut: PageDown
Zooms out by a factor defined on the Options dialog box View tab.
ZoomPrev
Undo the last view change.
Toolbar: Standard and Viewport Layout

Menu: View > Undo View Change
Shortcut: Home
445
ZoomSelected
Zoom to the extents of selected objects.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Selected
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Zoom > Selected
Zooms to the extents of selected objects or points in the active viewport.
ZoomSelectedAll
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Selected All.
Zoom to the extents of selected objects in all viewports.
ZoomTarget
Sets the target point for a window zoom.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: Edit > View > Zoom > Target
At the Select new camera target prompt, pick a point for the center of the view.
The window forms with the target point as the center of the view.
When you rotate a view after ZoomTarget, the scene will rotate about the target point you pick. This
is particularly useful in perspective views.
ZoomWindow
Zoom window.
Toolbar: Standard
Menu: View > Zoom > Window
Menu: Right-click viewport title > Zoom > Window
Shortcut: Z
At the Drag a window to zoom prompts, drag a window to zoom.
Note
In a perspective view, ZoomWindow does not always work exactly the way you would expect.
Sometimes Rhino is not able to determine how close you want to zoom to, especially if there are parts
of several objects inside the zoom rectangle. If you have problems with ZoomWindow, try using
ZoomSelected instead or try to have parts of only a single object inside the rectangle.
ZoomX
Change the zoom factor.
At the Zoom factor prompt, type a zoom factor and press Enter.
A value between 0 and 1 zooms out and a value bigger than 1 zooms in.
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Index
!, 123; toolbar button function, 123 Analyze toolbar, 140, 162, 168, 187, 192, 195,
2Circle command, 5, 170 210, 212, 245, 265, 330, 340, 368, 385
2-D drawings from model, 279 analyze:, 426
2Sphere command, 5, 393 angle: constraint, 14; dimension, 207; from the
34View command, 135 last point, 10; measure between two lines, 140;
3Arc command, 5, 143 set ortho, 312
3Box command, 5, 163 Angle command, 140
3Circle command, 5, 169 angle:, 10, 14, 140, 207, 312
3CPlane command, 5, 181 AngleLine command, 5, 266
3-D Digitize toolbar, 255, 330 animate view, 412
3-D digitizing: about, 127; calibrate, 204, 205; Annotate toolbar, 152, 215
create planar sections, 206; disconnect, 205; AnnotateArrow command, 5, 152
initialize, 203; pause input, 205; set scale, 206; AnnotateArrowhead command, 5, 152
set spacing between points, 207; set up function AnnotateDot command, 5, 215
key for click, 205; sketch curve with, 206; with annotation, 152, 215, 220, 221, 305, 407; add
a MicroScribe, 298; with FaroArm, 239 notes to the model, 305; arrow, 152; arrowhead
3-D Digitizing toolbar, 203, 204, 205, 206, 322, on curve, 152; dot, 215; scale factor, 221, 407
323 Applied Geometry file exchange, 32
3-D digitizing:, 127, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, apply planar curves to a surface, 141
239, 298 ApplyCrv command, 141
3D Studio file exchange, 26, 27, 28, 29, 53; 3DS ApplyCurves command, 5, 141
file format, 27; DOS, 28; MAX 1.2, 29; MAX 2.0, ApplyMesh command, 141
28; MAX 2.5, 27, 28; MAX 3.0 IGES, 53; MAX arc: extend by, 231; extend to a point, 232; from
3.0 OBJ, 29; VIZ, 29 start; end and direction, 144; end and radius,
3DFace command, 135 144; from three points, 143; tangent to two
3DM file exchange, 229, 251, 307, 361, 362 curves, 144
3Plane command, 5, 324 Arc command, 142
3Rectangle command, 5, 346 Arc toolbar, 142, 143, 144
3Sphere command, 5, 393 arc:, 143, 144, 231, 232
3View command, 135 Arc3Pt command, 143
4View command, 135 Arc3Pts command, 5, 143
ACIS file export, 30 ArcDir command, 144
add object to selection, 24 ArcSER command, 144
AddNextU command, 136 ArcTTR command, 144
AddNextV command, 136 Area command, 145
AddPrevU command, 137 AreaCentroid command, 145
AddPrevV command, 138 AreaMoments command, 146
AddToGroup command, 138 arguments at the command line, 125
adjust end bulge, 226 array: along a curve, 149; around a pole, 150;
Adobe Illustrator file exchange, 31 circular, 150; on a surface, 151; polar, 150,
AG file exchange, 32 151; rectangular, 149
AGLib file exchange, 32 Array command, 148
Alias IGES file exchange, 53 Array toolbar, 148, 149, 150, 151
aliases, 5, 88, 230, 251; built into Rhino, 5; array:, 148, 149, 150, 151
export, 230; import, 251; options, 88 ArrayCrv command, 149
align: background bitmap, 139; profile curves, 140 ArrayCrvOnSrf command, 149
Align command, 5, 308 ArrayCurve command, 5, 149
align:, 139 ArrayPolar command, 150
Align3D command, 5, 309 ArraySrf command, 151
AlignBackgroundBitmap command, 139 ArraySurface command, 5, 151
AlignOnSrf command, 5, 309 arrow annotation object, 152
AlignProfiles command, 139 Arrow command, 152
AlignTrace command, 5, 139 arrow keys scroll icon image, 123
All command, 5, 367 Arrowhead command, 152
AllCPlanesThroughPoint command, 5, 140 arrowhead on curve, 152
AllCPlanesThroughPt command, 140 ASAP file exchange, 55
Along object snap, 83 Ascii STL tag, 43
AlongParallel object snap, 83 Ashlar Vellum IGES file exchange, 54
AlongPerp object snap, 82 AssignBlankTexture command, 152
AlongTan object snap, 82 Attach command, 5, 281
Alt key, 2, 76, 133, 180, 197, 255, 333; shortcuts, AttachEnd command, 5, 281
2, 3, 5; suspend autoclose, 198, 255, 333; to Audit command, 152
copy while dragging, 180; to suspend object AutoCAD, 33, 34, 35, 251; command aliases, 251;
snaps, 76 DWG file exchange, 33; DXF file exchange, 33;
analyze: surface with zebra striping, 426 export options, 34; Release 12 export, 34
Autodesk IGES Translator R14, 62
447
AUTOFORM IGES file exchange, 54 bumpmap for rendering, 130, 338

