Chapter 1: Introduction

Modelingin3-Distheprocessofcreatingamathematicalrepresentationofanobject'ssurfaces.Theresulting
modelisdisplayedonyourscreenasatwo-dimensionalimage.Rhinoprovidestoolsforcreating,displaying,
andmanipulatingthesesurfaces.

The Rhino interface

TheimagebelowillustratessomeofthemajorfeaturesoftheRhinowindow.

Menu (1)
ThemenusgroupRhinocommandsbyfunction.
History window (2)
Thecommandhistorywindowdisplaysthepreviouscommandsandprompts.
Command prompt (3)
Thecommandpromptdisplayspromptsforthecurrentcommandactions,optionsforthecommandthat
youcanclick,andallowstypingcommandnamesandoptions.
Toolbars (4)
Toolbarscontaingraphicaliconbuttonsforinitiatingcommands.Manytoolbariconbuttonshaveasecond
commandthatyoucanaccessbyright-clickingthebutton.Thetooltipthatappearswhenyouhoverover
thebuttontellsyouwhattheleftandrightmousebuttondo.
To access the command on the first line
4

Clicktheiconwiththeleft mouse button.

To access the command on the second line

4

Clickthebuttonwiththeright mouse button.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Viewports (5)
ViewportsdisplaytheRhinoworkingenvironment.
Panels (6)
Tabbedpanelscontainslayers,properties,andothersettings.

Rhino commands
Rhinoisacommand drivenprogram.Inotherwords,allactionsareactivatedbynamedcommandssuchas
Line,Box,orCurvatureAnalysis.
Tip:Toreadmoreaboutacommand,clickthered,underlinedcommandnamelink.
Commandsareaccessedthroughthemenus,orthetoolbars,orbytypingthecommandname.Inthenext
sections,youwillexploreusingthesemethods.Youmayfindonemethodeasierthananother.Thechoiceis
yours,andthereisn opreferenceforonemethodoveranother.
Intheexercises,youwilluseRhinoscommands,navigationtools,shadedmodes,render,andusesomebasic
objectmanipulation.
Tip:Tocancelacommandanytime,presstheEsckey.
In this session you will
4

Startacommandbychoosingfromthemenu.

Startacommandbychoosingfromatoolbarbutton.

Startacommandbytyping.
To start your first Rhino model

1. StartRhino.
2. OntheFilemenu,clickNew.
3. IntheOpen Template Filedialogbox,selectSmallObjects - centimeters.3dmandclickOpen.

Start from the menu

MostRhinocommandsarearrangedinthemenus.
Start the Cone command
4

OntheSolidmenu,clickCone.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Draw the cone

1. AttheBase of coneprompt,intheTopviewport,clickwiththemousetopickthecenterpointfor
thebaseofthecone.

2. AttheRadiusprompt,intheTopviewport,dragthemouseandclicktodrawtheconesbase.

3. AttheEnd of coneprompt,intheFrontviewport,dragthemouseandclicktodrawthecones
point.

Chapter 1: Introduction

4. WatchwhathappensinthePerspectiveviewport.

Start from a toolbar button

Toolbarsprovideagraphicalinterfacetothecommands.
To display a button tooltip, hover your mouse over the button
4

Thecommandnamesthatareactivatedwiththeleftandrightmouseclicksdisplay.

Start the Curve command

4

OnthetoolbardockedontheleftsideoftheRhinowindow,clicktheiconforControl point curve.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Draw the curve

1. AttheStart of curveprompt,intheTopviewport,clickthemousetostartthecurve.
2. AttheNext point...prompts,clickafewmorepointsintheTopviewport.

3. AttheNext point...prompts,movethemouseintotheFrontviewportandclickafewmorepoints.

4. AttheNext point...prompts,movethemouseintotheRightviewportandclickafewmorepoints.

Chapter 1: Introduction

5. Right-click,pressEnterorpressthespacebartocompletethecurve.
6. CheckoutthePerspectiveviewport.

Admire your work

4

DragwiththerightmousebuttontorotatethePerspectiveview.

Start from the command line

Youcanstartacommandbytypingthecommandname.
Start the Sphere command by typing
4

Clickatthecommandprompt,andtypeSphere.
Whenyoutypethefirstlettersofacommand,alistofpossiblecommandsappears.Themostlikely
candidateauto-completes.
WhenthecommandnameSphereappears,pressEnter,orchooseSphere fromthelist.
ThedefaultoptionfortheSpherecommandisCenter, Radius,soyoucansimplystartdrawingthe
centerofthesphere.