autosave: file location, 90; settings, 152; time buoyancy, 250; center of, 250
control, 90 button, 122, 123, 124, 125; capture button image,
Autosave command, 152 124; clear button image, 124; command, 123;
autosave:, 90, 152 copy toolbar button, 122; delete toolbar button,
AutoShip file exchange, 55 122; edit button icons, 123; edit button image,
axis, 12, 184, 245, 425; display grid, 245; lock, 124; edit toolbar, 123; import button image,
13; set construction plane x, 184; set 124; move toolbar button, 122; save button
construction plane z, 184; toggle world icon, image to file, 125; toolbar, 123, 124
425 C command, 2, 5, 369
Back command, 153 C2View command, 5, 185
back view, 153 CAD 3D SUM 4.0 file exchange, 71
background bitmap: align, 139; hide, 249; move, CADCEUS (IGES) file exchange, 55
297; place, 321; remove, 351; scale, 365; calibrate a 3-D digitizer, 204
show, 384; use, 322 camera, 322, 323; place, 322
Background Bitmap toolbar, 139, 249, 297, 321, CamSoft file exchange, 56
351, 365, 384 cancel command, 123, 133; with Esc key, 133;
background bitmap:, 139, 249, 297, 321, 322, with toolbar button, 123
351, 365, 384 Cap command, 164
bad objects, 368; select, 368 cap open planar ends, 164
Baseball command, 153 capture image for toolbar button, 124
BaseballEllipsoid command, 154 capture viewport, 366, 367; as 256-color bitmap,
baseball-style seams, 153, 154; ellipsoid, 154; 367; as bitmap, 366; to the Clipboard, 366
sphere, 153 CArc command, 5, 231
BD command, 5, 160 CArcPt command, 5, 232
Bend command, 154 CATIA file exchange, 56
Between object snap, 84 center: buoyancy, 250; floatation, 250
Bezier curve, 179; convert NURBS curve to, 179 Center object snap, 79
BI command, 5, 160 center:, 250
bi-rail sweep, 402 centroid, 145; area, 145
Bisector command, 155 chamfer: two curves, 164; two surfaces, 165
bitmap, 139, 249, 297, 320, 321, 322, 351, 365, Chamfer command, 164
384; align backgound, 139; backdrop for chamfer:, 164, 165
rendering, 320; background, 322; hide ChamferSrf command, 165
background, 249; move background, 297; place change, 85, 90, 101, 102, 123, 166, 167, 168,
background, 321; remove background, 351; 312, 392; layer, 101; object properties, 338;
scale background, 365; show hidden ortho angle, 312; snap size, 392; surface
background, 384; use for tracing, 322 degree, 166; the layer of an object, 167; to
blend: curve, 156, 157; surface, 157, 158, 159; current layer, 168; toolbar button tooltip, 123;
variable radius between surfaces, 421 toolbar layout, 409; undo levels, 90
Blend command, 156 ChangeDegree command, 165
blend:, 156, 157, 421 ChangeDegreeSrf command, 166
BlendSrf command, 157 ChangeLayer command, 167
Blue Moon Rendering Tools support, 39 ChangeToCurrentLayer command, 168
BMP file format, 322, 367 Check command, 168
BMRT Lights toolbar, 39 check objects for errors, 168
BMRT Materials toolbar, 39 CheckInLicense command, 168
BMRT support, 39 CheckOutLicense command, 168
Boolean, 114, 115, 116, 118, 160, 161, 243; choose one object, 24
difference, 160; intersection, 160, 161; circle: by diameter, 170; from center; radius, 168;
troubleshooting, 113, 243; union, 161 from three points, 170; tangent to three curves,
BooleanDifference command, 160 171; tangent to two curves, 170
BooleanIntersection command, 160 Circle command, 168
BooleanUnion command, 161 Circle toolbar, 168, 169, 170, 171
Bottom command, 162 circle:, 168, 169, 170, 171
bottom view, 162 Circle3Pt command, 169
BoundingBox command, 162 Circle3Pts command, 5, 169
box: from length; width; height, 162; from three CircleD command, 170
points, 163; polygon mesh, 292 CircleTTR command, 170
Box command, 162 CircleTTT command, 171
Box toolbar, 162, 163 clear, 124, 133, 171, 172, 363; render meshes,
box:, 162, 163, 292 171, 172; render meshes when saving file, 363;
Box3Pt command, 163 selection, 133; toolbar button image, 124; undo
Box3Pts command, 5, 163 buffer, 172
Breault Research's ASAP file exchange, 55 ClearAllMeshes command, 171, 229, 362
BringViewportToTop command, 163 ClearMesh command, 5, 349
B-spline, 133 ClearUndo command, 172
BU command, 5, 161 CLine command, 5, 232
buffer, 172; clear undo, 172 Clipboard, 180, 198, 199, 316; copy to, 180; cut,
built-in aliases, 5 198; paste from, 316
448
close, 119, 164, 172; holes in surfaces, 164; continuity, 176, 177, 245; curve, 245; curve and
render window, 172; toolbar, 119; viewport, surface, 176; G0; G1; G2, 177
172 continuous shading, 218
CloseDisplayWindow command, 172 Contour command, 177
ClosePoint command, 5, 172 contour curves, 177, 178
Closest point to an object, 172 control point definition, 131
ClosestPt command, 172 control points, 114, 115, 136, 137, 138, 155, 166,
CloseViewport command, 172 197, 202, 235, 249, 297, 303, 304, 335, 336,
cloud of points, 327; create curve from, 327 339, 345, 373, 374, 375, 379, 380, 386, 398,
Cob command, 5, 217 406, 422; add next in u-direction to selection,
COff command, 5, 195 136; add next in v-direction to selection, 136;
color, 21, 75, 85, 89, 104, 131; dialog box, 75; add previous in u-direction to selection, 137;
display, 88, 89; false, 131; layer, 75, 104; list, add previous in v-direction to selection, 138;
75; render, 75, 338; wheel, 75 add to surface, 166, 344; bend, 154, 155;
comma-delimited file export, 35 coincident, 114, 115; delete from a curve, 202;
command: alias, 88; assign to mouse buttons, draw curve using, 197; for spotlight editing,
123; display in clipboard or history, 173; display 398; hide, 249, 250; move in u-; v-; and n-
recently used, 90; Esc to cancel, 133; list all, directions, 297; move to coordinate location,
173; macro, 125; paste from clipboard, 173; 379; place point objects on, 235; select next in
read from file, 342; script, 125, 126; undo, 413 u-direction, 303; select next in v-direction, 303;
command aliases. AutoCAD, 251 select previous in u-direction, 335; select
command area, 131 previous in v-direction, 335; select row in v-
command history, 2, 4; shortcut, 2 direction, 375; select row on surface, 373; set
command line, 88, 125, 126, 172, 173; weight, 422; show hidden, 386; taper, 405,
arguments, 126; history, 172; options, 88, 89; 406; turn off, 339; turn on, 339; weld, 379
toggle display of, 173 control polygon, 178, 179, 234; extract, 234;
command names, 5; old, 5 highlight, 179; set display density, 178; toggle
command:, 88, 90, 123, 125, 133, 173, 342, 413 display, 178
CommandHistory command, 172 control vertex, 131
CommandPaste command, 173 ControlPolygon command, 178
CommandPrompt command, 173 ControlPolygonDensity command, 178
commands: list of all, 173 ControlPolygonHighlight command, 179
Commands command, 173 ConvertToBeziers command, 179
commands:, 173 ConvertToCurves command, 5, 236
COn command, 5, 195 ConvertToPolyline command, 179
cone: cone, 173, 174; polygon mesh, 292; ConvertToPolylines command, 5, 179
truncated, 406 Coons patch, 219
Cone command, 173 coordinate entry, 10, 11, 12; construction plane
cone:, 173, 292, 406 coordinates, 11; entering coordinates, 10; polar
ConfigScript command, 126 coordinates, 12; relative coordinates, 11;
conic: curve, 174, 175; perpendicular to curve, relative polar coordinates, 12; world
176 coordinates, 11
Conic command, 174 coordinates, 11, 228; display for a point, 228;
conic:, 174, 176 toggle construction plane entry, 11; toggle
ConicPerp command, 176 world coordinate entry, 11
constraint, 14, 15; along line, 13; angle, 14; copy: command shortcut, 2; objects, 180; objects
distance, 15 to Clipboard, 180; render window to Clipboard,
construction plane, 11, 84, 140, 180, 181, 182, 181; rendering to Clipboard, 181; settings of
183, 184, 245, 246, 298, 323, 338, 343, 359, one construction plane to all, 180; toolbar
362, 419; coordinates, 10, 11; copy settings of button, 122; view to all viewports, 181
one to the all, 180; display axes, 245; import Copy command, 180
from 3DM file, 343; make all have same copy:, 2, 122, 180, 181
orientation, 181; move all through a point, 140; CopyClip command, 180
move along Z, 181; move through a point, 183; CopyCPlaneSettingsToAll command, 180
named construction plane, 298; next, 182; CopyCPlaneToAll command, 181
options, 18, 245; plan view, 323; previous, 183; CopyDisplayWindowToClipboard command, 181
project object snap to, 84; project objects to, CopyViewToAll command, 181
338; rotate, 359; save, 362; set distance Cosmos/M file exchange, 57
between grid lines, 246; set extents of, 246; set CPDash command, 5, 178
front, 181; set normal to curve, 182; set origin, CPHighlight command, 5, 179
182; set origin of all construction planes, 182; CPlane View toolbar, 419
set right, 183; set the number of thin gridlines, CPlane3Pt command, 181
246; set to 3 points, 181; set to next, 182; set CPlane3Pts command, 5, 181
to object, 183; set to previous, 183; set to CPlaneElevation command, 181
vertical, 184; set to view, 184; set to x-axis, CPlaneFront command, 181
184; set to z-axis, 184; set top, 183; turn grid CPlaneNext command, 182
on or off, 245; view back of, 419; view bottom CPlaneO, 5
of, 419; view front of, 419; view left of, 419; CPlaneObject command, 183
view right of, 419; View top of, 419 CPlaneOrigin command, 182
context menu, 74, 75 CPlaneOriginAll command, 182
449
CPlanePerpToCrv command, 182 points, 143; arc tangent to two curves, 144;
CPlanePrev command, 183 bisector line, 155, 156; blend, 156, 157;
CPlaneRight command, 183 bounding box, 162; chamfer, 164, 165; circle by
CPlaneThroughPoint command, 183 diameter, 170; circle from center; radius, 168,
CPlaneThroughPt command, 183 169; circle from three points, 169; circle
CPlaneToObject command, 183 tangent to two curves, 170; conic, 174, 175;
CPlaneTop command, 183 contour, 177, 178; convert to Beziers, 179;
CPlaneToView command, 184 convert to polyline, 179; cross sections through
CPlaneV command, 184 profiles, 189; curvature graph, 195, 196, 197;
CPlaneView command, 184 curvature graph off, 195; delete control points,
CPlaneX command, 184 202; divide by number of segments, 213;
CPlaneZ command, 184 duplicate border of surface, 217; duplicate edge
CPTog command, 178 of surface, 218; ellipse, 221, 222; extend, 230;
CreateControlPolygon command, 234 extend by arc, 231; extend by arc to a point,
CreatePCurves command, 185 232; extend by line, 232; extend to surface
CreateUniformSurface command, 398 boundary, 233; extract isoparms from surface,
CreateUVCrv command, 185 235; extract wireframe from surface, 236;
CRectangle command, 346 extrude along path, 238; extrude straight, 236;
cross sections through profiles, 189 extrude to point, 238; fair, 239; fillet, 239;
crosshairs, 15; toggle, 15 flatten section of, 255; from 2 views, 186; from
crossing: select with mouse, 90; selection, 24, 25, control points, 197; from interpolated points,
369 255; from point cloud, 327; helix, 248, 249;
crossing selection, 3 insert edit point, 253; interpolate on surface,
crossing:, 24, 90, 369 256; interpolate through polyline, 257; intersect
Crv2View command, 185 two objects, 258; line, 267, 268; line normal to
CrvBox command, 162 a surface, 304, 305; line perpendicular to two
CrvDeviation command, 187 curves, 268; line segments, 268; line tangent to
CrvEnd command, 187 two curves, 270; line vertical to construction
CrvSeam command, 187 plane, 271; make periodic, 281; match ends,
CrvStart command, 188 281; measure radius, 340; offset, 305, 306;
CrvThroughSrfControlPt command, 189 parabola, 314; periodic, 133; place point at end,
CSec command, 189 187; place point at start, 188; point, 326;
CSV export, 35 points, 330; polyline, 333; polyline through
Ctrl + Shift + Tab, 336 point objects, 334; project onto surface, 337;
Ctrl + Tab, 304 pull to surface, 339; raise degree, 165; rebuild,
Ctrl+A, 3 343; refit, 241; remove knots, 351; revolve,
Ctrl+C, 180 355, 356; section, 367; select all, 369;
Ctrl+N, 2, 4, 302 silhouette, 387; simplify, 387; single line, 265;
Ctrl+O, 2, 4, 307 sketch, 388; sketch on polygon mesh, 389;
Ctrl+P, 2, 4, 336 sketch on surface, 389; smooth, 390, 391;
Ctrl+PageDown, 2 spiral, 394, 395; surface from network, 298;
Ctrl+S, 361 tangent line, 269
Ctrl+Shift+Alt +right mouse drag, 2 Curve command, 197
Ctrl+Shift+PageUp, 2 curve degree, 195
Ctrl+Tab, 2, 4 Curve From Object toolbar, 141, 177, 185, 217,
Ctrl+V, 2, 4, 316 218, 235, 236, 258, 279, 337, 339, 367, 387
Ctrl+X, 2, 4, 198 Curve toolbar, 174, 197, 248, 255, 256, 257, 388,
Ctrl+Y, 2, 4, 348 389, 394
Ctrl+Z, 3, 4, 413 Curve Tools toolbar, 156, 164, 165, 185, 187,
CullControlPolygon command, 190 189, 226, 230, 239, 241, 281, 305, 343, 387
CullCP command, 190 curve:, 133, 139, 141, 142, 143, 144, 155, 156,
cursor, 14, 15, 24, 131, 216, 311, 323; constrain 162, 164, 165, 168, 169, 170, 174, 177, 179,
along line, 13; constrain parallel to view plane, 185, 187, 188, 189, 195, 197, 202, 213, 217,
216; constrain to ortho, 311; constrain to plane, 218, 221, 226, 231, 232, 233, 235, 236, 238,
323; crosshairs, 15; marker; tracking line, 131; 239, 241, 248, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258,
menu for selecting from multiple objects, 24 265, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 281, 298, 304,
curvature: analyze curve, 191, 195; analyze 305, 314, 326, 327, 330, 333, 334, 337, 339,
surface, 197; display graph, 195; Gaussian, 340, 343, 351, 355, 367, 369, 387, 388, 389,
194; graph off, 195; graph on, 195; mean, 194; 390, 394
measure between two curves, 245 CurveBlend command, 156
Curvature command, 191 CurveBox command, 162
curvature:, 191, 192, 194, 195, 197, 245 CurveEnd command, 187
CurvatureAnalysis command, 192 CurveOverlap command, 187
CurvatureGraphOff command, 195 CurveSeam command, 187
CurvatureGraphOn command, 195 CurveSketch command, 388
CurvatureSrf command, 197 CurveSketchSrf command, 389
curve, 230, 239; add knots, 254; adjust end CurveStart command, 188
bulge, 226; adjust seam point, 187; align in two cut objects to Clipboard, 198
views, 139; apply to surface, 141; arc, 142; arc CutPlane command, 200
from start; end; direction, 144; arc from three
450
cutting objects, 395, 410, 411; in Split command, display: bitmap window, 212; broken edges, 384;
395; in Trim command, 410 change, 338; control polygon, 178; edit points,
cylinder: NURBS, 201; polygon mesh, 293 220; grid, 245; grid axes, 245; isoparm density,
Cylinder command, 201 85, 91; naked edges, 385; object discription,
cylinder:, 201, 293 425; options, 88; wallpaper, 422
data structure for object, 272 Display command, 212
date, 22 display:, 338
degree, 165, 166, 167, 196, 197; change degree DisplayBitmap command, 212
of surface, 166; curve, 195, 196, 197; raise distance: constraint, 15; from last point, 10, 12,
curve degree, 165 15
Delcam file exchange, 58 Distance command, 212
delete: all objects, 202; control points, 202; layer, distance display, 22, 23
104; objects, 202; shortcuts, 2; toolbar, 121; distance:, 10, 12, 15
toolbar button, 122 divide: curve by length, 213; curve by number of
Delete command, 202 segments, 213
delete:, 2, 104, 121, 122, 202 Divide command, 213
DeleteAll command, 202 divide:, 213
Deselect All, 133, 372 DivideByLength command, 213
Deselect command, 372 dock a toolbar, 120
DeselectAll command, 372 document properties: notes, 19; render mesh
DetachTrim command, 203 settings, 19; summary, 22; tolerances, 23;
develop a surface, 416 units, 22, 23
developable surface definition, 277 Document Properties dialog box, 17; Notes tab,
diagnostics, 127, 168, 384 19; Render Mesh tab, 19
Diagnostics toolbar, 168, 272, 368, 384 document properties:, 19
diameter dimension, 208 DocumentProperties command, 214
difference, 160; Boolean, 160 domain: match, 251
Dig command, 203 Domain command, 214
DigCalibrate command, 204 domain:, 251
DigClick command, 205 dot: annotation, 215
DigDisconnect command, 205 Dot command, 215
digitize, 127; 3-D digitizing, 127; calibrate, 204; dot:, 215
disconnect, 205; intialize, 203; pause input, draft angle, 131
205; planar section, 206; set scale, 206; set DraftAngleAnalysis command, 215
spacing between points, 207; set up function drafting, 279; create 2-D curves, 279
key for click, 205; sketch curve, 206; with Dragmode, 216; toggle, 216
FaroArm, 239; with MicroScribe, 298 Drape command, 216
DigPause command, 205 drape points on Z-buffer, 217
DigScale command, 206 drape surface, 217
DigSection command, 206 DrapePt command, 217
DigSketch command, 206 draw, 135; 3-D polygon mesh face, 135; lines,
DigSpacing command, 207 265; polylines, 265; surfaces, 105, 106, 107,
DimAligned command, 207 108
DimAngle command, 207 Dup command, 217
DimDiameter command, 208 DupBorder command, 217
dimension, 17, 18, 207, 208, 209, 210, 219, 370; DupEdge command, 218
aligned, 207; angle between lines, 207; duplicate, 217, 218, 370; border of surface, 217;
diameter, 208; edit text, 219; horizontal, 208; edge of surface, 218; object, 217; select all
options, 17; radius, 209; recenter text, 209; objects, 370
rotated, 209; select all, 370; vertical, 210 DWG file exchange, 33
Dimensions toolbar, 207, 208, 209, 210 DWG/DXF file exchange, 34
DimHorizontal command, 208 DXF file exchange, 33
DimOptions command, 208 DynamicShading command, 218
DimRadius command, 209 DynamicShadingPerspective command, 218
DimRecenterText command, 209 e_tol, 131
DimRotated command, 209 Ebroken command, 384
DimVertical command, 210 edge: create curve from, 218; display broken,
Dir command, 210 384; join two out of tolerance edges, 260;
DirArc command, 144 merge, 288; naked, 132; points at naked edges,
direction, 210, 211, 243; display curve or surface, 330; rebuild, 344; show, 385; split, 396
210; reverse object direction, 243 Edge Tools toolbar, 260, 288, 330, 344, 385, 396
DirectionalLight command, 211 edge:, 132, 218, 260, 288, 330, 344, 384, 385,
DirectX file export, 45 396
dirty looking rendering, 99 EdgeSrf command, 218
disable, 212; persistent object snaps, 212 edit: 2-dimensional text, 220; annotation text,
DisableOsnap command, 212 220; button image, 124; command button, 123;
disconnect digitizer, 205 dimension text, 219; Rhino.ini, 119; toolbar
displacement, 250, 251; hydrostatic calculation, button bitmap icons, 123; viewport properties,
250 420
Edit Bitmap dialog box, 123
451
edit points, 131, 220, 253; insert on curve, 253; (IGES), 58; DirectX, 45; FastShip (IGES), 58;
show, 220 FastSURF (IGES), 58; GHS, 36; IGES, 46, 47,
Edit Toolbar Button dialog box, 123 48; Integrity Ware (IGES), 59; IronCAD (IGES),
edit:, 119, 123, 124, 219, 220, 420 59; Lightwave (LWO), 37; LUSAS (IGES), 60;
EditDim command, 219 Mastercam (IGES), 60; Maya (IGES), 61; ME30
EditPtOn command, 220 (IGES), 61; Mechanical Desktop (IGES), 62;
EditText command, 220 mesh to IGES file, 52; Metastream, 45;
EJoin command, 260 Microstation (IGES), 62; Moldex DXF, 46; Moray
elevator mode, 12, 13; turn off, 13; turn on, 12 (UDO), 37; Multisurf (IGES), 63; NASA GridTool,
ELine command, 266 63; NuGraf (IGES), 64; object properties to file,
ellipse: from ends and direction, 221; from focus 35; OptiCAD (IGES), 64; PostScript, 46; POV-
points, 222 Ray (POV), 40; Pro/E (IGES), 65; raw triangles
Ellipse command, 221 (RAW), 41; SAT file format, 30; SDRC's I-DEAS
Ellipse toolbar, 221, 222 (IGES), 67; SLA, 42; Softimage (IGES; Plug-in),
ellipse:, 221 68; Solid Designer (IGES), 69; Solid Edge
EllipseD command, 222 (IGES), 69; SolidWorks (IGES), 70; STL, 42,
EllipseEnds command, 222 43; SURFCAM (IGES), 71; Tebis IGES, 72;
ellipsoid: baseball, 154 TekSoft IGES, 73; triangles, 41; Unigraphics
Ellipsoid command, 223 (IGES), 73; Viewpoint Technologies, 45; VRML,
ellipsoid:, 223 44, 45; Wavefront (OBJ), 51; Windows Metafiles
elliptical conic curve, 174 (WMF), 45; Yamaha ESPRi, 74
Elmo command, 343 Export command, 229
ElmoSrf command, 344 export:, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 40, 41,
EMap command, 224 42, 44, 45, 46, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,
EMerge command, 288 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71,
Enaked command, 385 73, 230
EnakedPt command, 330 ExportCommandAliases command, 230
End key, 429 ExportWithOrigin command, 230
End object snap, 78 extend, 230, 231; arc to a point, 232; by arc, 231;
EndBulge command, 226 by line, 232; curve, 230, 231; curve on surface,
EndBulgeSrf command, 226 233; curve to surface boundary, 233; options,
endpoint object snap, 3 92, 93; surface, 233, 234
Enter: command for scripts, 227; space and right- Extend command, 230
mouse click, 133 Extend toolbar, 230, 231, 232, 233
enter coordinates, 10, 11, 12 extend:, 92, 231, 232, 233
Enter:, 133, 227 ExtendByArc command, 231
environment map, 224 ExtendByArcToPt command, 232
erase objects, 202, 228 ExtendByLine command, 232
error messages, 128; unable to run program ExtendCrvOnSrf command, 233
renrib, 40 ExtendSrf command, 233
errors in model, 127 extract, 234, 235, 236; control polygon, 234;
Esc key, 133 isoparms from surface, 235; surface from
Escape key, 133 polysurface, 236; wireframe curves from
EShow command, 385 surface, 236
ESplit command, 396 ExtractControlPolygon command, 234
EvaluatePoint command, 228 ExtractIsoparm command, 235
EvaluatePt command, 228 ExtractPt command, 235
EvaluateUV command, 330 ExtractSrf command, 236
EvaluateUVPt command, 228 ExtractWireframe command, 236
Excel, 36, 229; export to, 35, 229 extrude: curve, 236, 237; curve along path, 238;
Exit command, 228 curve by offset, 356; curve to point, 238;
exit Rhino, 228 surface, 236; surface into a solid, 238
expand a surface, 416 Extrude command, 236
explode: NURBS objects, 229; polygon mesh, 229 Extrude toolbar, 236, 356
Explode command, 229 extrude:, 236, 238, 356
explode:, 229 ExtrudeAlongCrv command, 238
ExplodeMesh command, 229 ExtrudeCrvToPt command, 238
export, 35, 45, 63, 72, 73, 74; 3D Studio (3DS), ExtrudeSrf command, 238
26; 3D Studio MAX 3.0 (IGES), 53; 3D Studio ExtrudeToPt command, 238
MAX 3.0 (OBJ), 29; 3DS MAX (via Rhino 3DM), F1, 2, 4
26; ACIS, 30, 31; Adobe Illustrator (AI), 31; F2, 2, 4
Alias (IGES), 53; Alias (OBJ), 53; Applied F8, 2, 4
Geometry (AG), 32; Ashlar Vellum (IGES), 54; F9, 3, 4
AutoCAD (DWG), 33; AutoCAD (DXF), 33; Fair command, 239
AUTOFORM (IGES), 54; AutoShip (IGES), 55; fair curve, 239
Breault Research's ASAP (IGES), 55; CAD 3D false color display, 131
SUM 4.0 (IGES), 71; CADCEUS (IGES), 55; FAQ, 1
CamSoft (IGES), 56; Catia (IGES), 56; Comma- Faro command, 239
delimited file, 35; command aliases, 230; FastShip file exchange, 58
Cosmos/M (IGES), 57; CSV file, 35; Delcam FastSURF file exchange, 58
452
file: export selected objects, 229; import, 251; grid: axes - turn on or off, 245; set distance
new, 302; open, 307; reduce size of model, between lines, 246; set snap size, 380; set the
171; run application from inside Rhino, 360; extents of, 246; set the number of lines, 246;
save, 361; save as, 362 snap to, 380; spacing, 18; turn on or off, 245
File toolbar, 228, 229, 251, 302, 305, 307, 336, Grid command, 245
337, 361, 362 grid:, 245, 246, 380
file:, 171, 229, 251, 302, 307, 360, 361, 362 GridAxes command, 245
FileProperties command, 214 GridOptions command, 245
fillet, 239; curve, 239; edge of polysurface, 240; GridSections command, 246
two surfaces, 240 GridSize command, 246
Fillet command, 239 Gridsnap command, 2, 380
fillet:, 240 GridThick command, 246
FilletEdge command, 240 group, 377; name, 377
FilletSrf command, 240 Group command, 246
filter the layer display, 104 Group objects for selection, 246
fit a plane through points, 325 handlebars, 246; edit using, 246
FitCrv command, 241 HBar command, 246
FitPlane command, 325 HBarSrf command, 246
FixCurveEnd command, 5, 281 Heightfield command, 247
FlatShade command, 241 Helix command, 248
FlatShade1 command, 242 help: display Help file, 1; shortcut, 2; technical
FlatShadeAll command, 242 support, 1
flatten, 255, 416; section of curve, 255; surface, Help command, 1
416, 417 help:, 1, 2
FlattenSrf command, 243 hidden layer name, 103
Flip command, 243 hidden objects, 250, 386; show selected, 386;
floatation, 251; center of, 250, 251 swap hidden status, 250
floating license, 130 hide: background bitmap, 249; control points,
Flow along a curve, 244 249; flyout toolbar, 122; objects, 249, 250;
Flow command, 244 Osnap dialog box, 249; show hidden control
Flowline command, 235 points, 386; toolbar, 119
FltE command, 240 Hide command, 249
Flyout a toolbar, 121 hide:, 119, 122, 249, 250, 386
foat icon to top of cascading toolbar, 122 HideAll command, 307
font, 220; text, 220, 221 HideBackgroundBitmap command, 249
fonts, 407; text, 407; Unicode, 407 HideCV command, 339
freeze: a layer, 262; objects, 273; unlock locked HideOsnap command, 249
objects, 415 HidePoints command, 249
Freeze command, 273 HidePt command, 249
freeze:, 262, 273, 415 HidePts command, 249
FreezeOsnap command, 212 HideSwap command, 250
frequently asked questions, 1 HideToolbar command, 119
From object snap, 81 HideToolbox command, 119
Front command, 244 HideTrace command, 249
front view, 244 highlight in rendering, 338
G0 continuity, 176 history, 172; command line, 172
G1 continuity, 176 hold, 12; axis lock, 12
G2 continuity, 176 Home key, 429
Gaussian curvature, 192, 194; definition, 194 Horizon command, 387
GCon command, 245 HSV color, 75
Geometry Fix toolbar, 168, 203, 229, 236, 249, hue, 75
259, 260, 261, 330, 339, 348, 368, 384, 385, Hydrostatics command, 250
386, 390, 395, 396, 410, 413, 417 Hyperbolic curve, 174
ghost: a layer, 262; objects, 273; unlock locked icon, 120, 123, 124, 425, 426; edit toolbar button,
objects, 415 123; keep last used on top, 120; toolbar, 123;
Ghost command, 273 world axes, 425
ghost:, 262, 273, 415 IGES: file exchange, 46; polygon mesh export, 52;
GHS file export, 36 tolerance, 46, 47; troubleshooting import
glossary terms, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, problems, 48; units, 46, 47
277; bumpmap, 130; command area, 131; IGES export: detailed controls, 46; IGES export
control point, 131; cursor, 131; developable type details, 50; object names, 378, 379;
surface, 277, 278, 279; edit points, 131; Enter simple controls, 46; types, 49
key, 133; Esc key, 133; false color, 131; initial IGES Export Type Details dialog box, 49
mesh grid, 131; isoparm, 132; marker, 131; IGES Export Types dialog box, 49
naked edge, 132; normal, 132; NURBS, 133; IGES export:, 46, 49, 50, 378, 379
panes, 133; periodic curve, 133; periodic IGES file types, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61,
surface, 133; polysurface, 133; seamless mesh, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74;
134; status bar panes, 133; template, 134; 3D Studio MAX 3.0, 53; Alias|Wavefront, 53;
texture mapping coordinates, 134; tracking line, Ashlar Vellum, 54; AUTOFORM, 54; AutoShip,
131; wireframe, 135 55; Breault Research's ASAP, 55; CADCEUS, 55;
453
CamSoft, 56; CATIA, 56; Cosmos/M, 57; InterpPolyline command, 257

Delcam, 58; FastShip, 58; FastSURF, 59; intersect: Boolean, 160; surface or polysurface,
Integrity Ware, 59; IronCAD, 59; LUSAS, 60; 160; two objects, 258
Mastercam, 60; Maya, 61; ME30, 61; Intersect command, 258
Mechanical Desktop, 62; Microstation, 62, 63; intersect:, 160, 258
Multisurf, 63; NASA GridTool, 63; Okino IntersectCrv command, 258
NuGraf/Polytrans, 64; OptiCAD, 64; Pro/E, 65, intersection, 160; Boolean, 160
66, 67; SDRC's I-DEAS, 67; Softimage, 68, 69; Invert command, 258
Solid Designer, 69, 70; Solid Edge, 69; InvertPt command, 259
SolidWorks, 70, 71; SUM 4.0, 71; SURFCAM, IronCAD file exchange, 59
71; Tebis, 72; TekSoft, 73; Unigraphics, 73; isoparametric curve, 132
Yamaha ESPRi, 74 isoparm, 78, 85, 91, 132, 135, 255, 396;
IGES to Rhino layer translation, 46 definition, 132; display density, 90, 338; insert
IGES:, 46, 48, 52 in surface, 254; snap to, 76, 77, 78; split
import, 63, 72, 73, 74; 3D Studio 3DS, 26; 3D surface at, 396; wireframe view, 135
Studio MAX 3.0 IGES, 53; 3D Studio MAX 3.0 jagged shadows, 99
OBJ, 29; Adobe Illustrator AI, 31; Alias IGES, JCAD STL export, 42
53; aliases, 251; Applied Geometry AG, 32; join: edges out of tolerance, 260; objects, 259;
Ashlar Vellum IGES, 54; AutoCAD DWG, 33; surfaces, 261
AutoCAD DXF, 33; AUTOFORM IGES, 54; Join command, 259
AutoShip IGES, 55; Breault Research ASAP join:, 259, 260, 261
IGES, 55; CAD 3D SUM 4.0 IGES, 71; CADCEUS JoinEdge command, 260
IGES, 55; CamSoft IGES, 56; CATIA IGES, 56; JoinFaces command, 261
construction planes from 3DM file, 343; JoinMesh command, 261
Cosmos/M IGES, 57; Delcam IGES, 58; FastShip JoinSrf command, 261
IGES, 58; FastSURF IGES, 58; IGES, 46; JPG, 363, 366, 367
Integrity Ware IGES, 59; IronCAD IGES, 59; JPG file format, 322
Lightwave LWO, 37; LUSAS IGES, 60; JScript, 126
Mastercam IGES, 60; Maya IGES, 61; ME30 kink, 253, 254; insert in curve, 253
IGES, 61; Mechanical Desktop IGES, 62; knot, 81, 132, 254, 351; definition, 132; insert on
Microstation IGES, 62; Multisurf IGES, 63; curve or surface, 254; object snap, 81; remove
named views from a 3DM file, 343; NASA from curve or surface, 351
GridTool IGES, 63; NuGraf IGES, 64; OptiCAD LabelCurveEndpoints command, 261
IGES, 64; Pro/E IGES, 65; Raw triangles RAW, Lasso command, 262
41; SDRC I-DEAS IGES, 67; Softimage IGES, lasso selection, 262
68; Solid Designer IGES, 69; Solid Edge IGES, last point, 10, 14, 15, 312; angle from, 10, 14,
69; SolidWorks IGES, 70; stereolithography 312; distance from, 10, 15
STL, 42; SURFCAM IGES, 71; Tebis IGES, 72; lathe, 355
TekSoft IGES, 73; toolbar from another layout, layer: change color, 104; change for an object,
121; triangles, 41, 42; Unigraphics IGES, 73; 167; change to current, 168; delete, 104; dialog
Yamaha ESPRi IGES, 74 box, 101; filter display, 104; management, 101;
Import command, 251 match, 283; match attributes, 104; new, 103;
import:, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33, 37, 41, 42, 46, 53, one layer on, 307; purge empty, 104; rename,
54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 103; select from list, 103; select objects by,
67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 121, 251, 343 371; set current, 377; set material, 102; set
ImportCommandAliases command, 251 material properties, 377; translate IGES/Rhino,
Improve command, 251 46; turn all layers on, 140; turn off, 263; turn
IncrementalSave command, 252 off by selecting an object, 307; turn on, 263
information, 425; display for object, 425 Layer command, 101
ini file, 119 Layer pane, 2, 103, 133
initial mesh grid, 131 Layer toolbar, 101, 103, 104, 140, 167, 262, 263,
insert: edit point, 253; kink in curve, 253; knot, 283, 307, 377
254 layer:, 46, 101, 102, 103, 104, 140, 167, 168,
Insert command, 252 263, 283, 307, 371, 377
insert:, 253, 254 LayerLock command, 262
InsertEditPoint command, 253 LayerOff command, 263
InsertKink command, 253 LayerOn command, 263
InsertKinks command, 253 leader: arrow, 152; arrowhead on curve, 152
InsertKnot command, 254 Leader command, 264
InsertKnots command, 254 leader:, 152, 264
InsertKnotSrf command, 254 Left command, 264
InsertLineIntoCrv command, 255 left view, 264
Int object snap, 80 length: measure curve, 265
Integrity Ware file exchange, 59 Length command, 265
InterpCrv command, 255 length:, 265
InterpCrvOnSrf command, 256 license: check in from workgroup license manager,
InterpCrvSrf command, 256 168; check out from workgroup license
interpolate, 255, 256, 257; curve, 255, 256; curve manager, 168
on surface, 256 license manager, 130
InterpolatePolyline command, 257 license:, 168
454
Light tab, 86 MakeSurfaceNonPeriodic command, 281