Draw the sphere

1. AttheCenter of sphereprompt,inthePerspectiveviewport,clickthemousetopickthecenter
pointforthesphere.

Chapter 1: Introduction

2. AttheRadiusprompt,inthePerspectiveviewport,movethemouseawayfromthecenterpoint,
andclickthemousetodrawthesphereandclick.

3. InthePerspectiveviewport,clickthedown-arrowontheviewport title,andonthemenu,click
Shaded.

Undo a mistake
Ifyoudidsomethingyoudidnotwanttodo,youcanundoyouractions.
Undo a command
4

OntheEditmenu,clickUndo,orpresstheCtrl and Zkeys.

Youcanundoaseriesofcommands.
YoucanalsoRedotheUndoifyougotoofar.
Redo commands

OntheEditmenu,clickRedo,orpresstheCtrl and Ykeys.

Chapter 1: Introduction

The command window

Thecommandwindowcontainsthecommandh istoryandthecommandprompt.
ThewindowisnormallydockedatthetopoftheRhinowindow,butyoucandockitatthebottomofthescreen
orfloatitjustlikeanytoolbar.Itisagoodideatodragthewindowsoitdisplaysatleastthreelinesoftext.
Thecommand promptiswhereyoucantypecommandnames,setoptions,enterdistancesandanglesfor
drawing,andreadthepromptsforthecommands.
Thecommandpromptdisplaysoptionsforthecommandinparentheses.Toactivateanoption,clicktheoption
withthemouseortypetheoptionn ameortheunderlinedletterintheoption.
Optionsgiveyoualternatemethodsforusingthecommand.Promptsaremessagestoyoutoselectobjectsto
acton,toenterinformation,ortoenterapointonthescreen.Asyoustarttobuildobjects,promptsbecome
increasinglyimportant,sincetheytellyouwhattodonext.

Command options
Commandoptionschangehowacommandacts.Forexample,whenyoudrawacircle,thecircleisnormally
drawnontheactiveconstructionplane.TheCirclecommandhasseveraloptionsincludingVerticaland
AroundCurve.Commandoptionsappearinparenthesesattheprompt.
Touseacommandoption,clicktheoptionname,ortypetheunderlinedletteroftheoptionorthewholeoption
name.
Choose a command option
1. Atthecommandprompt,typeCircle.
Assoonasyouhavetypedenoughletterstouniquelyidentifythecommand,theCirclecommand
automaticallycompletesattheprompt.PressEnterorclickthecommandname.
2. TheoptionsfortheCirclecommandappear:
Center of circle(DeformableVertical2Point3PointTangentAroundCurveFitPoints)
3. Todrawacircleverticaltotheactiveconstructionplane,usetheVerticaloption.
ClickVertical,ortypeV.

Repeat the last command

ManytasksinRhinoarerepetitive.Youmightwanttomoveorcopyseveralobjects,forexample.Methodsfor
repeatingcommandsareprovided.
To repeat the last command
4

PresstheEnterkeywhennocommandisactive.

InadditiontopressingtheEnterkeyonyourkeyboard,youcanpresstheSpacebarorclickthe
right mouse buttoninaviewport.Theseallperformthesamefunction.
Note:Somecommands,suchasUndoandDeletedonotrepeat.Instead,the
commandpriortothesecommandsisrepeated.Thispreventsyoufromaccidentally
undoingtoomanycommandsordeletingobjectsaccidentally.
Inaddition,youoftenwanttorepeatthecommandyouwereusingbeforeundoinga
mistake.Youcandefinethelistofcommandsthatdonotrepeattosuityourownway
ofworking.

10

Chapter 1: Introduction

Get help any time

TheRhino Helpfileisthemajorresourcefordetailedinformationonspecificcommands.
To get help on a specific command
4

TogetHelpforacommand,pressF1whilethecommandisrunning.

OntheHelpmenu,clickCommand Help.
TheRhinoHelpwilldisplayinadockablewindow.
ClickAuto-UpdatetodisplaytheHelptopicforthecurrentcommand.
TheHelpwindowappearswiththespecificcommandtopicvisible.

GotoRhino Helpforthemostup-to-dateHelpinformation.

Findtheanswerstofrequentlyaskedquestionsat:Rhino Support.
Tip:Formoreinformationaboutthemathematicalprinciplesinvolvedin3-Dmodeling,
see:www.mathopenref.com.

11