lights, 39, 40, 211, 329, 371, 398; BMRT, 39; MakeSurfacePeriodic command, 281
directional, 211, 212; point, 329; select all, manage: license, 130
371; spotlight, 398 manage layers, 101
Lightwave LWO file exchange, 37 manage:, 130
line: at angle from line, 266; bisector, 155, 156; map, 224, 225, 338; bump, 338; environment,
extend by, 232; from four points, 266; insert 224, 225; texture, 338
straight segment into curve, 255; normal to a mapping coordinates, 134
surface, 304; perpendicular to curve, 267; marker definition, 131
perpendicular to two curves, 268; polyline, 333; mass properties, 145, 146, 420, 421
polyline through point objects, 334; segments, Mass Properties toolbar, 145, 420, 421
268, 269; single line, 265; tangent to a curve, Mastercam file exchange, 60
270; tangent to two curves, 270; vertical to Mastercam Mill X_T file export, 38
construction plane, 271 match: curve ends, 281; layer, 283; layer
Line command, 265 attributes, 105; surface, 284, 285, 286, 287
line:, 155, 232, 255, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, Match command, 281
270, 271, 304, 333, 334 match:, 104, 281, 283, 284
Line4Pt command, 266 MatchLayer command, 283
Line4pts command, 266 MatchSrf command, 284
LineAngle command, 266 material: for rendering, 338; set for export, 378;
LinearizeTrims command, 267 set for layer, 102; set properties for layer, 377
LinePerp command, 267 Material properties, 86
LinePP command, 268 material:, 338, 377, 378
Lines command, 268 maximize: current viewport, 288; Rhino, 288; set
Lines toolbar, 155, 179, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, viewport, 377
270, 271, 304, 333, 334 Maximize command, 288
LineTan command, 269 maximize:, 288, 377
LineTP command, 270 maximum curvature, 194
LineTT command, 270 MaxViewport command, 288
LineV command, 271 Maya file exchange, 61
List command, 272 MDT IGES options, 62
list data structure of an object, 272 ME30 file exchange, 61
LoadPlugin command, 272 mean curvature, 192, 194; definition, 194
LoadScript command, 126, 273 measure: angle, 140, 141; area, 145; area
lock: a layer, 262; axis, 12; objects, 273; centroid, 145; area moments, 145; curve
persistent object snaps, 212; unlock locked curvature, 191; deviation between two curves,
objects, 415; unlocked objects, 273 187; deviation of points and curves from a
Lock command, 273 surface, 328; distance, 212, 213; geometric
lock:, 12, 212, 262, 273, 415 continuity, 245; length, 265; radius, 340; uv-
locked layer name, 103 coordinates of a point on a surface, 228;
locked objects, 84, 273; snap to, 84; swap status volume, 420; volume centroid, 421; volume
with unlocked objects, 273 moments, 421
LockOsnap command, 212 Measure command, 213
LockSwap command, 273 measure:, 140, 145, 187, 191, 212, 228, 245,
Loft command, 273 265, 328, 340, 420, 421
loft surface, 273 MeasurePoint command, 228
Logoff command, 228 Mechanical Desktop file exchange, 62
Logout command, 228 menu: context, 74, 75; pop up at cursor, 334;
LooseLoft command, 273 viewport, 23, 24
LUSAS file exchange, 60 menu bar, 288; toggle display, 288
LWO file exchange, 37 Menu command, 288
M command, 296 menu:, 23, 74, 334
macro, 88, 91, 92, 123, 125, 173, 342; create, merge: surface, 288, 289, 290; two adjacent
125; paste script from Clipboard, 173; run from edges of a surface, 288
an alias, 88; run from external file, 342; run Merge command, 251
from shortcut key, 92; run from toobar button, merge:, 288
123; run with middle mouse, 90 MergeEdge command, 288
Main toolbar, 142, 148, 161, 162, 180, 210, 220, MergeSrf command, 288
221, 229, 236, 239, 240, 255, 256, 259, 261, mesh: 3D face, 135; 3DFace, 135; apply to
268, 290, 296, 326, 330, 331, 333, 337, 339, surface, 141; box, 292; breaking apart, 33, 41;
345, 357, 358, 365, 395, 396, 399, 410, 417 clear at save time, 363; clear render mesh,
Make2D command, 279 349; clear render mesh for all objects, 171;
Make2d4View command, 279 cone, 292; convert each face to NURBS surface,
MakeAllCPlaneSettingsTheSame command, 180 296; cylinder, 293; decrease number of faces,
MakeAllCPlanesTheSame command, 181 348; density for primitives, 293; detailed
MakeAllViewsTheSame command, 181 options, 290; explode, 229; export to IGES file,
MakeCrvPeriodic command, 281 52; from closed polyline, 294; from NURBS
MakeCurvePeriodic command, 281 object, 290; join, 261; options, 290, 291, 292;
MakeSrfNonPeriodic command, 281 plane, 294; reduce density, 348; seamless,
MakeSrfPeriodic command, 281 134; select all, 371; select naked edges, 371;
455
sphere, 295; unify normals, 414; weld, 423, NamedViews command, 298
424 NASA GridTool file exchange, 63
Mesh command, 290 Near object snap, 79
Mesh toolbar, 135, 141, 229, 234, 243, 261, 290, NetworkSrf command, 298
292, 293, 294, 295, 348, 414, 423 new: file, 302; layer, 103; toolbar, 121; toolbar
mesh:, 33, 41, 52, 134, 135, 141, 171, 229, 261, button, 123; viewport, 302
290, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 348, 349, 363, New command, 302
371, 414, 423 new:, 2, 103, 121, 123, 302
MeshBox command, 292 NewViewport command, 302
MeshCone command, 292 next, 2, 3, 4, 302, 303, 304; ortho viewport
MeshCylinder command, 293 active, 302; perspective viewport active, 303;
MeshDensity command, 293 viewport, 2, 3, 4; viewport active, 304; viewport
MeshPlane command, 294 to top, 304
MeshPolyline command, 294 NextOrthoViewport command, 302
MeshSphere command, 295 NextPerspectiveViewport command, 303
MeshToNurb command, 296 NextU command, 303
Metastream file export, 45 NextV command, 303
MicroScribe digitizing, 298 NextViewport command, 304
Microscribe toolbar, 203, 204, 205, 206, 322, 323 NextViewportToTop command, 304
Microsoft Excel, 229; export to, 229 node, 131
Microstation file exchange, 62 NoElev option, 12
middle mouse button function, 90 None command, 372
Midpoint object snap, 79 non-uniform scale, 366
minimize: Rhino, 296 normal: definition, 132; draw line, 304; move
Minimize command, 296 control points, 297; remove flipped, 30; reverse
minimize:, 296 direction, 243; set mesh the same, 414;
minimum curvature, 194 surface, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118
Mirror command, 296 Normal command, 304
mirror objects, 296 normal:, 30, 113, 132, 243, 297, 304, 414
modeling aids, 312 NoSnap command, 78
mold, 215, 387; parting line, 387; pull direction, Notes command, 305
215, 216 notes in Rhino file, 305
Moldex command, 46 N-sided patch, 317
Moldex DXF file export, 46 nudge, 93, 296; options, 92; to move objects, 297
moments, 145, 146, 147, 148, 421 NuGraf file exchange, 64
Moray UDO file export, 37 NURBS, 132, 133; definition, 133; surface display,
morph target, 141 132
mouse, 90, 91, 92; wheel function, 90 O command, 2, 311
move: background bitmap, 297; construction OBJ export properties, 338
planes through a point, 140; construction point OBJ file exchange, 51
through point, 183; object to align with curve, OBJ file export for Lightwave, 37
311; objects, 296, 297; objects to new object: description, 425; improve, 251;
construction plane, 349; off construction plane, parameterization, 251; reparameterize, 251; set
12; scale and rotate, 308, 309; scale and rotate properties, 338; show hidden, 384; unlock, 415
on surface, 309; surface control points in u-; v-; object names, 85, 378, 379; export to IGES, 338;
and n-directions, 297; toolbar, 120; toolbar export to OBJ, 338; export to RIB, 338; set for
button, 122 multiple objects, 379; set for single object, 378
Move command, 296 object properties, 35; export to file, 35
move:, 12, 120, 122, 140, 183, 296, 297, 308, object snap: along, 83; between two points, 84;
309, 311, 349 center, 79, 80; disable, 212; end, 78, 79; from,
MoveBackgroundBitmap command, 297 81, 82; hide toolbar, 249; intersection, 80;
MoveTrace command, 297 knot, 81; lock, 212; midpoint, 79; near, 79; on
MoveUVN command, 297 surface, 84; options, 92; perpendicular from a
Mscribe command, 298 curve, 82; perpendicular to a curve, 80; point,
Multisurf file exchange, 63 79; project to construction plane, 84; quadrant,
naked edge, 132, 385; definition, 132; display, 81; set persistent, 78; show toolbar, 385; snap
385; show, 385 to a curve, 84; tangent from curve, 82; tangent
name, 377; a view, 298; an object, 378; group, to a curve, 80; toggle persistent, 409; turn off,
377; multiple objects, 379; save named 78
construction plane, 362; view, 298, 363 Object Snap toolbar, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84,
name:, 298, 362, 363, 378, 379 212
Named Colors list, 75 object snap:, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 92, 212,
named construction planes, 298, 343, 355, 362; 249, 385, 409
edit, 298; read from file, 343; restore, 355; object:, 251, 338, 384, 415, 425
save, 362 offset: curve, 305, 306; surface, 306, 307
named view, 343, 355; read from file, 343; Offset command, 305
restore, 355 offset:, 305, 306
NamedCPlane command, 298 OffsetSrf command, 306
NamedCPlanes command, 298 Okino NuGraf/Polytrans file exchange, 64
NamedView command, 298 OldFlattenSrf command, 243
456
OnCrvOsnap command, 84 Parasolid X_T file export, 38

OneLayerOff command, 307 parting line, 387
OneLayerOn command, 307 paste, 2, 4, 316; objects from the clipboard, 316;
OnSrf object snap, 84 shortcuts, 2
open: file, 307; saved toolbar layout, 308; toolbar, Patch command, 317
119 pause digitizer input, 205
Open command, 307 pause for user input in script, 318
open:, 2, 119, 307, 308 PConic command, 176
OpenGL: toggle, 376; troublshooting, 101; use for PCX file format, 322, 363, 366, 367
shade, 94, 98, 381 pe_tol, 131
OpenGL bug in Windows 2000, 224, 426 pedge, 131
OpenGL:, 94, 98, 101, 376, 381 periodic, 133, 281; curve, 133; make curve
OpenWorkspace command, 308 periodic, 281; make surface non-periodic, 281;
OpenWS command, 308 make surface periodic, 281; surface, 133
OptiCAD file exchange, 64 Perp object snap, 80
options: aliases, 88; autosave, 90; change Perpendicular line, 267
interface appearance, 88; control polygon PerpFrom object snap, 82
appearance, 92; detailed polygon mesh, 290; PerpLine command, 267
file locations, 90; isoparm density, 90; middle Persistence of Vision Raytracer, 40
mouse button function, 90; no-repeat perspective angle - set, 318
commands, 90; nudge increment, 93; object Perspective command, 318
snap radius, 92; ortho angle, 92; pan distance, perspective view, 2, 4, 5, 318, 338; set, 318;
96; polygon mesh, 290; redraw speed, 96; shortcuts, 2; toggle, 338
select method, 90; shade, 94, 95, 96; shortcut PerspectiveAngle command, 318
keys, 92; snap increment, 92; startup PerspectiveMatch command, 318
commands, 90; trackball motion, 96; trim Phoenix Tools Softimage translation, 68
options, 92; undo number, 90; view, 96, 97, 98 PictureFrame command, 320
Options command, 88, 308 Pipe command, 320
Options dialog box, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96; Aliases place, 321, 322, 323; background bitmap, 321;
tab, 88; Appearance tab, 88; Files tab, 90; camera and target location, 322; target
General tab, 90; Keyboard tab, 92; Modeling location, 323
Aids tab, 92; Shade tab, 94; View tab, 96 PlaceBackgroundBitmap command, 321
options:, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 290 PlaceCameraTarget command, 322
Organic toolbar, 190, 249, 253, 258, 262, 339, PlaceTarget command, 323
351, 373, 374, 375, 386, 425 Plan command, 323
Orient, 308 Planar command, 2, 323
Orient command, 308 planar mode, 92, 323, 379; options, 92; set, 379;
orient objects, 309, 311; by three points, 309; on toggle, 323
a surface, 309; to curve, 311 planar section, 206; digitize, 206
Orient3Pt command, 309 PlanarSrf command, 324
OrientCrvToEdge command, 309 plane: cut through objects, 200; fit through points,
OrientOnSrf command, 309 325; from three points, 325
OrientPerpToCrv command, 311 Plane command, 324
Ortho command, 311 Plane toolbar, 200, 324, 325
ortho mode, 92, 133, 311, 312, 379; click ortho plane:, 200, 324, 325
pane to toggle, 133; options, 92; press shift to Plane3Pt command, 324
toggle, 311; set angle, 312; turn on or off, 379 Plane3Pts command, 5, 324
Ortho pane, 2, 133 PlaneThroughPt command, 325
OrthoAngle command, 312 PlaneV command, 325
Osnap: pane, 133; toggle, 133 Pline command, 333
Osnap command, 78 PluginManager command, 325
Osnap:, 133 plug-ins, 27, 28, 29, 68, 130, 272, 325; 3DS MAX
P command, 2, 323 1.2, 29; 3DS MAX 2.0, 28; 3DS MAX 2.5, 27;
Pa, 2 about, 130; developers, 130; load, 272;
PackTextures command, 312 manager, 325; Softimage, 68
PageDown key, 2 PNG file format, 363, 366, 367
Pan: down, 313; left, 313; options, 96; right, 313; POff command, 339
up, 314 POffSelected command, 339
Pan command, 313 point: control, 131; lock to axis, 12; place at end
Pan:, 96, 313, 314 of curve, 187; place at start of curve, 188
PanDown command, 313 point cloud, 327, 328; create curve from, 327
Panes, 133; Layer, 133; Ortho, 133; Osnap, 133; Point command, 326
Planar, 133; Snap, 133 Point Editing toolbar, 218, 220, 246, 253, 254,
PanLeft command, 313 339, 351, 422
PanRight command, 313 Point filters, 326
PanUp command, 314 Point object snap, 79
parabola, 314 point objects, 326, 329, 330, 373; grid of, 329; on
Parabola command, 314 surface from UV coordinates, 330; place
parabolic curve, 174 multiple, 330; place one, 326; select all, 373
parameterization, 134 Point toolbar, 172, 213, 326, 330
457
point:, 12, 131, 187, 188 POV-Ray file export, 40, 338, 378, 379
PointCloudSection command, 327 preview, 353, 361; image of model, 361; render
PointDeviation command, 328 using OpenGL shade, 353
PointGrid command, 329 previous viewport, 2
PointLight command, 329 PrevU command, 335
points: add next in u-direction to selection, 136; PrevV command, 335
add next in v-direction to selection, 136; add PrevViewport command, 336
previous in u-direction to selection, 137; add print, 336, 337
previous in v-direction to selection, 138; control Print command, 336
points, 197; create from control points, 235; print screen: to 256-color file, 367; to Clipboard,
delete control on curve, 202; edit points, 220; 366; to file, 366
hide back, 190; hide edit and control, 249; PrintSetup command, 337
invert selection, 259; knot, 254; select Pro/E file exchange, 65
connected, 368; select next in u-direction, 303; program toolbar functions, 123
select next in v-direction, 303; select object to Proj command, 337
turn off, 339; select previous in u-direction, ProjCP command, 338
335; select previous in v-direction, 335; select project: curve to surface, 337; objects to
with lasso, 262; show control, 339; show edit construction plane, 338
and control, 386; twist, 412, 413 Project command, 337
Points command, 330 project:, 337, 338
points:, 136, 137, 138, 190, 197, 202, 220, 235, Projection command, 338
249, 254, 259, 262, 303, 335, 339, 368, 386, ProjectOsnap command, 84
412 ProjectToCPlane command, 338
PointsAtNakedEdges command, 330 properties, 35, 36; display information about an
PointsFromUV command, 330 object, 425; document, 17; export to file, 35;
PointsOff command, 339 grid, 18, 19; material, 86, 87; notes, 19;
PointsOffSelected command, 339 object, 85, 338; render, 21; render mesh, 19;
PointsOn command, 339 toolbar, 121; viewport, 420
PointTest command, 328 Properties command, 338
polar array, 150 Properties Dimensions tab, 85
polar coordinates, 10, 12; absolute, 12; coordinate Properties Material tab, 86
points, 10; relative, 12 Properties Text tab, 87
PolarEllipsoid command, 223 properties:, 19, 86, 121, 338, 420, 425
PolarSphere command, 392 PtOff command, 339
polygon: circumscribed, 331; from edge, 332; PtOffSelected command, 339
inscribed, 331 PtOn command, 339
Polygon command, 331 Pull command, 339
polygon mesh, 135, 141, 171, 229, 261, 290, 291, pull curve to surface, 339
292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 349, 371, 414, 423, purge empty layers, 104
424; 3D face, 135; apply to surface, 141; box, PushViewportToBack command, 340
292; clear render mesh, 349; clear render mesh QRender command, 381
for all objects, 171; cone, 292; convert each QRender1 command, 382
face to NURBS surface, 296; cylinder, 293; QRenderAll command, 382
density for primitives, 293; explode, 229; from Quad object snap, 81
closed polyline, 294; from NURBS object, 290; QueryDomain command, 214
join, 261; options, 290; plane, 294; select QueryUVPoint command, 228
naked edges, 371; set normals the same, 414; quinitics, 50
sphere, 295; weld, 423 Quit command, 228
Polygon toolbar, 331, 332 radius: dimension, 209; measure, 340
polygon:, 331, 332 Radius command, 340
PolygonEdge command, 332 radius:, 209, 340
polyline: convert curve to polyline, 179; draw, rail revolve, 340
333; draw on mesh, 333; interpolate curve RailRev command, 340
through, 257; select all, 372; through point RailRevolve command, 340
objects, 334 Raw Triangle (RAW) file exchange, 41
Polyline command, 333 read, 343; named construction planes from file,
polyline:, 179, 257, 333, 334, 372 343; named views from a 3DM file, 343;
PolylineOnMesh command, 333 viewport layout from file, 343
PolylineThroughPt command, 334 ReadCommandFile command, 342
polysurface, 229, 259, 372; explode, 229; join, ReadEveryIGESEntity command, 49
259, 260; select all, 372 ReadNamedCPlanesFromFile command, 343
Polytrans, 64, 68; Okino NuGraf/Polytrans IGES ReadNamedViewsFromFile command, 343
file exchange, 64; Polytrans Softimage ReadViewportsFromFile command, 343
translation, 68 rebuild: curve, 343; edges of surfaces and
POn command, 339 polysurfaces, 344; surface, 344, 345
PopupMenu command, 334 Rebuild command, 343
PopupToolbar command, 334 rebuild:, 343, 344
PostScript file export, 46 RebuildEdges command, 344
POV Lights toolbar, 40 RebuildSrf command, 344
POV Materials toolbar, 41 recent commands list display, 90
458
Rect command, 345 reparameterize, 251, 354; a surface, 354; an

Rect3Pt command, 5, 346 object, 251
rectangle: center; corner, 346; through three ReparameterizeSrf command, 354
points, 346; vertical, 347 ReparameterizeSurface command, 354
Rectangle command, 345 repeat command exclude list, 90
Rectangle toolbar, 345, 346, 347 reshape a toolbar, 120
rectangle:, 346, 347 restore: current viewport size, 288; Front
Rectangle3Pt command, 346 construction plane, 181; named construction
Rectangle3Pts command, 5, 346 plane, 355; named view, 355; Rhino from being
RectangleCen command, 346 minimized, 355; Top construction plane, 183
RectangleV command, 347 Restore command, 355
rectangular array, 148 restore:, 181, 183, 288, 355
rectangular surface, 324, 325; from three points, RestoreCPlane command, 355
324; length and width, 324; vertical to RestoreView command, 355
construction plane, 325 Rev command, 355
RectCen command, 346 revolve: surface from curve, 355; surface using
RectV command, 347 rail curve, 340
redo: last undone command, 348; view change, Revolve command, 355
429 revolve:, 340, 355
Redo command, 348 revolved surface, 355
Redo command shortcut, 2 RevU command, 356
redo:, 348, 429 RevV command, 356
RedoMultiple command, 348 RGB color, 75
ReduceMesh command, 348 Rhino 1.0 file exchange, 25
refit a curve, 241 Rhino web page, 1
RefreshShade command, 349 Rhino.ini, 119
relative coordinates, 10, 11 Rhinoceros, 1; why the name, 1
remap objects to a new construction plane, 349 RhinoScript options, 94
RemapCPlane command, 349 RIB file export, 39, 338
remove, 24, 30, 203, 351, 352; background Ribbon command, 356
bitmap, 351; curve knots, 351; flipped normals Right command, 357
from NURBS surfaces, 30; object from selection, right mouse button, 2, 3, 4, 133
24; trim curve from surface, 203; wallpaper, right view, 2, 357
352 right-click menu, 74
RemoveBackgroundBitmap command, 351 Robert McNeel & Associates, ii
RemoveFlippedNormals command, 30 roll out a surface, 416
RemoveFromGroup command, 351 rotate: construction plane, 359; move and scale,
RemoveKnot command, 351 308, 309; objects, 357; objects in 3D space,
RemoveKnots command, 351 358; options, 96; scale and move on surface,
RemoveKnotSrf command, 351 309; view continuously, 412
RemoveMultiKnotSrf command, 351 Rotate command, 357
RemoveTrace command, 351 rotate view, 3, 4, 360; down, 2, 3, 4, 360; left, 2,
RemoveWallpaper command, 352 3, 4, 360; right, 2, 3, 4, 360; up, 2, 3, 4, 360
rename, 103, 120; layer, 103; toolbar, 120, 121 rotate:, 96, 308, 309, 357, 358, 359, 412
render: BMRT, 39, 40; bumpmaps, 338; clear Rotate3D command, 358
render mesh for all objects, 171; close render RotateCamera command, 358
window, 172; copy to Clipboard, 181; create RotateCameraDown command, 359
background image, 320; curves, 353; edges, RotateCameraLeft command, 359
353; edges of polygon meshes, 352; highlight, RotateCameraRight command, 359
338; materials, 338; mesh settings, 19; place RotateCameraUp command, 359
lights, 398; preview using OpenGL shade, 353; RotateCPlane command, 359
save image in render window, 363; shine, 338; RotateDown command, 360
textures, 338; transparency, 338 RotateLeft command, 360
Render command, 352 RotateRight command, 360
render plug-in application: options, 20 RotateUp command, 360
render problems, 99 RotateView command, 360
Render toolbar, 171, 338, 352, 353, 381, 382, Rule command, 273
398, 425 ruled surface, 276
render:, 19, 39, 171, 172, 181, 320, 338, 352, run application/program inside Rhino, 360
353, 363, 398 Run command, 360
RenderAGEdges command, 352 RunScript command, 126, 361
RenderCrv command, 353 S command, 2, 391
RenderCurves command, 353 SAT file export, 30
RenderEdges command, 353 save: as small file, 363; autosave, 152; button
Renderman RIB file export, 39, 378, 379 image to file, 125; clearing render meshes, 363;
RenderOptions command, 353 command aliases, 230; file, 361; file to a
RenderPreview command, 353 different file name or file type, 362; image in
RenderPreviewAll command, 353 the render window, 363; named construction
RenderPreviewSelected command, 354 plane, 362; named view, 363; Rhino 1.0, 25;
RenderPreviewSelectedAll command, 354 sequentially numbered versions of model, 252;
459
shortcut, 2; template, 362; toolbar layout, 363; 339; objects to shade, 383; objects to unlock,
toolbar layout as different name, 363 415; points objects, 373; polylines, 372;
Save command, 361 polysurfaces, 372; previous control point in u-
save template, 362 direction, 335; previous control point in v-
save:, 25, 125, 152, 230, 252, 361, 362, 363 direction, 335; row of control points in u-
SaveAs command, 362 direction, 373; row of control points on surface
SaveAsTemplate command, 362 in v-direction, 375; rows and columns of control
SaveCPlane command, 362 points on surface, 374; spotlights, 371;
SaveDisplayWindowAs command, 363 subparts of objects, 25; surfaces, 373; with a
SaveSmall command, 363 window, 376; with crossing window, 369; with
SaveView command, 363 mouse method, 90
SaveWorkspace command, 363 Select Color dialog box, 75
SaveWorkspaceAs command, 363 Select Points toolbar, 136, 137, 138, 262, 303,
SaveWS command, 363 335, 368, 373, 374, 375
SaveWSAs command, 363 Select toolbar, 258, 262, 367, 369, 370, 371, 372,
scale: background bitmap, 365; IGES, 50, 51; 373
move and rotate, 308, 309; objects in one select:, 24, 25, 90, 103, 136, 137, 138, 258, 259,
direction, 364; objects in two dimensions, 365; 262, 303, 335, 339, 354, 367, 368, 369, 370,
objects non-uniformly, 366; objects uniformly, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 383, 415
364; rotate and move on surface, 309 SelectBadObjects command, 368
Scale command, 364 SelectConnected command, 368
Scale toolbar, 364, 365, 366 SelectID command, 370
scale:, 50, 308, 309, 364, 365, 366 selection menu, 24
Scale1D command, 364 SelectLayer command, 371
Scale2D command, 365 SelectName command, 372
ScaleBackgroundBitmap command, 365 SelGroup command, 370
ScaleNU command, 366 SelID command, 370
ScaleTrace command, 365 SelLast command, 370
screen capture, 366, 367; to Clipboard, 366; to SelLayer command, 371
file, 366; to file in 256 colors, 367 SelLayerNumber command, 371
screen:, 23 SelLight command, 371
ScreenCaptureToClipboard command, 366 SelLights command, 371
ScreenCaptureToFile command, 366 SelMesh command, 371
ScreenCaptureToFile256 command, 367 SelMeshes command, 371
scripting: Rhino installers, 129 SelNakedMeshEdgePt command, 371
scripting tools, 125, 126, 172, 181, 288, 363, 366; SelName command, 372
JScript, 126; VBScript, 126 SelNone command, 372
scripting:, 129 SelPoint command, 373
scroll icon image with arrow keys, 123 SelPolyline command, 372
SDRC I-DEAS file exchange, 67 SelPolylines command, 372
Sect command, 367 SelPolysrf command, 372
Section command, 367 SelPolysrfs command, 372
section curves, 367 SelPrev command, 373
SelAll command, 367 SelPt command, 373
SelBadObjects command, 368 SelPts command, 373
SelColor command, 368 SelSolid command, 372
SelConnected command, 368 SelSolids command, 372
SelCrossing command, 369 SelSrf command, 373
SelCrv command, 369 SelSrfs command, 373
SelCrvs command, 369 SelSurface command, 373
SelCurve command, 369 SelSurfaces command, 373
SelCurves command, 369 SelU command, 373
SelDim command, 370 SelUV command, 374
SelDup command, 370 SelV command, 375
SelDups command, 370 SelWindow command, 376
select: add next control point in u-direction, 136; set: active viewport by name, 376; construction
add next control point in v-direction, 136; add plane origin, 182; construction plane origins to a
previous control point in u-direction, 137; add point, 182; construction plane to next used,
previous control point in v-direction, 138; all 182; construction plane to object, 183;
objects, 367; bad objects, 368; by layer, 371; construction plane to previously used, 183;
by object ID, 370; connected points, 368; construction plane to view, 184; construction
curves, 369; deselect all objects, 372; plane to x axis, 184; construction plane to z-
dimensions, 370; duplicate objects, 370; in axis, 184; construction plane vertical, 184;
shaded viewport, 383; invert, 258; invert point construction plane with 3 points, 181; control
selection, 259; lasso, 262; layers from list, 103; polygon display density, 178; coordinates of
meshes, 371; next control point in u-direction, points, 379; current layer, 377; digitizing scale,
303; next control point in v-direction, 303; 206; distance between grid lines, 246; extents
objects, 24; objects by layer number, 371; of grid, 246; front construction plane, 181;
objects by name, 372; objects for render maximized viewport by name, 377; number of
preview, 354; objects instead of control points, thin gridlines between each thick grid line, 246;
460
persistent object snap, 78; perspective angle, shortcuts, 2, 5, 92, 125; built-in aliases, 5; by
318; printer, 337; right construction plane, 183; function, 2; by key, 3; keys, 92; scripting tools,
spotlight hotspot, 250; top construction plane, 125
183; working directory, 381 show: background bitmap, 384; bitmap in a
set construction plane, 181, 182, 183, 184; 3 separate window, 212; broken edges, 384;
Points, 181; Right, 183; to an object, 183; to control points, 339; edges of surface or
next used, 182; to previously used, 183; to the polysurface, 385; edit points, 220; handlebars,
view, 184; Top, 183; vertical, 184; x-axis, 184; 246; hidden control points, 386; hidden objects,
z-axis, 184 384; naked edges, 261, 385; Osnap toolbar,
Set CPlane toolbar, 140, 181, 182, 183, 184, 298, 385; selected hidden objects, 386; toolbar, 119,
343, 355, 359, 362 120; z-buffer, 426
Set View toolbar, 153, 162, 244, 264, 298, 318, Show command, 384
322, 323, 355, 357, 363, 409 show:, 119, 212, 220, 246, 261, 339, 384, 385,
set:, 78, 178, 181, 182, 183, 184, 206, 246, 250, 386, 426
318, 337, 376, 377, 379, 381 ShowAll command, 140
SetActiveViewport command, 376 ShowBackgroundBitmap command, 384
SetCurrentRenderPlugIn command, 376 ShowBrokenEdges command, 384
SetGLShade command, 376 ShowCamera command, 385
SetGridSnap command, 380 ShowCommandPrompt command, 173
SetGroupName command, 377 ShowCV command, 339
SetHotspot command, 250 ShowEdges command, 385
SetLayer command, 377 ShowGrev command, 220
SetLayerMaterialProperties command, 377 ShowGrid command, 245
SetLayerToObject command, 377 ShowGridAxes command, 245
SetMaximizedViewport command, 377 ShowMenu command, 288
SetObjectMaterial command, 378 ShowNakedEdges command, 385
SetObjectMaterialProperties command, 378 ShowOsnap command, 385
SetObjectName command, 378 ShowPoints command, 386
SetObjectNameMultiple command, 379 ShowPt command, 386
SetOrtho command, 379 ShowPts command, 386
SetPerspectiveAngle command, 318 ShowSelected command, 386
SetPlanar command, 379 ShowStatusBar command, 400
SetPt command, 379 ShowTitle command, 409
SetPts command, 379 ShowToolbar command, 119
SetRedrawOff command, 380 ShowToolbox command, 119
SetRedrawOn command, 380 ShowTrace command, 384
SetSketchSkip command, 207 ShowViewportTitle command, 420
SetSnap command, 380 ShowWorldAxes command, 425
Settings command, 308 ShrinkTrimmedSrf command, 386
SetViewportWindowSize command, 380 Silhouette command, 387
SetWorkingDirectory command, 381 silhouette curves, 387
shade: continuous, 218; continuous in perspective SimplifyCrv command, 387
view, 218; continuous shaded mode, 23; flat in SimplifyCurve command, 387
all viewports, 242; flat in one viewport, 241; flat sketch: curve, 388; curve on polygon mesh, 389;
with grid, 242; in all viewports, 382; OpenGL, curve with digitizer, 206; on surface, 389
94, 95, 96, 381, 382; options, 94; selected Sketch command, 388
objects, 383; selected objects in all viewports, sketch:, 206, 388, 389
383; toggle OpenGL mode, 376; viewports, 98; SketchOnMesh command, 389
with grid, 382; with no smoothing on mesh, SketchOnSrf command, 389
241, 242; with wireframe, 425 skinning, 273
Shade command, 381 SLA export, 42
shade:, 23, 94, 98, 218, 241, 242, 376, 381, 382, SLC file exchange, 42
383, 425 Smooth command, 390
Shade1 command, 382 smooth curve or surface, 390
ShadeAll command, 382 snap: along a line, 83; along a line perpendicular
shaded display, 383 to a curve, 82; along a line tangent to a curve,
ShadedViewport command, 383 82; change size, 392; from a point, 81; grid,
ShadeOptions command, 94, 383 380; midway between two points, 84; near a
ShadeSelected command, 383 curve, 79; object, 76, 77, 78; onto a curve, 84;
ShadeSelectedAll command, 383 options, 92; pane, 2, 133; perpendicular to a
shadow, 21 curve, 80; project object snaps to construction
Shear command, 383 plane, 84; shortcuts, 2; tangent to a curve, 80;
shear objects, 383 to a knot, 81; to a point object, 79; to a
Shift key, 2, 74; display context menu, 74 quadrant of a circle or ellipse, 81; to a surface,
Shift+Ctrl+Tab, 2, 4 84; to construction plane, 391; to surface
Shift+PageDown, 5 isoparm, 76; to the center of a circle, 79; to the
Shift+PageUp, 5 end of a curve, 78; to the intersection of two
shine in rendering, 338 curves, 80; to the midpoint of a curve, 79;
toggle object snaps, 409; turn off object snaps,
78
461
Snap command, 391 SrfPtGrid command, 399

snap mode, 380, 391, 392; toggle, 391; turn on or SrfPts command, 399
off, 380 SrfSum command, 238
snap to locked objects, 84 Standard toolbar, 1, 19, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 101,
snap:, 2, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 92, 133, 103, 104, 180, 182, 198, 229, 249, 251, 262,
380, 391, 392, 409 263, 302, 307, 313, 316, 338, 348, 352, 360,
SnapSize command, 392 361, 367, 372, 377, 381, 382, 384, 398, 409,
SnapToLocked command, 84 413, 428, 429, 430
Softimage file exchange, 68 startup commands, 90
Softimage plug-in, 68 status bar, 2, 3, 4, 133, 400; panes, 133;
solid: Boolean difference, 160; Boolean shortcuts, 2; turn on or off, 400
intersection, 160; Boolean union, 161; box, StatusBar command, 400
162, 163; box from three points, 163; cap STEP file exchange, 42
planar ends, 164; cone, 173; create, 385; Stereograms, 426
cylinder, 201, 202; ellipsoid, 223; pipe, 320, STL: ascii tag, 42; file exchange, 42; tolerance, 43
321; select all, 372; torus, 410; truncated cone, STL Tools toolbar, 135, 229, 241, 242, 243, 249,
406; tube, 411, 412 251, 261, 307, 339, 361, 386, 414, 423
Solid Designer file exchange, 69 STL:, 42
Solid Edge, 38, 69; IGES file exchange, 69; X_T StopScript command, 126
file export, 38 Stretch command, 364
Solid toolbar, 162, 173, 201, 223, 238, 320, 392, SubCrv command, 400
406, 407, 410, 411 SubCurve command, 400
Solid Tools toolbar, 160, 161, 164, 236, 240 subtract surfaces or polysurfaces, 160
solid:, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 173, 201, 223, summary information, 22
320, 372, 385, 406, 410, 411 support, 1
SolidWorks, 38, 70; IGES file exchange, 70; X_T surface: analyze with zebra stripes, 426; blend,
file export, 38 157, 158, 159; chamfer, 165; change degree,
SortPoints command, 334 166; create fillet between, 240; create variable
spacebar, 133 radius fillet between, 421; cutting plane, 200;
sphere, 153; baseball sphere, 153; by diameter, develop, 417; developable, 277, 278, 279;
393; center, 392; from three points, 393; display, 132; drape, 216, 217; draw curve
polygon mesh, 295 through control points, 189; extend, 233, 234;
Sphere command, 392 extract from polysurface, 236; extrude, 236,
Sphere toolbar, 153, 154, 392, 393 237; extrude curve along path, 238; extrude
sphere:, 295, 392, 393 curve to point, 238; extrude into solid, 238;
Sphere2Pt, 10, 393 from 3 or 4 curves, 218; from 3 or 4 points,
Sphere2Pts, 10, 393 399; from curve network, 298; from grid of
Sphere3Pt command, 393 control points, 398; from grid of points, 399;
Sphere3Pts command, 393 from heightfield bitmap, 247; from planar
SphereD command, 393 curves, 324; hide backfacing control points,
Spiral command, 394 190; loft, 273, 275, 276, 277; make non-
spline, 255 periodic, 281; make periodic, 281; match, 284,
split: edge of a surface, 396; one object with 285, 286, 287, 288; merge, 288, 289, 290;
another, 395; surface at isoparms, 396; offset, 306, 307; patch, 317; periodic, 133;
viewport horizontally, 397; viewport vertically, plane, 324; plane from three points, 324; plane
397 vertical to construction plane, 325; rebuild, 344;
Split command, 395 reparameterize, 354; revolved, 356; rule, 273;
split:, 395, 396, 397 select all, 373; skin, 273; split, 395, 396; sweep
SplitEdge command, 396 along path, 401; sweep two rails, 402; toolbar,
SplitSrf command, 396 340; trim, 15, 16; unroll, 416; untrim, 417, 418
SplitViewHorizontal command, 397 Surface 2 toolbar, 216, 247, 317, 398, 399
SplitViewportHorizontal command, 397 surface analysis: Gaussian curvature, 192;
SplitViewportVertical command, 397 maximum radius of curvature, 192; mean
SplitViewVertical command, 397 curvature, 192; minimum radius of curvature,
spotlight: control point editing, 398; for rendering, 192
398; hotspot, 250; select all, 371 Surface Analysis toolbar, 171, 192, 224, 228, 328,
Spotlight command, 398 330, 366, 426
spotlight:, 250, 371, 398 surface analysis:, 192
spreadsheet, 36, 229; comma-delimited file Surface menu, 105
export, 35; export object properties to, 35, 229 surface normal, 114, 243; Booleans, 113, 114,
SrfAlign command, 5, 309 115, 118; reverse direction, 243
SrfBlend command, 157 Surface toolbar, 218, 236, 238, 273, 298, 317,
SrfControlPtGrid command, 398 324, 355, 399, 401, 402
SrfCV command, 374 Surface Tools toolbar, 157, 165, 166, 203, 233,
SrfCvCrv command, 189 240, 281, 284, 288, 306, 344, 386, 416, 417
SrfMatch command, 284 surface:, 15, 132, 133, 157, 165, 166, 189, 190,
SrfMerge command, 288 200, 216, 218, 233, 236, 238, 240, 247, 273,
SrfPointGrid command, 399 277, 281, 284, 288, 298, 306, 317, 324, 325,
SrfPoints command, 399 340, 344, 354, 355, 373, 395, 398, 399, 401,
SrfPt command, 399 402, 416, 417, 421, 426
462
SURFCAM file exchange, 71 toolbar buttons, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125; capture
Swap, 400; surface u and v, 400; viewports, 400 icon, 124; clear the bitmap image, 124; copy,
SwapUV command, 400 122; edit, 123; edit bitmap icon, 123; move,
SwapView command, 400 120; programming, 123; save, 125; scripting,
sweep, 401, 402, 403, 404; along path, 401; two 125
rails, 404 Toolbar command, 409
Sweep1 command, 401 toolbar layout, 90, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124,
Sweep2 command, 402 125, 308, 363, 409; capture button image, 124;
Sxtrd command, 236 cascade, 121; change, 409; change button size,
SynchronizeViews command, 404 121; change name, 121; clear button image,
TAB key, 13, 14 124; close, 119; copy button, 122; create
Tan object snap, 80 cascading toolbar, 121; delete button, 122;
TanFrom object snap, 82 delete toolbar, 121; dock, 120; edit button
tangent line, 269 image, 124; float icon to top of cascade, 122;
TanLine command, 269 float toolbar, 120; hide flyout, 122; hide
Taper command, 405 toolbar, 119; import button image, 124; import
target, 323; set viewport, 323 from another layout, 121; move button, 122;
TCone command, 406 move toolbar, 120; new button, 123; new
tear off a cascaded toolbar, 122 toolbar, 121; open, 308; open toolbar, 119; pop
Tebis IGES file exchange, 72 up with middle mouse, 90; properties, 121;
technical support, 1 rename toolbar, 120; reshape toolbar, 120;
TekSoft IGES file exchange, 73 save, 363; save button image to file, 125; save
template, 90, 134, 302, 362; definition, 134; file layout as different name, 363; show toolbar,
location, 90; new file, 302; save, 362 119; tear off flyout, 122; toggle toolbar on and
text: annotation dot, 215; edit 2-dimensional, off, 120; unlink flyout, 123
220; edit annotation, 220; model size, 221, Toolbars, 1, 19, 39, 40, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84,
407; planar curves, 407; scaled size, 221, 407; 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 101, 103, 104, 135, 136,
solids, 407, 408; surfaces, 407, 408 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145,
Text command, 407 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156,
text:, 215, 220, 407 157, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167,
TextObject command, 407 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 177, 179,
Texture command, 338 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 187, 189, 190,
texture for rendering, 338 192, 195, 197, 198, 200, 201, 203, 204, 205,
texture mapping coordinates, 134 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 212, 213, 215, 216,
TGA file format, 322, 363, 366, 367 217, 218, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 226, 228,
Thaw command, 415 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238,
tilt view, 409; left, 409; right, 409 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247,
TiltLeft command, 409 248, 249, 251, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258,
TiltRight command, 409 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267,
title bar, 409, 420; display program, 409; display 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 279, 281, 283,
viewport, 420 284, 288, 290, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297,
Title command, 409 298, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309,
toggle, 15, 120, 135, 173, 178, 179, 216, 245, 311, 313, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 323,
288, 311, 323, 338, 352, 353, 379, 391, 392, 324, 325, 326, 328, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334,
400, 409, 420, 425; 3-viewport and 4-viewport 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 342, 343, 344,
layout, 135; control polygon display, 178; 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 351, 352, 353, 355,
control polygon highlight, 179; crosshairs on 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364,
and off, 15; display of command prompt, 173; 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373,
display of menu bar, 288; display of status bar, 374, 375, 377, 379, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385,
400; display of title bar, 409; display of 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 392, 393, 394, 395,
viewport title, 420; dragging based on view 396, 397, 398, 399, 401, 402, 405, 406, 407,
plane, 216; grid axes on or off, 245; grid on and 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417,
off, 245; menu bar, 288; ortho, 379; ortho 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 425, 426, 428, 429,
mode, 311; persistent object snaps, 409; 430; 3-D Digitize, 255, 330; 3-D Digitizing, 203,
perspective view on and off, 338; planar mode, 204, 205, 206, 322, 323; Analyze, 140, 162,
323, 379; rendering of curves, 353; rendering 168, 187, 192, 194, 195, 210, 212, 245, 265,
of edges, 353; rendering of edges of polygon 330, 340, 368, 385; Annotate, 152, 215; Arc,
meshes, 352; snap mode, 391; status bar on or 142, 143, 144; Array, 148, 149, 150, 151;
off, 400; title bar on or off, 409; toolbar on and Background Bitmap, 139, 249, 297, 321, 351,
off, 120; viewport title, 420; world axes on or 365, 384; BMRT Lights toolbar, 39; BMRT
off, 425 Materials, 39; Box, 162, 163; Circle, 168, 169,
Toggle34View command, 5, 135 170, 171; CPlane View, 419; Curve, 174, 197,
ToggleMaxViewport command, 288 198, 248, 255, 256, 257, 388, 389, 390, 395;
ToggleOsnap command, 409 Curve From Object, 141, 177, 185, 217, 218,
TogglePerspective command, 338 235, 236, 258, 279, 337, 339, 367, 387; Curve
ToggleToolbar command, 120 Tools, 156, 164, 165, 185, 187, 189, 226, 230,
ToggleToolbox command, 120 239, 241, 281, 305, 343, 387; Diagnostics, 168,
tolerance, 22, 23, 50, 51; angle, 22; IGES export, 272, 368, 384; Dimensions, 207, 208, 209,
51; relative, 22 210; Edge Tools, 260, 288, 330, 344, 385, 396;
Ellipse, 221, 222, 223; Extend, 230, 231, 232,
463
233; Extrude, 236, 356; File, 228, 229, 251, OrientPerpToCrv command, 311;
302, 305, 307, 336, 337, 361, 362; Geometry ProjectToCPlane command, 338; RemapCPlane
Fix, 168, 203, 229, 236, 249, 259, 260, 261, command, 349; Rotate command, 357;
330, 339, 348, 368, 384, 385, 386, 390, 395, Rotate3D command, 358; Scale command, 364;
396, 410, 413, 417; Layer, 101, 102, 103, 104, Scale1D command, 364; Scale2D command,
105, 140, 167, 262, 263, 283, 307, 377; Lines, 365; ScaleNU command, 366; SetPt command,
155, 179, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 379; Shear command, 383; Smooth command,
304, 333, 334; Main, 142, 148, 161, 162, 180, 391; Taper command, 405; Twist command,
210, 220, 221, 229, 236, 239, 240, 255, 256, 412
259, 261, 268, 290, 296, 326, 330, 331, 333, Transform toolbar, 148, 154, 180, 244, 296, 309,
337, 339, 345, 357, 358, 365, 395, 396, 399, 311, 338, 349, 357, 358, 365, 379, 383, 390,
410, 417; Mass Properties, 145, 420, 421; 405, 412
Mesh, 135, 141, 142, 229, 234, 243, 261, 290, transform:, 148, 149, 150, 151, 154, 180, 244,
292, 293, 294, 295, 348, 349, 414, 415, 423, 296, 308, 309, 311, 338, 349, 357, 358, 364,
424; Microscribe, 203, 204, 205, 206, 322, 323; 365, 366, 379, 383, 390, 405, 412
Object Snap, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 212; transparency in rendering, 338
Organic, 190, 249, 253, 258, 262, 339, 351, TriangulatePolyline command, 294
373, 374, 375, 386, 425; Plane, 200, 324, 325; trim: detach trimming curve, 203; options, 92
Point, 172, 213, 214, 326, 330; Point Editing, Trim command, 410
218, 220, 246, 253, 254, 339, 351, 422; trim:, 92, 203
Polygon, 331, 332; pop up at cursor, 334; POV trimmed surfaces, 16, 51, 386; definition, 16;
Lights, 41; POV Materials, 41; Rectangle, 345, IGES export type details, 50; shrink to trim
346, 347, 348; Render, 171, 172, 338, 352, boundary, 386
353, 381, 382, 398, 425; Scale, 364, 365, 366; troubleshooting, 48, 108; Booleans, 113; Fillets
Select, 258, 262, 367, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373; and chamfers, 108; IGES, 48, 49; IGES export
Select Points, 136, 137, 138, 262, 303, 335, file types, 50; OpenGL, 101; rendering, 99,
368, 373, 374, 375; Set CPlane, 140, 181, 182, 100; trimmed surfaces, 15
183, 184, 298, 343, 355, 359, 362; Set View, truncated cone, 406
153, 162, 244, 264, 298, 318, 322, 323, 355, Tube command, 411
357, 363, 409; Solid, 162, 173, 174, 201, 202, turn off, 133, 152, 173, 245, 263, 288, 307, 339,
223, 238, 321, 392, 406, 408, 410, 412; Solid 400, 409, 425; autosave, 153; command line,
Tools, 160, 161, 164, 236, 240; Sphere, 153, 173; control points, 134, 339; control points on
154, 392, 393; Standard, 1, 19, 88, 90, 92, 94, selected objects, 339; grid, 245; grid axes, 245;
96, 101, 103, 104, 180, 182, 198, 229, 249, layer, 263; layers, 307; menu bar, 288; status
251, 262, 263, 302, 307, 313, 316, 338, 348, bar, 400; title bar, 409; world axes, 425
352, 360, 361, 367, 372, 377, 381, 382, 384, turn on, 140, 153, 173, 245, 263, 288, 339, 400,
398, 409, 413, 428, 429, 430; STL Tools, 135, 409, 425; all layers, 140; autosave, 152;
229, 241, 242, 243, 249, 251, 261, 307, 339, command line, 173; control points, 339; grid,
361, 386, 414, 423; Surface, 218, 219, 236, 245; grid axes, 245; layer, 263; menu bar, 288;
238, 273, 275, 276, 277, 298, 299, 300, 317, status bar, 400; title bar, 409; world axes, 425,
324, 341, 342, 355, 399, 401, 402, 403, 404; 426
Surface 2, 216, 247, 317, 398, 399; Surface Turntable command, 412
Analysis, 171, 192, 194, 224, 228, 328, 330, Twist command, 412
366, 427; Surface Tools, 157, 165, 166, 203, U command, 2, 413
233, 240, 281, 284, 288, 306, 344, 386, 416, u-direction: move control points, 297
417; Tools, 19, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 172, 173, u-direction curves, 185
203, 208, 308, 342, 363, 409; Transform, 148, u-direction definition, 134, 356; reverse, 356
154, 180, 244, 296, 309, 311, 338, 349, 357, u-direction:, 297
358, 365, 379, 383, 390, 405, 412; Viewport undo: change the number of undo levels, 90;
Layout, 135, 288, 304, 318, 321, 338, 343, command, 413; redo, 348; shortcuts, 2; view
397, 420, 429; Visibility, 190, 249, 273, 384, change, 429
386, 415 Undo command, 2, 413
Toolbox command, 409 undo:, 2, 90, 348, 413, 429
Tools toolbar, 19, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 172, 173, UndoMultiple command, 414
203, 208, 308, 342, 363, 409 UndoSelected command, 414
Top command, 409 unfold a surface, 416
top view, 2, 409; set, 409; shortcut, 2 UnGhost command, 415
Torus command, 410 Ungroup command, 414
TraceBitmap command, 321 Ungroup objects, 414
track, 82, 83; along a line, 83; along a line UnhidePoints command, 386
perpendicular to a curve, 82; along a line Unicode fonts, 407; in text, 407
tangent to a curve, 82 unify polygon mesh normals, 414
tracking line, 131 UnifyMeshNormals command, 414
transform: Array command, 148; ArrayCrv Unigraphics file exchange, 73
command, 149; ArrayPolar command, 150; union, 161; Boolean, 161
ArraySrf command, 151; Bend command, 154; unit systems, 15
Copy command, 180; Flow command, 244; Units command, 415
Mirror command, 296; Move command, 296; units systems, 415
Orient command, 308; Orient3Pt command, unlink a flyout toolbar, 123
309; OrientOnSrf command, 309;
464
unlock: all objects, 415; object snaps, 212; between 3 and 4 viewports, 135; wireframe
selected objects, 415 viewport, 425
UnLock command, 415 viewport layout: four viewports, 135; new, 302;
unlock:, 415 read from file, 343; swap, 400; three viewports,
UnLockSelected command, 415 135
UnPackTextures command, 415 Viewport Layout toolbar, 135, 288, 304, 318, 321,
unroll a surface, 416 338, 343, 397, 420, 429
UnrollSrf command, 416 viewport layout:, 135, 302, 343, 400
untrim a surface, 417 viewport properties, 420
Untrim command, 417 viewport title menu, 153, 162, 244, 264, 288,
unwrap a surface, 416 318, 357, 400, 409, 420, 429, 430; display,
UpDeg command, 165 420; maximize viewport, 288; set back view,
UpDegSrf command, 166 153; set bottom view, 162; set front view, 244;
UseCPlaneCoordinates command, 11 set left view, 264; set perspective view, 318;
user input in script, 318 set right view, 357; set top view, 409; swap
UseWCSCoordinates command, 11 viewports, 400; zoom extents, 429; zoom
uv mapping coordinates, 134 extents selected, 430; zoom window, 430
VBscript, 126 viewport:, 23, 135, 163, 172, 181, 288, 302, 303,
VCPlane command, 184 304, 336, 376, 377, 383, 397, 425
VDA file exchange, 43 ViewportProperties command, 420
v-direction: move control points, 297 ViewportTitle command, 420
v-direction curves, 185; create from surface, 185 views, 323, 405, 420; camera, 322; properties,
v-direction definition, 134; reverse, 356 420; set all to match, 404; synchronize, 404;
v-direction:, 297 target, 322; zoom all to the same scale, 404
Vellum IGES file exchange, 54 visibility: control points, 249; hide back, 190; lock
vertex, 131; control point, 131 objects, 273; object, 249, 384; show control
vertical, 271, 325, 347; line, 271; plane, 325; points, 386; unlock objects, 415
rectangle, 347 Visibility toolbar, 190, 249, 273, 384, 386, 415
view: back view, 153; bottom view, 162; visibility:, 190, 249, 273, 384, 386, 415
construction plane back, 419; construction plane Visual Basic script, 126
bottom, 419; construction plane front, 419; Vline command, 271
construction plane left, 419; construction plane Volume command, 420
right, 419; continuously rotate, 412; edit VolumeCentroid command, 421
named, 298; front view, 244; left view, 264; VolumeMoments command, 421
pan, 313; pan down, 313; pan left, 313; pan VPlane command, 325
right, 313; pan up, 314; perspective view, 318; Vrbf command, 421
place camera and target, 322; place target, VRBSrf command, 421
323; plan view, 323; read named from file, 343; VRectangle command, 347
redraw speed, 96; restore named, 355; right VRML file export, 44
view, 357; rotate, 360; rotate down, 360; W command, 2, 376
rotate left, 360; rotate right, 360; rotate up, Wallpaper command, 422
360; save named, 363; tilt left, 409; tilt right, water level, 250
409; top view, 409; zoom, 428; zoom extents in water plane area, 250, 251
all viewports, 429; zoom extents in one Wavefront OBJ file exchange, 51
viewport, 429; zoom extents of selected objects weight: edit control point, 422
in all viewports, 430; zoom extents of selected Weight command, 422
objects in one viewport, 430; zoom in, 429; weight:, 422
zoom in and out by a percentage, 430; zoom Welcome to Rhinoceros, 1
out, 429; zoom window, 430; zoom window and weld: coincident points on a mesh, 423; control
set a target point, 430 points, 379
view:, 96, 153, 162, 244, 264, 298, 313, 314, Weld command, 423
318, 322, 323, 343, 355, 357, 360, 363, 409, weld:, 379, 423
412, 419, 428, 429, 430 wetted surface area, 250
ViewCPlaneBack command, 419 What command, 425
ViewCPlaneBottom command, 419 Why Rhinoceros?, 1
ViewCPlaneFront command, 419 window: select, 24, 25, 376; with mouse, 90
ViewCPlaneLeft command, 419 window selection, 3
ViewCPlaneRight command, 419 window:, 24, 90, 376
ViewCPlaneTop command, 419 Windows 2000 OpenGL bug, 224, 428
Viewpoint Technologies file export, 45 Windows Clipboard, 198, 316
viewport: bring to top, 163; close, 172; copy to Windows Metafile file exchange, 45
all, 181; create new, 302; layout, 23; make wireframe: extract as curves, 236; isoparm, 132;
previous active, 336; maximize, 288; menu, 23, set density, 338
24; move next to top, 304; next active, 304; wireframe display, 425; set viewport, 425
next ortho active, 302; next perspective active, wireframe:, 132, 135
303; print, 336; set active by name, 376; set WireframeViewport command, 425
maximized by name, 377; set to shaded display, WireShade1 command, 425
383; set to wireframe display, 425; shade, 383; WMF file export, 45
split horizontal, 397; split vertical, 397; toggle workgroup: check in license, 168; check out
license, 168
465
Workgroup license manager, 130, 168; check in zoom: dynamic, 428; extents in all viewports,
license, 168; check out license, 168 429; extents in one viewport, 429; extents of
workgroup:, 168 selected objects in all viewports, 430; extents of
working directory, 381 selected objects in one viewport, 430; in, 2, 3,
workspace, 308, 363; open, 308; save, 363; save 4, 5, 428, 429; in and out by a percentage,
as different name, 363 430; options, 96, 97; out, 3, 4, 428, 429;
world axes, 425; set colors, 425; toggle display, previous view, 2; window, 430; window and set
425 a new target point, 430
world coordinates, 11 Zoom command, 430
WorldAxes command, 425 zoom window, 3
WRL file export, 44 zoom:, 2, 96, 428, 429, 430
X_T file export, 38 ZoomDynamic command, 428
XtndB command, 233 ZoomExtents command, 429
XtndF command, 233 ZoomExtentsAll command, 429
Xtra command, 236 ZoomIn command, 429
Yamaha ESPRi file exchange, 74 ZoomMouse command, 428
Z command, 2, 430 ZoomNext command, 429
ZBuffer command, 426 ZoomOut command, 429
ZBufferPoints command, 217 ZoomP command, 429
ZBufferPt command, 217 ZoomPrev command, 429
ZBufferPts command, 217 ZoomSelected command, 430
ZBufferSketch command, 389 ZoomSelectedAll command, 430
ZBufferSrf command, 216 ZoomTarget command, 430
ZE command, 429 ZoomWindow command, 430
ZEA command, 429 ZoomX command, 430
Zebra command, 426 ZP command, 429
ZM command, 428 ZS command, 430
Zoo, 130 ZSA command, 430
466

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Command Reference

© Robert McNeel & Associates 2001.

Windows Metafile file export 61

OnSrf object snap 100

Customize toolbar buttons ....................................................................................................................... 139

A note about the graphics in the Help file

Contacting Robert McNeel & Associates

Frequently Asked Questions

Rotate view Ctrl + Shift + drag with the right mouse

Ctrl+C Copy to Clipboard

Shift+PageDown Adjust the lens length of

Command Name Aliases

Enter construction plane coordinates

Enter world coordinates

Enter relative coordinates

Enter polar coordinates

Enter relative polar coordinates

Draw a curve using elevator mode

Drawing using elevator mode

Use Tab to constrain along a line

Line snapped to endpoint

Toggle crosshairs on and off

On the Appearance tab select Crosshairs.

Control points on trimmed surface

Surfaces trimmed with same curve have overlapping control points

Document Properties dialog box, Dimensions tab

Dimension text above the dimension line

Dimension text cut in the dimension line

Dimension text horizontal to the view

Document Properties dialog box, Grid tab

Document Properties dialog box, Notes tab

Document Properties dialog box, Render Mesh tab

Document Properties dialog box, Render tab

Document Properties dialog box, Summary tab

Document Properties dialog box, Units tab

The Viewport menu:

The Viewport menu

Wireframe display mode

Shaded display mode

Click the object name in the list.

Selecting parts of objects

Import and export file types

Rhino 1.0 file exchange

Saving 1.x files from Rhino 2.0

Loading 1.x files into Rhino 2.0

3D Studio file exchange

To save 3D Studio files:

To export to 3DS MAX:

Tips on exporting to 3D Studio MAX

Making morphs in Max

To export the meshed model as a 3DM file

3D Studio MAX 2.5 file import plug-in

To install this plug-in:

To use this plug-in:

3D Studio MAX 2.0 file import plug-in

To install this plug-in:

To use this plug-in:

3D Studio MAX 1.2 file import plug-in

Get the plug-in from:

To use this plug-in:

3D Studio MAX 3.0 OBJ file exchange

ACIS file export

ACIS Version 4.0

Adobe Illustrator file exchange